Tackle football drills for youth teams, with video, setup and coaching points. Built for a two-coach staff running stations with limited field time. For 7U to 14U tackle.
3 drills · 20 minutes if you ran them all
Line the team up on a yard line in rows of five or six and run the dynamic series from the clip across 10 yards and back: high knees, butt kicks, walking lunges, lateral shuffles, carioca and build-up sprints. Two trips each.
Moving stretches, not standing ones. Stay on the balls of the feet and finish each one with a five yard jog so nobody is cold when drills start.
Watch: USA FootballEvery player gets a rope and spreads out an arm's length apart. Run 30 second rounds of two-foot hops, single leg left, single leg right and alternating feet, with 20 seconds rest between rounds. Two full cycles.
Small quick hops on the balls of the feet, wrists turning the rope, not the arms. Missed jumps are fine, stopping is not.
Watch: USA FootballPlayers straddle a yard line. On the whistle they jump side to side over the line for 15 seconds, then front to back for 15, then single leg each side. Rest 20 seconds and repeat twice.
Land soft with the knees bent, like you are landing on eggs. Quick off the ground, eyes up, not looking at the line.
Watch: USA Football10 drills · 72 minutes if you ran them all
Set three cones in a zigzag five yards apart. Ball carriers run the pattern, cutting hard at each cone and switching the ball to the outside arm on each cut. A coach stands at each cone and swipes at the ball as they pass.
Switch the ball away from the defender on every cut. Four points of pressure the whole time: fingers, forearm, bicep and chest.
Watch: USA FootballSet up four stand-up bags or cones as a line. A coach stands behind them and points to a gap as the back takes a handoff. The back reads the point, plants and hits the hole with the ball secured. Ten reps each.
Eyes up through the mesh, one cut and go. No dancing in the backfield.
Watch: USA FootballLineman starts in a three point stance in front of a stand-up bag or a coach holding a shield. On the cadence he fires out, strikes with both hands inside and runs the feet for three seconds. Five reps each, then rotate.
Low to high, hands inside, hips through. Feet keep chopping after contact, that is the whole drill.
Watch: USA FootballTwo linemen face each other in a good football position between two cones five yards apart. One is the rabbit and shuffles side to side; the other mirrors him with no hands. Five seconds, then switch.
Stay low with the shoulders square and the feet apart. Never cross the feet and never stand up.
Watch: USA FootballQuarterbacks pair up 10 yards apart. Check each grip first, fingers on the laces and a gap between the palm and the ball. Then throw with the feet set, elbow above the shoulder, and the thumb finishing down toward the opposite pocket. Twenty throws, then back up five yards.
Elbow up, nose of the ball tilted up at release, thumb down on the finish. Short and compact, not a windmill.
Watch: USA FootballQuarterback takes the snap and reverse pivots to toss to a running back on a sweep path, as the clip shows for the Under 10 level. Run it to both sides with a coach as the back if needed. Ten tosses each direction.
Soft underhand toss out in front of the back so he catches it running. Quarterback finishes the pivot facing the back.
Watch: USA FootballReceivers face a coach five yards away. Coach throws firm passes high, low, left and right and the receiver catches each with the hands away from the body, thumbs together on high balls and pinkies together on low balls. Ten catches each, then tuck and turn upfield.
Hands, not body. See the ball into the hands, then tuck it. Loud hands slapping is fine, bobbling is not.
Watch: USA FootballForm two lines of players facing each other two yards apart holding hand shields or just reaching in with their hands. A ball carrier runs through the tunnel with the ball high and tight while players slap and tug at it. Everyone gets three runs, then switch roles.
Ball high and tight, elbow in, eyes up. If the ball comes out the whole line does five push ups, the carrier does ten.
Watch: USA FootballQuarterback in shotgun with a back beside him. On the snap the back runs the sweep path and takes the handoff with the inside elbow up and the outside hand underneath. Alternate directions and rotate backs every rep.
Back makes a big pocket and looks the ball in. Quarterback puts it in the pocket with the far hand and does not reach.
Watch: USA FootballLine players up on a yard line and build the stance from the feet up as the clip does: feet shoulder width, weight on the balls of the feet, knees bent, back flat. Hold a two point stance, then drop a hand to a three point stance on command. Coach walks the line and corrects one thing per player before they fire out two steps.
Flat back and eyes up every rep. Weight stays balanced so the player can step in any direction without a false step.
Watch: USA Football11 drills · 78 minutes if you ran them all
Defensive backs start in a coverage stance in front of a coach. Backpedal straight, then weave left and right on the coach's point, keeping the shoulders over the toes, and break forward on a throw. Five reps each.
Stay low in the pedal, weight on the balls of the feet. Weave with the hips, the shoulders never turn.
Watch: USA FootballSet five cones in a W about five yards between points. Defensive backs backpedal to the first point, break forward at 45 degrees to the next, pedal again, and finish by breaking on a thrown ball. Three trips each.
Plant and drive out of the break, do not round it. Hands ready for the ball on the last break.
Watch: USA FootballDefensive linemen set up in a three point stance in front of a coach or player holding a hand shield. On ball movement they fire out with a short power step and shock the shield with both hands inside, hips low. Five reps each, rotate.
