Coach Vick (Bailey) is a performance coach based in Dallas, Texas, and head of AO Sports & Fitness. He has 15+ years of experience playing football from Pop Warner to college, and 3 years experience coaching under former Dallas Cowboys and University of Oregon football great, Kenny Wheaton.
Below are Coach Vick's recommendations for the best training drills from around the internet. Sent out weekly, Vick's Picks come from some top trainers in and out of the sport of flag football and serve as an inspiration for how Coach Vick coaches his kids.
I LOVE this drill because it’s preparing you to avoid tackles in traffic. Any ball carrier adding these combos into their game will be seeing the end zone often.
I like this drill because being able to change direction in any level of football is so important, whether that be trying to chase down shifty ball carriers or avoid tackles from defenders. A great drill to be used for all positions.
I like this drill because it works the QBs pocket presence, which is critical in flag football when needing to avoid the pass rusher.
This drill is excellent for two reasons. It works on the Stick System when running routes, and these movements can also be used to avoid flag pulls.
like this drill because it helps the receiver make quick decisions and helps his hand and eye coordination, translating into finding and focusing on the ball on quick routes where you have very little time to turn your head, get your hands up, and find the ball.
I like this drill because, just like the caption says, it’s preparing you to run on different parts of your foot. This is very important since football is a game of constant twists and turns; it’s never played in just a straight line.
I like this drill because it prepares the defensive back to fluidly change directions while guarding a potential wide receiver.
I like this drill because it’s a more advanced catching circuit teaching the receiver to react quickly and position his hands correctly while catching the ball.
I like this drill because it not only works footwork but also focuses on key movements to avoid in traffic and open-field tackles/flag pulls.
I like this drill because it really works the RB’s ability to avoid the tackle while running downhill through the trenches. J Hicks is one of the best movement specialists in the business. I highly recommend it.
I love this drill because not only am I a huge fan of Heco Stix for their constant work with improvement of hand-eye coordination, but this drill simulates one of the hardest catches in football, keeping your feet in bounds while trying to make the catch
I like this drill because it not only works on quick feet. But also simulates WR/DB jump-ball situation.
I like this drill because flag football is built around avoiding defenders as much as possible unlike tackle you can’t run through anyone or stiff arm so practicing your jump cuts can be simple but effective. Something that also transitions into tackle for later stages of football.
Robert Hall is one of the great QB coaches of North Texas working with Kevin Jennings, a South Oak Cliff native, on scrambling in and out the pocket and throwing on the run. I like this drill because Coach Hall is creating a collapsing pocket game-like situation and preparing his athlete mentally and physically to be able to handle this future situation with a level head to complete the pass. Today’s game is no longer just a traditional 3-step drop – hybrid QBs such as Kyler Murray, Pat Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson are really making an impact on how defenses are having to prepare to play a dual-threat QB.
I genuinely look up to this trainer, Rischad Whitefield, because he’s innovative by combining old-school drills with in-game situations to put it into a practice workout. With the running back position transitioning into a hybrid LaVeon Bell-type running style, this drill helps the ball carrier practice getting upfield while making quick hesitations and still maintaining momentum while also changing direction.
