Football Drill: Five-Yard Agility Box

Football Drills FIVE-YARD AGILITY BOX

Utilizing only four cones, these drills can help boost your swiftness on game day.

Looking for drills to help improve your agility on the football field? Try adding these five-yard agility box drills to your practice. All you need is four cones and some space to get started.

To set the box up, place four cones in a square. Try to keep five yards between each cone.

PERIMETER ONLY

The first drill requires you to only utilize the outside of the box. When running through this drill, try not to perform it with too much space between you and the box. “Try to keep it tight,” Division I football coach Chris Merritt says. Begin this drill by standing next to one of the cones and facing away from the box. Perform the drill by:

• Backpedaling to the first cone. • Shuffling to the second cone. • Sprinting to the third cone. • Shuffling to finish. You should end the drill at the cone you started.

You can change this drill up some by replacing shuffling with karaoke. This is a movement that starts by crossing your right foot in front of your left leg. You’ll then step out with your left leg before following with your right foot behind your left. Repeat this movement down the line.

Again, start by standing next to a cone and facing away from the box. Then, run through the drill by:

• Backpedaling to the first cone. • Karaoke to the second cone. • Sprinting to the third cone. • Karaoke to finish. You’ll end at the cone you started at.

Watch ProTips: Five-Yard Agility Box

ANGLES

You can also run drills that move you away from the perimeter and utilize the angles though the center of the box. “We’re not going to stay on the perimeter,” Merritt says. “We’re going to go ahead, and extreme angle cut coming down the outside.” The first drill starts by standing next to a cone and facing the cone next to it. You’ll perform this drill by:

• Sprinting to the first cone. • Cutting to the cone diagonally across from it. • Shuffling to the end. You should finish at the cone you started at.

The next drill begins with you standing next to the cone and away from the box. “When we open up, let’s try to keep our shoulders and our face pointed as if we’re using an imaginary line of scrimmage,” Merritt says. You’ll run through this drill by:

• Cutting through the box to the cone diagonally across from the starting cone. • Sprinting forward to the second cone. • Moving across the box to the cone diagonally across from the second cone. • Finish by sprinting through the final cone. This should be the cone you started at.

Throughout this final drill, keep your eyes on the imaginary line of scrimmage. You’ll need to turn your upper body and look over your shoulder when moving across the box.

The five-yard agility box is simple to set up but can pay dividends on game day. Try adding these drills to your workout to boost your agility on the gridiron.

Looking for more drills to improve your football skills? Single Leg Hops uses agility ladders to improve your change of direction and explosiveness. Check out these agility ladder drills that can help improve both your speed and agility.

We don’t just want to be a league out there; we want to be the best league in the country. We want to adopt all the correct principles and standards. We want to be able to teach and mentor and give all the ACHIEVING LEAGUE EXCELLENCE assistance to these coaches that are volunteering all this time...for the end results of our kids. POP WARNER PARTNERS WITH USA FOOTBALL ON Jeff Gorringe // General Manager, Ute Conference (Utah) PROGRAM TO PROMOTE FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT

Pop Warner has teamed up with USA Football, the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, in a move they hope will benefit our youth football players and their families.

Under the partnership to develop and promote safer and smarter play, Pop Warner is encouraging its leagues to earn recognition within USA Football’s League Excellence Program, which will recognize and promote leagues that adopt its Football Development Model (FDM).

Pop Warner was the first national organization to endorse FDM, which is designed to make the game safer by teaching based on an athlete’s age, the skill they are learning, game type, and ultimately reducing contact. “We have long been focused on making football even more fun, safer and better for young people, while retaining what makes our great game so special,” said Pop Warner Little Scholars Executive Director Jon Butler. “USA Football is a great partner and a leader in our game, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on approaches like FDM that support the best interests of the young people who love this sport.”

“We’re proud to be working in partnership with Pop Warner to shape the future of football,” CEO & Executive Director of USA Football Scott Hallenbeck said. “Together, we look forward to advancing smarter and safer play through our Football Development Model for football families nationwide as well as working to educate policymakers of our commitment to reimagining the game.”

FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT MODEL

FOOTBALL FOR ALL TM

The Football Development Model (FDM) is USA Football’s new initiative designed to make the game safer by reducing contact and teaching in a way that meets an athlete where they are in their development.

The foundation of the Football Development Model is based on six pillars. When working together, these pillars create the blueprint for the football community to create better athletes.

