How to Improve Your Defensive Back Skills

Improving your skills as a defensive back is necessary for any football player looking to take their game to a higher level. Speed, agility, quickness, vision, and awareness are all skills a defensive back needs in their arsenal. Getting these skills comes with in-game experience, practice and drills. Understanding pass zones, how to read a quarterback's stance and eyes and how to quickly change direction while covering a receiver can be achieved through coaching drills.

Instructions

  1. Backpedal Drill

    • 1

      Stand 10 yards away from your coach or teammate, who will play the role of quarterback. Your coach will call hike and drop back to throw or run the football.

    • 2

      Watch your coach's eyes and shoulders as he drops back to throw the ball. Read his stance and follow his line of sight to get a head start on where he plans to throw the ball.

    • 3

      Sprint towards the football and catch the ball at it's highest point when your coach says "ball." When the coach yells "ball," this means the football is being thrown and you need to locate it in the air to make an interception. This part of the drill helps defensive backs with their awareness and catching abilities.

    • 4

      Sprint towards the line of scrimmage when your coach says "go." When the coach yells "go," this means he is running the ball. Run to the line of scrimmage and make a tackle. This drill helps defensive backs become quicker and better tacklers.

    Pass Zones Drill

    • 5

      Line up 9 yards in front of a wide receiver. A coach or teammate will call "hike" and the receiver will run forward. Backpedal with the receiver.

    • 6

      Yell "short" repeatedly when the receiver is within six yards of the line of scrimmage. Continue to backpedal as the receiver runs farther up the field.

    • 7

      Yell "medium" repeatedly once the receiver is 7 to 11 yards from the line of scrimmage. Continue to backpedal as the receiver moves farther up the field.

    • 8

      Yell "long" repeatedly once the receiver is 12 yards from the line of scrimmage. Once the receiver is 12 yards from the line of scrimmage, the drill has ended. This drill helps defensive backs learn the depths of passing zones while running and covering a moving receiver.

    Zig Zag Drill

    • 9

      Line up 5 yards in front of a coach or teammate who will play the role of quarterback for this drill. Face the coach straight up, with your shoulders pointed squarely at him.

    • 10

      Backpedal in a straight line once the coach drops back to pass the football. Backpedal straight until he turns his hips or shoulders 45 degrees, then break and run in the direction your coach is pointing.

    • 11

      Follow the direction of the coach's hips or shoulders and run in that direction until he throws the football. This drill will help defensive backs become faster, more agile and better at determining where the quarterback plans to throw the ball.