He should have a slight bend in his knees, and his head and shoulders should be slightly ahead of his hips. His arms should hang down from his shoulders in a relaxed manner, and he should feel as comfortable as possible in his stance. In this position, the free safety should have his head up and his eyes focused directly on the quarterback.
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Cornerbacks
Strong Safety
Starting in an upright stance with his feet the width of his shoulders, the strong safety should lean forward while stepping forward with his outside foot. The placement of his front foot can be more forward and need not be directly under his chin. However it still is important that the safety's weight be on the ball of his front foot. He should bend at his waist, bringing his shoulders to a position in front of his hips. He also should have a slight bend in his knees.
Most strong safeties will find this stance comfortable right from the start. If not, they must practice getting into the proper stance over and over again until it becomes second nature.
Most of the time, the free safety will be lined up deeper than the other defensive backs, and, more often than not, he will not have coverage responsibility for a specific receiver. Because of these two factors, the free safety can assume a much more upright stance, with his feet parallel to the line of scrimmage, spread no wider than the width of his shoulders.
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Stance
When getting into a proper stance, a cornerback should start by standing upright, feet spread shoulder-width apart. He then should lean forward at the waist while stepping with his outside foot, bringing it forward and in, until it is lined up directly under his chin. In the beginning it is advisable to turn the front foot so that the outer edge of the foot is facing the line of scrimmage. He then should bend his knees slightly, feeling most of his body weight on the front foot. His arms should hang down in a relaxed manner, and his head should be up, tilted slightly to the inside, looking at the ball. The young player may feel awkward and uncomfortable, but, as he gets into his stance over and over, he soon will relax.
His arms should hang down from his shoulders in a relaxed fashion, and his head should be up and tilted toward the ball so he easily can have the tight end and quarterback in his field of vision.
In the offensive formation, or the coverage that is to be used, calls for the free safety to cover a specific receiver, then it is important that he adjust his stance to the one used by the strong safety. Coaches often will make the mistake of asking the free safety for tight coverage, while never allotting practice time and instruction for the adjustment of the player's stance.
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Because the strong safety often will be lined up one or two yards outside of the tight end, whom he will cover, it often is advisable for him to take a stance similar to a cornerback's. But the safety also can be more upright so that he can see into the offensive backfield.
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Free Safety
An improper stance often can be the reason a defensive back is beaten on a pass pattern. Consequently, the correct stance must be taught, practiced, and reinforced each day. When first teaching or learning a proper defensive-back stance, it is important to be strict and specific in the positioning of each part of the body. The closer the defensive back is to the man he is to cover, the more disciplined he must be when taking his stance.
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