Jay Cutler: Three Step Drop
Get comfortable in the pocket. Jay Cutler, quarterback for the Chicago Bears, covers the Three-Step Drop for hitting pass plays. These plays are usually high percentage plays that are commonly called timing routes. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from Jay Cutler.
Proper Base:
Start out under center with a good base. You want to have a go-to stance, with your feet shoulder width apart. Not too wide, not too skinny. Your balance is right in the middle, and whatever happens after the snap you won’t be trying to readjust. Then bend your knees, and take the snap. It’s go time.
Step Back:
Take a good step back, hold the ball up and keep your eyes downfield. This sets you in a good position in the pocket. Then take another step, and crossover to cover more ground. By this time the line has pushed back and you’re going to need some distance. Take the third gather step, a step you’re going to throw off of, so plant your feet in a balanced stance that will be the foundation of your throw.
Ball Placement:
As you step back, keep the ball in an active and comfortable position. Not too high, not too low. You don’t want to have to bring it too far up to release it, and keep it safely in front of you. That’s where you’re going to generate your power from, and when you see a man open up downfield, power is your friend.
Throw Mechanics:
Now is when you step forward and target the receiver. Take a comfortable step forward, again not too small and not too big. As your throw comes forward, follow through with your backside foot and bring it around. The follow through with your foot is as important as the follow through with your arm, it’s a total body thing. And by the time you’re done, you’ve won.
Marcus Trufant:How to Jam The Receiver
Defensive Chair:
Before each play, “sit down” in your defensive chair. Knees bent, a slight lean forward with most of your weight on the balls of your feet. Your feet should be a little wider than shoulder-width. Don’t place them too far apart or let your arms hang loosely. Keep your hands in a ready position, with your head up seeing the field.
Move Your Feet:
When the ball is snapped, most times the receiver is going to fire out off the line. So it’s crucial that you move your feet and match his momentum. Keeping your feet moving will allow you to react quicker to changes in the receiver’s direction, and put you in a better position to turn and run with him if need be.
Off-Hand Jam:
When the receiver is close enough to make contact, use your off-hand to give him a quick jolt to the shoulder. Your off-hand is the one opposite to the direction of his route. So if he breaks outside, give him a pop with your inside hand just enough to throw him a little off balance without giving up your body position.
Ruin the Route:
Once you’ve jammed the receiver at the point of contact, use your hands and body to ride the receiver off his route. But be careful not to grab his jersey or impede his progress directly. That will likely result in an a penalty. The goal is to force the receiver off his desired route, throwing off his timing with the quarterback.
Larry Fitzgerald: Adjusting to the ball
CREATE SEPARATION:
If you want to have the freedom to adjust to any pass thrown, it helps to create separation between you and your defender. So explode off the line and sell the deep route. This way when you come out of your break, you’ll hopefully have more space to work in when the pass comes in.
EYES FOCUSED ON BALL:
As soon as the ball leaves the quarterback’s hand, you have to stay zeroed in on the flight of that pass. Don’t take your eyes off it, and don’t worry about the defenders who may be around you. On most receptions you’re going to take a hit anyway, so your priority has to be catching the ball first.
WATCH POINT, CATCH FAT:
The point of the ball is a good spot to zero in on because it’ll keep your eyes centered on pass while it’s in flight. Then when the pass arrives, you want to catch the fat of the ball — the thicker area toward the center that your hands can most tightly grasp. Remember, soft hands on the catch, then a tight grip to secure it.
USE HANDS, NOT BODY:
It’s crucial that you don’t use your body to catch the pass, especially in traffic. If you let the ball get in to your chest, it could easily ricochet off your shoulder pads and into the hands of a defender. So when the ball comes in, keep your hands away from your body and make the grab with your hands. Then take it for six.
Lofa Tatupu: Tracking the Running Back
Welcome to linebacker 101. Class in session. Lofa Tatupa, middle linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, tells you about his move Track the Back. The breakdown for Track the Back is broken up into four steps: Linebacker Stance, Shuffle Your Feet, Take the Proper Angle, and Drive the Legs. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from Lofa Tatupa.
Linebacker Stance:
As you anticipate the snap, stay in a balanced, ready position. Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder-width, with your knees bent and your body leaning slightly forward. Your weight should be on the balls of your feet. Keep your head up seeing the whole field, with the butt of your hands resting on your knees without leaning.
