Non Contact Competition Drills in Practice?

We will do 1-on-1 with skill players.

Hmmmm...not sure why the link isn't copying. Here's Dave's article about it:


As many of you know I’m a huge proponent of using unique movements and games to help me determine who should play what positions as well as help the athletic development and conditioning of my players. One of the best games for doing this is the Deer Hunter game. Last weekend at my Coaches Clinic in Boston, a youth coach that has used the “Winning Youth Football” system shared with me his twist on my version of this game.

Why We Do It

Remember in football what we are looking for is a players ability to control his body, change direction and accelerate in very small spaces. The key component in doing well with this skill set is core strength, the power one has from below the rib cage through the upper thighs. Your best FOOTBALL athletes are always have a very strong core.



How We Do It

The way we do our Deer Hunter it is mark out a 20 yard by 20 yard square with cones or shells. With a 24 player team put 4 “Hunters” in the middle of the square, put yellow shell jerseys on them to signify to everyone that they are the Hunters. The remaining players are the deer, the deer spread out across the square, roaming freely. Each hunter has a soft nerf ball, any will do. On your count the game begins and the deer scatter. The hunters throw the nerf balls at the deer, to take the deer out of the game. Once hit the deer go get a quick drink and sit until this quick game is over and we start a new one. In most cases the hunters chase down the deer and get at very close range to knock the deer out with the ball. Only the hunters are allowed to throw the balls.

Hidden Conditioning

As you might have guessed, everyone gets winded very quickly doing what? Very short stop and go change of direction runs. Sounds like anything we do in football? In very short order you will be able to determine which players can change direction and accelerate, which players have body control and which don’t. At the end of the game when you have the 4 hunters chasing down the one remaining deer, you will see some of the most amazing football moves known to man. In addition to you being able to see who your athletes are very quickly, the kids get some great conditioning in AND have a great time doing it. They will breathlessly beg you for more of this game. When was the last time your kids begged for more conditioning?



New Twist


What my Boston friend added to this game was he put a bucket of cold water in the middle of the circle. The hunters were allowed to soak the nerf balls into the cold water for added fun effect. I asked this coach to e-mail me so I could attribute him in this post, but 10 days later and no e-mail yet. Thanks coach, great idea.

Added Benefits

We like to use this game at the end of the first practice. Not only does it help us determine positions but it gets the kids excited about being at practice more than a bunch of 30 yard sprints. But of course we are getting just as much conditioning in as with the guys doing gassers, it’s just that our kids are loving it. Don’t even get me started on how much the parents love it too. When you are coaching youth football you want them on your side as well.



You can do this game without the nerf balls, just play it as tag.

Copyright 2009 Cisar Management, all rights reserved. Republishing allowed if links are kept intact. For 400 Free Youth Football Coaching Tips or to Subscribe to Dave’s free Youth Football Coaching Tips Newsletter go to : http://_

I love all the pull stuff. I always have to make sure to remind them but to be the douche that lets go and causes everyone to fall down.

I modified Deer Hunter for more fun, cutthroat style: No designated hunters. Whoever has a ball at the moment is a hunter -- but can also be a deer (see below)!

I throw up 2 balls (usually have far fewer than 24 players, maybe half that number) in the middle to start. You come down with one, it's yours to use immediately.

You can throw or tag a deer out with the ball, but if you tag the deer you must drop your ball. If a hunter is put out by throw or tag, that hunter must drop the ball too.

If a ball goes out of bounds, anyone who's not out may get it, and then is allowed free passage back into the field, but must go directly to the field and not throw or tag anyone until in bounds. Any player who goes out of bounds but does not get the ball, or is out of bounds from ducking a throw or tag, must also return directly in bounds or be called out.

If you're holding a ball, you're not allowed to grab the other one, and definitely must not go out of bounds to retrieve the other one.

Sometimes when you're down to just 2, both hunters, or in some cases a slightly larger number, a deadlock may threaten, the hunters unwilling to part with the ball. In such a case the referee may warn, and then impose a stalling penalty, decreeing that as soon as one hunter releases the ball, the other is out unless he releases his at the same time.

Take care that the players who are out don't interfere with play.  Make them stand still 5 yards beyond the boundary.

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I plan on using a lot of them and I appreciate the help

We have a 4-way tug of war that can be very competitive and very, very exhausting. Don't know where I got the idea but I built the thing sometime back. Set up a 5-yard square with cones, one more in the middle. The tug of war ropes (thick poly ropes with knots) are connected to a 8"/10" steel ring by chain and hitch. Bring one line out of each side of the square. 4-5 guys on each rope. 1st to pull the ring past their side of the square wins. The issue is that this is not just straight pulling, you can change the angle of the pull (force) so you can combine with your neighbors to offset a stronger team. And that means there needs to be a leader and communications. When one team gets near winning two other teams combine/get closer and they can usually out-pull the team that is winning. Then they split so they can win and the others combine. The record is 1:27 for longest pull.