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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


The Drills Report - Advanced Wide Receiver Drills

by: Kevin Bourgoin
Offensive Coordinator, University of Maine
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I have been coaching college football for more than ten years, all of them as a receivers coach at various levels of competition and talent. One of the beliefs I’ve developed over that period of time is that many receivers do not know how to properly catch a football. They have not been taught nor do they use the proper fundamentals and techniques needed to accomplish this basic but critical task.

Many coaches believe a player is either born with the natural ability to catch a football or not. I disagree. I believe one can develop and improve upon this skill. The process has been accomplished by using ball skills that improve hand-eye coordination. These ball skills have drastically reduced the number of dropped balls, increased the number of catches and boosted the yards per catch by receivers in our program.

At the University of Maine, we believe there are five fundamentals to catching a football:

1. Body position: In order to catch a football a receiver needs to get his body in a position so that he can get his head, eyes and nose on the tip of the football.

2. Eyes and Nose: Vision is a critical component of catching the football. Receivers need to catch the ball with their eyes. I have my players pretend that the tip of their nose is connected to the tip of the ball. This seems to help them get their eyes and nose on the tip.

3. Hands and Fingers: When catching a ball, you need to have relaxed hands, fingers and forearms. We talk to our receivers about the football melting into their hands.

4. Tuck position: The catch is not finished until the ball is tucked away. Have your receivers look the ball all the way into the tuck position before taking their eyes off of the ball.

5. Attitude: We want our receivers to be aggressive; thus, we stress the fact that they need to go get the ball when it is in the air. All receivers should have the attitude that the ball is theirs.

At Maine I have 15-20 minutes of individual time a day and I will pick out two or three ball drills to do each day with the receivers. These ball drills will last five to ten minutes each with every day focusing on a different kind of catch or drill. Here are a few that we use:

The first drill is called the ‘Freeze Drill’ (See Diagram 1). Receivers will pair up and fade each other ten yards apart. Each pair has one football that they’ll use. The pairs will first play catch with the ball being thrown at the chin of each player. When the receiver catches the ball he will get his eyes, nose and head on the tip of the ball and freeze on the tip for two seconds. After two seconds, the receiver will look the ball away into the tuck position and then throw the ball back to the other receiver. This drill should be exaggerated by all receivers. The purpose of this drill is for the receivers to work on getting their nose, eyes and head on the tip of the football and for them to look the ball all the way into their hands and the tuck position.

Diagram 1: Freeze drill

The pairs will then throw the ball at their partner’s waist and then at their feet.

After 20 reps at each spot, the pairs will turn sideways facing the sideline. They will then work the same catches: 20 reps on the chin, waist and feet. When facing sideways, they should focus on getting their hands back and reach for the football.

The second drill we use is called ‘Juggles’ (See Diagrams 2A and 2B). The receivers will pair up and face each other at one yard apart. Each pair will work with two balls, one ball held by each receiver. The drill starts with one of the receivers tossing the ball underhand lightly at waist level to the other receiver. As soon as the receiver throws the ball, the other receiver begins to throw his ball. The two balls should travel in a circle between the receivers.

Diagram 2A & 2B: Juggles Drill

After 30 seconds the receivers will switch the direction the ball is going. The receivers then work the juggles drill with the ball being thrown at the ankles, then at the chin and finally the face mask. Receivers will then face the sideline and work balls at the waist, ankles and chin. This drill is a good way to warm up the receivers’ hands and fingers before practice and to get them as many touches before it begins. This can be used as a competition between the pairs establishing who can keep the ball off the ground the longest.

For many receivers catching the deep ball can be a struggle as they do not know how to get in position to catch the ball. Some do not know how to adjust to deep balls while others do not go back up and attack the football. For this purpose, the first drill we practice is the ‘Fade Drill’ (See Diagram 3). Receivers will line up single file at the top of the numbers on the field. On ‘go’ call the first receiver will jog off the scrimmage line and down the field working to the bottom of the numbers. The ball will be thrown down the field about 15-20 yards out in front of the receiver. It is put out in front so they have to go and get it. The second time down the field, the throw will be behind them so they have to come back and catch the ball at its highest point. The last part of the drill is throwing the ball to the outside and to the bottom of the numbers. Now the receivers have to adjust to the throw, drift to the sideline and get their body in a position where their eyes, hands and head are on the tip of the ball.

Diagram 3: Fade Drill

When catching deep balls we talk to our receivers about getting on top of the defender or what we term as ‘stacking the defender.’ This puts the defender in a trail position behind the receiver. We use the ‘Stack Drill’ to teach this technique (See Diagram 4). Receivers will line up side by side facing down the field at two yards from the top of the numbers. Both receivers are trying to catch the ball during this drill. On a go call they will run down the field running a streak or go route. Both will try to stack or get on the other receiver so that when the ball is out in front they are in the best position to catch the ball. This drill teaches receivers to try to stack or get on top of the defender and to compete while going after the ball when it is in the air. We will also switch up this drill so both receivers will have to come back to the ball. This drill can also be done against your DBs.

Diagram 4: Stack Drill

These drills have proven to be very successful in the development of our receivers at the University of Maine. They have made a huge difference in the success of our passing game by limiting the amount of drops, increasing yards per attempt and increasing our total passing yards. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments and good luck this fall.






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