Brodney Pool Drills Riley Cooper

Big hit by the DB knocking off his helmet peep how Cooper caught his helmet mid air. I do not own right to this footage. This footage is owned and copyrighted by the NFL and CBS

Owen Schmitt_Pro Day_Combine Drills

Raw footage of Owen Schmitt's 40 yard dash and agility drills taken at the West Virginia Pro Day (3/13/08).

Field Hockey Warm-Up Drills

Before starting any sports practice or game, you must make sure to run a thorough warm-up that gets players both physically and mentally ready to play. A good warm-up routine includes both a cardiovascular component such as running and a series of stretches that highlight the muscles used most during the sport in question.

The following field hockey warm-up drills are an excellent addition to any warm-up routine since they emphasize the basic skills of the game while getting the joints moving and the blood flowing to avoid later injury.

One thing I've noticed in my years of coaching field hockey is that players hate running laps. So at our field hockey practices we've replaced running laps with a 5-minute long version of freeze tag. Tag is an excellent way to get players running around while keeping their minds more active than if they were simply running laps around the field.

After the cardiovascular section of your warm-up is completed, it is time for the stretching. I like to start off with head rolls and neck stretches and make my way down. If you have no experience leading a stretching routine, don't hesitate to contact other coaches or a certified yoga instruction for some guidance on which stretches are not to be missed for your field hockey team.

Hits and Misses

Once you've finished stretching your team's muscles, it is time to begin the field hockey warm-up drills. When selecting drills for your warm-up, look for simple drills that emphasize the basic skills of the game without pushing players too far--save that for the conditioning drills!

The first warm-up drill I like to use at my field hockey practices is a basic hitting drill, since the hit is hockey's most basic and useful skill. For this hitting drill, I divide my team into partners and have them stand facing each other 10 feet apart to start off with.

When running this and all other warm-up drills, the emphasis is on perfect form. For example, when hitting it is important to make sure the player's hands are firmly together near the top of the stick. Use the hands and wrists to bring the stick backwards, and the goal should be to hit the lower half of the ball when the stick is brought back down. Don't forget to follow though with the stick after the hit is completed. Another thing to remember is to keep the feet parallel to the direction you want the ball to go.

I have my players hit back and forth for 2 minutes at this distance, then I blow my whistle and have each player back up one giant step, repeating this process two more times before moving on to the next drill.

Push Pass Perfection

The next of the field hockey warm-up drills focuses on the push pass, which is a better way than hitting for moving the ball over large distances. Using the same partners as before, have your players stand anywhere from 20 to 40 feet apart and push pass to each other.

The form of the push pass differs slightly from that of the hit. For the push pass, players are to place their left hand near the top of the stick with the right hand further down. Keeping their eye on the ball with their knees bent, players are to shift their weight from the back foot to the front as contact is made with the ball. As with the hit, make sure to follow through completely. The follow through is complete when the stick is pointing towards the direction of the pass.

Blair McKinney has been playing and coaching field hockey for nearly 28 years. You can get instant access to hundreds of field hockey practice plans and drills by visiting Blair's website:

http://www.Field-Hockey-Drills.com

For a limited time, all coaches who visit Blair's site will also get a free copy of his special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Field Hockey Coaches Make".

Pass Rushing Drills For Football

An effective pass rush can change the tempo of the offense and decide games. In this article we will discuss different pass rushing techniques including how to line up and the proper stance.

Stance:
1. Have your legs shoulder width apart.
2. Have your inside foot back and your outside foot forward.
3. Balance your weight on the front foot while using the inside hand as the down hand.

Lining Up:
1. Without being off-sides, line up as close to the line of scrimmage as possible.
2. You want to be about ½ to 2 yards off the offensive tackles outside shoulder.
3. Aim your body for where you think the quarterback will be in his drop back.

Reading the Offensive Tackle:
1. Read the way the tackle attempts to block you after the ball is snapped, then determine what kind of rush move you want to make.
2. Be prepared to adjust your rush technique to his blocking, if you reach the tackle before the third step, you may have to change your pass rushing move.

Pass Rushing Drills:

1. The Speed Rush Drill:

1. Use this technique when the tackle is lined up to your inside.
2. Get in the proper stance and line up accordingly.
3. You want to explode out of your stance on the snap taking your first step with the inside leg.
4. On the third step, plant on the ball of the inside foot, lowering your body, drive the inside arm up through the tackle.
5. Pull the inside arm down, warp the outside arm around the tackle, use the outside foot to square your hips with the quarterback. Remember what ever direction your hips face is the direction you go.
6. Alternative to wrapping the outside arm around the QB is to use both hands and force the opponents hands down.

The key to success is to always be moving towards the quarterback, make him feel the pressure.

Bull Rush Drill:

This drill is very effective when the tackle lines up directly in front of you.

