Defensive Back Manual

EHF Football Prep

Coaching Defensive Back

Philosophies and Techniques

Shannon White

2/14/2013

 

 

The purpose of this manual is to provide the reader with a thorough analysis of the position of defensive back and information that can be used to develop players through a specific positional philosophy and proper positional technique.

 

 

 

 

Contents

Introduction. 2

Chapter 1 Mental Preparation. 3

Visualization. 3

Teachable Moments. 4

Mental Preparation Ideas. 5

Chapter 2 Physical Preparation. 6

Hip ROM.. 6

Off-Season Preparation. 7

Getting Started. 7

Peripheral vision. 8

Nutrition. 8

Physical Preparation Ideas. 9

Chapter 3 On the Island. 10

Man-to-Man Principles. 10

Zone Coverage. 11

 

Introduction

“Along with speed and toughness, a top defensive back needs an attitude that dares the quarterback to throw his way.” (Bass)

 

Courage, motivation, and aggression are the three attributes which should be looked for first in a prospective defensive back (DB). There are many other attributes which are key descriptors of a good DB that arguably could have been listed, but for the sake of writing this manual these three attributes above all others make implementing the philosophies discussed therein easier to accomplish. One should notice that none of these attributes are physical, as this manual is written with the assumption that a prospective player has already gone through an initial process that would have placed them in the best positions to be successful. The philosophies in this manual would be of no use if not accompanied by smart personnel choices and thorough talent evaluation. We will also bypass defining these attributes and assume that the reader has a cognitive understanding of each words meaning. What can be said about these attributes is that they do not solely define what is looked for in a DB, but rather illustrate the need for mental attentiveness by the player over reliance upon physical abilities. It has been proven that a player with less physical ability can out-perform a player with substantial physical talent by displaying higher levels of courage, motivation and aggression. A player who displays these attributes as well as possesses above average physical and technical ability has placed themselves in a position to not only be successful but to excel.

The purpose of this manual is to provide the reader with a thorough analysis of the position of defensive back and information that can be used to develop players through a specific positional philosophy and proper positional technique. This manual is by no means the only way to coach the position of DB, but is constructed with the idea that a player must be prepared physically and mentally to play the position properly. The art of teaching football is fluid, providing coaches with a continuous stream of information to help them learn.  It is up to the coach to stay motivated to learn new techniques and explore new training ideas as they come along. This manual seeks to address certain aspects of coaching the position that often are overlook or forgotten. This does not mean to abandon core philosophies or to try something new just for the sake of doing so, it means to pay attention to the details and landscape of football on all levels incorporating what works best with your current program.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1 Mental Preparation

 “Pay attention to the mind, not the body. Let there be neither insufficiency nor excess in your mind. Even if superficially weakhearted, be inwardly stronghearted, and do not let others see into your mind.” (Musashi)

 

One of the mistakes made most often by players and coaches is not emphasizing the importance of the mental preparation required to be a successful athlete. Mental preparation starts before a player enters the locker room or steps onto the football field. True mental preparation begins the day before, right after the player’s last practice. In The Sports Psych Handbook, it is written “We can construct in our minds pictures and scenes that never occurred in reality, and we can foresee, or even rehearse, events that have not yet happened” (Murphy).  At that time a player should do a self-evaluation focusing on the things that they did successfully in practice and be honest with themselves about the things they did not do well. That thought process carries over into the night when a player prepares to sleep. It has been proven that by visualizing what is trying to be accomplished one can help eliminate anxiety when actually performing. Since fear is a byproduct of not being able to mentally process a situation causing a negative bodily reaction, by visualizing as many detailed scenarios as possible an athlete can be mentally prepared for potential situations occurring on the football field effectively limiting what would be considered as unknown. Eliminating doubt and fear will help to clear the players mind allowing them to play with more speed and aggression.  

 

Visualization

Visualizing a scenario simply means to make a “mental movie” of the upcoming event. Good visualization requires a clear mind and focus, putting as much detail into the “mental movie” as possible.

