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Football Defense – Wave Drill football drill
Football Defense – Wave Drill visual

What is Football Defense – Wave Drill?

Football Defense – Wave Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for football coaching work. Use the setup notes and coaching cues below to add it to this week’s practice plan.

  • Football Defense – Wave Drill is part of FantasyHQ’s free football drills library.
  • Focus: Football Coaching.

How to run this drill

Football Defense – Wave Drill is built for youth, high-school, and volunteer coaches who need clear drill language — not a random cone circuit. Beginners can install the first progression; experienced staffs can layer competition.

  1. Read the purpose once, then walk the setup on air before live tempo.
  2. Demonstrate one clean rep so players see landmarks, pad level, and finish.
  3. Run short competitive periods — quality reps beat long lines.
  4. Close with one coaching cue players can repeat in the huddle next period.

Full drill

For our [tag]football defense[/tag], we like to use a wave drill to teach pursuit and change of direction.   We didn’t feel we were “changing direction” well, so implemented this to help the players move better, keep pad level down when doing so, and coach hustle and pursuit.

Simply lined up the defense (can be 11 players to only 2 or 3 at a time).   They begin by chopping feet.
On the [tag]football coach[/tag]es point of direction the players sprint (forward, back left, back right, left, right, front right, front left, etc.)
With one whistle they “breakdown” and chop feet until a new direction is pointed.
On two whistles, they do an “up – down” and   chop feet until new direction is pointed.

Coaching points again are:   pad level, not following same colored jersey in direction, hustle, quick change of direction, quick feet, etc.

It is a tough [tag]football drill[/tag] for conditioning and team building as well.

Coaching tips

  • Keep one cue per rep so kids hear the same language every time.
  • Film the first live set; pause on footwork and finish, not just the ball.
  • Pair this drill with a matching play install so practice transfers to game day.
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Football Defense – Wave Drill FAQ

What is the Football Defense – Wave Drill drill?
Football Defense – Wave Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for football coaching work. Use the setup notes and coaching cues below to add it to this week’s practice plan.
Who should use this football drill?
Football Defense – Wave Drill is built for youth, high-school, and volunteer coaches who need clear drill language — not a random cone circuit. Beginners can install the first progression; experienced staffs can layer competition.
How do I run Football Defense – Wave Drill in practice?
Read the purpose once, then walk the setup on air before live tempo. Demonstrate one clean rep so players see landmarks, pad level, and finish. Run short competitive periods — quality reps beat long lines.
Is this drill free?
Yes. Browse FantasyHQ football drills, youth plays, and coaching guides free on Football Coaching.

Guide · Football Coaching

Football Defense – Wave Drill

Football Defense – Wave Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for football coaching work. Use the setup notes and coaching cues below to add it to this week’s practice plan.

For our [tag]football defense[/tag], we like to use a wave drill to teach pursuit and change of direction. We didn’t feel we were “changing direction” well, so implemented this to help the players move better.

What you get

Practice drills with setup notes, youth play diagrams ranked easy to hard, FLAG and tackle coaching guides, and a path into live NFL coaching staffs.

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