Football Drills To Increase Foot Speed & Agility

Speed and agility are two of the most important factors in being a successful football players. Doing drills to increase your speed and quickness are vital to getting better, but it is not the only way to get faster on the field. By studying your plays, learning the tendencies of your opponents and practicing frequently, you will gain muscle memory and increase your quickness.

Tire Drill

This is one of the oldest drills used by coaches, but it is still effective to help a player improve his quickness and agility on the field. Spread 10 tires in two columns. On the coach's whistle, the player will run through the tires by placing his right foot in the first right tire and the left foot in the first left tire. Go through the two columns by picking your knees up high so you don't trip, and come down in the middle of each tire. This builds agility and will help a linebacker flow to the ball quickly in order to make a tackle.

Hill drill

In order to build stamina, speed, quickness and agility, run the hill drill. Make sure you have a hill that is at least 200 feet high. Plant four flags every 50 feet on the hill. On the coach's whistle, sprint up the hill as fast as you can. Run to the right of the first flag and pick it up with your left hand. Do not stop and then run to the left of the second flag and pick it up with your right hand. Continue in the same manner until you have all four flags and you are at the top of the hill.

Back Pedal Drill

Football is a game of quick movements in all directions. In many cases, players will have to move quickly both backwards and forwards. The backpedal allows a defensive player time to figure out what kind of pattern a receiver is running before turning and covering him. On the coach's whistle, pick up your knees high and run backwards five steps. Keep your head up, looking at your coach. Never look at your feet. On the next whistle, turn 90 degrees to your right and do five more steps backwards. On the third whistle, turn 180 degrees to your left and back pedal five more steps. When you complete the third back pedal, turn around and run forwards at top speed for 30 yards.