1. Line up close to the line of scrimmage and get into your stance.
2. Explode of the line when the ball is snapped using the inside leg for your first step.
3. Planting the ball of the inside foot on the third step, hit the opposing player putting your helmet under his chin. Do not spear, this can lead to serious neck injuries.
4. Putting your hands on the tackles chest drive through him back to quarterback. For the best results, take short choppy steps; exert all your power driving the tackle back till you get to the quarterback.

In conclusion, you now know how to line up and the proper stance to create the most effective pass rush. The pass rushing drills listed are just a few of many ways to rush the passer. There are rushing the passer DVDs available, use the links below to see a list of our pass rush training videos.

See all of our pass rushing DVDs at: http://www.scoretouchdowns.com/rushing-the-passer-videos-&-dvds.html

For more defensive strategies such as blitzing and w to defend the pass visit us at: http://www.scoretouchdowns.com/football-defensive-strategies-videos-&-dvds.html

Football Drills - Ball Handling and More

Without a solid foundation of ball handling players will be easy prey to a solid defensive team. This drill is meant to help players control and develop their ball handling skills. Players will move the football from one hand to another hand around differing parts of their body. The drill is simple and starts by having the player pass the ball around their head, torso, arms, knees, and even between their feet from one hand to another in constant motion.

The best thing that a coach can do is call out body parts that the players will have to move the ball around, or even calling a reverse command were the players will need to change the direction of the football. This change of motion will keep players from falling asleep, and ensure that you are developing handling skills and not just muscle memory.

We recommend that you end this drill by doing several football drops. This means that the player will drop the football and retrieve it again quickly. They also should rotate which hand they are using to pick it up so that you can increase ball handling with both.

The High Toss Football Catch

Because not all throws are perfect you will need to practice making catches that are high or low. Here are some simple steps when making a high catch: Make a diamond with their forefingers and thumbs. When you have your hands extended you are performing a proper catch, remember, and don't ever catch it with your body. Important Tip: never, ever, under any circumstances, for any reason, take your eyes off the ball; even after you have caught it watch the ball until you know that it is safely in your grips. If you are taking your eyes off for any reason you will lose focus and have a greater chance to miss the pass, or worse, fumble the football.

Traditional Driving Block

When talking about the fundamentals of a great offense or defense, you have to know what a good driving and blocking techniques are. The drive block is the most fundamental and should be practiced often. It is a simple yet effective way to move your opponent. It starts with the lineup, when you are facing your opponent notice which way they are aligned, if they are off to the right then you will drive them to the right if the play is occurring on the left side of the field. Execute the drive by bolting off the line with your play side foot; again if the play is happening on the left side then you will use your left foot. Bring the other foot up quickly and make a solid contact for your drive.

Building your muscles and endurance through Weightlifting

Lifting weights is a fundamental requirement to improve your football skills. Not only will it add muscle to your body and increase your strength, it will also help you to increase your maximum power. Maximum power should be the goal of your training, because it involves muscle strength and muscle excursion during play. Strong and powerful execution will enable fast plays, quick action, and recognition on the field. We highly recommend working with a personal trainer when weightlifting to insure that you are doing it properly, and to help you design a program that will fit your position.

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Football Speed - Football Drills to Increase Speed in a Hurry!

As a fitness trainer and strength and conditioning specialist that has trained athletes in the Atlanta area now for over 10 years I can tell you right now that if you want to build your speed for football then you have got to utilize kettlebells! That's right, I said kettlebells my friend. Keep reading if I have your attention.

Football Speed Training Workouts!

You see in order to stimulate your body to actually get FASTER you have got to train it a certain way in order for it to be. Speed can be obtained a number of different ways, but by developing strength through dynamic movements you will increase your speed performance and smoke the competition on the football field in a hurry! This is where kettlebell training comes into play my friend.

You see kettlebell training is a movement based style of training that will help you to develop strength, power, endurance, and of course speed! Just by engaging in some of the more primary movements that will stimulate the muscles of your posterior chain (hips, glutes, hamstrings, back, etc.) you will develop your sprinting powerhouse for optimal performance. Kettlebell training allows you to perform these dynamic strength movements over and over in order to help you develop both power and endurance at the same time.

For instance, the kettlebell swing is the base lift you can perform with the kettlebell and it gives you a much greater range of motion and similar training effect as a barbell clean. The difference in the two drills is that you can't swing the barbell! The kettlebell allows for a much greater range of motion and volume of training due to it's unique design and the way that the swing lift is performed. This is what strongmen and athletes in Russia have understood for centuries.

Another great thing is that you can actually integrate more functional style drills into your football speed training with kettlebells such as kettlebell drags, totes, and throws. These are drills that more closely resemble world strongman training, but they will certainly improve your football speed performance! This is the kind of workout that will make you a better football player, period.

If you haven't already started to implement the use of the kettlebell into your football speed drills then you are missing out my friend. Take the time to learn more on how to do this by accessing more of my articles on the subject for free. Remember that most any football player can train hard, but only the champions train smart!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com.
To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html.

I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!