Developing aggressiveness in youth football players can be challenging. It's not unusual for youth football players to lose their concentration during practice or become complacent due to a naturally noncompetitive nature. Certain drills can help develop that aggressiveness on the field and in the process develop their football specific skills.
Splatter Drill
This drill is designed to allow players to drive through a would-be ball carrier with their pads on, as well as feel what it would be like to be hit hard by a tackler in a relatively safe environment. A player holds a tackling dummy in front of him, with a large padded area behind him on the ground. A second player gets in his "ready" position five yards from the player holding the dummy and waits for your signal. Upon hearing the signal, the "ready" player runs to and drives through the player holding the tackling dummy, with both of them landing on the padded surface.
Machine Gun
This drill is designed to promote an intense, rapid-fire hitting sequence that may last a minute or longer. The entire team stands in single file. The player at the front of the line moves five yards forward, turns around and faces whoever is in the front of the long line. The player facing the line stomps his feet up and down in preparation. The first player in line, on your signal, hits the player facing the line, then moves to the back of the line. The next player in line also hits the player facing the line, and so on every few seconds, until the entire team has had at least one turn.
Highest Point
Not all aggressiveness exists in the form of tackling. This drill is designed to promote ball-catching aggressiveness. Every player who plays a position with the potential to catch a ball forms a line. The offense forms one line and the defense forms another. One player from each line runs out onto the field approximately 20 to 30 yards in front of you. You throw the ball high into the air, and each player does their best to catch the ball by jumping as high as possible and meeting the ball at its highest point. The player able to time his jump best "wins" the drill.
Pick Six
This drill, which also focuses on ball-catching aggressiveness, increases a defensive back's aggressiveness in swatting or intercepting a pass thrown to a receiver running an "out" or an "in" pattern. The receivers form a single file on a marked line of scrimmage. The defenders take turns covering each receiver. You or the quarterback signal the start of the play, and the receiver runs a five-, 10- or 15-yard pattern, during which the defensive back attempts to "jump" the pattern by breaking forward to make a play on the ball when the receiver makes his cut.
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