
The fullback is a very unique position on the football field. It requires a skill set of patience, power and position that you don’t see anywhere else on the field. Because of this it is imperative to know which drills can best improve your performance. I am going in to my senior year as a collegiate level fullback, and there are definitely a few drills that stick out as having helped me the most at my position.
The Volleyball Drill
This drill requires at least two standard size volleyballs. The coach or whoever is running the drill should be on one knee 5-7 yards away from the player. the player should have his heels on a line (any line will do, we typically use the goal line). The coach will begin rolling the volley balls at different angles and different speeds and it is the players job to retrieve them. The player must remain in a good athletic position with his feet hot, and he cannot back up behind the line. He is also not allowed to reach for the ball in any direction, he must get completely in front of the ball and wait for it to come to him. As the ball is retrieved the player shoots his hands as if blocking to flick the ball back to the coach. This is a very difficult drill for the back, but it teaches so many good habits:
-Patience: When pass blocking against a rushing linebacker, you have to let him come to you. At the collegiate level if you lunge at a rusher he WILL beat you. When everyone has talent, those who are the most disciplined will be the ones to succeed.
-Position: You don’t give ground, it is your job to hold position and give your QB time to throw, if you give ground you will give the rusher lanes to run through.
-Good Hands: Again you cannot lunge at the rusher, stay in position and shoot your hands when he gets close. Shoot and retract, if you leave your arms extended you give him an opportunity to grab and get by you. After you shoot your hands you can then shuffle to stay in front of him.
Bag/Rope/Ladder Drills
One foot every hole, two feet every hole, the icky shuffle, bunny hops, etc. These are universally known and used for a reason. These drills teach athletes how to control their body, sink their hips, stay in a good athletic position, and improve their footwork. Position is often the most critical factor when blocking as a fullback. You want to get where you need to be quickly, but if you are not under control more often than not you will end up being a waste of space.
The Blaster
What we call the blaster is a two man, moveable sled. The object of the drill is to fire into the sled, throwing your hips, shooting your hands and pushing the sled until a whistle is blown. You have to take short, choppy steps to move the sled with any efficiency. One of the biggest problems many fullbacks and run blockers have in general is that they let their feet stop on contact. It is critical to ALWAYS keep your feet moving on contact. You have already busted it to get into better position so that you can block the defender, don’t let him off easy by killing your feet and letting him shuck you off.
There are many drills that can improve the performance of the fullback position but in my experience these have by far been the most helpful. I hope that this information proves useful to anyone who uses it, thank you for your time.
by David Strider, Senior at Samford University, Starting Fullback and ICON Performance Intern

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