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Drills for Receivers When You Don’t Have a Lot of Time – Repping fundamental drills with an emphasis on focusing on the proper technique and catching the football will improve the overall play of your wide receivers.by: Ned PanfileWide Receivers Coach, Mendham High School (NJ) © More from this issue Repping fundamental drills with an emphasis on focusing on the proper technique and catching the football will improve the overall play of your receivers. In spread offenses, the receiver’s play is critical. However, in other style offenses, the receiver gets little attention. These drills are what I use once a week to drill the catching process. It includes hand strengthening exercises incorporated with drills where the receiver will get 46 catches in 20 minutes without using a lot of space. After warmups, receivers work on a specific catch that can be contained inside a space of 15 yards. We will work on catches facing the QB, running away from the QB, after cuts, sidelines catches and bad ball catches. These drills are used as part of a weekly progression that includes a combo drill with the QB. Fundamentals of the Catch: We stress thumbs up and an athletic stance (See Photo 1). Photo 1: “Take a picture” When running away from the QB, we teach crossed pinkies, elbows up, and running the chest through the front point of the ball. We tell our receivers that they should concentrate on the “cross hairs” of the football. That is, the place at the tip of the football. We emphasize that they should not jump unless necessary. It changes the level of sight, making catches inconsistent. This is especially true of young receivers when on the run; they tend to jump on perfectly thrown balls. We try to emphasize keeping eyes steady to catch more consistently. These rules are: Photo Series 2: Semi-circles - Slam the ball and pull away Diagram 1: Pair Up Warm-up Drill #2: “Take a Picture” Drill: Vertical Chest Pass Receivers hold the football vertical and chest pass it to their partner. Receiver catches the ball with thumbs together and up, fingers spread, and in an athletic stance. Make sure the receiver is moving his eyes behind his hands to catch the ball. Do not let him reach for it. Hold football horizontal and chest pass it to receiver’s partner. Receiver catches the ball with thumbs together and up, fingers spread and in an athletic stance. Make sure the receiver is moving his eyes behind his hands to catch the ball. Do not let him reach for it. The receiver palms the bottom point of the football overhead with the right hand and flips the ball to his partner. The receiver has his right hand fingers spread with thumb up and catches the ball with his right hand by palming it. No spirals are allowed. The receiver palms the bottom point of the football overhead with the left hand and flips the ball to his partner. The receiver has his left hand fingers spread, thumb up and catches the ball with his left hand by palming it. Again, no spirals are allowed. The WRs do a ball handling sequence that is meant to fool their partner. It includes between their legs, figure eights, around their backs and then they flip the ball to their partner, trying to fool their partner into a bobble or drop. They actually sit and think of new ways to trick their partner. Diagram 2: One Handed catch: For hand strengthening and concentration on the run. Photo 3: Inside Hand Catch Drill 2: Outside Hand: The receiver again spreads the fingers as far as he can and he catches the ball with his hand closest to the coach. Elbow and thumb should be up and the coach tries to put the ball on the upfield shoulder (Photo 4). Photo 4: Outside Hand Two Handed Catches: Photo 5: Turn the Hips Catch Drill 4: Run Chest through the Point: Receiver is trotting away from the coach, crosses pinkies and gets his elbows up, and works to run his chest through the point of the football. Coach throws the ball over the top on the inside shoulder (Can catch with thumbs together if catch dictates it). Diagram 3: Outs Catch Drill 7: Bad Ball Catch Drill: The receiver line is now facing the coach and he has them hold their hands up in front of them, thumbs together and fingers spread. Receiver is in good athletic stance. Coach is two to three yards away in between the sideline and the hash. This drill we only do one way. The coach throws a low ball, knees or lower, as the receiver moves through different agility drills to catch the ball. The WRs must flip their hands to put pinkies together to catch the low ball. The coach should slip in a good pass to keep them honest (Diagram 4). Diagram 4: Bad Ball Catch Drill Agility 2: Carioca - Shoulders square to thrower Agility 3: Run - Shoulders perpendicular to thrower. Diagram 5: Cut Drills Cut Drill 2: Cut drill with a distraction: Have half the line go to the other side and align one yard in front of the sideline stripe. Cutter goes and the defender waits until the cutter comes out of his cut. Defender flashes in front of the receiver and tries to distract him without touching the ball. They should not run into each other if the cutter is on the line and the distractor is one yard in front of the line (Diagram 6). Diagram 6: Cut Drill 2 Cut Drill 3: Double Cut: The same drill can be performed as a double cut drill (Diagram 7). Diagram 7: Double Cut Drill Cut Drill Progression: 6 Catches in 7 minutes Total: 46 catches in 20 minutes More like this: Advanced Wide Receiver Drills, Part I – May, 2013 |
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