Football Lineman Drills

Offensive and defensive linemen are very under appreciated. They rarely get any of the credit they deserve - especially offensive linemen. Yet how well the linemen play usually decides a game. That's why it's so important for each lineman to play well and it's also the reason why football lineman drills are so important.

Different Positions Don't Always Equal Different Football Lineman Drills

Soccer Drills

Of course there are different drills for an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman. This is because a defensive lineman always wants to explode and move forward on a play while an offensive lineman may want to explode into and block a defender (for running plays), pull and block a defender (for running plays too), or they want to drop back and protect the quarterback (for passing plays).

Football Lineman Drills

However, there are some drills that both sides of ball need to practice. These drills involve improving a player's explosiveness off the ball and a player's agility. Two great football lineman drills are the Tennis Ball Drill and the Combine Agility Drill. One of the many great things about these lineman drills is that they can be practiced on a player's own time.

Tennis Ball Drill

For the Tennis Ball Drill a lineman will need a tennis ball and a person to help out with the drill. The person helping out will hold the tennis ball straight out in from of him/her. The lineman will get into a three or four point stance. At the beginning the player and the helper should be about five yards apart.

The helper should say "hike" or something similar to let the lineman know he has to fire off the ball. Then the helper drops the tennis ball. The lineman has to fire forward and catch the ball before it bounces twice.

Once the drill becomes easy the helper should stand back another couple yards. This process should be repeated several times. The purpose of the drill is to help improve a lineman's explosiveness off the ball.

Combine Agility Drill

Every year college football linemen hoping to go the NFL are asked to do this drill. The drill begins on the fifty yard line with the player facing the sideline. The lineman first opens his hips to the right and runs to the forty-five yard line. He then touches the line with his right hand. Then he opens his hips to the left and sprints to the other forty-five yard line. He touches that line with his left hand and then sprints back past the fifty.

The lineman should then take a thirty second break and then repeat the drill. Drills can be done in bunches of five or more. The purpose of this drill is to improve a player's agility and stamina.

Drills Improve Explosiveness, Agility, and Stamina

There are many different techniques that offensive and defensive linemen have to learn. However, there are some skills that are the same. That's why some football lineman drills can be used for both offensive lineman and defensive lineman. Two football drills that both sides of the ball can practice are the Tennis Ball Drill and the Combine Agility Drill. These drills work on a lineman's explosiveness off the ball, a lineman's agility, and a lineman's stamina.

Football Lineman Drills