It's all in the hipsss...It's all in the hips...

For a defensive player, the single most important physical aspect besides the obvious (speed, strength, mentality) and probably the most underrated and overlooked, is hip flexibility.



Why is hip flexibility so much more important to defensive players than offensive players? Easy answer



1. Defensive players have got to be able to run in one direction, while facing another.



2.Defensive players have to be able to quickly turn from a south direction to north, to east to west, while offensive players always play off of a north direction.



3.Defensive players have to be able to play with square shoulders. that is, they have to be able to run east and west, while keeping their shoulders parallel to the los.



The old adage is that defensive players are on defense because they cant play offense, that is a corner is a corner because he cant play wr. In actuality a defensive player is usually identified in early practices based on his aggression and his mobility, especially in the hips. I will clue you in on a little secret, and all you young aspiring coaches, I hope this helps; If you are two-platooning, that is having primarily offensive and defensive players, and you are talking personal, allow offensive coaches the pick of the lot to play QB and tailback. After that the 11 most athletically gifted players are playing defense. As a defensive coordinator I have been blessed over the years with head coaches that either agree with that philosophy, or were "talked into it".



Fortunately hip flexibility is also something that can be taught, and improved. Maybe more than any other physical attribute, hip flexibility can drastically improve with the proper work. So lets look at some of the drills and techniques to improve hip flexibility.



Back peddle hip flips



Part of the daily footwork progression for the secondary of course is based off of the back peddle.



Same plane



ON the coaches whistle players are back peddling, straight back on an imaginary line. the second whistle, the defenders open their hips up in a given direction all the way over the imaginary line so that they are now running back on the same plane that they were back peddling on. Their eyes however are still looking straight ahead. 3rd whistle they flip their hips back and continue to back peddle on the imaginary line. 4th whistle, flip their hips in the opposite direction, and sprint to finish. coaches points. Make sure head stays still and eyes are straight ahead, the upper body should be quiet. make sure defensive players are low with good knee bend and a flat back. On back peddle shoulders should be over toes, not leaning backwards. Most important for hips flexibility, feet most cross over the imaginary line and keep the player on the straight line.

next plan

Similar start, on second whistle, player opens his hips in a given direction at a 45 degree angle form the imaginary line, sprinting with shoulders square and head forward to the next plan, on the next whistle, flip hips back and continue back peddle on new plane, on next whistle open in the opposite direction, taking you back to the original plane, last whistle, finish with a back peddle on the original plane.

same plane/next plane immediate change of direction

similar start, the difference here is that the third whistle, instead of getting back into a back peddle the player will flip his hips 180% to go into the opposite direction. So if it was the same plane drill, the player would flip go from running along a plane with his eyes back, to immediately going the same direction with his hips flipped in the opposite direction. This should happen with one step, and no momentum should be lost. If we were doing the next plane drill they would go from a 45 degree run to the opposite 45 degree run, back to the original plane.

High hurdle drills

Obviously running over hurdles is great for hip flexibility, but i got some other great hip drills from Jeff Connors, a big time S and C guy at UNC, and probably the best in the business not named Barwis.

They include....

scissor kicks over hurdles.

Line up 10 hurdles fairly close to each other, player is on the side, facing the row of hurdles,close enough to lean over and touch. Player gets momentum going with a skipping motion than rises his closest foot over the first hurdle, then his second leg over the hurdle, then on down the line until all 10 hurdles had been cleared by each leg. The the player goes in the opposite direction. keeping legs as stiff as possible, and if possible, keeping the momentum going and finishing without having to stop.

Duck walk under hurdles

With hurdles in the same direction, have the players slide side ways under the hurdles in a crouched position, when directly under a hurdle, weave left and right several times, before moving on the the next hurdle. extend your legs as far as you can while staying in your catchers squat position. Repeat in opposite direction. Then go forward and backwards through the hurdles....

Jumping hurdles and boxes from a stand still is also good for hips.

Over head squats

Maybe the best exercise for hip and lower back flexibility. With relatively light weight. (45 pound bar with a 45 on each side is plenty for even the strongest guy IE 135) bring the bar to an overhead position. Like finishing a clean and jerk. Arms completely extended wide hand grip, shoulders locked just behind head. Perform a deep squat all the way to a catchers crouched position, then return to start. Keep upper body completely still, your body will want to come forward. keep the weight above your head and do not bend. Most players need to lower weight at first, some do it just with the bar, some with no bar at all, just arms extended above head.

Just a little hint of some of the things Ive done over the years, obviously their are a million other things. I'm happy to share anything with people when they ask, after all everything i know about football i learned from someone.

When i started really focusing on hip flexibility movements about 6 years ago, i really started seeing young players improve at corner. For the past 5 years even though playing primarily with less then stellar athletes, I have been blessed to have at least one corner per year make all conference or above honors. 6 players that have played in my secondary are now playing college football.

Hope you enjoyed the post

Later

G