Stretch and Break Drill
Purpose
To develop a defensive back’s ballhawking instincts
Drill Setup
- Passer at the line of scrimmage with a football, and a receiver on either side of him, 10 yards apart
- Defensive back lines up over top of the Passer, 10-15 yards downfield
How it Works
- Passer snaps ball and drops back
- Receivers streak downfield
- Defensive back backpedals or ‘stretches’ keeping both receivers in front of him while keying on the Passer’s eyes
- Passer rotates shoulder and eyes to a receiver
- Defensive back plants & breaks on ball as Passer releases it, intercepting the ball and taking it another 10 yards upfield
Coaching Tips
- To begin, have the Passer choose his receiver early, but as players get more comfortable with the drill, you can have the passer wait longer
- Another way to make this drill more difficult is to spread the receivers out. The better the DB’s range and instincts, the more ground he will be able to cover!
sports