The Secret to Elite DB Play: Striving for Technique Perfection

It’s easy, but it’s hard—that is consistency wrapped up in a nutshell. Once you learn what it is you’re supposed to do, the path to excellence can seem easy. However, knowing is only half the battle. The full power comes from the doing.

When we are talking about defensive back play, technique is at the forefront of your success. Playing defensive back involves a series of unnatural moves. DBs get paid to go backward while anticipating the forward moves of their opponents. To win at a game that puts you at such a physical disadvantage, performing your techniques with precision becomes key. This sounds easy, doesn’t it? Then why doesn’t everyone do it?

Here is where the “easy” becomes hard. Anyone in the world of trading or gambling is familiar with the term variance. This term simply means that no matter what you do, there will be times when the outcome is not in your favor. When this occurs, it does not necessarily mean that you did something wrong; it simply means that it was just time to lose. No one wins all the time.

However, here is what most people do: when variance takes its form and negative results start to happen, guys start to change their habits, alter their techniques, and break the rules. They do all of this to avoid the unavoidable—variance.

As the techniques, habits, and rules change, the negative results from variance pile up. Each change in your process introduces a restarting of the variance. This simply means more opportunities to fail, which leads to more opportunities to change, which leads to even more opportunities to fail. It is a vicious cycle.

Of course, in the early stages of your journey as a defensive back, there will be changes. However, at a certain point, consistency must take its place. From there, it is just a simple matter of tweaking something here or there. For the most part, once you have established your technique, the really great ones don’t stray from it. To truly have success, consistency must take over. The more consistent you are, the fewer negative results you will face. Of course, variance will always arrive, but if it is met with the same repeated steps, it arrives less often and its duration is much shorter.

A shooter doesn’t change his shot on the basketball court after a miss. An All-Star batter in baseball doesn’t change his swing with each strikeout. Both athletes understand that some shots will miss the net and some swings will miss the ball. Those occurrences do not alter their approach when the next opportunity comes. They attack the moment with the same techniques and steps that they know will win more times than not.

As you take your journey toward becoming the best defensive back you can be, it is ultra-important that you first learn the proper things to do from the correct people. Then, equally as important, you must trust the technique and apply it each and every time. Don’t play mind games with yourself. Variance is a real thing, and it dictates that you will not always have a positive result. Your aim at all times—both when you win and when you lose—is to strive for technique perfection and consistent application. This is truly the path to greatness.

If you want to set yourself on the right path by learning exactly what it is you’re supposed to do in all the situations you face as a defensive back, I highly recommend my book, 101 DB Tips. It is loaded with information from over 20 years of playing, coaching, and training defensive backs.

Click here for more info and to get your copy.

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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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