It’s that time of year, practice is in full go and by now some of the excitement you may have felt in the early going is giving way to the fatigue and repetitiveness of camp activities. While this may be true for everybody, only a small handful of defensive backs do what I will describe today and they get an edge because of it.
If you are like most players at practice, you do you reps when it is your turn and then you jog to the back of the line or off to the sidelines and await your next turn. While you are there you let your mind wander. Perhaps you will occasionally play over in your mind what just happened during your rep (especially if you did it wrong) and within a few moments your brain is on to something else.
I don’t know if you realize it and it may not seem like it but the majority of your time during practice is spent waiting. You are either waiting for your next turn in Indy or for the next time your group goes in during 7on7 or team. Most guys waste that time and like I said, it’s the biggest amount of time you spend. The common defensive back is only active mentally when they are involved physically.
If you want to be a really savvy DB that improves fast, make use of that downtime in between reps. Early on in camp and the season, spend your time in indy waiting for your next rep going over in your mind how to master the drill. Perhaps you even go through the steps off to the side as a rehearsal until it is your time to go again. Sure this may require some energy but you only have 1:30 to 2 hours to get better. When you think about it, that’s not that long to focus. Once you have reached the point of understanding how to do the drill spend your downtime watching guys who are better than you at the drill. Study what it is they do to make them so good at it. This way you learn from both the coach and the other players. When you master the techniques you win the reps. When you win the reps you make big plays.
When it comes to 7on7 and team periods, early in the year, spend the time hearing the calls made by the defensive coordinator. If you are new to the defense and still learning it, imagine yourself playing the play with the call that was just made. Few things will help you learn the defense than doing this. You are literally stealing reps by using your mind. When you do this, you will quickly begin to understand where everyone is supposed to be on each call made.
Once you have learned everyone’s job on defense, spend your time in between your reps studying the offense. It doesn’t matter if it’s your own team’s offense. Learn the offense and how it works. Pay attention to where guys line up, what the quarterback says and what plays come as a result. Understanding your team’s offense will give you an understanding of offense in general. When you acquire that understanding, it becomes easier to figure out other teams’ offenses. Studying film becomes easier and things start to make more sense.
The most misused reps by a football player are mental reps. Too often guys let their minds wander. Stay engaged and remain focused at practice. This is not physically hard and it’s a low impact way to get better fast. Give this a try at your next practice and watch what it does for you. You will wonder why you didn’t start doing it sooner.
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.
