Special Teams Non-Contact Drills

Mike Sweatman closes his three-part special teams series with the drill work, a full catalog of non-contact special teams drills that can be practiced at every level without beating up your roster. Every phase gets reps here, from the kickoff restraining line to the field goal block unit, organized around the belief that coaches and players alike should all be part of the kicking game.

What you'll learn

• Kickoff team drills for understanding the restraining line and getting proper alignment
• The kickoff coming-to-balance drill, the coverage lane drill and the coverage pursuit angle drill
• Non-contact tackling drills plus ball awareness and fumble recovery work
• Cross-field coverage drills for kickoffs and punts, and half-line drills for specific coverages
• Kickoff return drills covering blocking technique, hand placement and avoiding IBAW, the illegal block above the waist
• Punt team drills against air and situational punt drills from different areas of the field
• Punt return unit drills and punt block drills
• Field goal protection drills and field goal block team drills
• Practicing with intensity and rehearsing every phase before each game: punt and kickoff returns, punt and kickoff coverage, extra points and field goals, and the field goal block unit

Who it's for

Special teams coordinators and head coaches at any level. Because none of the work requires contact, youth and high school staffs can install it on limited practice time, and college programs can use it as a daily rehearsal period.

About the coach

Mike Sweatman coached special teams in the NFL for five different organizations. He worked under both Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin and earned two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants, and also coached the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.

Part 3 of Coach Sweatman's three-part special teams series. Runtime: about 51 minutes.