Touch football is a game that provides the excitement, quickness and enjoyment of football without the bone-jarring collisions and potential for injury. Because the game is different than tackle football, players training to get better at touch football do not need to do the same drills or have the same skills as the full-contact game. Quickness is tantamount, as are evasiveness and leaping ability.
Cutting
Touch football players make quick changes of direction when running with the ball or going downfield to catch passes. Those cuts create separation from defenders, so players should practice the skill of making concise cuts. The Square Cut Drill from the Football Drills and Plays website emphasizes making a quick cut so that the player can get back to full speed. "Emphasize staying low, staying under control and getting a good push-off with the outside foot. Run the drill both ways so the backs get practice pushing off both the left and right feet."
Evading Defenders
The juke move is what offensive players use to evade defenders when they have the ball or when they are trying to get open. Teams can practice juke moves for offensive situations and that will also provide lessons on how not to get juked on defense. A drill that will help both sides of the ball is to have a defender stand 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and have an offensive player run a pass route of 15 yards. The offensive player must make a juke move at 10 yards and the defender must try to keep up and defend the pass.
Leaping
Touch football is almost all about passing the ball, so players must work diligently on their leaping skills to catch or defend passes. A drill that can help leaping ability is the Vertical Power Jump, as explained on the FitDay website. "Vertical power jumps involve jumping as high as you can repeatedly with explosive power. Begin by standing upright, then slowly bend at the knees and hips. With all your force, propel yourself vertically into the air as high as possible." Repeated use of the drill will improve leaping ability and will enable players to catch or defend passes at a higher point.
Defense
While speed enables a defensive player to catch up with and touch a ball carrier, precious seconds can be saved by anticipating where the ball is going before it is thrown. Defensive players can improve their chances of getting a read on an impending pass by staring down the quarterback's eyes, though they must also make sure to keep track of the receiver they are defending. To get a better sense for feeling out where quarterbacks may throw the ball, one defender should stand in the center of the field about 15 yards from the quarterback in practice and the quarterback should throw to one of four receivers.
Speed
In touch football, much of the game is about running faster than the other team. The Sports Fitness Advisor's page on speed training for football recommends that players drive off the balls of their feet, that they take short and powerful strides, that the whole body leans forward and that players pump their arms vigorously, throwing the elbows backward. By practicing proper sprinting form in drills, players can improve their acceleration and top speed, which will translate into success on the touch football field.
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