Shuffle Your Feet:
When moving laterally, do not cross one foot in front of the other. Doing so will force your body to turn, putting you at a bad angle to the ball carrier. Instead, shuffle your feet and move down the line with your body square to the ball carrier. You’re now in a position to make a move on the carrier at the correct angle.
Take the Proper Angle:
Judge whether the ball carrier is going for the edge or turning it up field. Then make your approach keeping your shoulders square to him. At the point of impact, keep your head up and in front of the carrier. If your head is behind him he can easily shake you off and continue down field. Always wrap your arms.
Drive the Legs:
Once you have the ball carrier wrapped up, drive your legs for at least four or five more steps, or until he goes down. Stay on the balls of your feet and reverse the carrier’s momentum using all the strength of your lower body. Driving the ball carrier back will eliminate the possibility of yards after contact.
James Harrison: Speed Bull Rush
See how they bring the heat in the Steel City. James Harrison, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, breaks down his Speed Bull Rush. There’s only four simple steps: 3-5 Fast Steps, Hand and Hands, Create Separation, and Chase Down the Quarterback. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from James Harrison.
3 – 5 Fast Steps:At the snap, sprint straight downfield 3 – 5 steps, depending on your stride length. Here you’re using your quickness to get a step on your blocker, keeping him from setting his feet. You’re not initiating contact with the blocker yet, you’re simply trying to beat him to the spot that will ultimately be your point of attack.
Hat and Hands:At the end of your initial sprint, make a strong cut inside off your outside foot. As you do this, plant your helmet right into the pads of your blocker’s chest and jolt him backward with your hands. Try to have your head meet his chest and your hands meet his torso at the same time, forcing him back with one concentrated blow.
Create Separation:The force of your impact with the blocker should knock him back, creating some space between you and him. Take advantage of this space, and use it to either continue your progress toward the quarterback or get around your blocker entirely. Do not get tied up with your blocker, this only plays to his advantage.
Chase Down the QB:Once you’ve blown your blocker back and gotten past him, it’s time to finish. Keep the quarterback squarely in your sights and go right for him, careful not to overrun your pursuit or let him sidestep you in the pocket. At the point of contact, wrap him up with both arms, drive your legs and take him down.
Shawne Merriman: The Double Swipe Move
The Buffalo’s sack man on how to get to the quarterback. Shawne Merriman, outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, spills all about the Double Swipe. This is one of the biggest keys to rushing the pass. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from Shawne Merriman.
Explode Off the Line:
The first step to an effective pass rush is getting a good explosion off the line. You want to start in a balanced position, with most of your weight on your back foot. This way you can roll off your front foot as your take your first step. Remember to watch the ball for the snap, and don’t bite on a hard count.
Double Swipe the Elbows:
Your blocker is going to try to get his hands in on your chest. To prevent this from happening, swipe through with both hands at the blocker’s elbows. This way if he pulls his hands back, you’ll still be able to knock his hands down. Without his hands in position, it’ll be a lot harder for him to execute a good block.
Rip Through and Pin:
After you knock your blocker’s hands down you want to come through with a hard rip using your inside arm. This will open up a path for you to the quarterback. After you rip through, make sure you pin your ripping arm elbow to the blocker’s back to prevent him from turning around and resetting on you.
Square Hips to the QB:
Once you’ve got a step on your blocker, bring your hips around and square them to the quarterback. You want to take the shortest distance possible to the QB – a straight line. If you get to the QB during his throwing motion, take a hard swipe at his arm to try and force a fumble, but go for his body on the tackle.
LaDainian Tomlinson: How to do a Spin Move
Nobody does it better than LT. Better pay attention. LaDainian Tomlinson, running back for the San Diego Chargers, gives you the lowdown on the Spin Move he uses to get away and make that yardage. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from LaDainian Tomlinson.
Carry With Outside Arm:
You always want to keep the ball away from defenders, so if you’re coming around the outside you should keep the ball in your outside arm. This makes it more difficult for defenders to get to the ball, and it allows you to use your inside arm to fend off tacklers. When you spin, remember to keep the ball tight to your body – don’t let it extend outward.
Stay Balanced:
A key part of a successful spin move is staying balanced. You don’t want to approach the defender with so much momentum that you crash right into him – that only makes his job easier. As you approach the tackler, come to balance with your body in control and your feet under you. That’ll put you in much better position to set up your spin move.
Shake and Spin:
One of the most important elements of the spin move happens before you even spin. The shake you give the defender is what throws him off balance and allows the spin to be effective. Just before the point of contact, shake (or juke) in one direction and get the tackler to turn his hips. Then plant your foot and spin back the other way, past your man.