Example 1: A player has been working on Cover 3 zone defense all week, being told by their coach repeatedly to keep an inside shade 8 yards off of the wide receiver (WR) and to keep their eyes on the quarterback (QB). When the ball is snapped, the player is taught to take the appropriate shuffle/read steps and to stay deeper than the WR running the deepest route in their area. While practicing this zone technique the DB makes the mistake of reacting to the QB’s pump fake and allows the WR to use a double move to break his DB leverage and get behind him.  Instead of recovering to the WR the DB watches the flight of the ball, allowing the receiver to gain separation from him and make an uncontested catch. The DB leaves practice, still thinking about the mistakes he made during Cover 3 drills. That night while laying in bed the player thinks back on his day at practice. He plays the mistake over in his mind. Instead of just reliving the moment, he thinks about how the play would have turned out had he used proper technique. The player makes a mental movie in which he does different things each time. First he might imagine not falling for the pump fake from the QB, and then he imagines having to recover to the WR who has gotten behind him. The player visualizes himself doing every detailed step the way he is supposed to and making a play on the ball at the end, by either interception or pass break up. The player goes to sleep having done several successful mental reps of the situation. During the next practice the player is put into the same Cover 3 zone look, except this time he feels confident and makes a play on the ball which leads to a pass break up or even an interception.

The player in this example has learned a powerful lesson about the importance of positive visualization and how it can be used as a tool to overcome fear and doubt. The key is to focus on positive scenarios and not to dwell on past mistakes. Constantly thinking about mistakes will only increase a player’s level of doubt and anxiety. It is just as important for coaches to learn this concept as they have a tremendous amount of influence over a player’s mental state. Pete Carroll, Head Coach for the Seattle Seahawks and BCS National Champion with USC says in his book Win Forever, “Ideally, we want to create an atmosphere or a culture where our players can perform in the absence of fear. Achieving that means finding ways to prove to players that they can rely on themselves and their teammates to perform at the highest level in the face of any challenge-even losing.” When a player makes a mistake sometimes it is best to save the teachable moment for a later time. Confronting a player right after he has made a mistake will more often than not cause the player greater anxiety as they will focus more on not making mistakes instead of playing with a clear mind. Coaches make the mistake of pulling a player from a game as soon as they have done something wrong. This tells the player that making a mistake is not acceptable and can be punishable by being pulled from the game. When that player returns to the field he will play with fear and apprehension which will lead to greater self-doubt and slower reactions. During practice a coach may have more time and opportunities to pull a player to the side and have a teachable moment. During a game in the heat of battle may not be the best time to get a players attention.

 

Teachable Moments

Example 2: Throughout the game a player has been getting beat to the inside on a slant route by the opponent’s best WR. During the week the coach had stressed not allowing the receiver to cross the DB’s face and to be physical and force the WR outside when in man to man defense. During the game the opposing offense throws the quick slant in short yardage and goal line situations scoring twice early in the game against the same player. Both times the player was pulled immediately and chastised for not following instructions. The DB is noticeably frustrated and continues to look over to the sideline for support. His confidence level is at 0 and his fear of punishment causes him to lose focus and give up another quick slant for long yardage. The coach as before pulls the player for chastising and the backup DB is subsequently beat on a long go route for a touchdown on the very next play.

There are only a few reasons why a starter is on the field to begin with and pulling him just to have a teachable moment may expose holes in the defense that an offense can further exploit.  If possible make note of the moment or technique the player needs to work on and follow up with that player at half-time or when your offense is on the field, making sure the whole time to remain positive when addressing the problem. Positive feedback has been proven to be a greater motivator than negative feedback and can go a long way in boosting a player’s self-esteem which particularly for DB’s directly affects their play. Players need to understand that mistakes will happen and that as a coach you are confident that they can overcome mistakes because of proper preparation. Players need to be able to forget the last play and mentally recharge for the next one. Only the player can make the choice to compartmentalize his actions but the coach can go a long way by being positive and giving the player an opportunity to work through problems.

 

Mental Preparation Ideas

There are several other ways a player can become mentally prepared for practices or games. Psychological Skills Training (PST) can be used to enhance performance, increasing enjoyment, or achieving greater sport and physical activity self-satisfaction (Robert S. Weinberg). Northwestern Head football coach Pat Fitzgerald has his players take naps before games to relax and gain focus. Regardless of the method each one essentially starts with clearing the mind of all outside distractions and focusing in on what needs to be done immediately. The player who can do the best job of mentally clearing their mind will be in a better position to be mentally prepared than those who are influenced by outside distractions.

 

 

 

Quiet Time                         Meditation          PST

Listening to Music            Sleep    

Visualization                      Watching Film   

                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2 Physical Preparation

 “Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional and mental state.” (Carol Welch)

Getting athletes bigger, stronger and faster seems to be the general motivation for player development in today’s football programs. It is not uncommon to see a player who weighs close to 300 pounds run the 40 yard dash in under 5 seconds or a defensive end who runs a 4.5 second 40. In order to help produce these super athletes there are hundreds of work out plans and strength programs that if done correctly can increase a players physical attributes tremendously over the course of four years. It is up to each coaching staff to customize a workout program that best addresses the needs of their teams. While the benefits of participating in a school workout program seem obvious, it is also beneficial for an athlete to take personal ownership of their physical development. This begins by understanding how the body works and how its functions are translated into use for football.

