2 Minute Drills | Slide N Get Up | Press Man

Have you ever done really good work at the line of scrimmage by getting hands on the wide receiver or widening his release with your eyes in the right spot and still ended up behind him or in bad position as the route developed?  The Slide N Get Up Drill will help you with that.

The major reason that this happens to defensive backs in press man is because they do not take proper angles when they turn to get up the field.  The natural thing for defensive backs in press man to do is run directly to the wide receivers hip when he bursts up the field.  While that might seem like common sense it is actually what is contributing to bad positioning on the the receiver down the field.

Once the receiver has declared himself up the field,  you must do the same as a defensive back.  Running towards the receiver while he is running up the field puts you on a bad course.  It won’t be long before he surges past you up the field and stacks you.  From that position he can beat you on almost any route on the route tree.

The Slide N Get Up Drill teaches you to take the proper angle when the receiver makes his burst so that you can keep the proper relationship with him (in phase) as he moves down the field to run his route.

Here’s how the drill works:

(1) Put two cones roughly 3-4 yards apart
(2) One player or coach Is standing facing up field as the receiver
(3) The 2nd player lines up as the DB on the opposite cone facing the other direction.
(4) The DB slides towards the receiver looking at his hip
(5) As he approaches the WR takes off upfield
(6) The moment the DB sees the WR take off upfield he plants and turns to run with him

The turn by the defensive back is the point of emphasis.  To execute the turn,  the defensive back must put his opposite foot in the ground to open his hips.  He then has to focus on keeping his front shoulder down and open as he runs up the field with the receiver so that he can be in good position to defend any route that the receiver may want to run.

Check out the drill in action down below:

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alleyesdbcamp

Owner at All Eyes DB Camp

Chad Wilson is the founder of All Eyes DB Camp and a former standout defensive back for the Miami Hurricanes. After an elite collegiate career, Wilson spent a season with the Seattle Seahawks before transitioning into coaching. A 3-time Florida state champion defensive coordinator, he has spent over 20 years developing the "All Eyes" blueprint that has produced NFL All-Pros and stars like Xavien Howard, Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, Minkah Fitzpatrick and more. His coaching system is proven at the highest levels—his own sons, Quincy and Marco Wilson, both excelled as starters in the SEC before being drafted into the NFL.

Chad is the author of "101 DB Tips"—The Ultimate DB Reference Guide. You can find more information on the manual and how to order your copy in the sidebar and footer of this page.

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