How to Run a Fade in Football

Note: A fade route isn’t a vertical or go route. It’s a fade! WR fades to the slides, while climbing vertically- making the defensive back turn his back to the football.

Receiver Alignment: Start by lining up on the line of scrimmage or off the line (depending on the formation) as a wide receiver, with a compressed split. The receiver has to compress his split in so that he gives himself room to fade outside.

Receiver Stance: Your stance should be athletic and balanced. We teach our receivers to have their inside foot back, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. We want our receivers to be comfortable. However, the 3rd step is the fade step, so having the inside foot back makes sense. The weight distribution should be 80% on the front foot, 20% on the back foot. Knee should be over toes. This will help prevent false steps and improve explosion on the get off.

WR Release: Off the snap of the ball, release from the line of scrimmage by taking a quick, explosive 3 step stem (drive route up field), plant foot, then fade to the slides. Accelerate after your initial release, fade up-field at top speed. The goal is to create separation from the cornerback- make them chase you. . Accelerate quickly, and maintain a smooth, fluid stride.

Beating Press Coverage: When facing press coverage, we will hit the hands away and rip through with our inside hand, restack the defensive back then break to our fade.

Tracking the Ball: As you continue downfield, locate the ball in the air. The quarterback will target a spot over your outside shoulder. Look the football in!  Depending on the flight of the ball, you may need to make adjustments to your route. If the ball is underthrown, you might need to slow down or come back to it. If it’s overthrown, you might need to accelerate to catch up to it.

High-Pointing: When the ball is in the air and within reach, focus on “high-pointing” it. This means reaching your hands up and attacking the ball at its highest point to prevent the defender from making a play on it.

Catch: Secure the ball with your hands and bring it into your body. Look the ball into your hands, then into your body!!

See Also: Wide Receiver Route Stems

Here’s How We Run Our Fade Route

1) Catch the football, step and throw the ball high and outside.

2) Step up and plug up any interior penetration.

3) Fake Jet Sweep, continue route outside- swing.

4) Block the defense end- attack the block.

TE) Hinge the backside.

O-line: Inside-Over pass blocking rules- aggressive block, just don’t go chasing linebackers.

Remember that the timing and execution of a fade route can vary depending on the specific offensive system, age level, and the quarterback’s preferences / ability. The Quarterback and Wide Receiver timing does need to be practiced often.

We practice our fade every single day, before and during practice. It’s very important that you stress to your QB to throw the football high and outside. When running the fade route in football it’s important that your receiver outside releases and fade to the sidelines- this is not a go route.

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Understanding and Coaching Wide Receiver Route Stems

Note: When a receiver runs straight down the field it is not referred to as a stem- for many coaches anyway.  Instead, stemming a route is when a receiver bends their route outside or inside before reaching the top of the route. I coach the kids three different route stems- vertical, inside, and outside stems. 

Release Off the Line of Scrimmage: The route stem begins with the receiver’s initial movements as they release from the line of scrimmage. This phase involves evading press coverage, finding an open release lane, and using techniques like jab steps, releases, or swim moves to get a clean start.

Straight Stems: A straight stem involves the receiver running straight up the field before making their break. This approach is commonly used in routes like go (fly) routes, fades, Digs (in routes), out routes, and /or post routes. The receiver attempts to maintain speed and threaten the defender vertically before making a sudden cut.

Curved Stems: Curved stems incorporate a slight curve or angle in the initial part of the route. This can be used to create separation and make the defender guess the receiver’s ultimate route direction.

Inside Stems: Receivers can stem a route inside, which will help them to gain leverage on the defender.  They might also have a defensive back who is playing with inside technique so they stem inside (at the inside shoulder of the corner) to get head up, or square with the defensive back, before breaking their route.

Outside Stems:  Receivers can also stem their pass pattern to the outside (usually outside shoulder of defensive back) to gain leverage or square up (also known as stacking the DB) the defender before breaking into their pass route.

Speed Variations: Altering the speed of the stem can be an effective way to deceive defenders. Receivers may start slowly to lull the defender into a false sense of security before accelerating into their break, creating separation. Conversely, they might burst off the line with explosive speed and then decelerate subtly before the break to deceive the defender.

Varying Route Depths: Stems can also involve varying the depth of the initial phase. For instance, in a deep post route, the receiver might stem at a shallower depth initially to avoid bump-and-run coverage before angling back toward the middle of the field at a deeper depth.

