Drills to Set the Edge and Fill the Alley | FBCP S21E12

Learn how to coach safeties to become disciplined force and alley defenders who hold the structure of your defense together. Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain break down the Force Fit Drill, the Umbrella Drill, ball up and ball down key reads, and how to teach safeties to set the edge without getting caught by play action.

You'll also learn how to adapt the same core safety drills each week to prepare for spread formations, zone read, Flexbone, Wing-T, trips, and other opponent-specific looks without constantly adding new drills.

10:58 - Establishing Safety Roles and Position Naming 15:28 - The Umbrella Run Fit System 19:38 - Force and Alley Defender Assignments 22:43 - Forcing Change of Direction on Outside Runs 27:15 - Defining the Alley Between Spill and Force 28:39 - Free Safety Responsibilities and Run Fills 32:34 - Coverage Package Considerations for Safety Drills 37:00 - Force Fit Drill Ball Up Ball Down Key Read 44:37 - Umbrella Drill Daily Practice Routine 56:26 - Adjusting Safety Drills for Weekly Opponents How to Develop Safeties That Fit the Run

Step 1: Understand the Umbrella Run Fits

Before you can build effective safety drills, establish how Spill, Force, Alley and Stay in Coverage work together. Safeties cannot execute their assignments consistently until they understand where they fit into the entire defensive structure.

READ: Coach the Umbrella Principle to Get Perfect Run Fits for Your Defense
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​Step 2: Define the Job of Your Free Safety

Your Free Safety is not simply the deepest defender. Learn how to use him as the Alley defender who ties the Spill and Force players together, while still executing his coverage responsibility on a pass read.

READ: How to Coach Your Free Safety to Be the Best Player on Defense

Step 3: Teach the Umbrella Drill

Turn the run-fit system into a repeatable drill. Teach your safeties the ball up, ball down key read, Force and Alley fits, backside responsibility, and the patience to "Don't Go Till You Know" before triggering aggressively once the read is confirmed.

READ: The Most Important Football Drill for Coaching Safeties

Step 4: Connect Run Fits to Your Coverage

Your safety's alignment and technique will change with the coverage call, but his role in the Umbrella still has to be clear. Learn how Cover 3 uses the overhang Safeties as Force defenders and the Free Safety as an aggressive Alley defender while the Corners Stay in Coverage.

READ: How to Coach Football's Cover 3 Defense

Step 5: Build Drills That Transfer to Game Day

Move beyond collecting drills and build your individual periods around the Alignment, Stance, Key Read and Assignment your players actually execute in games. Progress the drill as your players improve instead of repeating the same disconnected techniques all season.

READ: Complete Guide to Coaching Football Drills that Win Games

Step 6: Adapt Your Safety Drills to This Week's Opponent

Once the base Umbrella Drill is established, change the offensive picture without changing your defensive fundamentals. Use the opponent's formations, backfield alignments, option looks, perimeter screens, play action and top plays so your safeties practice making their normal reads against the pictures they will see on Friday night.

DOWNLOAD: What You Need to Know to Build the Ultimate Defensive Football Coaching System
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