The first thing we teach our receivers on the first day
of camp is how to line up before the play starts. It all begins
there; if we can't line up properly we can't be successful on the play.
Stance
I like the two-point stance for wide-receivers.
The disadvantage is a bit slower get-off on the route but I think that
is offset by the receiver having greater vision to look over and read
the defense before the snap.
To teach the stance we have the receivers stand up
straight, knees slightly bent, with their feet shoulder-width apart.
Then have them bend over and touch their knees. Without
straightening up let the arms hang comfortably. That is the basic
posture for the receiver stance.
Now the feet. For young receivers I prefer to
teach the stance with the outside foot forward. There is a good
argument to be made about letting the receiver place his stronger foot
forward as it will enable them to get a faster start, but I think that
placing the outside foot forward lets us be more consistent with how we
teach our routes on each side.
So, we start with the posture. Feet shoulder
width, knees slightly bent, hands touch the knees, then hang
comfortably. Head up so he can see. Now we take the inside
foot and we reach it back just slightly, resting lightly on the toes.
95% of the weight is on the front foot, the receiver should be able to
lift the back foot off the ground momentarily without losing his
balance.
Launch
Launch refers to how the receiver explodes off the line
of scrimmage on the snap. First let's talk about the basic launch
-- no corner press.
It's important to start fast and be efficient. To
that end the first movement must be forward. Young receivers make
one common mistake in their launch:
Mistake number one is by far the most common and
requires a lot of practice and drilling to break that habit.
Videotape your receivers launching out of their stance and then show it
to them in frame-by-frame advance. Show them how many frames have
passed before they move forward, for some of them you'll see 4, 5 even 8
frames go by before the receiver has started forward. Pull the
camera back a bit and show that the quarterback is already starting his
second step before the receiver gets one step upfield.
To cure this problem tell the receiver to squeeze the
toes on their front step and imagine themselves like a spring. On
the snap they are going to launch themselves forward stepping out with
their back foot. Have them practice pulling their inside arm back
and throwing their outside arm forward. It's very difficult to
step backwards with the inside foot AND pull the inside arm backwards at
the same time.
For some receivers it may help them to start with their
knees a bit more bent and their back foot slightly further back.
Versus Corner Press
When there is a corner aligned on the receiver to press
them the defensive back's objective is to disrupt the timing of the
route. Some receivers assist the DB in that effort by trying to
juke and shake the DB at the line of scrimmage for too long. One
move and then launch should be the limit. If the WR tries to make
2, 3 or more moves at the line of scrimmage the delay alone has
disrupted the route just as the DB wants. Make one move and
launch.
Releases
A release is a maneuver to escape press coverage.
There are three releases we teach our receivers.
-
Swim
-
Rip
-
Rake
The Swim is a pretty standard release that is
taught to receivers and defensive linemen. Once the receiver knows
which way they want to go, you take that hand and firmly strike the
shoulder of the DB. The objective here is to try and prevent the
DB from being able to turn that way; so (without holding) you strike the
shoulder and try to pull it slightly forward. The off hand goes
high; extending the arm up and reaching it over the opponent's shoulder
and behind him. At the same time the receiver steps with his off
foot and tries to place that foot beyond the DB's hip. As he steps
through he continues the swim move with his off hand and rips it down
and back knocking the DBs arms down and back.
For example, if a receiver is being bumped and wants to
escape to the right he would strike the DB's left shoulder with his
right arm, swing his left arm vigorously up and over while stepping with
his left foot past the DB. Finally he finishes the big circle with
his left arm by ripping down hard on the DB's arms.
The Rip is essentially the mirror image of the
Swim. The on hand and footwork is exactly the same. The
difference is that the away hand, instead of swinging up and over, will
this time swing under and rip up; knocking the DBs arms up and away as
the receiver escapes.
Generally the taller receivers prefer to swim while the
shorter receivers prefer to rip. It's good for a receiver to be
proficient in both moves so as to not have to rely upon just one.
The third technique is called the Rake. It
bears a vague resemblance to the swim, but is much more subtle and
requires some arm strength. For this technique the receiver has
decided which side to escape to, and the DB has put his hands on the WR
to press him. The receiver's on side hand will slap the forearm of
the DB while he bends the away arm at the wrist making something of a
hook with his arm. The away arm reaches across the DB's arms and
powerfully rakes down, yanking the DBs arms down and away as the
receiver escapes past the DB. This move requires quick and strong
hands.
Alignment
Let me just say a few words about alignment. The
basic principle that must be taught is that the receiver must understand
where he is on the field and how much grass he needs to carry out the
play. If he is going to run a 3 route (a 12-yard out) he needs to
line up tighter to the formation so that there is room to the outside
for his route. If he lines up 5 yards from the sideline he hasn't
left himself much room to run his route and he'll have a hard time
staying inbounds.
Conversely if he's going to run an inside route he wants
to line up wider, to give himself more spacing between the DB and the
linebacker. The receiver can't be too obvious about it, however.
If he lines up 2 yards from the sideline the defense can be pretty
certain that the receiver isn't running an out route. The
experienced receiver can line up a bit wider when needed and a bit
tighter when needed all without being too obvious about it.
On running plays the receiver needs to understand his
blocking assignment. If he is to stalk block the corner, then he
should line up wide, but not so wide that the corner is forced to look
back inside or not respect the fade route. If he is to crack block
a linebacker then he should take a few steps tighter so as to give him a
chance to reach the linebacker in time.
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