Quickness

Question
I am a High School receiver and I am going out for a starting position and I would like to know what is the best way to get quicker

Answer
Dear Tyler:
You want to be quicker than everybody else. Try basketball it will help you get into football shape. It will teach you how to run back, forth, and side to side without thinking about it. Basketball will also help your coordination, quickness, conditioning, and improve your foot work. This type of workout is especially good if you want to play half-back, defensive end, and or defensive back.

You also might want to add handball to your workout schedule. Just like in basketball, handball forces you to run back, forth, and side to side without having to think about it. You just react to the ball much like in football. Handball can be of great help, to a football player, for all the same reasons as basketball.

Try playing these two sports, as part of your routine workout, and you will get into fantastic football shape. You will also improve your coordination and reaction time. If you do not want to play basketball or handball try some running.

You want to be fresh in the fourth quarter when everybody else is exhausted. Start by running a 1/2 lap around the football field everyday. Be sure to sprint the last 100-yards of your run. This way you work on your wind sprints and long distance running at the same time.

After a week or so, when you feel up to it, add a half a lap to your workout. Keep adding a half a lap, every week or so, until you reach 3 or four miles per workout. Only workout once a day, you do not want to over do it. You want to build your body up not use it up. Be sure to drink lots of water, you will need it. And do not do all three work outs together. Just pick one and do it.

By the time you start football camp, you will be in the best shape of your life. TAKE IT SLOW. Do not push too hard and make sure that you get checked by a Doctor first.

There are 3 characteristics a receiver must have. A receiver must demonstrate a strong ability to block the other guy, consistently get opened on pass patterns, and he must be able to prove (time and time again, to all) that he has sure-hands. If you can consistently turn a third-down into a first-down you will be the go to guy on any team.

Let us start with blocking; blocking is nothing more than hard work and never giving up. What you need to do is spend some time in the weight room during the summer. Just do not over do it your body needs time to recover from its work outs.

Try working on your conditioning and your ability to react to the ball. Handball and basketball will make you quicker and better conditioned player.

Here are a few more tips to help you become an impact player. Remember when running your patterns, the biggest mistake you can make is to slow down when catching the ball or after making your break. If you slow down before you catch the ball or after your break, you will be giving the defensive back time to catch up with you. You want to speed-up as you make your break. This will place a greater distance between you and the defensive back. You must run your pattern as fast as you can, while still keeping yourself under control.


The most important skill that a receiver can master is strong desire to catch the ball. A receiver should concentrate on looking the ball into his hands (all the way into his hands).

A receiver must be able to shut everything out of his mind by focusing all his attention on looking the ball into his hands.

A receiver must watch the football until he catches it and puts it away before he starts to run with it. The catch is MORE VITAL than the run after. I know I keep saying the same thing over and over again but it is that important.

The last twelve inches of the flight, of the ball, are the most important of all, this is where most receivers take their eyes off the ball and drop it. Keep your eyes on the ball. I hope this information will be of help to you. Remember, take it one step at a time there are no short cuts to being an impact player.

Your friend, Coach Louis