First step is short and the hands shoot together. Thumbs up, elbows in, eyes on the shield.
Watch: USA FootballBall carrier wears flags or a towel in the belt. A defender starts five yards inside and behind him. On the whistle the carrier runs for a sideline cone and the defender takes a pursuit angle and pulls the flag. Rotate through, five reps each.
Take the angle to the cone, not the man. Run through the flag pull and keep the feet moving.
Watch: USA FootballPlayer is in a half-kneeling position, one knee down, in front of the tube. He drives off the front foot, strikes the tube, wraps and runs the feet to drive it back three yards. Five reps off each knee.
Same strike as the two knee drill but now the feet finish it. Short choppy steps after contact, never stop the feet.
Watch: USA FootballPartner rolls the tube slowly toward the tackler from an angle. Tackler takes a leverage step so the near shoulder lines up with the tube, strikes, wraps and drives it back. Five reps each side, then switch.
Head across the front of the tube, never behind it. Step with the near foot first and keep the shoulders square to the tube.
Watch: USA FootballLay four or five bags on the ground a yard apart. A linebacker shuffles over the bags, then at the last bag plants and runs at an angle to tag a ball carrier jogging across. Five reps, then switch runners.
High knees over the bags, eyes on the runner, not the bags. Take the angle to where the runner is going, not where he is.
Watch: USA FootballLinebacker aligns five yards off a line of cones or bags. On the coach's cue he reads run, steps downhill to the gap, squares up and tackles a tube rolled into the hole. Five reps, rotate.
Downhill, not sideways. Come to balance in the hole and strike with the shoulder, eyes up.
Watch: USA FootballPartner rolls the tube across the field in front of the tackler. The tackler tracks it laterally with shuffles, keeps inside leverage, and finishes with a shoulder strike and wrap when the tube reaches him. Five reps each direction.
Shuffle, do not cross over, and stay behind the tube until it is time to strike. Near foot, near shoulder, wrap and roll.
Watch: USA FootballWalk the whole team through the progression in the clip at walking speed with no pads needed: breakdown, buzz the feet, hit position, shoot the hips, and wrap with the arms. Pairs fit up and freeze at each step while the coach checks the position. Add a slow roll of the hips to finish once every pair is right.
Eyes up and head to the side, never the crown of the helmet. Shoot the hips through and wrap tight, then freeze.
Watch: USA FootballPlayer kneels on both knees in front of a tackle tube held upright by a partner. On the call he shoots the hips, strikes the tube with the shoulder and eyes up, wraps both arms and rolls the tube over. Five reps each shoulder, then switch roles.
Eyes up, chin off the chest, shoulder to the tube. Hips come through first and the arms wrap tight.
Watch: USA Football1 drill · 8 minutes if you ran them all
Set a holder and a kicker seven yards behind a snapper with a tee if your league allows one. Snap, hold with the laces out, and kick through the ball toward the uprights or a target on the fence. Ten kicks each for two or three kickers while the rest work on the snap and hold.
Plant foot beside the ball pointing at the target, head down through the kick. Holder spins the laces away before the kicker arrives.
Watch: USA Football3 drills · 20 minutes if you ran them all
Set a row of low boxes or bags. Players run through the low box patterns in the clip: two feet over, lateral step over, and single leg over, each for one trip down and back. Rotate so there is never a line longer than three.
Knees up, arms pumping, eyes forward. Speed matters less than clean feet over every bag.
Watch: USA FootballMark five dots in an X pattern about two feet apart with cones or tape. Players hop through the patterns in the clip, two feet, single leg, and 180 degree turns, for 20 seconds each. Two rounds.
Quick off the ground, land soft. Stay on the balls of the feet and keep the hops short.
Watch: USA FootballPlayers spread out on a line. Run the quick feet series from the clip in 10 second bursts: fast feet in place, fast feet with a quarter turn on the whistle, and fast feet to a sprint. Rest 20 seconds between bursts, six bursts total.
Feet barely leave the ground and go as fast as they can. Knees bent, chest over the toes, ready to sprint on the whistle.
Watch: USA Football2 drills · 27 minutes if you ran them all
Split the field in half with a quarterback, two receivers and a running back against two or three defenders in coverage. Quarterback runs a called pass concept to one side only, defenders play it live with no contact at the catch point. Six plays, then flip sides.
Receivers run full speed routes and defenders cover with their feet, no grabbing. Quarterback throws on time to the open man or throws it away.
Watch: USA FootballRun a short-field scrimmage using the modified tackle format from the clip: smaller field, fewer players a side, no special teams, and the ball carrier is down on a wrapped-up fit instead of a drive to the ground. Rotate units every six plays so everyone gets snaps on both sides.
Wrap and freeze, do not take anyone to the ground. Coach the alignment and assignment between plays, not during.
Watch: USA FootballVideos are linked, not hosted, and belong to USA Football. Drill write-ups are by Cheat Code Coaching. Durations are what we run them at with a youth team; adjust for your group.
Every drill here is already in the Cheat Code Teams Practice Builder for Youth Football. Drag them into a plan, tap Start practice, and the clock, the whistle and the next drill are on your phone and your lock screen.