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Drills Report – Expanded – Advanced Defensive Line Play Techniques and Drills

by: Tim Tobin
Defensive Line Coach Kutztown University
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At Kutztown University, we believe in an aggressive, attacking style of play from our defensive line. Here are seven coaching points and seven drills to help your defensive line improve every day.
 
Coaching Point #1 – We use this acronym every day.

SACKER

S - Stance (balanced and coiled)

A - Alignment (See foot and shoulder)

C - Concentration (What are you looking at?)

K - Keys (mirror feet)

E - Evaluate (what do you see?)

R - Responsibility (playing the right gap)
 
Coaching Point #2 – Before the snap

Alignment – We align our eyes on the shoulder of the offensive lineman to the side of our shade. Players need to see the feet of their key. When stunting to a different gap, we tell our players to get into a ‘smart alignment.’ This means getting into the proper stance and alignment in order to be successful with a stunt.
Stance - In our 3-point stance, we want the feet under the armpits width apart. Legs should be slightly uncomfortable, coiled with power angles, and a Z in the knees so that we have stored kinetic energy ready to unleash. Again, our eyes are looking at the foot which helps the player keep a flat back in their stance. In obvious passing downs, have the defensive line in more of a sprinters stance.

Hand Placement in the Stance - It doesn’t matter which hand is down because players are already in a balanced stance (worrying about which hand to put down often deflects players from the bigger objective). Hands need to come up low and be quick.
 
Coaching Point #3 - Keys

We have two keys which occur in a time line progression. First, there is the primary sight key which is the feet of the offensive linemen and then, on contact, we have our pressure key.

Sight Key: Make sure that from your player’s stance they’re able to see the foot of the offensive lineman. Do not key the ball for movement because the offensive linemen already know the cadence and where the ball is going. Therefore, when the O-lineman moves his foot, we move by mirroring the step. We don’t try to find the ball. We play our key until we have control of him.

    We practice three steps in both directions every day, just as the offensive linemen would do. We mirror the step of the offensive linemen, making contact on the second step, protecting the gap and foot of responsibility. (Mirroring the step protects the play-side foot).

The steps include:

    Direct – Stepping directly at opponent.
    Lateral – Stepping sideways.
    45-degree- Stepping direct at a 45-degree         angle.

Pressure Key: After mirroring the step and before contact, establish which shoulder is the hard or soft shoulder. Hard shoulder will be the determining factor which way we push. Points to remember -

1.  Mirror the foot and post the ‘hard’ shoulder on run and attack the soft shoulder on pass.

2.  Hip turns to the side of the hard shoulder on run and soft shoulder on the pass.

3. Defensive lineman uses his hips in all combinations of blocks trying to take two for one and protecting the linebackers.
 
Coaching Point #4 – Seven Principles of Aggressive Line Play

1. Establish contact with the offensive lineman before his second step. First two steps have to be quick.

2. Stop the offensive lineman’s movement on contact.

3.  Get separation – shoot your hands quickly into the opponent while locking his out (elbows in, thumbs out).

4. Get off your blocks as soon as possible after posting the hard shoulder.

5. Keep your gap responsibility which is the hip of your key.

6. Teach defensive line the importance of feet and steps, just as the offensive line coaches teach their players. My players are graded by their steps.

7. The defensive line needs to have ownership. I let my older and more experienced players help with individual practice time. I give them the opportunity before practice to suggest what they need to improve during practice and I allow them to help with the coaching of the younger players and their steps.
 
Coaching Point #5 – Blocking Techniques and Gap Responsibility



There are a number of different steps that your defensive line will see. We always mirror the step of the offensive lineman, and know that our gaps are always moving. (See Gap Responsibility).

Basic 0, 3, 5, and 9 technique gaps and rules - The 0, 3, 5, and 9 are all the same techniques with the same reads and reactions. Gaps are the shaded hip of your key. Points to remember:

1. If the offensive lineman steps with his inside foot and crosses the line of scrimmage, post your inside shoulder, thinking scoop or a kick out block from another player. DL must be flat and square on the inside step.

2. If the offensive lineman steps with the outside foot laterally or as a bucket step, the DL must ‘shoot’ upfield across the line of scrimmage at a 45-degree angle posting the outside shoulder and turning his hip upfield.

3. If the offensive lineman steps with his foot directly at the defensive lineman, the DL needs to mirror the step, meeting force with force and posting the inside shoulder while keeping leverage and alignment. When posting the inside shoulder, the DL should squeeze flat and turn his hip into the hard shoulder. The hard shoulder is the determining factor of pushing upfield or squeezing down and flat.

1 and 7 techniques are just the reverse of the 0, 3, 5, and 9 techniques. 

Basic 1 technique - To help ensure effectiveness vs. the run, we follow these rules:

1. On base block, mirror step and post hard shoulder. Push out and up with the key.

2. On a cut off block, mirror step and post inside shoulder and go flat.

3. On a reach block, mirror step and post outside shoulder. Push out and up with the key.

4. On a fold block, mirror step and post the deep shoulder of the pressure player, pushing first and then crossing the face.

Basic 7 technique – With our 7 Technique, we have two simple rules.

If the tight end steps with his inside foot, play him. Determine the hard shoulder and play it. If the tight end steps with his outside foot, play the tackle. Look inside at the tackle’s shoulders to confirm the type of block. If the shoulders are turned at 7 Technique, it’s a base block. Then post the inside shoulder and squeeze. If shoulders are square towards the 7, it is a reach block. Then post the outside shoulder pushing upfield.

