If one aspect of football gets coaches excited, it's having players who are fast. Particularly with defensive play, players with speed and who can tackle dependably can make any coach look like a genius. When coaching youth players, speed drills and tackling exercises can help a team improve significantly.
Shuttle Drill
Building speed means getting quicker as well as faster. Coaches can help players get quicker and more decisive on the field with a shuttle drill. Line your players up at the goal line. On your whistle, they will run to the 20-yard line and pick up a football. After securing the football and tucking it under their arm in the high-and-tight position, they will run back to the goal line and drop the ball on the ground. They should turn and sprint back to the 20 to pick up another football, then run back to the goal line and drop the ball. After a one-minute break, repeat the drill.
Chute Training
Help players get faster by have them sprint with running chutes on. These running chutes are worn like backpacks, and open up as the player sprints. The chute will provide significant resistance, and the players' natural inclination will be to turn around and see what is holding them back. As doing so greatly diminished the benefit of resistance training, urge them to run straight ahead. Have each player do two 50-yard sprints to improve their speed.
Sprint and Tackle
This is one of the best drills for building speed and helping a player improve his tackling ability. Start off with the defensive player at midfield. On your signal, he will sprint 15 yards straight ahead, then cut hard to the left and sprint 20 yards, where he will hit a tackling dummy. The key is for the player to hold his form and wrap up the dummy, not just shoulder-block it. The player must also maintain his speed. After hitting a dummy during the first week of camp, tacklers can do the drill against a live running back.
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