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Caruthersville Tigers football team practices
After a long winter and spring of hitting the weight room and preparing for the 2017 football season, Coach Jimmy Jackson, the Tiger coaching staff and this year’s Caruthersville Tigers are putting in the time on the practice field. In an interview at the Tiger field house Thursday, July 13, Coach Jackson provided numerous insightful comments regarding summer practice. “We started practice at the end of May, coming out and working on a few things like routes and techniques,” he explained. “We started out light and built up as we went along. Every day before we practice we lift weights, which is also a test. You lift weights and then you have to go out and practice. It requires toughness to be able to do that.”
Jackson says some drills are done each practice, such as receiving and tackling techniques. As for the tackling drills, Jackson says some days are better than others. “It’s definitely a work in progress,” he said. “Tackling technique will never be perfect, because the situation on the field is always changing. Some guys (ball carriers) are able to bounce around the field, and that changes everything. It makes it just a little bit tougher to make the tackle. But we’ve been working on that every day, and the kids are getting better.”
As for agility training, Jackson noted that tempo drills are very much a part of the Tigers’ summer regiment. “We do a lot of tempo drills that help make the guys get on the ball fast and cause them to think very fast,” he said. “We’re not all the way in shape yet, but we do the agility type stuff every day. We put these guys in situations where they have to be able to move.”
Jackson went on to note that so far in summer practice, he and his coaching staff are basically working on the “craft” of football. He said the entire 12-month plan for his team is done in phases. Strength and speed, he explained, are emphasized during the off season. “We’re still working on speed and strength in this summer, but it’s much less,” he stated. “We’re working on the skill part in the summer. To me, when we can actually get out here in the summer, we’re going to work on technique.
“Of course we’re conditioning, but in the summer it’s more about the skills,” Jackson further commented. “We have to maximize our time when summer gets here. It’s time to learn to catch the ball, run with the ball and work on tackling technique.”