Setting Up Defenders: The stem is an opportunity for the receiver to set up the defender. By running a stem that looks like one route before breaking in another direction, the receiver can create separation through deception. This is particularly effective in double moves, where the receiver initially feigns one route before going in another direction.

Adjusting to Defensive Reactions: Good route runners are aware of how defenders react to their stems. If a defender is playing off-coverage, the receiver might choose a quicker stem to exploit the space. If the defender is playing press, the receiver might employ a release move to get free before the stem.

Maintaining Balance and Technique: Throughout the stem, receivers must maintain proper balance, footwork, and body positioning. This ensures they can execute their breaks cleanly and remain in control of the route.

See Also: Wide Receiver Stalk Blocking Techniques 

In summary, the wide receiver route stem is the initial phase of a route where the receiver establishes their path and attempts to manipulate the defender. It’s a critical part of route running, as it sets the stage for the receiver’s break and ultimately determines their success in getting open for a pass. Receivers who can vary their stems effectively, read defenders’ reactions, and maintain precision in their movements are often the most successful at creating separation and making big plays in the passing game.

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Receivers struggle to learn routes. It is a universal fact of football. No matter how simple you make the routes, receivers will inevitably struggle to learn these routes. There are a variety of different factors that go into this, but as a coach it’s important to find a way to make things easier for receivers. In addition, it’s critical that you keep the routes simple so that if a player comes over from defense or needs to be moved to the slot from an outside receiver or running back it’s easy for them to learn the plays and start contributing immediately.

The Rule of Trips is the easiest way to keep things simple for receivers as they are moved around the field. This is a simple rule that can be installed in one day and makes it easy for receivers to learn their routes. We base out of a Doubles formation with two receivers on each side of the line. So the Rule of Trips will tell the #3 receiver what his assignment is when he brought over to a Trips formation. In our Rule of Trips the #3 receiver has the same route as the #2 receiver in the quick game. This is the same route as he would have had on the other side so it requires no learning. In our 5 step passing game the Rule of Trips is that the #3 receiver has a seam route. This means that for us to go into a Trips formation the receiver only needs to learn 1 route (which he should already know) for us to get into our whole passing game.

Related Content: Using the Snag Concept to Stretch the Defense  

The Rule of Trips is a perfect summary of what we try to do on offense. We want to have our players learn as few skills as possible so they can become excellent at executing these skills. On a Friday night it is rarely a specific play that wins the game, instead it is a player executing the skill that he has worked on countless times in practice. We use the Rule of Trips to allow our players to play faster and spend their time getting better at their techniques instead of learning multiple routes.

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Over the Shoulder Drill for Wide Receivers

The set up of the drill is very simple. We start with two lines and two Quarterbacks five yards apart. This makes for a very tight space but this tight space works to our advantage. When the Quarterback moves the ball the receiver takes off running down the line. The Quarterback lobs the ball over his outside shoulder so that the receiver can adjust to it and make the catch.

Like any drill, the secret to the effectiveness of the drill is in the subtle details of the drill. For the receiver there are a few key coaching points. The first one is that the receiver must stay on the line and allow the ball to bring him off the line to the outside. He can not start fading before the ball moves him out. This allows him to adjust to the ball in the air. The other key coaching point for the receiver is to start at a jog and adjust his speed to the ball. This gives his body the necessary feedback to correct his speed to ensure a catch.

For the Quarterbacks this is a perfect time to work on location and touch. By putting them so close it forces them to really develop their touch and ensure the ball is being thrown on a trajectory that allows it to drop in. This is much more difficult than it seems so this pre-practice period is a great way for their arms to calibrate to the current conditions.

Related Content: Wide Receiver Route Running Tips 

In order for the players to get the maximum number of reps there are a few minor details that allow the drill to flow. The first is that each player must get the ball that is thrown to them quickly. If the ball is not caught they must get it out of the path of the drill quickly because there will be another receiver coming quickly. Our players do a great job with this and it allows the drill to take place without any major risk. The second logistical detail that allows the drill to be efficient is that the receivers must return the ball back through the middle. By coming down the middle they take a shorter path and can give the ball directly to the Quarterback instead of cutting through the line.

The Over the Shoulder drill has been a great drill for us to get lots of reps catching and throwing the football. This is especially effective for throwing and catching the fade and developing the skills required to complete the deep ball.