Coaching Point #6 – Maximizing Your Pass Rush

Keys and principles of an effective pass rush:

1. Have two moves in mind on each pass set of the offensive lineman. One should be your primary move and one for a counter move. My players use bull rush as their counter move. We can then try to get to the face of the QB and disrupt him with hands up.

2. Attack soft shoulder with either a bull rush, speed, punch (quicker swim) or rip move.

3. Attack the offensive lineman, becoming skinny turning hip and butt, facing the quarterback.

4. Pass rush depth for the quarterback (first sight before snap is the rushing depth).

5. Get into the offensive lineman immediately on his movement.

6. Keep players’ feet moving forward towards the quarterback.

7. Always keep the QB in front and inside you. It is easier to recover going forward.

8. Make the move when making contact with the offensive lineman.

9. Move the offensive lineman out of your lane.

10. Get the offensive lineman to commit first to you, lunging, leaning or picking up his feet.

11. Accelerate off your move.

12. Keep your hands in the face of the QB.

13. Tackle the quarterback high - stripping the ball and causing the turnover.

14. On a rip move, point toe with elbow up while pointing it at the QB. With a punch move we literally punch the elbow over the shoulder not exposing the rib cage.

15. Defensive ends should never leave feet.

16. In a pass rush, if the offensive line shows high hands, move yours higher. If they present low hands, chop them lower.

17. High hands present a good “bull rush”. Low hands present a good “speed rush”.

Coaching Point #7 – Techniques for Screen and Draw Plays

Make it easy for linemen to react quickly to screens and draws. Don’t slow them down – just teach them to recognize and react to the obvious keys.

1. Know if you’re being set up. If you’re getting something for nothing as a pass rusher it probably means a screen.

2. If the offensive tackles exaggerate their drop set while turning their shoulders, look for screen.

3. If the quarterback keeps dropping and not trying to get out of the pocket, look for screen. Or, if he turns his head backwards to the back, look for draw.

4. If the offensive tackle tries to cut the end on pass or releases inside on pass, look for screen.

5. If the interior linemen are getting in without a pass rush move, look for screen.

6. If one more D-lineman rushes in easily, look for screen (especially on pass stunts, look inside.)

7. Retrace your steps to your side of responsibility. If a draw, retrace inside and squeeze. If a screen, retrace outside.

8.  Never turn your back to the ball. Teach them to turn and run as a linebacker does.

9.  Don’t follow the same color jersey.

10. Use good angles and always hustle.

At times coaches make football more complicated than it needs to be. You’re teaching to the slowest learner. If the slowest learner understands what you’re teaching, the more advanced will probably master it.

A successful coach at practice gets his players out of their comfort zone. Most athletes don’t want to fail in front of their peers, so set up drills that get them out of their box of success. For example, if you are working on scoop or base, widen the athlete out, making it harder to practice that technique. When working on the reach, tighten the alignment. Sometimes I’ll put my ends inside to toughen them up and my interior guys outside to get them more athletic. This translates into reduced reaction times and a more aggressive line play.

Here are seven different drills you can use to improve the play of your D-line:

Drill 1 - Mirror Step Drill - Pair up players with one as the defensive player and the other as offensive lineman. Offensive lineman steps with a reach, base, fan or down block. Defensive player mirror steps, and works on foot, hip and hand placement. Start with one step and move up to two and three steps.
 
Drill 2 - Recognize Step with Coach Drill - Start drill with foot and not ball. All technique practice is done by movement of feet. In this drill, coach and player are in a stance with a shade. Coach gives a direct, (base, or drive block), 45-degree or bucket, (reach block) and lateral step, (down, fan or slide blocks). Player mirror steps and plays accordingly. This way a coach can correct player’s steps.

Drill 3 - Hill Drill - This drill teaches players to quickly pick up and put down their power feet, gaining ground as they rise up from a flat back and locking their arms out while going up a grass slope. The offensive player gives pressure against the defensive player. You can practice base, reach and combination blocks with one and two offensive players.

Drill 4 - Big Tire and Towel Drill - This drill teaches players to lean while doing a rip or speed pass rush move. Put a towel in the tire and have your players run around the tire in a rip move, getting a good lean. After two or three times, have them reach down and pick up the towel. Make sure you practice in both directions.

Drill 5 - Same Foot, Same Arm Drill - Have your players walk and run using the same arm and leg together. This drill helps with pass rush moves, posting shoulders and with spilling.

Drill 6 - Small Tire Hip Drill - This drill teaches players to turn hip and butt while playing a reach, or pass set block. A coach stands on one side of the tire favoring a side. Players line up on a shade in relation to the coach and tire. Coach steps like an offensive lineman, doing a reach, slide or a kick back pass set. Player mirrors a step, posts a hard shoulder on reach while turning his hip into coach’s hard shoulder. When coach pass sets, player attacks soft shoulder while turning butt, facing the QB and making an inside rush move.
 
Drill 7 - Jersey on Sled - Make things more realistic for your players. Place old practice jerseys on the pads connected to the sled. This helps the defensive line grab and torque a player’s jersey. It also makes the player’s sled work more realistic.

About the Author: Tim Tobin is the defensive line, kickers, and strength and conditioning coach at Kutztown University. He previously coached on the college level at both Shippensburg University and the University of California at Santa Barbara. Tobin is a graduate of Arizona State and started his coaching career there as a graduate assistant.






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