 

Hip ROM

One of the first physical traits evaluated on a DB is termed swivel in the hips. Defined as the flexibility in an athlete’s hips when changing direction or range of motion (ROM), swivel in the hips allows for smoother transitions from one direction to another. This has obvious benefits when applied to the DB position. When a DB is covering a WR in a man-to-man situation it is vital that the DB be able to recover when turned around by the receiver. A player who has good ROM in their hips gains valuable milliseconds of recovery time. Gaining flexibility in the hips takes a considerable amount of time but is rarely emphasized by coaches, which means the player is primarily responsible for their improvements. The stretching of the hip muscles and joints improves blood flow while loosening up the ligaments and tendons increasing ROM. Much like visualizing a mental movie, improving ROM is something that an athlete can do on their own time. Stretching in the morning and after practice on a daily bases can help to dramatically improve flexibility. This is done in addition to the stretching performed during team warm-ups.

 

 

 

 

Off-Season Preparation

Most people would say that football season in most parts of the country starts in the fall. Those who coach or play football understand that the season starts long before then, usually as soon as the last season is complete. Off-season workouts are where teams build for the future. The teams who show discipline and dedicate themselves to becoming better in the off-season usually are rewarded with success on the field. Some off-season work plans can be more effective than others at preparing athletes by focusing on the functions that a player will actually use.

 

Getting Started

 

In addition to the prescribed off-season training and conditioning programs which usually start the month before school, players can do workouts on their own to maintain physical conditioning and mental edge. Swimming is often referred to as the full body work out.  Swimming uses every muscle in the body and is great for increasing cardio endurance.  Most high schools make a swimming pool available to the students and there are many public facilities to choose from as well. Boxers have been known to use swimming as a way to increase their anaerobic conditioning. Running can also be a good way to maintain simple aerobic conditioning. Running promotes blood flow which keeps muscles growing and improves cardiovascular conditioning. Yoga does not seem like something a football player would do, but yoga has obvious advantages. Improvement in flexibility from doing yoga can help to improve ROM and reduce the risk of injury. The idea of simply stretching in the morning and evening can be highly affective and promotes self-discipline. An athlete should never underestimate the power of doing push-ups and sit-ups as part of their off-season preparation. It is also important not to over train, giving the muscles time to heal and a players mind to reboot.

 

 

 

 

 

Peripheral vision

 

 Peripheral Vision (PV) is defined as side vision; what is seen on the side by the eye when looking straight ahead (OxfordDictionaries). Rarely talked about in athletic circles, understanding and exercising PV can measurably improve a player’s performance. Your PV goes into your brain 25 percent faster than your central vision. About 20 percent of your peripheral nerves aid your ability to remain balanced (Lampert). The use of PV has countless applications in the football world. A  DB is in zone defense, focusing his eyes on the DB uses his PV to maintain the location of the WR in his area. A player on the kick-off team uses his PV to identify blockers on either side of him. A player see’s his hands in his PV making it easier to catch the football. A QB uses his PV to see the defensive end bearing down on him from his back side.  These are just a few examples of how PV is used throughout a football game. Increasing PV is crucial in improving field of vision, which in turn helps to increase performance.

 

 

Nutrition

Nutrition will be noted in this chapter as part of an athlete’s physical preparation for obvious reasons. The body requires specific nutrients if it is to have optimal performance. Proper nutrition starts by knowing what a player’s physical goals are. Some players such as offensive and defensive lineman require high amounts of carbohydrates and proteins to maintain their heavier weight. A  DB does on the other hand want to remain lean and fast, requiring much stricter intake levels. Schools are placing a higher importance on nutrition than ever before, providing student/athletes with meal options throughout the day. When not in school and having to show more discipline in their eating habits and athlete should have an understanding of what is good for them and what foods do them more harm. As a general rule of thumb an athlete should have carbohydrates to fuel a workout and proteins afterward to replenish the body. A steady diet of fruit and vegetables also helps the body during recovery. Water is considered lubrication for the body and should be drunk throughout the day. It is not necessary for athletes to take dietary

 

 

 

Physical Preparation Ideas

Weight Training                Swimming           Running               Proper Diet

Conditioning Program     Yoga                     Stretching Routine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3 On the Island

 “The defensive back has the shortest memory on the field. People are going to make some plays and you’re out there on an island so, the percentages are against you.” ~Will Fields

 

While playing DB, athletes will be placed in more isolated scenarios than any other defensive position on the field. Every position will be faced with pressure situations but none more so than a DB. A DB constantly has to read and react to the QB’s eyes, the WR’s routes and when in run support the RB’s movements in the open field. The tricky part is doing this with the understanding that if they get beat by a receiver or miss and open field tackle on the RB there is usually only one person behind them to help when they make a mistake.