Related Content: Wide Receiver Stalk Blocking Technique 

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Route Running Coaching Points

Part 1: The first part of any route is the stem. This is the first 3 steps of the route. The objective of the stem is for the receiver to gain a leverage advantage on the defender. This could mean a lot of different things depending on the route and the coverage that he is facing, but if a receiver is not able to successful gain a leverage advantage over the defender, he is going to be put in a position of disadvantage that he will struggle to overcome over the course of the route.

Part 2: The next part of the route is the time where the receiver is working to close the defender’s cushion. Obviously, the length of this can vary depending on the length of the route. On a hitch route the stem and the closing section blend into one another, but there are subtle differences. In the receiver’s stem he may be looking to get the defender to move one way or another, on a hitch he wants to work so that the defender is towards the outside so he will spend the stem portion of the route establishing this leverage. During the closing section he wants to force the defender to react to his movements, in this case backpedaling because he is worried about getting beat deep.

Related Content: Technique Football Camp: Wide Receiver Progression Drills 

Part 3: The final section of the route is the separation. While this can largely be thought of as the break, this is the time where the receiver is looking to create space between himself and the defender who is covering him. On a route like a hitch it is when he sinks his hips and turns back towards the Quarterback. One a fade route this would be the time where the ball is descending, and the receiver looks to bend his route away from the defender.

Once a coach has broken each route down into these three sections, he can start to see the different stages, and objectives of each segment within each route. This allows the coaching to be more detailed. Instead of telling the receiver to simply run downfield for five yards and turn around, the coach can give direct instructions that will help the receiver achieve the goal of each segment. In the case of a hitch this might mean he tells the receiver to attack the outside hip of the defender for 5 yards before stopping and working back to get between the Quarterback and the defender. Each of these coaching points is focused on the same route, the major difference is that the second coaching points focuses on the purpose of each segment and tells the receiver the best way to accomplish this.

Related Content: Beating Press Coverage 

It’s easy to draw a route on a board and tell the receiver to run it. There are subtle variations that a great receiver understands in how they want to manipulate the defender to get space for a completion. As the coach, it is our job to teach the average receiver these differences so they can elevate their level of play to the elite.

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The In and Out Pre Practice Drill

Like many spread to run offenses a lot of what we do is based around the quick passing game. For us, we want to create short, simple routes that force the defense to get out of the box and open up running lanes for our ground attack. In order for this to be effective and not fall behind on the downs, we must be able to throw and catch simple short routes. This means that we must develop the muscle memory to throw and catch these routes by working on them everyday. We use the In and Out Drill as a great way to develop this muscle memory.

The In and Out Drill is the final piece of our pre practice routine. We start with the Settle and Noose drill, then we move to the Over the Shoulder Drill. Finally we finish with our In and Out Drill. We start the drill with the Quarterbacks space 5 yards a part and a line of receivers five yards outside of each QB. On the movement of the ball the receiver will run 5 yards and then break out. The Quarterback will deliver an accurate pass to him so that the receiver can catch the ball and accelerate upfield.

The Out Drill is a very simple drill but there are a few small points that make it both an effective and efficient drill. The first is the timing of the ball the Quarterback throws. We are trying to develop the skill to catch the ball quick out of a break, so the Quarterback wants to start his mechanics as soon as the receiver plants his foot on the break. This will help ensure the ball is getting there quickly and the receiver is getting his head and hands around.

Related Content: Wide Receiver Line Drills 

The next detail is the burst of the receiver. For an Out route to be effective the receiver must catch the ball and burst up field. To simulate this we will put a gate that the receivers must run through, if they do not accelerate through the gate they have 10 push ups. The final piece of the out drill is to have players return the ball by coming back through the middle of the drill. While this seems like a very small part of the drill it allows the receivers to stay out of the way of the players who are going in the drill and it brings the ball directly to the Quarterback. In addition, it creates a natural pathway for the receiver to switch lines without causing any major disruption.

The next progression is to work the In Drill. For this the receivers will go an extra five yards out and run an in breaking route. By moving them an extra 5 yards out we keep the angle of the pass similar to the angle of the pass in the game and keep the channel open for the receivers to return the ball to the Quarterbacks. Besides the receivers starting wider and breaking in instead of out, everything else stays the same.

Related Content: Wide Receiver Stalk Blocking Drills 

The result is an efficient drill that gets receivers lots of reps catching passes coming out of the break. If the short passing game is a large part of your offense than both of these drills should be considered staples of your program and work as a great pre-practice drill or offseason drill to get a huge amount of catches in a short period of time.

