How To Beat Bigger Offensive Lineman

Defensive line techniques for defeating one-on-one blocks

By Mike Kuchar | Posted 5/29/2015

Defensive coordinators believe in one of two schools of idea when information technology comes to defensive line play – unmarried-gap technique or 2-gap technique. Through the years, I've chosen to subscribe to a single-gap responsibility for 2 main reasons.

It allows defensive linemen to exist proactive by focusing on getting of the ball instead of being reactive past reading blocks.
Information technology allows defensive linemen to clear the film past working "one-half the man" in front of them. On our team, nosotros read the "outside V of the neck" of the offensive lineman.

Stance and get-off

In a single gap control defense, a premium is placed on getting off the ball. This starts with the stance. We teach our players to go in the following stance:

Feet underneath the armpits a little less than shoulder-width autonomously.
Ballside foot dorsum, ball side paw down. This promotes versatility by getting actor to play on both sides of the ball.
Weight on the balls of the feet. We tell our players it's where the shoelaces start on their sneakers.
Toe to instep stagger, which tin can be extended to toe-to-heel in laissez passer rush downs.

While we train our players to use the "V of the neck" equally a visual central, they should use periphery vision to run across the ball move. We spend the initial role of private practices working on the following stance/get-off drills:

Handbag agility progression. One foot in each, two feet in each, shuffle weaves, up and backs, shuffle through, hops. We finish with a reactive move like a scoop and score situation.
Get-offs. Straight get-offs, become-offs with redirection, get-offs with stunts (use a towel for dipping shoulder emphasis), get-offs with hands.

Here is a video of these drills existence performed:

Hand placement

Considering we nosotros key the exterior "V" of the cervix of the offensive lineman in front of each defensive lineman, nosotros rarely align on the inside shoulder of offensive linemen and we don't talk much about visual and pressure keys. Our "stab-and-grab" hand placement technique is equally follows:

Inside hand stabs the centre of the offensive lineman in front end of us.
Outside hand grabs the exterior shoulder pad of the offensive lineman in forepart of us.
The emphasis is on keeping thumbs up and elbows in.

We use the following progression to teach hand placement with our defensive linemen:

Both players on knees. Players work to plant mitt placement and then regain manus placement after starting in a negative position.
Defender on knees, offensive histrion on feet. Hither the defender works to "strain" past shooting the easily at the proper aiming points. Information technology reinforces keeping low pad leverage just keeping hands above eyes.
Strain. Here the defender is asked to lift the offensive player past exploding from his hips. It teaches proper hand placement with the proper separation. Defensive players should land on their stomachs.

Hither is a video of the manus placement progression we use:

Engaging and defeating blocks

When we talk about defending i-on-i run blocks, we talk about the triple threat position that offensive lineman can create. They can do one of iii things presnap: base cake, downwardly block or reach cake. How nosotros destruct those blocks are detailed below:

An of import notation: Since we are a gap command defense, we talk nearly escaping the block with a rip or dial but when the ball commits. Doing so too early may issue in losing gap integrity.

Base of operations/drive cake. Work to keep a trunk on a body simply keep leverage in the gap. We want to fight pressure with pressure with an inside hand.
Downwards cake. Nosotros emphasize getting our hands on the lineman by pushing him down the line of scrimmage. Nosotros emphasize the possibility of a trap block coming from the play side or back side of a play.
Reach block. Because we footstep with the ballside foot start, we work to get our second step downwards in a hurry and fight the achieve block. Nosotros demand to push with our outside hand and pull with the within hand to flatten out blocker.

The all-time manner to teach this technique is to partner players up, have the coach stand up backside the defensive lineman and give the offensive lineman a signal to execute either a base of operations, down or reach block. This way, defensive lineman are taught to react with their eyes and not estimate.

Here is a video of the i-on-one block progression nosotros use:

By simplifying defensive line technique into the proper footwork and hand placement, coaches tin can teach lineman to react to various schemes.

Side by side time, I volition focus on how we instruct our defensive linemen to defend against two-on-ane blocks such as double teams and scoops every bit well as defending against specific run schemes.

Mike Kuchar is co-founder and senior inquiry manager at XandOLabs.com, a individual inquiry company specializing in coaching concepts and trends. Achieve him at mike@xandolabs.com or follow him on Twitter @mikekkuchar.

Source: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/583/defensive-line-techniques-for-defeating-one-on-one-blocks