My Rough Start with Western State Football Drills
Today I figured, man, gotta step up my team’s game this season. Saw people talking “Western State” football stuff online – all about hard running and not messing up routes. Decided to try out four drills everyone swore by. Grabbed my dusty cones, an old football, and headed out to the empty field behind the school. Wish me luck.
Drill #1: The Endless Gauntlet Sprint
Right off the bat, this one sounded like torture. Set up two lines of cones 10 yards apart, making a skinny little lane. Idea was simple: sprint like mad from one end to the other, touch the line, sprint back, keep doing that for 30 seconds straight. Sounded okay in my head. Holy cow, was I wrong.
Took off full blast, reached the end, touched, turned… legs felt like lead by the third turn. Seriously thought my lungs would burst around second 20. Made myself finish somehow. Key thing? Saw right away you gotta pace it. Go all-in immediately? Dead before 15 seconds. Started kinda strong, eased a tiny bit after turn two, then pushed last 5 seconds. Learned explosive starts kill stamina. Finished lying on the grass gasping. Lesson one learned the hard way.
Drill #2: The Cone Maze Madness
Okay, legs recovered kinda. Time for footwork. Placed cones in a zig-zag pattern – just a basic setup. Goal was to weave through them fast, sharp cuts, shoulders low. Sounds easy? Nope. First try? Tripped over my own feet on cone three. Embarrassing.
Kept hitting cones sideways, losing balance. Remembered coaches yelling about keeping hips low, so focused on dropping butt almost like sitting slightly. Made a world of difference. Used short, choppy steps near the cones instead of long strides. Took me maybe ten tries just to get through cleanly once. Keeping center of gravity way lower than I thought was the trick. Felt clumsy as heck doing it.
Drill #3: Partner Passing On the Move
Grabbed my buddy Jake who showed up late. Set this one up where I had to run sideways along a line of cones, moving pretty quick, while he threw passes. Looked easy enough. Wasn’t.
First few throws? Whistled past my ear or hit the dirt. I was bobbing up and down while running sideways, totally wrecking my catching. Jake yelled “Keep your damn head level!” Focused on just gliding sideways, head steady as a rock. Took concentration! Hands gotta be ready, elbows bent, fingers out like catching eggs. Finally started snagging them reliably. Smoothing out that sideways run made catching possible. Tore up my hands dropping it first couple times.
Drill #4: Hand-Fighting for the Ball
Last one focused on winning those messy scraps for the ball. Just me and Jake again, facing each other about a yard apart. Coach whistle signals, we both go for the football placed right between us.
First few tries? Jake just straight overpowered me. Muscled right through. Felt useless. Then I tried swiping at his wrists and forearms instead of grabbing blindly for the ball. Quick, sharp slaps or pushes. Got way better! Had to keep my feet moving too, little shuffles to stay balanced and ready. Winning this ain’t about being strongest, it’s about breaking the other guy’s grip. Felt good finally ripping it away once or twice.
Wrapping Up This Sweaty Mess
Man was I wiped out. Sweat pouring, covered in field dirt. Sat there thinking about it.
- Endurance sprint? Needs smart pacing, not just max speed.
- Cone agility? Lower hips, tiny steps near the turn points.
- Moving catches? Head stays flat like a table during the run.
- Hand fighting? Attack the arms, not the ball.
Simple drills? Yeah. Actually doing them right? Harder than it looks. Gotta stick with this junk if we want to suck less this season. I was laying in the damn dirt after that. Worth it? Maybe. We’ll see next practice.
