It doesn’t matter if you are a casual football fan or an expert, the running back position is clearly one of the most important on the field. It is for this reason that as a coach you have a long list of solid running back football drills you can use with your team. When you have a reliable running game, it allows for things like Play Action, as well as requiring the defense to play more honestly instead of being able to anticipate a pass on every play.

But since the running back takes so much punishment on every play, even on pass plays when they are required to block for the quarterback, you need to make sure that your running back is properly conditioned and is ready to take the hits the position requires. Here are a few excellent running back football drills you can set up the next time you have practice.

Most football teams, from high school to the pros, have a dozen different kinds of practice pads, obstacles and tools they use every day. You’ll need a wide assortment of these things to set up the following running back football drills.

The first running back football drill is made to build strength in the lower legs, as well as to help with the cardiovascular conditioning of your player.

Find a basic harness that you can fit for your running back. On the back of the harness, attach a strong piece of rope or a bungee cord of some kind. Take the other end of the cord or rope and attach it to a heavy, but moveable object like the practice sleds or an electric golf cart. Have your back get into his set position and then have him burst off the line and pull the object behind him. It will cause a large amount of stress in the lower legs, the thighs and the shoulders and the upper body. Be careful not to overdo this drill since it is such a high-stress activity. Have your back do this drill 8-10 times a week to help strengthen the legs, and to help build up stamina.

The second of the running back football drills teaches your back to make cuts quickly, and it also will help to strengthen the knee ligaments, which can be a constant source of injury for your players.

You should have a stack of long, low foam pads in your equipment room. Lay out these long pads approximately 10 feet apart from each other. Have your back start at the beginning of the pads and tell him to run to the left across the first pad and then when he reaches the end, to make a quick cut towards the rest of the pads. Have him then run the other direction down the next pad, and then make a quick cut. When he gets to the third pad, have him jump over it. The pattern should end up looking like a zig zag. Lay out about 10 pads and have him do the course backwards and forwards as much as he can. Be warned, however, that if he should feel a twinge in his knee at any point to stop and have the knee iced down.