These 4 Drills Will Drastically Improve Your Off Man Coverage

Winning in man-to-man coverage is a game of angles. Those who understand them excel; those who don’t will be grossly inconsistent. To manage those angles, a defensive back needs a specific set of skills. In this article, I will lay out four important drills to develop your ability to win the angles in man coverage.

When we play man coverage, we are looking to both deny the wide receiver access to certain parts of the field and push them toward the areas where we have help. Since we are essentially playing on a limited rectangle, our ability to apply angles in our coverage is of great importance. Offensive coordinators and wide receivers understand this perfectly. This is why they attack leverage, stem routes, and break at precise points.

To counter this, defensive backs must be able to maintain both vertical and lateral leverage—which is just a fancy way of saying staying over the top while maintaining inside or outside positioning. To be effective, a defensive back in off-man must be able to do three basic things: backpedal, weave, and turn. To sharpen these skills, I have four drills for you.

Drill #1: The Backpedal

This one is quite simple, but you would be surprised how many players—from beginners to advanced—fail to execute it correctly. A backpedal is like a jump shot in basketball or a swing in golf; it must be consistently repeated and refined to stay sharp.

Essential to the backpedal is the positioning of the upper body. You must have your weight over your toes, and your feet should be no more than six inches apart in your alignment. At the start, push off the front foot and reach with the back. As your momentum picks up, it is essential to remain on the balls of your feet with your chin over your toes. Finally, maintain moderate hand movement to coincide with the rapid planting of your feet. Long arm motions create long steps, which are inefficient in a pedal.

Drill #2: Weave and Stay Square

Now that you’ve mastered the pedal, you must learn how to weave so you can maintain leverage against a receiver’s stem. Most defensive backs respond to a stem by opening their hips prematurely. This plays right into the receiver’s “evil plan” to attack your blind spot.

In the “Weave and Stay Square” drill, you are backpedaling at an angle while keeping your shoulders squared to the receiver. To move harder to your left, simply push harder off your right foot with each pedal. To go right, push harder off your left foot. It is vital not to cross your feet over; your right foot stays on the right, and your left foot stays on the left. You must be ready to change direction at any moment, and crossing your feet prevents that.

Drill #3: Weave and Get Up

Sometimes you must transition out of your weave into a crossover run as the receiver breaks your cushion. You need to do this smoothly to keep your vertical leverage as he tries to get vertical.

In this drill, you will execute the weave while staying square, then place the foot opposite the side you are turning toward into the ground directly under your hips. It is not necessary to slam your foot; quietly placing it in the proper spot is enough. Of great importance is keeping your shoulders at the same height throughout the transition. Remaining low allows your eyes to stay at hip level, ensuring you don’t lose steps as the receiver attacks the space.

Drill #4: The 180-Degree Turn

When a wide receiver closes your cushion fast to speed beyond you, you must be able to make an efficient 180-degree turn to maintain good hip position. We cannot afford wasted steps.

In this drill, start in a backpedal for 7–10 yards. On command, strike the foot opposite the turn under your hips while keeping your shoulders down as you execute a full turn. The turn must be generated from the hips, not the shoulders. As the turn is completed, you should be in a proper running position with good balance. Avoid exaggerated arm swings, as they will throw you off balance. Upon completion, sprint for about 10 yards.

Final Thoughts

Perfecting these four drills will do wonders for your off-man skills. These attack the major requirements for maintaining proper angles against a receiver trying to attack your leverage.

Practice them often and with the intent of perfecting every rep. One final note: use your imagination. Pretend you are covering a receiver and keep your eyes on the “hips.” Without disciplined eyes, you will never be consistent in man coverage.

To go deeper into my drill work for both off-man and press-man, I highly recommend joining the All Eyes DB Camp Members Area. I have over 400 posts including drills, workouts, coverage explanations, strategy, and film analysis to raise your game to the elite level.

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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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