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Drill # 1: Stance 

It all starts with a proper stance. A receiver’s ability to explode off of the line of scrimmage depends almost entirely on his stance. In addition, a good stance will also allow a receiver to beat press coverage.

Drill Setup

Line up all the players across the field. Have them work on their receiver stance.  Make sure the coaches are fixing any stances that aren’t correct.

Related Content: Beating Press Coverage 

Technique Focus 

• Outside foot back is what we teach. The receiver can have any foot back, whichever is conformable.
• Shoulders square. The receiver should not lean, that will give away which way he is going. Shoulders straight, head turned watching the football.
• Weight more so on the front foot. If most the weight is on the back foot, the WR will get knocked off balanced against a press defender.  This will also allow your receiver to explode off the ball.
• Hands should be up and cocked, ready to beat any press defender.

Drill # 2: Stalk Blocking 

A receiver’s job goes beyond running routes and catching passes. A receive must consistently be able to block defenders in space. Many times receivers will be called on to even crack block. We tell our receivers that if they aren’t willing/able to block then they won’t be playing much receiver. Receiver stalk blocking is very important because youth football is very run heavy. There are instances when you can just run off a defender, but most of the time receivers will need to block.

Drill Setup

The coach and receivers are 5 yard apart. On the whistle the receiver releases up-field at the coach holding the pad. Once the WR is 2 yards from the CB he must get under control, breakdown and watch the midsection of the receiver. The wide receiver then stalks the CB/coach holding the blocking shield. The receiver must drive his route up the field until the CB realizes it’s run.

Related Content: Stalk Blocking Technique for Wide Receivers 

Technique Focus

• Come off the ball hard, make defender think it’s pass.
• As the receiver closes the distance to the DB he must get under control and focus on the midsection of the DB.
• Feet need to be active and chopping.
• It’s like guarding someone in basketball, you should always follow them and keep them in front of you.
• Hands should be inside, keep feet active.
• Once the defender starts to evade the block, engage the defender and just take him anyway he wants to go.

Drill # 3: Route Running and Dropping Hips 

Drill Setup

You will need several cones. The types of routes you want your receivers to practice will be determined by the route concepts in your playbook. Your players need to be practicing the route that they will have to run in the game. Don’t waste time on routes you will not be using.

Technique Focus

This is an excellent drill video that goes through how to run several different routes. It gives good examples of foot work and how to drop the hips and explode into your break.

Related Content: Wide Receiver Route Running 

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Wide Receiver Line Drills

Line Drills are very easy and can be run with as many lines as you need. The players start by aligning on the sideline on one of the five yard lines. We do Line Drills right after we work Stance and Starts so players are already on the yard lines. They will start the drill on the simulated movement of the ball (which is normally the coaches hand or hat). When the players go they run down the line at around 75% speed. On every third step they will take a hard cut step off the line until they get to the near hash.

Related Content: Stalk Blocking Technique for Receivers 

There a  few key coaching points with this drill. First, it’s critical that receivers do not take a false step coming off the line. They must gain ground on their first step. The major coaching point is to get players to keep their center of gravity over the line. The goal is to stay on the line and only get their foot off the line. The other key coaching point is to make hard contact with the ground. The plant foot must strike the ground each time they go to plant off of it. This helps the players get used to cutting of their outside foot.

The other line drill we use requires cones spaced roughly three yards apart and at 135 degree angles. On this drill the players will build on the previous drill where they worked on the initial step. Here the players will make their cut step and then work on taking the step out of the break. To do the drill players will plant off their outside foot directly in front of the cone and then move onto the next cone. This is a drill that is done at about 50% speed so players can master the footwork. In this drill players are getting 10 (or however many cones there are) breaks in a short amount of time. This saves their legs and lets them work on the technique of their breaks.

The coaching points in this drill are very similar to the coaching points on the Line Drill. The Coach wants to ensure that the players are planting off their outside foot and then immediately getting into the second part of their route. This is important in route running because it allows the receiver to not only make the break, but also create space between him and the defender.

The most critical component of running a great route is making a great break. The advantage the receiver has over the defensive back is that the receiver knows where he is going and the defensive back must react to the route. The goal of a great route is to leverage this advantage by accelerating out of the breaks.

(See Also) Beating Press Coverage- Line Releases 

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The Square Drill for Tight-ends

Drill set up # 1 

The Setup of the Square Drill is very simple. There are 4 cones set up in a rectangle with a height of 5 yards and a width of about 3-4 yards. The Tight Ends will align on the inside of the cones and work their release to the outside of the cone to start the drill. The setup of the drill can vary depending on which skill you are working on but the basic structure remains the same.