PILLARS

WHOLE PERSON & MULTI-SPORT DEVELOPMENT

PHYSICAL LITERACY & SKILL DEVELOPMENT

COACH EDUCATION & TRAINING

MULTIPLE PATHWAYS & ENTRY POINTS

FUN & FULFILLING

PARTICIPATION & RETENTION

LEAGUE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

As your organization implements the Football Development Model, you illustrate your organization’s commitment to raising your operational standards to what your athletes deserve and parents expect. Take the next step to bring success to your league by becoming a USA Football Recognized League.

PUT ATHLETES FIRST

Create the best environment for young athletes to learn, thrive and mature into better players and people.

ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY WITH PARENTS

Demonstrate to parents your commitment to their kids and the quality of your organization when you earn a USA Football designation.

RAISE THE BAR

Show your dedication to growing the sport the right way and be a model for other leagues in your community, your state and even nationwide.

Our friend KC Wolf knows something about Super Bowls. He’s shown his moves on the fields at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports during a few editions of the Pop Warner Super Bowl mascot game. But this year the Chiefs mascot got a taste of the NFL version of the big game when Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City knocked off the 49ers in SB LIV. Well done.

Q&A STEPHEN ANDERSON LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

How did you get involved with Pop Warner?

STEPHEN: I got involved with Pop Warner at age 7 when my friends from the flag football league started playing.

What is your favorite Pop Warner memory?

STEPHEN: My favorite Pop Warner memory was in my third year when we went to the Pop Warner Super Bowl and placed third in the nation.

Tell us about your Pop Warner team / coach. Who was your team’s biggest rival?

STEPHEN: I played for the Coyote Creek Wildcats and our biggest rival was Oak Grove. We had a lot of good athletes on our team. About 6 of us went on to play D-1 football and 3 of us, including me, got the opportunity to play in the NFL.

Are you still in touch with any of your Pop Warner teammates?

STEPHEN: I am in touch with a lot of people from my Pop Warner teams. Probably about 10-15 of them.

Is there anything you learned playing Pop Warner that you’ve carried with you through adulthood (and into your NFL career)?

STEPHEN: One of the most important things I had to learn that I still keep with me today is how to be a good teammate. That was the biggest team I had ever been on at that point in my life and I got to understand that the closer we were, the better we were on the field.

STEPHEN ANDERSON JOINED THE CHARGERS IN 2019

Q&A RENN ARVANITIS CINCINNATI BENGALS CHEERLEADER TRI TOWN RAIDERETTES DANCE COACH

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

RENN: I grew up in Northern Indiana, where I also attended college at Purdue Northwest. I earned my degree in Communications in just three years, which has enabled me the time I have now to focus and enjoy being a Cincinnati Ben-gal. I commute to Cincinnati for practices, team events and games. When in Indiana, I coach and teach around 200 dance students a week.

Tell us about your time with Pop Warner growing up.

RENN: My parents have been involved with Pop Warner for 30 years, so I essentially grew up either on the football field or at the football field. My fondest memories were dancing in my Pop Warner years. From teamwork, to scholastics, to fitness, Pop Warner values have always been and continue to be a mainstay of my life.

How long have you been a Bengals cheerleader and what do you like about it most?

RENN: Last season was my first year as a Bengals cheerleader. I am overwhelmed by the sisterhood that this team has given me. Being on the field and performing at this level is a dream come true. I am grateful for this opportunity and hope to continue for a long and fulfilling career.

RENN: My love for being on the field, for football, for fitness, for discipline and performing was ignited at the Pop Warner level. I cannot imagine a season without football and cheer and dance, it is surely a part of me.

What do you like most about being a Pop Warner dance coach?

RENN: If I had to choose one thing, it would be the feeling of accomplishment when a team is competing. The culmination of all aspects of the sport comes down to 2 minutes and 30 seconds, feeling the electricity and the emotion from the kids is something I love. Seeing their faces and their level of commitment is amazing.

The team you coach, the Tri Town Raiderettes, won first place in the National Championships last year. What was the key to success?

RENN: When I was a Pop Warner participant myself, I was fortunate enough to win first place at nationals a few times, which were some wonderful memories. However, seeing the team I mentored and coached win in 2019 was amazing. The key to the success was never giving up. The team dug deep and worked so hard on technique. Never have I been so proud. Pop Warner teaches life lessons; I know the girls will carry with them.