Wide Receiver Fundamentals Help You Catch Every Pass

Master these wide receiver fundamentals and there's no reason to drop any more passes.

A good passing game makes a huge difference in your ability to win games. Granted, at the youth football level, running attacks dominate. But there are still situations where a pass is needed: third and long, last two minutes of the half, etc.

Players - Don't you want to master your wide receiver fundamentals and become the one who can break the game wide open? You need to learn these football fundamentals first, then practice the heck out of them.

Coaches - We know you want to teach your players how to develop their wide receiver skills and help them enjoy success. Teach them to understand these fundamentals and they'll be on their way!

Let's dig in and learn some wide receiver fundamentals:

Wide Receiver Fundamentals

You can't let the defender knock you off your route before it ever gets started. The idea is to get past the defender and not let him push you parallel along the line of scrimmage. You need to learn how to burst off the line and use a fake to get behind the corner.

One fake to use is the "head bob". This is where you move your head to one side while you get your body moving straight or to the other side. You can also use a shoulder fake to spice things up.

The next idea to understand is that a defender will eventually learn your fakes. So you need to mix it up and sometimes even employ double-fakes (fake one way, then the other, then move beyond the defender).

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2) Deflection

If the fakes alone aren't getting the separation, you can use deflection techniques to get the separation. One way to do this is to use the "rip technique". If you're cutting left, use your right arm and "rip" up through the defender's arms.

Another wide receiver fundamental used to gain separation at the line is the "swim technique". This is where you bring your inside arm up & over the corner's arms so you can knock them downward.

Practice of these wide receiver skills along with fakes will have you successfully getting separation off the line every time!

3) Running Routes

This will depend on the theory of the offense. One way to get open is to run hard to a specific spot, get under control (possibly use a fake here) and make the cut. Plant the foot away from the direction of the cut, make the cut and then accelerate into the cut. You want to get the defender moving backwards and then cut away from them.

Another wide receiver fundamental to help you get open is the S-shape weave. Run quickly at your defender to get close, then "curve" around him to gain separation.

4) Ways to Beat Man-to-Man Coverage

There are various techniques to busting up man-to-man defenders:

-Use fakes to get the defender's legs crossed up and then cut away from them

-Get up close to the defender, lean into them and cut away

-Use an 'out & up', 'hook & go', 'hook & back' type routes to change directions

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