The first initial drill is just a square cut drill. In this drill the players work their release then drop their hips and cut off their outside foot at each cone. The ball will be thrown to them as the come off the last cone. When they catch the ball they will tuck it into a great ball security position before giving it to the coach. A way to ensure they are tucking the ball is to have them call laces or faces as they tuck the ball away. It’s not essential that they get the call correct, instead they need to be looking down to ensure the ball is securely in their arms.

Square Drill for Tight-ends set # 2

The second drill is the dump drill. Here players will take a great release and cut on the initial cone and then square up to the coach between the cones. The Coach or QB will deliver the ball to the Tight End. He will catch the ball, tuck it and accelerate up-field. In this drill the Tight Ends are working on finding space and setting up in it. To make the drill more difficult and restrictive you can place defenders on the 2 cones the Tight End is setting up between. Even if these players are just standing still it has the effect of limiting the space that the Tight End has and forces him to condense his movements.

A slight change on the Dump Drill can make it a perfect drill to work the Hunt Route as well. On this drill the cones need to be widened to about 5 yards so you have a 5×5 yard square. In this drill there needs to be a player acting as a defender starting at the front middle of the square. As the Tight End goes through the initial section of the drill the defender drops to either cone. The Tight End wants to react of this drop and set up in the space where the defender isn’t. This is a great way to teach the Tight End to find the open windows in defenses that develop from linebacker drops.

Square Drill for Tight-ends set up # 3

The last section of the Square Drill is the Arrow Route. In this drill the width of the cones needs to be 3 yards. Here the players will start on top of the cone facing sideways. They will then run their arrow route making sure they stay under the opposite cone, catch the ball and turn up-field with a 3 step burst.

The Square Drill is a great Everyday Drill that players can quickly learn and understand that allows them to get multiple reps in a short period of time. Due to the simple setup the Coach doesn’t take up time by switching cones up so there’s essentially no down time.

(See Also) How to Utilize a Tight-end in Your Offense 

(See Also) Tight-end Corner Pass Play 

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3 Golden Rules of the Two-Minute Offense

Rule # 1: Have a Second Play Ready! 

While offense can vary greatly there are a few general rules that every coach and player needs to know about 2 minute offense. The first rule is to always have a second play ready to run in case the clock is still running. The time it takes for a QB to get the play from the coach can take up to 5 seconds even if the play is signaled in. When you add the additional time that the coach take in picking a play this is a chunk of time that does not need to be wasted. Instead whenever the clock is stopped the coach should give the QB two play calls, one to run and a second play to run if the ball is stopped in bounds. Depending on the level of the rest of the team this play can be communicated to the line or receivers but at a minimum the QB should know the play so he can start communicating it as the ball is being spotted.

Rule #2: Never Throw a Check down! 

The second major rule is to never throw the check down. A two minute passing situation is different than the rest of the game. In a normal game if the QB sees that he can’t make a deep pass he should look to his shallow receivers and try to get a few yards. In the two minutes situation this is a mistake. By throwing to the short receiver he has taken time off the clock and put the receiver in danger of being tackled in bounds.

This isn’t to say that the QB should never throw the ball short in a 2 minute offense. Taking quick short passes can be a great way to move the ball into striking distance when the defense is bailing deep. These short passes that are thrown quickly to receivers who can easily catch the ball and get out of bounds are much different than check down routes.

Rule # 3: Do What Your Team Does Best ! 

The third and final rule of 2 minute passing is to do what your players do best. This is the time when players are tired and under stress. This is not the time to try a new concept or something that you rarely run. Instead you should have a list of plays that your players believe in and trust. The extra experience and trust will pay off in the long run.

Every offense is different and it’s important to acknowledge that. When you are running the two minute offense you must play to the strengths of your players with the understanding that you always want to trade a second for two to three yards. This means that if you call a play expecting it to take 4 seconds you better be planning on getting 8-12 yards. When you’re whole team understands this and how it impacts their decisions you are in a position to make the game winning drive that all players dream of.

