Purpose
This offensive line and tight end run blocking drill teaches all technique aspects of a good drive block:
- maintaining good body position
- maintaining correct hand positioning
- and fighting to keep the lineman’s balance
Description
- Pair up your players with about matching size, weight and strength.
- Blocker gets into an engaged position on the defender: knees bent with a slight forward lean.
- Elbows bent at about 45° and hands inside at defenders armpits (thumbs up, fingers out), forehead/facemask on the chestplate of the defender.
- Now the defender wraps his arms around the back of the offensive lineman’s helmet and leans with his whole bodyweight into the blocker.
- On command, the defender starts pulling (not jerking!!!) the head of the defender downwards while giving resistance as he’s being driven. Meanwhile, the offensive lineman has to press and drive the defender backwards for about 10 yards while maintaining the same body position throughout the block.
- Change partner duties on the way back
- Repeat 3-5 times.
Variation:
As players get better let defender at first moderately change directions.
Coaching Points
Make sure the blocker is fighting to keep his head up (eyes never should be down because he cannot see), knees stay bent and the blocker has to keep pressing the defender.
The Defender on the other hand has to apply all of his body weight on the blocker and constantly pull his head down.
Stress these advantages of the techniques:
- Knees bent: blocker is able to change direction and react to defender’s change of direction.
- Elbows bent: no over-reacting tendencies and perfect for pressing power.
- Hands in Armpits: leverage on defender and harder to disengage (for defender)
- Head on chestplate/sternum: for leverage control and power blow.
- Eyes up: to stay focused on assignment and less likely for head to drop and defender to shed block.
Equipment
none