Easy Football Agility Drills

When you see a football running back cut to make a defender miss or a defensive back change directions in reaction to a receiver's route, he is demonstrating agility -- an individual's ability to accelerate, decelerate and change directions quickly. Agility is an essential attribute for all football players to develop to perform at a high level.

Lateral Hops

Lateral hops build power in the lower leg muscles and prepares football players to move quickly from side-to-side, which players at all positions must do during games. The player stands upright with his feet close together on either side of and parallel to a line. He repeatedly jumps sideways, back and forth across the line as quickly as possible. The player should keep his legs as straight as possible, using only the lower leg muscles to initiate each jump and absorb each landing. The player can jump rope while performing the drill to make it more difficult.

Reactive Tennis Ball Shuffle

Payton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, performs the reactive tennis ball shuffle drill as part of his off-season conditioning program. The drill strengthens the leg muscles and improves a player's ability to change directions and quickness from side-to-side. The player starts about 5 yards in front of a coach in an athletic position, with his feet at least shoulder-width apart and hips and knees flexed. The coach rolls a tennis ball to either side of the player. While keeping his buttocks down, the player shuffles his feet to cut the ball off, catches it like a baseball infielder and tosses it back to the coach. The coach immediately rolls the ball to the opposite side and the player shuffles in the opposite direction. The drill continues like this until the player has changed directions at least 10 times.

Icky Shuffle

This drill develops a player's foot speed and quickness. It requires an agility ladder, which a player may draw with chalk, construct with tape or purchase for a reasonable price. The player stands outside the first square on the left side of the ladder, facing the end. He steps inside the first square with his right foot, followed by his left foot, and then outside the first square on the right side of the ladder with his right foot. He then steps into the second square with his left foot, followed by his right foot, and then outside the second square on the left side of the ladder with his left foot. He continues this pattern down the ladder through each square. Once the player learns the pattern, he should work on moving as quickly as possible.