Wide Receiver Stance and Start

By Wesley Ross

No fundamental aspect of coaching the wide receiver position seems to be more overlooked than teaching the correct stance.  Regardless of which type of sport, a player’s stance is the foundation of any athletic movement. The stance and start of the receiver are paramount in aiding the quarterback in executing his passing assignment.  Usually when the average fan thinks of pass protection, they think of the offensive line. In actuality, it is the responsibility of every player on the offensive unit to help the quarterback distribute the ball within the required timeline, which is usually no longer than 3 seconds after the snap.  It is the receiver’s job to aid the quarterback in his fight against the clock by getting into his route as fast as possible. This can only be accomplished by utilizing a stance that eliminates all wasted movement when releasing from the line of scrimmage. A small false step by the receiver could be the difference between a completion and a sack. The receiver should be taught the correct stance and the “why” behind the body position being taught.  It should then continuously be emphasized throughout the season. Never assume a player knows the correct stance-the overwhelming majority of them do not.

Inside or Outside Foot Forward

The most common way to teach receiver stance is with the inside foot forward.  The advantages of teaching inside foot forward are that it makes route running steps uniform and times up with the passing game more effectively than having the outside foot forward.  The benefits of having the outside foot forward are that it makes it easier to see and read the defense, it is a more conducive stance for crack blocking, and it is a more comfortable stance to open up from and go in motion.  The problem with giving receivers the freedom to choose is that it can give the defense the advantage of picking up on route tendencies based on which foot is forward. It is up to the coaching staff to determine which method meshes better with their offensive system.

Lower Body in the Stance

The stability of the receiver’s stance will ultimately determine his ability to come off of the line effectively.  There are certain techniques involved in regards to achieving the correct stance. A receiver’s stance will be relatively narrow when compared with other positions because it is built for speed.  For example, a lineman’s stance is built for power, so he will take a wider base. Proper balance is achieved in the receiver stance by placing the feet hip width apart. Many young receivers will make the mistake of placing the back foot directly behind the front foot, causing them to look like they are on a tightrope and throwing them off balance.  Pictured below is a good example of the receiver keeping his feet hip width apart:

The vertical distance between the front and back foot should be about shoulder width apart.  This provides good lateral stability and should prevent false stepping with the back foot.  Receivers will typically want to take a stance that is too elongated, which will cause them to either false step or take a long first step to gain ground that ultimately slows them down.  The front foot should be pointed slightly inward, which will allow the receiver to push off of his big toe when exploding out of the stance. A good general rule is to have the front toe pointed inward at 11 o’clock when the right foot is forward and the front toe pointed at 1 o’clock when the left foot is forward. This enables more power to be generated from the first initial push off of the front foot, resulting in a quicker overall first step. The back foot should be pointed straight ahead with the back heel about 2 inches off the ground to avoid any wasted movement. One of the most common mistakes young receivers will make is pigeon toeing the back foot to help them push off, which slows down the take-off and causes a false step.

The receiver should have his weight on the balls of his feet with about 80 percent of his weight on the ball of his front foot and 20 percent on the back.  Younger players may need to be told that the balls of the feet are where your shoe laces start, as many of them are unfamiliar with the term. A good general rule is to keep as much weight on the ball of the front foot as it takes to keep from picking it up at the snap. If a kid is false stepping, it is most likely because he is not putting enough weight on the front foot. By putting most of the weight on the front foot, the back foot is naturally forced into only one choice-to move forward without false stepping.

The knees should be slightly bent in an athletic stance.  A good test for knee bend is to look at the front shin and see if it is at an angle.  The front shin should be at around a 30 degree angle forward, with the knee over the toe.  The shin at an angle with the knee over the toe creates a bio-mechanically advantageous position to explode out of the stance as fast as possible. If the shin is straight up and down it means the receiver is too tall in his stance, which means he will have to drop his hips and move his front knee forward before taking off at the snap.  A less common mistake is that the receiver will get too low in his stance, which means he will have to spend time raising up before he is able to start moving forward. Both incorrect stances require extra movement and the result is valuable time wasted.

Upper Body in the Stance

The receiver should lean his upper body forward with his head and eyes up and his nose over the front knee.  He should keep his back straight and have a slight bend at the waist.  This type of forward body lean will help create explosion out of the stance. It will also keep the receiver’s chest minimally exposed to a pressed up defender.  His shoulder pads should be low and square to the line of scrimmage. This creates the most advantageous position to power off of the front foot. An imaginary line should be able to be drawn from the nose straight down through the front knee to the front foot.

