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AFM Magazine


Being a Secondary Technician

by: David Snodgrass
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Press Man Technique: Defending Against a Receiver’s Release Moves

When breaking down the game of football, or any other sport, it comes down to taking proper angles and using them to help increase the odds of making plays which helps teams win games. Angles in the game of football can either make or break a team’s success. Understanding angles through geometry and understanding the physics of the body through the proper angles of hip movement allow you to do this. I coach players in the secondary by talking to them about hip movement, understanding open hips versus closed hips. By understanding the difference between open hips and closed hips you will be able to produce you own “Power Angles.”

• Open Hips: Being able to have your hips opened up towards the receiver in a position to be able to react with his movement.

• Closed Hips: Having your hips locked in a position to where you are not able to mirror the receiver’s movement and react.

Being successful in the secondary is more than just having the best athletes on the field; it’s about having the best overall football players. These football players understand angles, leverage and using the little things to be successful. For example, taking the proper angles is necessary. Besides knowing your own angles and leverage, success is also about reading the mannerisms of the receiver and understanding the general physics of how the body works. Understanding these different techniques can be beneficial to a secondary unit and to help produce all-conference type players. Also they will benefit and help make the average players good, the good players great, and the great players get to the next level. In order to be a technician, one must be a disciplinarian who is willing to help develop players into students of the game and to be disciplined in their techniques. This is a daily practice that takes training of the body and mind to help one become more natural in how they practice and play the game of football.

When coaching in the secondary there are many styles and techniques that can be used and are successful when used correctly. This article will consist of only a couple of the techniques that I, as a secondary coach, believe in and use to help develop players that can be successful in playing in the secondary. Both of them deal with mannerisms of the body. The first thing is understanding your own body (hips), and the second is reading the mannerisms of the receiver and anticipating where they have to go by reading their feet and hips. As a result, the one thing that I always revert back to “The Hips.” Football players can remember back to their first days of playing football and how the coaches always told them to key the waistline when tackling. One of the best ways that I correlate understanding “closed hips” and “opened hips” to my players is through playing press coverage.

Punch / Counter Punch (PCP) Technique
The concept of this type of press technique is to maintain overall leverage and to knock off the timing of the routes between the quarterback and receiver. This technique still has an aggressive style of play but allows the defensive back to use his feet, hands and hips to maintain proper body control. This is so that the receiver does not have the ability to play off an unbalanced/out of position player. This technique can be played from an inside alignment, outside alignment, or head up alignment. Playing from the head up alignment is harder to play since the receiver already has a two way go on the defensive player. I have the guys play an inside alignment to help take away the quick slant by the initial alignment. We use the outside alignment when we are playing a man under/two deep concept, where we want the outside corner to funnel the receiver to the safety while the inside defensive back is still playing the inside alignment.

The most important thing for the defensive back to understand is the fact that his feet are more important than his hands. It does not matter if you get your hands on the receiver if your feet are not moving. You will end up getting yourself out of position if you leave your feet in the dirt. Not only is the quick movement of your feet important, it is also important to re-establish your feet so that when you jab you still have a solid base underneath you. Similar to that of a boxer, when you punch or jab at someone, your power comes from your feet up through your legs and hips.

When getting into proper alignment to play this technique, it is important for the defensive player to be aligned so his eyes are focused on the back laces of the receiver’s back foot. A receiver’s first movement will come from his back foot. This way the defensive player can react and move his feet with the feet of the receiver and also be able to get a jam that has punch without lunging at the receiver or falling for his head fakes. After the first movement, the eyes of the defensive back go back on the hips of the receiver. The defensive player is totally focused on the part of the body that tells where the body can go which is the hips and the feet.

In this aspect, the players practice every day so that they are able to mirror the image of the receiver and also have the ability to punch with the hand in which the receiver steps towards. In doing so, the defensive back can give a hard jam towards the sternum of the receiver and still not have to lunge towards the receiver. He is also able to have his off hand used as a counter-punch if the receiver continues with his same release/ direction. When the defensive back uses the counter-punch, this naturally opens his hips and puts him into a great position (hip to hip) with the receiver. If the receiver decides to take a counter move and come back across the defensive back to finish his release, the DB still has that off hand to jam the receiver and then has the hand in which he first used to jam with as his off hand and his new counter-punch hand. This technique is similar to a jab combination used by a boxer.

With this technique, the defensive back can be aggressive with his jabs in order to knock off the timing of the route. The DB can also focus on the receiver’s hips to put him in position to play the ball for either a pass break-up or for an interception.

