Tiger-Proof Your CBs: The Valley Vault Drill
Cornerbacks at 4A programs like West Des Moines Valley Tigers face a unique challenge: covering speedy receivers on a small field. To address this, Valley's coaching staff has developed the Valley Vault Drill. This high-intensity exercise targets the quickness, agility, and reaction time of CBs. The drill consists of 3 sets of 5 reps: 1) Backpedal 5 yards, plant and change direction 90 degrees, and recover to the starting position; 2) Shuffle 5 yards, plant and change direction 180 degrees, and recover; 3) Backpedal 5 yards, then immediately plant and change direction 90 degrees. Coaching cues include 'stay low' and 'keep your eyes on the receiver.' This drill translates to game performance by improving CBs' ability to quickly react to receivers and change direction on the fly, allowing them to stay with their assignment in tight spaces.