Here are some passing concepts that work very well in youth football (Click below): 

Smash Concept 

Post-Wheel Concept 

4 Verticals 

Passing Concepts Against Zone Coverage 

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Beating Press Coverage- Receiver Line Release

One key concept that any receiver trying to beat the press needs to remember is that they are looking to get past the defender. As a result one of the best things the receiver can do is to wait and force the defender to make a move. After the defender makes his move it is relatively easy for the receiver to counter this move and get off the line. The best way the receiver can force the defender to make a move is by “burning his feet.” This is essentially taking two steps quickly in place. The result is that the defender will make a move and the receiver can now counter his action. While the receiver is taking these two steps he should be widening his base so that he can quickly go in whichever direction he needs to beat the defender.

Once the receiver has burned his feet should be looking to throw the defender off by faking him out. This is done in the Jab and Head step. Here the receiver should take a jab step opposite of the way he wants to go. While he is taking this small step with his lower body his head needs to also sell that he is planning on releasing that way. The effect of a good Jab and Head move is that the defender will open to the side the receiver is faking. This causes him to move the foot on the side the receiver wants to go forward and opens up a path for the receiver.

Once the defender has gotten out of position and stepped forward with the foot opposite of the step and jab, it’s time for the receiver to get by the defender. For this he will step with his go side foot and grab the tricep of the defender. The goal of his step is to create space for the rest of his body to get past the defender. While he is executing this step he will grab the tricep (ideally) of the defender and pull him opposite of where he the receiver is going while punching through with his opposite arm.  The key here is to punch close to the hand that is grabbing the tricep. Many young receivers will attempt to swim over the shoulder pad of the defender. By trying to go over the defender the receiver has opened himself up and let the defender get his hands on the receiver’s body. By punching low and close to his opposite hand he does not give the defender a big surface area to attack.

Once the receiver has beaten the pressing defender off of the line his final step is to place himself between the defender and where the ball is going. This is referred to as “stacking” the defender. The concept is that if the receiver is able to successfully stack the defender, the only way for the defender to make a play on the ball is by going through the receiver which will result in a penalty.

Defenses press receivers as a way to throw off the timing of the passing game. It’s important that as an offense you have answers for this and can make them pay when they do press receivers.

(See Also) Receiver Route Running Technique

(See Also) Receiver Stalk Blocking Technique 

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Progression for Carrying the Football

We teach ball security using the five points of pressure. With the five points of pressure the ball is completely protected from the defense. We use specific phrases for each of these five points that help illustrate the point, while also giving us coaching cues that we can use to correct poor technique quickly. The five points of pressure are eagle claw, lock the wrist, wrist above elbow, pin the ribs and double in trouble. Each of these phrases is a call to action that gives the players specific instructions and gives them a visual on how to carry the ball.

Eagle Claw

One mistake rookie players will make is to cover the tip of the ball, or even worse carry the ball upright. If a player is using the eagle claw there is no way they can make either of these mistakes. The Eagle Claw is when the ball carrier grabs the tip of the ball by not covering the tip. This prevents the ball carrier from carrying the ball vertically which eliminates the first rookie mistake players make. The Eagle Claw is effective because it does not cover the tip of the ball. By covering the tip of the ball the ball carrier is exerting pressure on a small surface area. When they spread their hand out and put pressure through all of the fingers the pressure is spread over a wider area which makes it less susceptible to a direct hit from a defender.

Lock the Wrist

Another common mistake players will make is to pin the ball directly to their chest without locking their wrist. The effect is that there is an open space between the ball carrier’s arm and the ball. This is space that can allow the ball to wiggle out in contact or for a defender’s hand to slip in to rip the ball out. Instead it’s critical that the ball carrier Locks his Wrist. The effect of this is that the ball is now tight against the forearm. This gives a wide surface area for the player to apply pressure to secure the ball and also helps to protect the ball from defender’s hands.

Wrist Above Elbow

One of the most under coached parts of ball security is the Wrist Above Elbow portion of ball carrying. The idea behind Wrist Above Elbow is that the ball carrier will keep his wrist above his elbow the whole time he has the ball. By keeping his wrist above his elbow he creates a bend in the arm. This bend allows the player’s bicep to cover the ball opposite of the forearm. Again there is a large surface area where the player can exert pressure on the ball to help secure it. The added benefit with keeping the wrist above the elbow is that is protects the back end of the ball. One of the more common causes of fumbles is when the ball carrier has the ball poked out from behind. This occurs when the ball carrier does not have his wrist higher than his elbow, this takes away his bicep as the backside protection and opens the ball up to a chasing defender

Pin the Ribs

The most underrated coaching point of ball security is to pin the ball to the ribs. By pinning the ball against his ribs the ball carrier can protect the backside of the ball. This is an excellent way to secure possession. The area where players tend to forget about pinning the ball to their ribs is when they begin to change directions. The body will naturally throw the arm out to counter the change of direction. It’s important that players drill this and work on keeping the ball in tight against their upper body to stop the body from putting the arm out automatically.

