Drills are the most prevalent form of conditioning. In addition, drills are used to a very great extent for learning game skills. By this I mean learning how to run more effectively, how to cut more quickly and sharply, how to throw or hit better and so on. As a result, many practices consist of doing drills.
Further evidence of the popularity and common use of drills is the sales of sports books dealing with drills. These books commonly far out-sell books dealing with skill instruction, strategy, tactics, etc. In general, the more the number of drills, the more salable the book.
Drills are a great way to run large groups of athletes but are they effective in improving individual performances? If they are used for conditioning the answer is yes, but to a limited extent. Athletes can do running and jumping drills and even some throwing and hitting drills that do not rely on a high level of skill but keep the athletes active to gain either aerobic or anaerobic benefits. Drills can also be used successfully when teaching a certain tactic or strategy for a game.
For example, if the athletes run the same pattern they can reinforce what should be done in a game. However, keep in mind that even though the drill may be effective in practice, in a game situation many other factors come into play. Thus the drills may not duplicate what occurs in a real game situation.
The greatest misuse of drills is in the learning of skills. It is usually believed that by doing different drills the athlete will learn more effective skill technique. However, just because the athlete does a drill that involves a certain aspect of technique, it doesn’t mean that he will master or incorporate that action into his technique. The only way that this can happen is for him to visualize himself executing the movement as he executes the drill so that he is cognizant of what is taking place. Merely doing the drills as most often occurs, does not allow time for visualization of skill execution and does not provide an automatic transfer or reinforcement of the neuro-muscular coordination pattern.
This is especially true in sports such as running in which many drills are used. I have watched many runners execute anywhere from 15 to 20 different drills in warm-up, but not have a single one exhibited in his running. Some of the drills are excellent, but if the athlete does not consciously work on incorporating the movements seen in the drill, they will not automatically be incorporated into his running technique. Because of this when teaching skills, it is important that the athlete master the actions that must be executed before using a drill that may involve elements of the technique, speed or agility that may be involved .
Athletes must first learn joint actions and how the movement occurs. Then they will be able to incorporate them into their overall movement patterns and then be incorporated into the drill. This must be done on an individual basis and not taught in a group. Some in the group may pick it up but most players usually do not and need extra attention. This however, is rarely done. As a result, many athletes do not learn skill technique as effectively as possible. As a result they do not develop their full potential which is a key factor to becoming a better athlete.
For more information on this topic is recommended that you read Build a Better Athlete. It can help guide you in the learning of sports skills that can then be incorporated into the drills.