#FrayLife Follows: DRILLS Practice
This month’s #FrayLife Follows features DRILLS Practice, a cutting-edge way to workout, regardless of your fitness level.
We caught up with program leader, Danielle, for the full scoop on this innovative way to stay fit while having fun. Read all about DRILLS below to learn how they are helping you get in shape thanks to football training techniques, then follow DRILLS on IG and to add some football-inspired fitness to your feed.
What is DRILLS Practice?
DRILLS Practice is a new football-inspired workout in DC. It’s based on the drills you would see in a typical football practice, but tailored for adults of all fitness and experience levels. Experienced football coaches run the participants through the agility ladder, hurdles, cone drills, practice routes, coverage, one-on-one plays, and much more. All the drills are non-contact and non-tackle and tailored to flag football. It’s a great way to cross train and prevent injury so you can keep playing all season. It’s a really fun workout!
#FrayLife Tip: DRILLS Practice is the perfect way to train for your flag league or Santa Bowl !
Give our readers some background on you and your experience. How did you get into football and fitness, and how did DRILLS practice get started? What are some of your favorite workouts you’ve designed?
I played soccer and volleyball growing up, and I remember those practices were TOUGH. I was always super sore the next day. I was definitely not good enough to play in college, so when I moved to DC, I got into running, going to the gym, and trying a ton of different classes like circuit training/HIIT, spinning, and boxing, and even became a Barre and Tabata instructor. I also joined a bunch of different social leagues – indoor soccer, kickball, and flag football. I started thinking – what if there was a way to make social sports into a workout, like those volleyball practices in high school? I used to dread going to practice because the workouts were so intense, but now I would LOVE to do a workout like that! Even when I was on a flag football league, I remember thinking that I wish I could get some practice first so I wouldn’t completely embarrass myself out there, AND get a legit workout at the same time. There are so many types of workouts in DC, but I couldn’t find anything that recreated a high school or college sports-based practice for adults with actual coaching. And that’s what inspired me to create DRILLS Practice!
What kinds of workouts do you regularly shoot and feature on your social accounts? How do you decide which workouts to share?
I like to post videos and photos that capture the movement of the drill and the energy of the coaches and players.
I have experienced football coaches who design and run the workouts. Each DRILLS Practice workout consists of a football-style warm up, then a speed and agility section (agility ladder, hurdles, cone drills, lateral movement), and then individual position drills (everyone goes through both the offensive and defensive drills, which are tailored to flag football). We end each workout with some one-on-one competition where you get to put everything together into plays. Sometimes we end the workouts with sprints, and sometimes with planks and pushups. Every workout is different, but it follows that format. All the drills are non-contact and non-tackle, and are modified to every level of athlete – whether you have a ton of football experience or never played before!
When you’re not running a fitness boot camp, what are you doing for fun? What does a typical day look like for you?
I work in public health and nutrition policy during the day, and I also do improv, teach barre, work at farmers markets, and of course, going to different workout classes!
What is something completely random or unusual that most people don’t know about you?
My dad is from Mexico and is obsessed with only soccer, so I knew absolutely NOTHING about football growing up. (Once during the Superbowl my dad asked, “isn’t there a big game or something tonight? The Blue Sox and the Celtics?”). When I moved down to DC from Boston I was always getting so much hate about the Patriots and had no clue what they were talking about (and therefore had nothing to say back!) so I studied the NFL like a subject in school and learned everything I could. So for me, launching a football-inspired workout was a huge learning curve!
What are 3 things that belong on the bucket list of any 20-something living in the DMV?
Definitely joining a social league – there is something for everyone and it’s a great way to get a group of friends together and do something outdoors and to meet new people.
Also, going to beer fests and wine fests. And of course jazz in the garden and Friday night concerts at yards park. Pretty much any activity that includes outdoor drinking!
Check out our article on the phenomenon that is DC social sports here.
View More Articles By Haley Dick