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The Drills Report: Delaware’s Defensive Line Hip Emphasis Drills

by: Phil Petite
Defensive Line Coach, University of Delaware
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As defensive line coaches, we all know the importance of developing strength, power, quick feet, active hands, and a relentless desire to get to the football.

What I also add to that list is the development of the hips in relation to movements necessary to play defensive line.

We work year-round on the strength, power and flexibility of the hips. Our training staff and strength & conditioning coaches work year-round improving this area and I incorporate drills that I feel are important to hip development.

In the off-season and during the winter workouts we work hip development drills:

Drill #1: Lateral step-over with a hip-flip (See Diagram 1)
• You will need four agile bags for this drill.
• Start in a good football bent-knee position.
• On the coach’s signal, do a lateral step-over two of the agile bags, flip the hips to up-field shoulder after second bag and continue step-over movement for last two bags.
• As soon as player clears the last bag, he should explode from the hips up-field for 5 yards.

Diagram 1

Drill #2: Stance & starts from starting blocks
• We use starting blocks from the track team.
• The D-linemen will set up in the blocks, the same as a sprinter.
• We will start the player by moving a football on a string.

Drill Addition: Consider adding a player with a shield as a target for the hands – have the D-linemen explode the shield back for five yards.

Coaching Points:
• Explode out of the blocks like a sprinter.
• The hips, eyes, hands, chest and shoulders explode up-field for five yards.
• The entire body bursts north-south.

Diagram 2

Drill #3: Hoola hoops Set up: three regular hoola hoops (See Diagram 2)
Start player in a perfect stance to the left of the first hoop.
• Start player with a ball on a string.
• Explode on ball movement with a quick two steps and then drop inside shoulder while “flipping” hips around at the top edge hoop with continual movement (See Diagram 3).

Coaching Point: There must be continual movement through and around each hoop with no stopping at the hip-flip and shoulder-drop. Start by going half speed and emphasizing the hip-flip and shoulder-drop for leverage. They will get faster as the hip-flip and shoulder-drop become more natural.

Diagram 3

In the spring we will continue the same drills and add:

Drill #4: Six-point explosion: toes, knees and hands (See Diagram 4)
• Start by having the player down with only his toes, knees and hands making contact with the ground. At the coach’s signal, the player will explode horizontally at the shield, extending his hands, arms and hips.
• The player should knock the shield back, landing on his stomach and chest with his arms and hands extended. If doing the drill indoors, use a mat.

Coaching Point:Players’ eyes should always be on the target (shield).

Diagram 4

Drill #5: Four-point explosion: toes and knees (See Diagram 5)
• Start by having the player down with only his toes and knees making contact with the ground. His hands should be on his thighs. At the coach’s signal, the player will explode horizontally at the shield, extending his hands, arms and hips.
• The player should knock the shield back, landing on his stomach and chest with his arms and hands extended. If doing the drill indoors, use a mat.

Diagram 5

Coaching Point: Players’ eyes should always be on the target (shield).

Recommendation: do the same drill with the player in a perfect d-lineman’s stance (three-point).

We will repeat all these drills in our pre-season camp. After the first week, we eliminate the starting blocks. The hoops and six-point hip explosion progression is done only on Tuesday each week. The lateral bag drills are done on Wednesday. When we are short on time, the D-line will get the drills done in pre-practice or post-practice.

Phil Petitte, a former assistant coach at Rowan University and LaSalle College, began his third season with the University of Delaware football staff as defensive line coach for the 2008 season. Before joining the college coaching ranks, Petitte enjoyed a successful 24-year high school football coaching tenure.






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