5 Steps To Becoming a Great Running Back

Running back play comes down to speed, reaction, explosion and change of direction, and this session attacks all four. Designed to be watched by coach and player together, it pairs on-field demonstrations of drills and techniques with the intangibles only professional players can hand you - Heath Evans and Shaun Alexander on wasted steps, on vision before the snap and as the play develops, and on what it takes to turn a good back into a great one.

What you'll learn

• How your running backs can become the best players they are capable of being
• What to focus on before the snap and at the moment of receiving the handoff
• The concept of wasted steps and why they can kill a drive
• Vision - reading the picture pre-snap and again as the play develops
• Specific drills to improve speed, quickness and reaction time: the Jump Cut Drill, the Reaction Drill, the 4 Cone/Box Drill, the Compass Drill and the Mini W Drill
• Reacting to what the defense gives you instead of running a play on rails
• Learning to increase and decrease speed, and the patience to know when

Who it's for

For high school and college running backs coaches and offensive coordinators, and for the backs themselves. The drills need nothing more than cones and space, so youth and middle school coaches can run them too.

About the coach

Heath Evans played running back for New England and Shaun Alexander was a running back for Seattle; both teach the position here from the perspective of players who made a living at it.

The session features extensive on-field demonstrations of every drill. Runtime: about 39 minutes.