• Individual football skill drills help make better team players.Football image by Richard McGuirk from Fotolia.com
  
  Football training is a complex thing. Teams spend a lot of time working as offensive and defensive units, developing the chemistry required to coordinate a strategy that leads to wins on the field. With all of the team work, the need for individual skill development does not go away. Players at all positions on the field need to do drills that will help them hone their skills for the position they play so that they play their part better when joining forces with the team.
  
  

Quarterback Rollout Drill

• Throwing on the run is one of the most difficult things to master for a football quarterback. Passers like to have their feet set to ensure proper throwing mechanics, but the game often causes the quarterback to leave the protection of the pocket, where he may have to throw on the run, going either to the left or the right. A simple drill that a passer can use to work on this skill involves throwing while running around a circle marked with cones. It can be done with a partner, with both players running and throwing the ball back and forth, or it can be done with the quarterback running around the circle and throwing to a stationary target in the middle of the circle. The quarterback should do this drill running both to the left and the right.
  
  

High Knees Drill

• A running back needs to develop the ability to get his legs pumping and keep them going in order to pick up those extra yards during the game. Backs should train on running with their knees high to develop the muscle memory that will help them force their way through tacklers on game day. Good drills for working on this technique can use four to five tacking dummies or large bags placed on the ground, a row of tires or a rope ladder. With any of those devices laid out in front of him, the running back runs forward at full speed and pumps his knees high as he goes through the obstacles. His focus should be on footwork, power and on holding the ball properly to handle the contact that will be there when the action is live.
  
  

Quick Turn Drill

• Receivers are often in positions that require quick reaction and a change of body position to make a catch. They are also often out on timing routes that require them to pick up and grab the ball quickly without seeing it out of the quarterback's hands. A drill to help receivers work on seeing the ball is a quick turn drill. The receiver stands with his back to a coach, about 10 yards away. The coach then throws a ball in the receiver's direction and after releasing the ball, yells out right or left to indicate the side on which the ball will arrive. The receiver must turn quickly in that direction, try to find the ball and catch it. He would repeat this drill many times, with balls thrown at different heights to really push the player.