We have used the “Two Hand Touch Punt Cover Drill” for four seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and for seven seasons of college football in the U.S. and Canada. This August, we saw the drill being used at the training camp of a recent Super Bowl champion. The drill has evolved every year and has been improved by adopting the open field tackling concepts taught by long-time NFL and CFL Defensive Coordinator Rod Rust and Bobby April, Special Teams Coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. During an 18-game CFL season, we found we were missing more tackles as the season went on. We needed a drill that would reinforce and sharpen all the key skills of tackling, punt protection, and coverage taught in training camp. These techniques include: 1. Bending your knees to get your eyes at football level when entering contact and tackling. 2. 2-on-1 open field tackling. 3. Shimmy with
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