Playing Defensive Back: Tips and Strategies for Cornerbacks and Safeties
If you’re a football player or coach looking to improve your team’s defense, you need to focus on the defensive backfield. The defensive backs, or DBs, are the last line of defense and play a crucial role in preventing big plays and turnovers. In this post, we’ll go over some tips and strategies for playing safety, one of the most important positions in the defensive backfield.
HOW TO PLAY SAFETY
Safeties, or S, are responsible for covering the deep part of the field and providing help to the cornerbacks. This is a versatile position that requires a mix of speed, strength, and intelligence. Here are some basic tips for playing safety:
Communicate with your Teammates
As a safety, you’re in a unique position to see the entire field. Use this to your advantage by communicating with your teammates and making sure everyone is on the same page. This can help prevent big plays and ensure that everyone knows their assignments.
Play the Ball
As a safety, your primary responsibility is to prevent big plays. This means you need to be able to read the quarterback’s eyes and make a play on the ball when it’s in the air. You should also be able to tackle well in case the receiver makes the catch.
Be Versatile
Safeties need to be versatile and able to play different roles depending on the situation. You may need to blitz, cover a tight end, or provide run support. Make sure you’re comfortable in all these roles and can adjust to the game situation.
Stay Disciplined
One of the biggest challenges for safeties is staying disciplined. It can be tempting to cheat up and try to make a play, but this can leave you vulnerable to deep passes. Make sure you stay back and don’t bite on play fakes.
Summary
Playing defensive back is a challenging but rewarding position. By following these tips and strategies, you can improve your skills and help your team win games. Remember to stay disciplined, communicate with your teammates, and always be ready to make a play on the ball.
If you really want to reach your full potential as a defensive back then you should own a copy of my critically acclaimed E-book ‘101 DB Tips’. It is categorized and organized to deliver you the tips you need in a manner that is easy to understand. It’s a great reference guide to playing or coaching defensive back. Get your copy here 101 DB Tips
Also, I have over 200 videos on technique, drills, coverages, training and more in the All Eyes DB Camp Member’s Area. If you looking to become elite, I highly recommend that you join.
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.
