AFM RSS Feed Follow Us on Twitter       
AMERICAN FOOTBALL MONTHLY THE #1 RESOURCE FOR FOOTBALL COACHES
ABOUT |  CONTACT |  ADVERTISE |  HELP  



   User Name    Password 
      Password Help





Article Categories


AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Maximizing Your Defensive Circuit Drills – Turnover, tackling, and block destruction drills can improve your defensive play.

by: Scott Yoder
Head Coach, Shenandoah University
© More from this issue

Click for Printer Friendly Version          

Every year we try to create themes for our team that we can use throughout the year to refocus our players no matter how our team is performing. We are also always looking for ways to maximize reps and be more efficient in practice time. One of the ways we do this is our SU Defensive Circuit (See Diagram).


Defensive Circuit Drill

On defense, it is important to remember how important the fundamentals are, regardless of what scheme you are trying to run. Our coaches believe that our players will be good at what we emphasize. One of the best drills we do on defense is our defensive circuit. We don’t focus on many stats with our players. However, we do emphasize creating turnovers, tackling and block destruction. 

We know if we create turnovers, if we are the best defense in the league at getting off blocks, and the best team at tackling, we are going to be a very good defense. The drill is designed to last 15 minutes with three stations that last just under 5 minutes each. This allows our entire defensive unit to work on the fundamentals every day and get a good amount of reps. 

Our defensive backs coach will run the turnover (fumble/interception) drill on one sideline. Our defensive line coach will run our block destruction drill on the goal line and on the other sideline our ILB coach will run the tackling drill. 

Fumble Drill

The first thing we teach our players is how to properly secure a fumble, properly securing the ball and then protecting yourself. During this time we also reinforce when to fall on a fumble and when to try and scoop and score. 

Our general rule is if you are in the open field, it is a great time to scoop and score. Anytime we are in heavy traffic and there is a fumble, we simply want the player to secure the ball. The next step is to teach “the rip”. A teammate jogs out in front of them with ball in his right hand. The defender closes the distance, secures the tackle from behind, and tries to rip the ball out. The most important teaching point is to secure the tackle. You also want to emphasize how violent the rip needs to be. Depending on your group size you can have multiple lines going at once to maximize reps. 

The next step is to teach “the punch”. The drill starts in the same manner but now the defender will secure the tackle and try to punch the ball out. The teaching point here is to try to get the ball carrier’s elbow away from his body to dislodge the ball. Once the ball is loose, the defenders are working on “scooping and scoring”. While emphasizing the key fundamentals, this is also a great drill to have some fun. Defenders do not always get a chance to get their hands on the football so we like to coach this drill with enthusiasm and have fun with it.

Block Destruction

Our defensive line coach runs the block destruction drill. There will be two lines of players with an offensive player facing each line with a hand shield. The defender will be in a position-specific stance and on the command, engage the blocker and work to gain separation. Some key teaching points include keeping your elbows in and thumbs up, working for separation so the offensive player cannot grab you. The defender will then clear the offensive player using a rip or arm-over technique and get in a football position ready to make a tackle. 

There are variations for each position group based on stance and how far they start from the offensive player. While giving our players the physical tools to defeat blocks, it is imperative that we develop a strong mindset as well. We do not allow players to use the excuse of being held. Offensive holding is going to happen in a game and we need to still make plays. It is important to emphasize to the defenders that throughout the course of a game they will get blocked, but the key is to get off that block and disengage as quickly as possible. 

Tackle Drill

The first emphasis of our tackling drill is getting our team to understand how important tackling is. Every defensive play ends with a tackle, an incomplete pass, or a score. We cannot be a good defense if we are poor tacklers. We start the drill off on a very basic level, working parts of the tackle and then putting it all together. We will start off with the players paired up facing each other. On the command, they will work just the hip explosion, the shooting of the arms, and grabbing cloth. We emphasize keeping the elbows in and telling the players to “shoot their uppercuts”.

As we slowly progress we will add various changes to the drill to make sure we cover all possible scenarios. We will work on a sideline tackle, an angle tackle, two defenders converging on a ball carrier, and an open field tackle. In all of our drills we will not take the ball carrier to the ground. We can have a quality rep without risking having players on the ground.

As a head coach, there is a great benefit from this drill. It allows me to go to each group and make sure our tempo and focus are at the right levels. Once I feel comfortable with this drill it gives me some flexibility to be involved with the offense and feel confident we are getting solid work done. We do this drill every day in preseason and throughout the season. This drill has helped us to maximize our time in practice and make sure we are teaching the defensive fundamentals in practice. Young players will respect what you emphasize and this drill always returns us to the roots of good defense. 

About the Author: Scott Yoder enters his third season this fall as head coach at Shenandoah University. He previously was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Hobart College, for 12 years. During his last six seasons at Hobart, Yoder served as the defensive coordinator. A receiver at Hobart, he ended his career with 108 receptions for 1,361 yards.
 
More articles like this:

Advanced Tackling Circuit Drills – March, 2012
Drills Report: La. Tech’s Tackling Circuit Drills – June, 2006
Tackling Circuit Drills – September, 2005







NEW BOOK!

AFM Videos Streaming Memberships Now Available Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach



















HOME
MAGAZINE
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE COLUMNISTS COACHING VIDEOS


Copyright 2024, AmericanFootballMonthly.com
All Rights Reserved