Double in Trouble

The last point of protection is the second arm across the ball. By putting the second arm across the ball the ball now has an added security that one arm alone cannot provide. It also has the added effect of narrowing the shoulder frame of the runner and making it easier to get through a narrow hole. This, combined with the body’s natural tendency to lower the shoulder level when doubling over the ball, creates a runner with a low center of gravity that can get through a narrow hole.

By doubling the ball up the runner has almost guaranteed possession of the ball but he cannot run very fast. As a result we tell our runners to only double the ball when they are going through the hole or into immediate contact, which creates the phrase double in trouble. With that being said it’s always better that the runner airs on the side of caution and securing the ball.

The turnover battle is the number one predictor of who will win any football game, regardless of the level. It’s important that players know how to properly secure possession and it is drilled on a daily basis.

Progression for Carrying the Football 

• Eagle Claw
• Lock the Wrist
• Wrist Above Elbow
• Pin the Ribs
• Double in Trouble
• High and Tight

Make it clear to your skilled position players- that if they can’t secure the football they will not be carrying the football. Fumbles cannot happen.

(See Also) Running Back Drills 

(See Also) Coaching Running Backs

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There is a lot of talk about how the offensive line must be excellent blockers. I could not agree more! But, your wide receivers must be good blockers as well. The difference between a long run and touchdown could be whether or not your receivers did a good job blocking down field.

We will have our split-ends work on receiver stalk blocking drills and techniques a ton turning the practice week.  If they arrive early at practice our receiver coach will work on stalk blocking drills with them.  We had a ton of success with our jet sweep this past season because we spent a ton of time working on stalk blocking.

When we break into our individual practice sessions the linemen will go with their offensive line coach, the RBs will go with their RB coach, and the split-ends will go with their split-end coach.  The split-ends will do conditioning drills that pertain to their position and they will practice receiver stalk blocking drills and techniques. We will have the split-ends go live one on one stalk blocking in practice. When the kids do not have pads on we will have them stalk block blocking shields. It is vital to practice stalk blocking every single practice.

Receiver Stalk Blocking Drills and Techniques

• Come off the ball hard. We want to make the corner backpedal and think it is pass (vs. a soft aligned DB playing with cushion, also known as “playing off coverage”).
• As the Split-end closes the distance to the defensive back and gets about 2 yards from the CB the split-end then gets under control (do not over run, breaks down in front of the defender) and focuses on his aiming point. The SE’s aiming point is the midsection of the DB.
• Working into the defender-we tell our SE’s to play basketball with them, which means stay in front and mirror the defender.
• We want to deliver a jolting blow to the DB’s breast plate. Thumbs must be up and hands must be inside.
•  Stay engaged with the defender by keeping feet moving. If we stop moving our feet the DB will defeat the block or the SE will get a holding penalty.
• Once the defender starts to evade the block, engage the defender and just take him anyway he wants to go.
• Block with attitude! Successful stalk blocking takes good athleticism and attitude. Remember, these cornerbacks/defensive backs will be good athletes so stalk blocking with proper technique is vital.
• Finish the block. Do not quite on the block, it takes a lot of effort.

Practice makes perfect!  Again, make sure you work wide receiver stalk blocking drills and techniques every single practice. You cannot practice stalk blocking with your players twice a month and expect them to block these cornerbacks successfully. Stalk blocking is not only important for 11 on 11 football leagues, it is maybe even more so important for flag and 7 on 7 football leagues.

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Play-action Passing

The best way to beat man to man coverage is with play-action passing plays.  Most of the time an outside linebacker will be responsible for a tight-end or wing-back. When they see run action, the linebackers will bite up for run.  After the defense bites on play-action they will never be able to recover.  A lot of coaches want to jam and hold up tight-ends at the line of scrimmage, but that’s why I use at least one wing-back. Wing-backs will usually be able to get a free release off the line of scrimmage (they are off the ball).

Combination Routes

Combination routes are really difficult to defend in youth football. Post/corner, post/wheel, slant/ arrow are some of my favorites.  Crossing routes also work well against man to man coverage. Running combination routes off play-action is how you really beat man to man coverage.  Many youth football coaches and players do not know how to defend combination routes.  Kids get caught looking into the back field and usually aren’t disciplined enough to cover combination routes or they are out of position because they played run. 

