Linebacker Coverage Drill

LB Coverage Drill Trains Backers in Tracking and Ball Disruption 

Tight ends and wide receivers are bigger and faster than ever across all levels of organized football. Offensive schemes trend toward a heavier passing attack. Games are won and lost on individual man-on-man matchups in the passing game. Quarterbacks will find mismatches and expose them.

Linebackers need to be able to provide quality coverage to keep offenses contained. The best linebackers are able to jump on running plays, but also be alert to the QB's eyes and either keep their zone protected or stick to a man and not let him go. 

Ball disruption and contesting every catch is a key aspect of breaking up an opponent's passing attack. Several reps of linebacker drills using Krausko blocking pads with arms condition linebackers to hone in on the point of catch: the hands and arms.

Too often, defenders go for the big hit and either miss completely or get penalized. The priority in pass deflection is getting in the right position and neutralizing the arms. 

The linebacker coverage drill from Krausko allows players to practice at full speed in no pads, realistically simulating a pass breakup situation. 

Linebacker Coverage Drill Execution

1. There are four players in this linebacker coverage drill: quarterback, receiver, dummy receiver and linebacker.
2. The linebacker lines up straight across from the QB. The dummy receiver a few yards off the line, wielding The Colt football blocking pad. The receiver stands ready 5-10 yards away at a 45-degree angle from the QB, roughly in line with the dummy receiver.
3. On the whistle, the QB scans the field. The linebacker tracks his eyes, scraping downfield accordingly, keeping his shoulders square to the QB.
4. The QB scans to the receiver and delivers a pass. 
5. The dummy receiver is the target for the linebacker. He charges the dummy receiver and swipes at the arms, simulating swatting away a pass.
6. Coaches are given instant feedback on pass disruption form and technique.

For an example of the linebacker coverage drill from Krausko, take a look at the following video:

In the linebacker coverage drill, defenders are ingrained with positive reactive tendencies. They must follow the eyes of the quarterback, read the location of his target and close on him quickly to break up the pass. The receiver doesn't need to worry about taking a hit—the only player in the drill getting full-speed contact is the dummy receiver. The Krausko blocking pad absorbs the blow.

Youth Football Teams Practice Full Speed Linebacker Drills with No Pads

One of the biggest topics for conversation in football has been the steps taken to decrease safety risks and long-term health problems. Instilling improper fundamental techniques in blocking, tackling and block shedding are a huge culprit of injuries in the sport. Muscle memory doesn't work at half-speed. Practice at half-speed, and you open yourself up to even more injury risk in the real game.

Youth football players are particularly vulnerable to ingraining improper technique. Fundamental motions learned at a young age carry well into the future. You need to give your pee wee or junior league players to learn full speed muscle memory and prepare them for real game action. The Youth Colt football blocking pad allows your youth players to practice at full speed with no pads, greatly limiting injury risk both in practice and in the actual game.

Consult our football equipment comparison chart to see how our training pads are the best on the market.