Running Back Essentials: Switching Hands [AFCA]

All fumbles are inopportune moments. All fumbles change the dynamics, flow, and momentum of the game. One of the many ways a fumble can occur is when the running back holds the ball on the wrong hand.

Changing hands as a ball carrier is a necessary, yet oft-neglected or overlooked skill, at the high school level for running backs and even quarterbacks and wide receivers. There are players who exhibit clear favoritism toward carrying the ball on their dominant hand and are nervous to carry the ball on their other hand, much less make an immediate change to avoid a defender. We emphasize carrying the ball on the “outside arm” away from the defender, but the transition to the outside arm is an important detail we must underscore and drill in practice. Doing so will increase the confidence of the running back and drastically lower the incidence of fumbles.