By: Chad Wilson – All Eyes DB Camp
IG: @alleyesdbcamp
There are good DBs, great DBs and then there are elite DBs. Those three categories of players are separated by a few factors. Some of those factors are genetics but more so, they are separated by things that are totally in the control of the individuals. Having played, coached and trained DBs for over 20 years, here are four things I have noticed that every elite DB has
1. A Great Desire to Study the Game
One of my biggest sayings is that success is not an accident. You will be elite at very few things in life that you don’t take the time to study. That is also true about playing defensive back. Elite DBs take the time to study other great DBs and see why they are so great. When I was coming up, there was no YouTube, no social media to find clips and most definitely no All Eyes DB Camp. Studying DBs meant sitting down in front of the TV to watch the games or taping the games on something called a VCR for me to study later. Nowadays you have way more outlets available to you to study great DBs and learn how to play the game. AllEyesDBCamp.com is one of those great sources.
2. Want the Ball Thrown Their Way
How will you ever make a play if you don’t want the ball thrown at you? When the moments get big some people rise and others hide. No elite DB ever wants the ball thrown somewhere else in big pressure moments. Typically, an athlete that has put in the necessary time studying, training and preparing, wants to show off their hard work by having the ball come their way during the game. Others, who deep down inside, know that they did not put the time in, don’t want to get exposed so they wish the ball would go somewhere else when the moment is hot. Make sure you are not that guy. Study, train and prepare.
3. Constantly Work on Their Technique
The same way that a golfer must constantly work on his swing, a tennis player must work on their approach to the ball and a bowler must work on their spin, so too must a DB work on his technique. A technique not worked on is a technique lost. The elite DBs that I have studied in my time have all been obsessive about working on their technique. They work on it before practice and after practice. I’ve seen them backpedaling down the hallway and in the mall. Being great is an obsession and the elite DBs want to be the best at everything they do.
4. Are Eager to Learn
They say that geniuses are the most curious people on Earth. You can be a defensive back genius by being very curious to learn. I have been pleased by the amount of people that have joined our All Eyes DB Camp member’s area. They have been youth, high school, junior college and college football players. They have also been parents, coaches and even players from overseas. All of these individuals have had an overwhelming desire to learn more and more about the position. What has pleased me even more is how they contact me after watching the drill and breakdown videos in the member’s area to ask questions. The only way to learn is to be curious. The best DBs I have been around, played with or coached have always been eager to learn and apply what they learn to the field to be great.
Chad Wilson is the owner of All Eyes DB Camp and author of "101 DB Tips". He played college football at the University of Miami and briefly in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks. Over his 15 year high school football coaching career, he tutored over a dozen Division I defensive backs and as a trainer has worked with NFL All Pros, first round draft picks, college football All Americans and Top 10 ranked high school football prospects.
