Mat drills?

3Step

I have used a mat program for the past several years and have not found anything to be as effective in teaching foot quickness and body control. The drills and their very brief explanations are below:

1. Half Starts - 3 players from 3 point stances - warm up
2. Quick Starts - 3 players foot to foot - race off the mat
3. Forward Rolls - 2 consecutive-extend hands to the mat, tuck the chin , grab the knees
4. Backward Rolls - hands to the mat beside the head, legs together, knees to the chest
5. Backward Extensionssame as above but kick the feet to the ceiling, land on the feet, turn specific direction before sprinting off the mat
6. Combinations - combines 3 and 5
7. 9 Out - 3 rows of 3, follow coached directions, "Front and up" or "front, back and up", etc. Foot fire in between
8. Open Eagles - open hips in direction of coach past 90 degrees several times, forward roll, off mat

Check out the book Total Football Conditioning on jcfb.com for a detailed explanation of the Mat Program among other unique conditioning drills. Hope this helps!

The forward and backward rolls do teach players how to fall correctly and prevent injury. Any player carrying the ball could face this, punt and kick block attempts, a simple trip, a dive over the pile etc.

agreed! It certainly isn't a skill that needs much practice time. I'm sure you share the same thoughts as I do about the monkey roll drill. Uck!

mat drills which involve falling and rolling are only good if you plan on spending alot of time on the ground. We spend most of our time on speed, agility and quickness. We will do some relay races and partner races where you begin in a sitting position or a pushup position.