Passing Patterns

Slant: The slant pattern is a great pattern for youth football. Most defensive coordinators will not even teach their corners to play with inside leverage. Meaning, if the split-end lines up really far out, the corner probably will not take away the SE’s inside.  If the receiver is lining up really wide it is for one of two reasons- the split-end wants to take the corner out of the game or he wants to run an inside pattern.  Most cornerbacks will not take away the inside, which will give the split-end the slant all game long.  When we call our slant we line our split-end wide and hit him right in the seam. If the corner plays with inside leverage we check into a go pattern and take him deep.   Test it out, split out a wide receive and see how the corner aligns to him, I bet 9 out of 10 times he play the receiver head up, especially on the younger youth football level.

Go/Fly:  The GO route is a man to man killer for one reason, youth football cornerbacks do not open their hips and run with receivers.  Most cornerbacks will stay in their backpedal for too long, which will allow the receiver to run past them.  Many defensive backs will get caught looking into the backfield as well.  There is also a high pass interference rate because youth cornerbacks have problems opening hips, running with the receiver, and finding the ball when it is in the air. The only thing that will save a defensive back that plays with bad technique is a bad throw from a QB. If the corner is playing with inside leverage do a fade. Make sure the receiver does an outside release on the fad so the cornerback turns his back to the QB. This makes it difficult to track the football in the air.

Motion

Motion is a very under utilized tactic in youth football.  If you send a kid in motion and the defense is playing man to man coverage, the defender assigned to cover the motion player has to run with him.  Many times the defender will not keep up with the motion pace and will end up playing with too much cushion. They will have to navigate around other defenders standing when they are following their motion player.   There are also many occasions where the defender following the motion back does not keep pace  and the motion player out runs him on a passing route.   You can also send a player in motion to clear out a side and run the ball that way.

Attacking with Jet Motion

Post/Wheel

I see man to man coverage 90% of the time, and I love it.  We watch how the linebackers and secondary react to our run game. Once the defense starts over playing the run we will hit them with our play action passing plays. The slant, TE pop, post/corner and post/wheel combinations are there all day against man to man coverage.

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One of the biggest lies I hear young coaches tell players is that you can’t teach speed. To me, speed is like any other muscle, if you train it right, you can improve on it. For example, I have seen college football athletes come out of school and participate in CFL (Canadian Football League) tryouts that don’t know the basic techniques of running.

Just knowing and doing the basic techniques will make you a tenth of a second faster. This is not just technique used by track and field athletes but they can be used on the gridiron as well. This technique is now being taught at the collegiate level because of the number of athletes that do not know the basics of running.

The first thing to understand is that the shoulders move the legs. The faster you move the shoulders, the faster you will move the legs. Have your athletes start in a standing position with their arms in an “L” position where their elbows are at a 90 degree angle. First teach them the movements in a simulated stance. By swinging their arms back and forth and never breaking the 90 degree angle. The hands should swing from the chin to the waist in a very fluid manner with the elbows close to the body.

Coaching Note: Do not allow the athletes break the 90 degree angle with their arms or swing their arms away from their body. This will cause a wasted motion and will slow them down.

Once you feel that the athletes have this motion down while standing still, have them now put it together in a slow walk. As the front foot steps, the opposite arm should be up and the hand at their chin and back hand is at their waist. Walk 10-15 yards doing this so they can see what it looks and feels like while going slow.

Coaching Note: This is the most critical stage, if they don’t see how it is supposed to look and feel like, then they will never pick up the motion.

Finally, you speed things up. Have the athletes do high knees while swinging their arms in the correct manner for 5-10 yards, then do a burst and sprint for another 5-10 yards. You can also have them run in place then burst and sprint for 5-10 yards. The point is to get the athletes to work this drill as much as possible.

Coaching Note: This drill can be also used while teaching wide receivers the shuffle step then burst past the Defensive Backs. This drill also helps all Defensive players on their explosion drills.

Like I said before, this is the most basic concept for youth football speed training. If this drill is taught correctly, it could pay off huge dividends in the athlete’s future. It is said that if you practice something 1000 times, then it becomes a habit. At the youth level, if you teach this drill every day for 3-5 minutes, you will see a huge difference in the way the athletes play.

By Coach Andy Bryson

Coach Andy was an intern coach at LSU and was an assistant defensive line coach for SLU.

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