Charlie, What are your thoughts on correct back pedaling mechanics?
I’m not Charlie but I’ve played free safety and the biggest thing is staying low and balanced so you can make quick cuts to mirror the receiver. Working on general flexibility of the muscles the connect to the hip and on conditioning will help alot, because I’ve found that once I start to get tired, I automatically raise up in my backpedal (which is lethal).
I’ve also read that many of the top CB’s are bowlegged, which would support the flexibility argument.
Just my thoughts on backpedaling mechanics, I was a corner in University and Juniour and am now a DB coach. I usually start with stance, feet about shoulder width (or whatever is most comfortable) stagard stance with the inside foot back inside toe lined up with the ball of your outside foot. weight should be distributed evenly to both feet weight on the balls of your feet knees bent ass back, and shoulders over toes. The shoulders over toes should hopefully prevent you from falling backwards in your peddle. When backpedaling I try to make the first stride or two pretty long and there fore slow so that I can take “read” steps.
As for the actualy backpedaling like i mentioned shorter strides arm angle at 90 and think about driving my elbow back, to many players look like they are beating a drum, all the arm actions for them stems from the elbow when in fact it should come from the shoulder. Again yes, stay low and miror the reciver. In canada our field is quite a bit bigger than in the USA so some of the techniques in man vs man are a bit different, I know I used/teach a weave technique in coverage while there are some in the states that use a jab technique in the peddle. hope this helped.
Could you explain the weave technique and the pro’s/con’s of using it?
The weave technique, is one that I have used and coach to my players. The emphasis is placed upon taking away a side and maintaining that side through out the recivers route.
I usually have my players line up for example inside shade: outside shoulder of db to inside shoulder of reciver. in this instance the db will maintian that inside shade taking away the inside route and giving up the outside route (the farther throw)
To apply the weave technique the db will simply lead with his but there by staying in his backpedal.
pro’s: keeps db in peddle longer there by giving him better vision and ability to make a break forward on the ball/play. You can be a slower player and still have sucess, where the turn and go method of coverage relys on a db’s pure speed to run with the reciver. Also makes coverage easier eliminates some of the guess work for the DB, forces the recivers to work harder for lets say an inside route (if taking away the inside)
Con’s: it is possible to get lost from the reciver if one can’t judge and adjust the pace at which a reciver is runnign his route. If db is has bad breaks he can end up getting to the football late making the play to easy for the reciver
Also it requiers a lot of discipline on the part of the db.
hope this helped
what i have noticed is that football backpedalling is NOT very good for backpedalling fast. if you want to backpedal fast you have to start low and take long strides backwards, and slowly work your way to a more upright position. bringing the heel high near the butt and pushing backwards helps.
true enough football backpedal is not the fastest way to run backward the way that you describe is excelent for running backwards fast but but you will never cover anyone backpedaling like that, you are in a poor position to change direction and also the point of the backpedal is not to run away from the reciver but to mirror his route.