Wide Receiver Improvement Plan: Practice Drills, Teaching Strategies & Coaching Points for Wideout Success

Wide Receiver Technical Skills – Matter!

More than almost any other position group, the Wide Receiver position is dependent upon mastering the techniques and moves that seem more subtle on the surface, yet they remain the key differentiators for success. Especially as it pertains to players who move on to higher levels of competition and face opposing defenders with greater athleticism. All things being equal physically, it’s the technical aspect of the receiver position that will make or break a player’s success on any given snap; technical things such as:

•  the receiver’s ‘first step,’ 
• separation technique,
• foot placement while making cuts,
•  body-weight distribution, 
• balance and hip movement,
•  precise route-running, 
• mental focus, 
• hand placement to make the catch, 
• using explosion while making perimeter blocks and 
• many other skill-based techniques – 

These technical elements are ’what matter most’ in being a dependable wide receiver that a quarterback, and offense, can trust.

Best Practices: Lessons For Building WRs and The Top 12 WR Drills

In this video, Coach McKaig shares some of his important theories and philosophy on what it takes to be a great receiver and game-changing producer on your offense. Providing the building blocks for producing meaningful progress and improvement, McKaig stresses the importance of quality over quantity and gives valuable insight on the need for game-like preparation.

Along with the structured blueprint for building a complete wide receiver, including the philosophy of what offenses need from the position, Coach McKaig introduces and explains how to execute a proper WR warm-up and spares no detail in showcasing his ‘Top 12 Wide Receiver Drills.’ 

Coach McKaig features highly valuable drills that are designed to help receivers improve at executing the wide variety of route cuts they need to execute during each play. The ‘Proper Warm-Up Drill’ – featuring work designed to get the body warm and ready for training – is followed-up by proven practice drills such as, ‘The-Drop-Step-To-Cut Drill,’ ‘WR Figure-8s’, and ‘WR Proper-Speed-Cuts Drill,’ all designed to specifically improve wide receiver skills that are practical for all aspects of the offensive game. Coach McKaig finishes this highly valuable instructional coaching video by highlighting important wide receiver drills that help receivers get off the press-coverage applied by the defense.

This video is a must-see lesson for not only wide receiver coaches, but also for any coach of any offensive position group. Coach McKaig provides a step-by-step process for building and training the best receiver group possible, as well as gives coaches the proper mindset and perspective on the drills and skills that can transform a good wide receiver into a viable and productive offensive weapon on every play.

77 minutes. 2023.