Emmitt Smith retired from the NFL in 2005 as a three-time Super Bowl champion, all-time leading rusher and as one of only five players who achieved over 10,000 rushing yards and 400 receptions.

After hanging up his cleats, Smith made the unique decision to take his fancy-footwork to another stage: Dancing with the Stars. Smith was the second NFL player to appear on the show. Jerry Rice was the runner-up in season two, but was Smith was the first former player to win the competition.

Always a fierce competitor, Smith took to the new activity the same way he approached his football career, with discipline and hard work. The fact that Smith was ultra-competitive during his turn on the show should not surprise anyone. The Hall of Famer once said, “All men are created equal, some just work harder in the preseason.”

The hard work Smith put in during the preseason included footwork drills, the benefits of which he often displayed during the regular season. Without his smooth, quick and aggressive footwork, Smith would never have achieved the level of success on either the field or the dancefloor.  

Interestingly, one of the best wide receivers currently in the NFL, Antonio Brown, recently competed on the show as well. Reflecting on his experience, Brown indicated that Dancing with the Stars helped his footwork become better.

Further, many NFL players, including Hall of Famer Lynn Swann, utilized dance in the off-season as a way to stay in shape while also working on footwork. Heck, dance isn’t even just an off-the-field activity anymore, just look at Victor Cruz:

Victor Cruz #Salsa (Vine by @NYGiantsGuru) https://t.co/lgbwGPb21N

— 〰iL (@IAmWilRuiz) February 23, 2015

Besides dance, what do all of these elite NFL athletes have in common? Smooth, quick and aggressive footwork.

Purpose of the Drill

The cones series of drills emphasize and train running backs and wide receivers to perfect change of direction and footwork.

Drill Set-up – Simple Box

Set up four cones in a square approximately 5 yards apart. Players will work on improving their 90 degree hard cuts.

Throughout the drill players should concentrate on ball security by holding the ball high-and-tight and pinned to the chest. Players need to focus on going around the cone, not cutting the corner short, by planting the outside foot and quickly changing direction.

When elite players run this drill they are able to seamlessly break themselves in one step and change direction the following step. If a player utilizes too many steps to cut and change direction, this will provide too much time for defenders to close the distance.

Players should concentrate on using as few steps as possible to execute the emphasis of this drill, which is cutting and changing directions by 90 degrees.

Drill Set-up – Cone Weave

Set up approximately six cones about 4 yards apart. Each cone should be staggered approximately 3 yards off the center line. If the cones are properly set-up, it should allow players to work on improving their 45 degree hard cuts.

To finish the drill set-up, a large trash can should be placed at the very end of the drill approximately 10 yards away from the last cone. The trash can should be placed directly on the center line.

Players should focus on running smoothly and maintaining speed throughout the drill to ensure the defense cannot catch-up to the ball-carrier during pursuit.

The player should sprint toward the large trash can after completing the last cone of the drill. A coach, standing behind the trash can, will direct the player to cut to the left or right of the trash can as they approach. The entire drill should be run full-speed.

It is important to note that in this particular Miami Dolphins drill the ball-carrier is not changing the ball with each corresponding cut. Some coaches preach the need to change the ball in order to keep the ball away from pursuing defenders.

However, the ball is more exposed and at-risk during the change and this drill is practicing running full-speed in tight quarters. Accordingly, it is recommended that the ball carrier does not change the ball during the drill. 

Drill Set-up – Circle and Accelerate

Place four cones approximately 5 yards apart in a straight line. This drill focuses on assisting players to harness their potential to accelerate quickly.

To finish the drill set-up, a large trash can should be placed at the very end of the drill approximately 10 yards away from the last cone. The trash can should be placed directly on the center line.

Players should run to the first cone and, while controlling their footwork, circle the cone with quick choppy steps. Once players have fully circled the cone, they should plant their foot and explode to the next cone and repeat circling the second cone.

The player should concentrate on smooth footwork while circling the cone and a burst of acceleration during the transition to the next cone. He should sprint toward the large trash can after completing the last cone of the drill. A coach, standing behind the trash can, will direct the player to cut to the left or right of the trash can as they approach.

Make sure that players do not cheat this drill by stepping over a cone. Players will often step over a cone with their inside foot, while circling it, in an attempt to execute the drill quickly. This defeats the purpose of the drill, which is to work on footwork. Players must focus on using their footwork to navigate fully around each cone.

Drill Set-up – Two Feet In, Two Feet Out

Place six cones approximately 2 yards apart in a straight line. This drill focuses on quick choppy footwork, which is similar to drills that utilize the ladder. However, once you have cones on the field, it is easy to set this drill up instead of dragging out the ladder.

The player will run this drill perpendicular to the cones. In between each cone, as the player employs quick choppy shuffle footwork, the player should quickly step two feet into the space between the cones followed by two feet out of the space.

Once this is complete, the player should quickly shuffle to the next set of cones and repeat two feet-in and two feet-out. The purpose of this drill is to work the feet front-to-back as the body slides left-to-right, which combines both lateral and forward-and-backward footwork.

These four drills are a quick and easy way for your running backs and wide receivers to practice their footwork.

SEE ALSO: Skills and Drills: Miami Dolphins ball security drill

SEE ALSO: Skills and Drills: Carolina Panthers return route drill for wide receivers

Photo courtesy of MiamiDolphins.com