Search and Destroy: Elite Running Back Drills

Backs do not get tackled by the defender they see; they get tackled by the one they cannot react to in time. Coach Doug Heslip, a Performance Enhancement Specialist, built this running back drill session around exactly that problem — nimble feet, reaction to defenders, and missing tacklers in space. 'Search and Destroy' moves from dynamic warm-up and speed ladder work into jump cuts, reaction drills and resistance training, with ball security and blitz pickup folded in so the back is complete rather than just fast.

What you'll learn

• How to perform a proper dynamic stretch and get the most out of the speed ladder
• The 1-3-5 Wall Drill for warming up the legs
• Speed ladder drills and the Blindness Drill for ball security
• A running back's priorities before the snap
• The proper stance for explosiveness, and improving the start using tennis balls
• Jump cut drills to avoid tacklers, including single-leg jump cut work
• Reaction drills with the Bag, Bounce and Bend Drill
• Cubicle cone drills to improve quickness
• Resistance training with the 'Whole Shabang' Drill
• Pass catching tips on 'squeezing the bird'
• Best and worst scenarios for picking up a blitzing linebacker

Who it's for

Running backs coaches at the high school and college level, plus strength and speed coaches who want football-specific agility work. Youth coaches can scale the ladder, cone and jump cut progressions down easily.

About the coach

Doug Heslip is a Performance Enhancement Specialist for the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and he applies that background to advanced agility, reaction and ball-security drills for running backs.

A complete drill guide demonstrated throughout. Runtime: about 52 minutes.