Accelerate:
Once you’ve executed the spin, it’s time to turn on the jets. Square you body downfield again and accelerate as fast as you can. This will prevent the original defender from reaching back and making an ankle tackle, and it will reestablish your forward momentum to take on the next defender, if there is one. If not, have a nice trip to the end zone.
Brian Westbrook: How to Make a Defender miss
GET DOWNFIELD:
After you’ve secured the ball, you want to make sure to get your momentum going down field. This forces defenders to react to you and your progress, versus them coming up and making a play on you. You basically want to put them in a defensive posture. Once you’ve turned downfield you should also get your speed up and gain as much positive yardage as possible.
SQUARE DEFENDER’S FEET:
When a potential tackler enters your path, you want to approach him at an angle that puts his feet square to you. If his feet are square to you, it gives you the freedom to make your move to either side right or left. If his feet are angled one way and he’s forcing you in one direction, you won’t have as much of that freedom. Best to keep him squared up in your approach.
SWITCH HIS HIPS:
The key to getting a tackler out of position is making him adjust his hips. If you fake inside or outside and get him to turn his hips that way, you can quickly cut back and force him to turn his hips again. Now you’ve forced him to turn his hips twice, which is very difficult to recover from. Once his hips are switched, you can either cut back with a quick step or spin off him.
BLOW PAST HIM:
Once your defender’s off-balance and you’ve got that step, it’s time to turn on the jets. A quick burst of speed will prevent the tackler from recovering, and your speed will make it more difficult for the next defender to get his hands on you. Remember, after you’ve blown past a tackler, keep your eyes up field and see where the best path for maximum yardage is.
Calvin Johnson: How to Run a Fade Route
Go up and get it like the Motor City’s main grab man. Calvin Johnson, wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, breaks down his Fade Route move, so you can get away from your defender and catch the ball. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from Calvin Johnson.
Shoulders Low, Hands Up:When you line up for the snap you want to keep your shoulders low and body forward, ready to generate forward momentum. This will prevent you from being stood up if your defender tries to jam you at the line of scrimmage. You should also keep your hands up so you can swat away the defender’s hands if he tries to push you off your route.
5 Yards From Sideline:On a fade route, your defender might try to run you out of bounds. That’s why you want to keep a good, safe cushion of distance between you and the sideline. Five yards is usually enough. As you run your route, make sure you don’t give up too much of that cushion. You want to give yourself enough room to make a play on the ball.
Locate the Ball:When the ball is in the air, be sure to look over your shoulder in time to locate the ball. A mistake receivers make too often is they don’t turn to find the ball early enough. Locating the ball early will give you the time you need to judge its trajectory and speed, and ultimately put you in a better position to make a play on it.
Catch Ball at Highest Point:As the ball descends, try to time your jump so that you catch it at its highest possible point. You may have to adjust your body first, but when you leave the ground aim to get a full extension of your body and arms, making the grab high and out of the reach of your defender. Sometimes on a fade the ball is up for grabs – be the one who makes the play.
Hines Ward: How to Run a Curl Route
Hines Ward from the Pittsburgh Steelers breaks down how to run it the right way every time. If you’re an up-and-comer wide receiver, you cannot miss this football tip. Ward breaks it down into four steps: Chin Over the Toes, Come Back to the Ball, Get Your Hands Out, and Tuck and Turn. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from Hines Ward.
Chin Over the Toes:When making your initial cut back to the ball, make sure you get your chin over your toes before you turn back. Not only will this help you make a balanced, efficient turn that doesn’t waste movement, but you’ll also keep your defender guessing on which way you’re going to cut. Never cut corners when running your routes.
Come Back to the Ball:Once you’re out of your cut, pumps your arms back toward the quarterback and run toward him. Do not stop. That will only allow your defender to catch up to you and make a play on the ball. Your quarterback may need time to scramble free, or find you as a receiver option, so keep coming back to the ball to stay open.
Get Your Hands Out:As the ball is being delivered, get your arms extended and your hands out, ready to catch the ball. By catching the ball with your hands away from your body, you keep the ball out of your defender’s reach. If you try to catch the ball with your body, it’s easier for the defender to reach around you and swat it away.
Tuck and Turn:Once you’ve caught the ball, tuck it tight to your body with both hands and turn up field away from the defender. So if the defender tries to make a play on the ball over your left shoulder, turn up field to your right. Whenever a defender makes a play on the ball, it’s a good opportunity to shake him off and get yards after the catch.
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