In our first few sessions of [tag]football[/tag] season, we do not use pads or helmets by league rule. There is to be no hitting, blocking or tackling. However, we still want to want to work on some basic [tag]conditioning drills for football[/tag].
KEY: Keeping your head up and your eyes open during warm ups.
During jumping jacks (or many other warm ups), on the “up” they must yell left or right / up or down depending on where the [tag]football coach[/tag]es are holding the ball. We do a minimum number of jumping jacks and then keep going until everyone is on the same page. With some exercises like push-ups this also helps to build the neck muscles for watching the ball at the line of scrimmage.
Next [tag]football practice[/tag], we do the same warm-ups, replacing the ball with a jersey. We hold up a jersey with a number on it. The players are to yell out the number. If you can’t see the number, you can’t safely tackle the player.
Many of our players enjoy this more than trying to follow the ball. This can be real fun later in the year, if you can get your hands on the few of the other team’s jerseys.