 In order to show a clear difference between the techniques and philosophies of man and zone defense this section will be broken down into two parts. The first part focusing on man to man defense as a DB’s ability to cover a WR in a one on one situation separates good DB’s from great ones.

Man-to-Man Principles

There are several skills a DB will need to know to play man defense. Never let the WR get square or directly in front of them, know and recognize the different patterns, understand the importance of cushion or maintaining leverage and focusing on the man they are covering and not watching the QB (Bass). The first thing a player learns at any position is a proper stance. For a DB the proper stance will put them in a good reaction position. The DB should have his feet shoulder width apart, with his outside foot slightly back. The DB should be bent forward slightly at the waist hiding his numbers, with his eyes up facing the WR. His arms should be slightly bent, allowing him to be in a good backpedal position sooner. The key point for the DB is to always keep his feet moving, never allowing both feet to be planted in the ground at the same time before the snap. This is referred to as a “rhythm” and allows the DB to react sooner to the WR’s release. When a DB establishes a good pre-snap rhythm they are better prepared to backpedal and open their hips in either direction. This is especially important to DB’s that are in bump & run or catch-man defense since they are aligned closer to the WR and have less space and time to react. It is also important when in bump-and-run the DB gets his hands on the WR or “jams” him. When doing a proper jam using both hands, make sure the palms are facing out and the thumbs are pointing upward aiming for the middle of the player’s chest. The key to making contact on the WR is to not reach for them but to let them release, focus on their numbers and step to meet the WR after they have declared the direction they are going to. Reaching for the WR puts the DB off balance and out of position to stay with the WR. It is suggested for DB’s that can cover well to force the WR to the outside where the DB can use the sideline as a second defender. The DB always wants to “squeeze” the WR to the boundary reducing the amount of space the QB has to get the ball through. The DB can also use trail technique to shadow and mirror the WR’s footsteps essentially breakdown every time the WR breaks down. Trail technique also puts the DB in a good position to take away the underneath routes and force the QB to throw the ball over the top where the DB has a Safety to help them. Good trail technique requires many hours of practice at full game speed and is not designed for every DB but those who show exceptional recovery speed and awareness.

Zone Coverage

 

               Zone Coverage is less stressful on a DB because they are asked to do less physically. The DB gives the WR an eight yard cushion and is tilted in slightly facing the QB. The DB should honor the same stance principles as in man coverage and also maintain a rhythm. The DB should keep track of the WR in their peripheral vision. The DB is taught to take backpedal read steps and to turn and run with the WR if their cushion is broken. It is important for the DB to understand this type of leverage and not to let the WR get on top of his feet early in the route. The general rule in zone defense for a DB is to stay deeper than the deepest WR or in laymen’s terms never let a receiver get behind the zone being covered. Success in zone coverage simply comes down to a DB’s ability to close the distance between him and the WR and to react to the ball in the air. It is also important for the DB to understand the philosophies of the defense that he is in and to be aware of the weak areas in the defense where the offense will attack. Watching film on the opponent and similar offenses will help the DB to understand possible route combinations and make reading routes easier. If you were to ask the best DB’s in football what the secret to their success is they would almost always say knowing what the offense is trying to do to them based upon film study helps to quicken their reaction time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Bass, Tom. “Play Football The NFL Way.” Bass, Tom. Play Football The NFL Way. New York City: St. Martins Press, 1990. 296.

Lampert, Larry. Stack.com. 19 july 2011. 1 march 2013.

Murphy, Shane. “Imagery: Inner Theater Becomes Reality.” Murphy-Editor, Shane. The Sports Psych Handbook. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics, 2005. 129.

Musashi, Miyamoto. “Book of Five Rings.” Musashi, Miyamoto. Book of Five Rings. Barnes & Noble Books, 1993. 18.

OxfordDictionaries. 1st March 2013. 1 March 2013.

Robert S. Weinberg, Daniel Gould. “Intro to Psychological Skills Training.” Weinber, Rober S and Daniel Gould. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Human Kinetics, 2003. 242.