How to Play Strong Safety in Football
The strong safety position is played on the defensive side of the ball. Strong safeties are usually bigger but slower than cornerbacks and free, or weak-side, safeties because they help in run support a lot. Strong safeties usually cover the bigger players, such as tight ends, in pass coverage.
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Instructions
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Instructions
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Recognize the offensive formation after you break your defensive huddle. Identifying where you need to line up is crucial. Different defenses have strong safeties line up differently based on the offensive formation. Knowing your team's defensive strategy is crucial.
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Read your keys based on the offensive formation. Keys are little tendencies that offenses display that will help you understand the play they are going to run. One of the basic keys is to watch the offensive lineman's first moves after the ball is snapped. If their first steps are backwards, the play is more than likely going to be a pass. If their first move is an explosive step forward, the play is usually a run. When trying to decide where a quarterback is going to throw the ball, different coaches have different philosophies. Most quarterbacks throw the ball where their front shoulder is pointed. Looking at the quarterback's eyes can prove to be deceiving. Quarterbacks sometimes look the opposite way they intend to throw the ball to confuse the defense.
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Attack the ball carrier aggressively, but don't sacrifice form by overpursuing. If you run too hard at the ball carrier, you will more than likely run right by him because you are out of control. The proper way of tackling involves running hard until you are within a yard or two of the ball carrier. Break down into a good tackling stance by bending your knees. The most important thing to remember when tackling is to always keep your head up. Tilting your head down can cause serious injury, including paralysis.
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