By Josh Staph | 
See the issue: November 2006

Even a perfectly thrown ball can seem impossible to grab when a defender’s footsteps loom large. You can catch thousands of balls in practice, but once you strap it up and put yourself in the line of fire, potentially harmful distractions can make catching a lot harder.

“We do a lot of drills where our receivers come out from behind things,” says Clyde Christensen, wide receivers coach for the Indianapolis Colts. “This adds the element of distraction to the drill and prevents the receiver from seeing the quarterback when the ball is thrown. We disorient the receiver before he has to make the catch, because that’s what happens in a game when he runs a route—defenders are around him.”

You might not have Peyton launching bombs your way, but you can still use the distraction drill, which has made the likes of Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley and Reggie Wayne masters in traffic.

Ball Distraction

Perform shuffle, carioca or high knees for ten yards leading up to distraction zone. Pass through two dummies, then catch a hard-thrown ball immediately after exiting the zone. Tuck the ball away and sprint five yards.

Reps/Frequency: Perform as many reps as time allows each time you take the field.

Rate this article:   1  5