The arms should be flexed and bent up at around a 90 degree angle in front of the chest.  The benefits of having the arms at a ready position are that they are ready to execute a release move and defeat press coverage.  It also helps to keep the receiver engaged mentally. Often when receivers are allowed to relax their arms down at their side it also has the negative effect of causing them to relax other parts of their stance as well.  The objective with the hands is fluidity. They should be thought of as weapons ready to be used in a fight. When the fists are clenched, it often has the effect of causing the upper body to tense up, slowing everything down.  Having open hands enables quicker movement. Much like a boxer, hands should be relaxed and open, ready to strike.

Start  

An important coaching point about coming off the ball is that the receiver should always use ball movement as the indicator to start.  He should never go off of the QB’s cadence.  He will never be wrong if he watches the snap to start.   Young receivers will often make one of two mistakes when getting ready to start at the snap.  They will either look straight ahead and listen for the cadence, or they will turn their head and eyes inside but in doing so will also angle their shoulders inside. Turning the shoulders inside will slow their departure at the snap.  It must be taught and emphasized that they must turn their head and eyes inside to adequately see the snap, but at the same time they need to keep their shoulders square to the line of scrimmage. Any drill coming out of the stance should always use ball movement as the signal to start, and nothing else.  

At the snap, the receiver should roll over his front foot (where most of his weight should be) and utilize a short, quick, powerful drive step with the back foot.  Less ground is gained with a shorter step, but it gets him into the running motion faster and helps maintain core strength if a defender tries a jam technique. The length of this first step will obviously vary depending on the size of the receiver.  A good analogy to use when teaching receivers how to get off of the line is to have the same mentality as a sprinter coming out of the blocks, which is to stay low and maintain a forward body lean. They do not pop straight up because that would slow them down. The receiver should have around a 45 degree forward body lean at take-off.  With the proper stance, he should be coiled up like a snake and explode at the snap without having to drop the hips or perform any other unnecessary movements.

The best way for a receiver to get into his route and get open is to spring off of the line of scrimmage like he is running a go on every play to threaten the defender vertically and create cushion.  His goal should be to at least give the illusion that he has reached full speed by the third step. Arms should be at a 90 degree angle with the elbows kept tight to the body. Wide elbows cause the arms to swing across the body, which will slow him down.  Eyes should be up so that the receiver can assess the coverage. Obviously, these techniques for stance and start will have to slightly change if facing a pressed defender. The fundamentals that have been discussed are designed for when the receiver has free access into his route against loose coverage.  How to beat a pressed defender will be covered in a separate article.

Teaching the Stance and Start

In order to learn the proper stance, receivers can be taught a quick and simple progression that will help them understand the basics of the correct body position they need to be in.  After going through the progression, they still may have some minor flaws in their stance that that the coach can help them correct.  Have the receiver start out on a knee with the inside foot up so the heel is even to the back knee.  Raise the butt up assuming a sprinters stance as if coming out of the blocks.  Raise the torso up to a 45 degree angle. Make sure the front knee is over the front toe, and the nose is over the front knee.  80% of the weight on the ball of the front foot, back heel should be off the ground, and hands should be in a ready position.

There are several benefits to introducing the stance this way.  Having the receiver start out on a knee ensures his feet will be naturally be hip width apart to achieve proper balance.  By placing his inside foot up with the heel even to the back knee the vertical spacing between his front and back foot is automatically where it should be at about shoulder width apart.  When the receiver raises his butt up it gets him into a “sprinter coming out of the blocks” mentality. Going from the sprinters position to raising the torso up to a 45 degree angle should emphasize staying low in the stance with the right amount of forward body lean taking place by ensuring the front toe, knee, and nose are all aligned.  Weight on the ball of the front foot with the back heel off the ground should prevent any false stepping and enable a quick start where the receiver simply rolls off of the front foot.  False steps can also be eliminated by placing a cone under the receiver’s back heel after getting into his stance.  This forces him to roll off of the front foot and push off the ball of the back foot.  Trying to teach every nuance of the stance at the beginning will overload the receiver with too much information. Additional details (such as slightly angling the front foot inside to push off of the big toe) can be taught once the basics of the stance are achieved.