drills

January 5, 2011

Own the paint: 12 games of 1-on-1 to improve post players

Own the paint. Don't just take up space or clog the lane, but rather, have your players dominate this area of the floor. The better your team is on the interior, the more high-percentage shots you create and, consequently, it opens up your squad for ...


December 20, 2010

Football: Iowa’s 6-minute tackling circuit

The University of Iowa football team prides itself on a hard-hitting defense that typically ranks in the Top 10 nationally in points allowed. Head coach Kirk Ferentz uses this six-minute tackle circuit to improve the tackling skills of all his defend...


December 16, 2010

The six-minute tackle circuit

Editor’s Note: See video of Kirk Ferentz speaking to a group of high schoolers about goal-setting at the end of this article. The University of Iowa football team prides itself on a hard-hitting defense that typically ranks in the Top 10 nationa...


October 20, 2010

Soccer: Drilling transition movements into players

One of the beautiful things about the game of soccer is its free-flowing nature with the constant transitioning of teams from attack, to defense, and back to attack. [caption id="attachment_13260" align="alignright" width="266"] Photo: Sarah Jones...


October 20, 2010

Football: Secondary drills for man coverage

Man-to-man coverage begins with the proper alignment of the defensive backs to the receivers at the line of scrimmage (LOS). This normally places the cornerbacks 5-7 yards off of the LOS, with an inside shade on the receivers. At the snap of the b...


October 7, 2010

Volleyball: Using your middle blocker

Next to the libero, the middle blocker is the most important defensive player on the floor,” said Mike Hebert, the successful former head women’'s volleyball coach at the University of Minnesota. “An awful lot of what goes on defensively is determ...


October 7, 2010

Football: Teaching the combo block

Techniques for making the combo block an effective part of your running game The combination (combo) block is an easy way to get a body on one defender while picking off another to give your running game a distinct advantage. In the combo block, ...


July 14, 2010

Soccer: 1-on-1 drills to break down defenders

Using 1-on-1 drills in your soccer practices helps build the skills and confidence your players need to break down an individual defender, which is a situation they constantly are facing during game play. And while soccer is a team sport, it is a ...