I have long held the belief that in professional sports, there is no athlete more impressive than the cornerback. They’re almost like secret agents – swift, with deft feet and hands, and any little mistake they make can be potentially disastrous for the entire defense.

Wide receivers are generally just as fast, and most of the time have a size advantage as well, yet defensive backs are expected to stay within mere inches of them and deny them any opportunities to catch the football.

How do they do it? Well, quickness, speed, and agility are a big help, but none of those will be used to their full potential without proper footwork and technique. Just one misstep can be the difference between an easy bat down, and an easy touchdown for the offense.

Stance

A defensive backs stance can change depending on their assignment, but for the most part, this is the stance they will use.

It is unique football stance in that it is not built for power or balance, but for quickness and agility, since the defense backs first step is usually backwards, and they need to be ready to change directions again at any time.

They should be standing with their feet slightly closer together than shoulder width apart, and slightly offset, with their back foot’s toe in the instep of their other. They should also have 60-70% of their body weight on their front foot, with the rest on the balls of their feet.

They should also be leaning forward, with their head over their front toe, and their elbows

pulled in towards their body, while keeping the arms relaxed.

Quick Step

The first step is vital for a corner, and it has to be quick and in control. Push off the front foot, and pull the back foot a couple inches backwards, without lifting it off the ground more than you need to.

Pull the arms back as the motion begins, to give your body a good thrust backwards, giving you a controlled momentum.

Backpedal

After the first step, your defensive back should take 3 slower, controlled steps, ready to drive forward should the receiver break in any direction, but after that, they will pick up the speed and backpedal at a high velocity.

The technique is similar to the first step, but just slightly more exaggerated. Tell them to keep their feet low to the ground, and stay in that same low, athletic stance as they shuffle backwards.

Generally, pumping your arms in unison with your feet will make it easier to maintain balance and increase your speed, but if a player doesn’t feel comfortable with it, and is keeping up speed, that is fine as well.

Coaching Tips

• When practicing the first step and backpedal, make sure to use a visual command rather than audio, as it is more similar to what they will  experience in game

• Stay low! Stay low! Stay low! You cannot stress this too much

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