PARTNER DRILLS
The following partner drill reinforce various DB techniques and fundamentals.
DIAGRAM 9: “Dog-Fight Drill.” In this drill, 2 players align 1 yard apart and get into their backpedal. The coach signals the direction and the player closest to the pointed direction becomes the WR, while the other player becomes the DB and makes a proper break on the ball.
DIAGRAM 10: “Fade Drill.” In this drill, the DB lines up slightly behind the WR. The WR sprints into a fade and the DB tries to catch up him and break up the pass.
DIAGRAM 11: “Strip Drill With No Ball.” The DB works on numerous techniques from this alignment, including collision, interceptions, strips, knockdowns and point of delivery.
DIAGRAM 12: “Range Drill.” This an effective zone drill in which the DB works on QB delivery keys.
,CONE DRILLS
We utilize cone drills to practice breaking on out and hitch patterns.
DIAGRAM 1: Cone Drill No. 1 “W-Drill.”
DIAGRAM 2: Cone Drill No. 2 “Sideline Retreat.”,COMMUNICATION, MAKING-THE-INTERCEPTION DRILLS
The following 1-line and 2-line drills help DBs better learn to communicate with their teammates during fast-paced live-action situations, while reinforcing proper techniques to create turnovers. During the line drills all DBs must yell out things such as “Pass!” “Ball!” or “Bingo!” to get them into the habit of communicating while on the fly.
DIAGRAM 3: 1-Line Ball Drills. From this 1-line alignment you can run three types of drills, the “High-Ball, Low-Ball Drill,” the “Duck Drill” and the “Tip Drill.”
DIAGRAM 4: 1-Line Drill “Step-In-Front Drill.”
DIAGRAM 5: 2-Line Ball Drills “45-Degree Break Drill.”
DIAGRAM 6: 2-Line Ball Drills “Turn-And-Run Drill.”
DIAGRAM 7: 2-Line Ball Drills “Turn-And-Run, 45-Degree Drill.”
DIAGRAM 8: 2-Line Ball Drills “ Centerfield-Turn Drill.”,Defensive-Back Drills To Improve The Overall Skill Level Of Your Secondary
By Tim Able, Head Coach,
Decatur Central High School, Indianapolis, Ind.
FUNDAMENTALS AND PROPER TECHNIQUE are a key component to solid defensive back play. It doesn’t matter how talented a DB is physically, but if he has sloppy technique or is poor in the core fundamentals of secondary play -- such as footwork, vision, communication and closing on the ball -- he’ll most certainly either get beaten by a receiver running a crisp route or he’ll give up a big play.
The following drills will help your DBs learn the core fundamentals essential to solid secondary play.
FOOTWORK DRILLS
Line Drills. Have your DBs run the following line drills. Make the drills competitive by rewarding the first player to finish. Make sure the coaches are closely watching the players as they run, monitoring technique for a variety of factors including footwork, body positioning, pivoting and head/eye positioning.
Line Drill A: Backpedal 5 yards, turn and run 5 yards.
Line Drill B: Backpedal 5 yards, plant and run 5 yards in a straight line. Run one rep to the left and one to the right side.
Line Drill C: Backpedal 5 yards, turn and run 5 yards. Backpedal another 10 yards, turn and run 10 yards.
