Create More Turnovers with Circuit Training & Win More Games!

• By Keith Grabowski

It’s one of the simplest to understand stats…

Teams that win the turnover battle win 78% of the time. 

Understanding a number and translating that to performance is the challenge. 

Spending time training skills that have the ability to change the outcome of a game is smart coaching. So what’s the best way to do that?

Former Kansas DC DJ Eliot told me once that “player development is a race against time.”  We have to find ways to be more efficient and get reps on skills that matter most.

For the turnover skills and techniques, circuit training is an efficient way to get a lot done in a small amount of time.  

What may seem insignificant in terms of the amount done on a single day can add up exponentially and the cumulative effect of those reps will have an impact.

Two coaches doing that well shared their circuits in their clinic talks.

Heidelberg ranked as high as #11 in the country in turnover margin.  Defensive Coordinator Branden Jakubcin loves how turnovers can change the momentum of a game. He explains it here (click on images for video):

‘Berg spends time training those in their turnover circuit which includes drills for Level 1-2-3 of the defense:

Rip/Punch

Hammer Strip

Crash Pad Rip/Punch

Solo Fit Strip

2nd Man in-Punch and Rip

Scoop or Cradle

Scoop and Score

Downhill High/Low

Tip Drill

Here is an example of their Scoop and Score Drill

LSU defensive coordinator Daronte Jones reverse engineered the 6-points of contact to determine exactly how to attack the ball and get it out. This is something that they share with their players and chart daily. He shares their approach here:

Like Coach Jakubcin, Coach Jones utilizes circuits to train takeaways.  The “Rip” Drill  is part of one of his circuits and it goes back to teaching how to get the ball away from that carrier who is utilizing the 6 points of contact, in this case, the high and tight or two hands on the ball:

Coach Jones and Coach Jakubcin have spent a lot of time designing their circuits so that they can create the turnovers needed to help their teams win.

As you plan for camp and the season, think about what you can do to learn from their examples and apply circuit drills to train the fundamentals of taking the ball away.  Like the pictures Coach Jake showed, you will have a lot more smiling faces on game day, and more in the WIN column.

P.S. Get ready for camp with this Turnover Circuit Combo for just $15 (67% off) for Coach Jake’s and Coach Jones’s courses together. 

There are enough drills here to create multiple circuits which you can cycle through to keep the interest levels high.  The combo is available for a limited time, but the results of training your players will show up this fall.