Split the two
Why it works
Zone defence at seven is one idea, watch the thrower, and this drill isolates exactly that. The receivers do not move, so the only clue to where the ball is going is the quarterback, and a defender who stares at a receiver is visibly a step late every single rep.
Run it
8 MINEight minutes, about eight reps per defender. Throws are soft and short at seven and eight, so the drill stays about the read rather than about catching a hard ball.
Say this
“Watch his eyes and shoulders.”
The quarterback's shoulders turn to the throw before the ball leaves, which is the earliest clue a defender gets.
“Receiver first, then the ball.”
Breaking toward the receiver gets the defender to the catch point; switching to the ball lets him make the play.
“Catch it at the top.”
The highest point is the only place the receiver cannot get to it first.
Good looks like
- The defender's eyes stay on the coach during the drop.
- The break starts before the ball reaches the receiver.
- The defender arrives in front of the receiver, not behind him.
- Two hands go up for the ball.
The mistakes
The defender looking from receiver to receiver. Have the coach hold the ball for an extra second; the defender who guessed will already be moving the wrong way.
Say: “Watch his eyes and shoulders.”
Running at the ball's path and arriving behind the receiver. Freeze it on the break and point at the receiver as the target.
Say: “Receiver first, then the ball.”
Waiting for the ball to come down into the chest. Throw higher and praise the reach, even when the catch is missed.
Say: “Catch it at the top.”
Move the receivers to five yards apart and have the coach point at the receiver just before throwing, so the defender learns the break before he learns the read.
Spread the receivers to the original fifteen yards and let them each take two steps on the throw, so the defender has to read the quarterback and adjust to a moving target.