Drills Used For The Punch/Counter Punch (PCP) Technique:

• Mirror Drill: Mirroring the side movement of the receiver... Defender steps/slides with the lateral movement with the receiver, maintaing original leverage (See Diagram 1).

Diagram 1.

Try working quick first side step and sliding the off foot to maintain a solid base. Key Note: Focus on the back laces of the receiver’s back foot. This is the first movement from the receiver that will be visible.

• Jab Drill: Punching while you mirror the movement of the receiver (Again, Diagram 1). Key Note: The jab should come a split second after the DB steps with the receivers first movement. Try to work single release moves and double moves. Coaching Point: Try to be able to play all types of releases from the receiver. Remember that the defensive back needs to master the punch/step-slide both ways as well as the counter-punch. He needs to get comfortable with moving and punching both directions. Work the technique three to four steps into the route so the DB can start to slide his counter-punch down towards the receiver’s hips (along with his eyes) putting him into a hip to hip position with the receiver.

• Mimic Drill (hip to hip): Maintaining a hip to hip relationship with the receiver, keying his hip and mimicking the same movement the receiver does. (See Diagram 2).

Diagram 2.

If his hips drop so should yours; if he breaks, you break. This trains the eyes to react quickly to the action/movement of the receiver.

• Outside Release Drill
(See Diagram 3)

Diagram 3.

A. Lateral step/slide receiver
B. Jab with outside hand when receiver commits up field
C. Outside hand presses sternum
D. Counter punch with the inside hand
E. Presses the inside shoulder
F. Ability to open the DB’s hips
G. Read the hips of the receiver
H. Inside hand slides down to the inside hip of receiver
I. Control the receiver throughout the route
J. Tone and Cue of Receiver

• Read the mannerisms of the receiver.

• The body will tell you what he is thinking and doing. Coaching Point: Feet are key. Just like taking a charge in basketball. Step/Slide with lateral movement. Defender must never allow receiver to cross his face to the outside and must always maintain outside leverage (push him to the FS). Quick feet, concentration and arm strength are a must. The receiver must never have an opportunity to catch the ball unmolested.

• Inside Release
(See Diagram 4)

Diagram 4.

A. Jab when receiver commits up-field
B. Inside hand presses the inside shoulder
C. Counter punch with the outside hand
D. Press the outside number
E. Ability to open the DB’s hips
F. Press the receiver inside staying over his up field shoulder
G. Outside hand slides down to the outside hip of the receiver
H. Control the receiver throughout the route
I. Leave the inside hand free to make a play on the ball
J. Tone and Cue of Receiver
• Read the mannerisms of the receiver
• The body will tell you what he is
thinking and doing
H. Ball indicators
• Hands, Eyes and Shoulder of the WR

Coaching Point: Key the back laces of the back foot of the receiver; this is the first movement from the receiver. This will decrease the reaction time to jab. This also prevents the player from getting his eyes too high on the receiver which will lead him to be vulnerable to head fakes. Defender must never allow the receiver to cross his face and must always maintain inside leverage, placing him in the passing lane. Remember: the receiver must never have an opportunity to catch the ball unmolested.

Wide Receiver Releases:

The most common release move by a WR is to fake one direction and release the other direction. This is the most common because it is quick, one step move and when done correctly this can get the WR off the LOS. Generally speaking, whichever side the WR releases is the direction of the break. For example, outside release equals outside break. Inside release equals inside break.

• Outside Fake/Inside Release Drill: Step-slide jam with outside hand. Counter-punch with outside hand as receiver tries to work back inisde. Squeeze the receiver flat down the LOS. Play hip-to-hip, ready to get in passing lane when ball is thrown. Read through the receiver for the ball (See Diagram 5).

Diagram 5.

• Inside Fake/Outside Release Drill: Jam with inside hand. Step-slide and then jam with outside hand. Counter-punch with inside hand as receiver tries to work back inside. Then, inside hand slides down to inside hip of receiver (See Diagram 6).

Diagram 6.

Coaching Point: The defender can play this type of technique from either inside leverage, outside or heads-up stance. The key is to knock of the timing of the route and to be able to maintain body control and hip position throughout the route.



David Snodgrass begins his second season at Wingate University as the secondary coach. He previously served as both the secondary coach and special teams coordinator at McPherson College (KS) for three years. Snodgrass holds a degree in both psychology and sociology from McPherson and played strong safety for the Bulldogs. He received all KCAC honors his final two seasons.

Questions?
If you have any questions you
can email the author at:
DavidSnodgrass@AmericanFootballMonthly.com





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