Ball security gauntlet

Setup

1. Contact level: bags. Gauntlet players stand still and go for the ball only, with hands or shields; no body checks and no tackling.
2. Helmets and shoulder pads on, and a coach stands at the exit to watch every carry.
3. Two lines of three players face each other across a 2-yard channel, 4 yards apart along the channel.
4. Ball carriers queue at the entry cone with a ball each.

How it runs

1. The ball carrier runs through the channel at half speed, ball covered with two hands.
2. Each gauntlet player rips, punches or slaps at the ball as the carrier passes; never at the head or legs.
3. At the exit cone, the carrier switches to a one-arm carry in the outside arm and hands the ball to the coach.
4. The carrier joins a gauntlet line and the end player goes to the back of the queue. Build to three-quarter speed.

Coaching points

• Five points of pressure: fingers over the point, forearm, bicep, ribs and chest.
• In traffic, add the second hand over the top of the ball.
• Keep the elbow tight to the ribs and the ball high, above the belt.
• Run with a forward lean and keep the legs driving through the channel.
• Gauntlet players: rip upwards from under the elbow or punch down at the point.

Common mistakes

• Carrying the ball low and away from the body.
• Slowing down or stopping when the hits start.
• Covering the ball with the wrong hand and leaving it on the outside.
• Gauntlet players swinging at the carrier's head; the coach stops the rep.