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Tip Drill Football: Turn Deflections into Interceptions

Updated · Fact checked

A pass that bounces off a hand or a helmet is a loose ball, and the defender who reacts first gets it. The tip drill rehearses that moment. One player gets a hand on the throw and pops it up, the next player tracks the deflection, catches it at its highest point and tucks it away.

It looks like a warm up game, but it trains real skills: tracking a ball that changes direction, catching with the hands instead of the body and securing it right away. 440 puts it in the ball skills block of the defensive back training plan.

BlueGoldNews.com: WVU Football Tip Drill 8/8/19BlueGoldNews.com

How to do it

  1. Line up

    Players form a single line facing the coach, with room to run. On the signal, the first two run toward the coach, one behind the other.

  2. Tip it up

    The coach throws just above the front player's head. The front player gets a hand on it and tips it up, not down.

  3. Catch high

    The second player tracks the tip and catches it with both hands at its highest point.

  4. Secure and finish

    Tuck the ball away immediately and sprint past the coach. Rotate roles and repeat.

Sets and reps
3 sets of 10 catches, 30 seconds rest.
Equipment
Footballs, A coach or quarterback to throw, Cones to set the lines
Muscles and skills
Hands
Used in these 440 plans
Defensive Back

Coaching cues and common mistakes

Coaching cues

  • Play the ball at its highest point
  • Tip it up, not down
  • Next player secures and tucks

Common mistakes

  • Swatting down
  • Late reaction

How to run it

There are many versions, but the most common one is simple. Two players run toward a coach, one behind the other. The coach throws just above the front player's head, that player tips it into the air, and the trailing player catches it and finishes running past the coach. Teams run it from youth football to the pros.

Tip the ball up, not down. A ball swatted toward the ground is incomplete; a ball popped into the air is a chance for your teammate. The catcher should go get the ball at its highest point rather than wait for it to fall.

Make it game-like

Deep defenders get tips too. A pass that ricochets high off a receiver gives a safety sitting in a deep zone time to stop, redirect and make the interception, so give safeties reps from depth, not just at short range. Rotate who tips and who catches, and add a third player who has to scoop and recover if the catch is missed. Pair it with contested catch reps, where you attack the ball through a receiver's hands.

FAQ

What is the purpose of the tip drill?

It trains defenders to react to a deflected pass and turn it into an interception. One player tips the throw up, the next tracks it, catches it at its highest point and secures it.

More defensive back drills

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Sources

  1. Tip drill: the secret behind half of last week's 16 interceptions in the CFL (Ben Grant, former high school coach, 2024-09-11), 3DownNation
  2. How to successfully intercept the ball (book excerpt), Human Kinetics
  3. BlueGoldNews.com: WVU Football Tip Drill 8/8/19 (YouTube description, uploaded 2019-08-08), BlueGoldNews.com (YouTube)

Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.