7 skills needed to play cornerback

Soccer is a game that demands a lot from its participants, both mentally and physically. Although each position presents challenges, the most challenging side of the ball is undoubtedly defense, and more specifically, the most difficult position is cornerback. With the exception of a few other positions, cornerback requires the greatest athleticism and the best combination of various technical skills. Playing cornerback requires skills, skills that can’t be developed overnight, they take time and patience, but if you master these 7 skills, you’ll find yourself blocking even the best receivers.

First of all, a cornerback must have excellent foot speed. Due to the nature of the position, a cornerback must be able to react to any slight change in direction a receiver might make and to do so requires exceptional foot speed. A cornerback’s foot speed is probably the most important tool in his arsenal, as it can help make up for a slight lack of speed. This doesn’t mean you can be slow and play corner, but if your speed isn’t up to par, having good foot speed will help you stay in position.

The second important skill a cornerback must have is excellent reaction time. This and foot speed go hand in hand, as your reaction time will be crucial to making sure you don’t get beat up, as well as making sure you get your hands up in time to hit or intercept a pass. It’s important to realize that as a cornerback you are at a huge disadvantage compared to the receiver in front of you, he already knows where he wants to go but more importantly he is running forward instead of you pedaling backward. Because you don’t know the play, as a cornerback you always have to be alert, ready to react to every move the receiver makes in front of you.

The third important skill to have is hand speed. This ability is particularly important when blocking a receiver in the line of scrimmage. When blocking a receiver, it’s important to have great hand speed so you can get your hands on him before the receiver can move on you and try to escape your block. If your hand speed is good, this is a great tool to interrupt the time of loss between the quarterback and the receiver, making your job much easier.

The fourth crucial skill for a cornerback’s success is great hand-eye coordination. This skill is particularly important as it aids in a cornerback’s ability to intercept the ball. A good quarterback will leave a small window of opportunity for even the best cornerbacks to intercept the ball, so when the opportunity presents itself, you should take it.

The fifth ability is not so much an ability but more of a natural ability and it is a high vertical jump. Most cornerbacks are usually shorter than the receivers they will line up against, so a high vertical jump is a great skill to have in the case of a ball that will require you to jump up and challenge the receiver in the air. This is a skill that not everyone is born with, however it can be improved through various training techniques as well as weight lifting. Being able to outjump your opponent will give you a huge advantage on deep balls that a quarterback may try to throw next to you.

The sixth important skill you must have is to know your opponent. All of the aforementioned abilities are enhanced when you know what your opponent is going to do. All quarterbacks have tendencies, and if you can spot them, your chances of jumping routes and intercepting the ball will greatly improve. These kinds of readings are usually done during the week of pregame preparation through countless hours of film as well as in-game experiences.

The seventh and final skill a cornerback must have is short-term memory. At one point or another, you’ll be beaten, whether it’s a big play or a touchdown, but how you respond to failure will truly represent what kind of cornerback you are. Understand, even the best cornerbacks to ever play the game were beaten at some point in their career, but they bounced back and learned from their mistakes.

Now you know the 7 crucial skills required to play cornerback. If you take my advice and develop all of these skills, you’ll find yourself at the top of your game and maybe even at the top of some record boards.