Today we are going to talk about the three phases of each route and how those are the keys to get you open and to get you separation. The first phase of every route is the stem. The stem is what everyone commonly refers to as selling vertical or selling a fade. So this is where we get a DB to run and turn his hips or to back pedal off depending on the coverage. Very important that you do not change your pad level or change your stride length in this phase of the route. Focus on making Everything look the exact same and that’s what will lead to phase 2.
The second phase of a route is the breakpoint. Or what I call the energy creation phase. This is where you are trying to be violent and explosive with your movements. Whether you are dropping your hips or doing a single speed cut, what you need, is to be violent. The violent break is the only way you can slow down or change direction when running full speed/ selling fade, which is phase one. It’s not about steps, it’s about how much energy you can create at the top of the break and how much time you can eliminate. This is why explosiveness is so important for WRs to develop, which now will bring you into phase 3 of each route.
Phase 3 is the acceleration phase. So the energy you create at the top of the route with either a violent hip drop, or a sudden break will turn into acceleration. Energy turns into acceleration which is what I refer to as widening the distance from the DB and winning the race back to the ball. Almost like a 40yd dash. Your start is explosive which makes you hit top speed for the last 30yds. Make sure you drive your arms and drive your legs to hit that top speed which will get you back to the ball.
How WRs can improve on all 3 of these phases come down to specific exercises in the gym that will help with explosiveness, acceleration, top speed, knee stability, ankle stability and flexibility. If you guys want 2 months of WR workouts broken down into a step by step plan that can help you improve your route running, press releases, grip strength and overall ability click the link below! TODAY ONLY you can get it for $15 OFF!
