Besides “Bull in the Ring,” what is your favorite drill for building toughness on your youth football team?

So many great drills to choose from. Of course we have the “Punt Returns with No Fair Catches” drill, Oklahoma drills in the parking lot, the “Rough the QB on every down” drill, agility ropes on gravel with me throwing footballs at players, and making the players drink from the polluted steam that flows from the nearby abandoned textile mill (to build up immune systems).

But the drill that really stands out in terms of toughness is one that I invented last summer. Right beside the football field where we practice is this hill that is basically one gigantic fire ant hill. No one in their right mind would walk on it. There was one practice where it was about 100 degrees, very humid, and the players were really dragging ass. So I stopped practice about midway through and made them bear crawl up what I’ve dubbed “The Fire Ant Hill of Toughness.”

It was a stroke of brilliance on my part. Kids were sobbing, shouting about the fire ants biting them, lying about allergies, claiming their hands were “on fire,” and begging for the drill to end. I told them that the sting of the fire ants was nothing compared to the sting of losing. In the process two shitty kids quit, and the rest learned a valuable lesson about mental and physical toughness.

My wife is a cheerleading coach and made the decision to demote one girl for missing camp and told her she could not be captain. What’s the best way to get this girl back in line?

I am a firm believe that Oklahoma Drills have broad application that goes beyond football. Corporate America, Congress, schools, and churches could all benefit from incorporating Oklahoma Drills into their daily routine. Tell your wife to make this cheerleader do some Oklahoma drills in the parking lot with no pads, and she should get the results she desires.

When is it acceptable to “call off the dogs” in a game where your youth football team is blowing out the opponent?

Never.