Previously we discussed stance at length and in doing so we discovered there are two different first steps and each affects the stance used. Before getting into each first step and hand placement, let's talk about visual key. Once in your stance your key is the "V" of the offensive lineman that you are shaded on (except for a 7 technique, your key is the outside knee of the tackle). We don't listen to anything the OL or QB says, we move when our key moves!
Base (Read) first step:
When we are playing base defense we read the block of the OL and protect our gap. The first step is 6 inches with our shade foot directly at our key. As our key moves we should be able to move where our foot lands to maintain a shade on the OL. We want our shade foot to land inside the OL's outside foot, so if he downblocks for example, our shade foot will need to widen with his first step to remain inside his outside foot. If he reach blocks our shade foot will need to land directly vertical of our facemask to keep outside leverage on his outside shoulder.
To practice proper first step technique we use the line drill where the DL align with their shade hand and shade foot on a yard line then perform a first step. The foot should land on the yard line in a heel-toe relationship with the opposite foot.
Upon the first step hitting the ground we want to attack with our hands (make sure the foot is on the ground BEFORE making hand contact!). Our target is to get the "V" of the OL with our inside hand and the shade elbow of the OL with our outside hand and attempt to pin his elbow to his ribcage. If we can't get his elbow, we'll settle for getting our outside hand on his ribcage. Once we've gotten hands on our key we then read his movement to dictate what our next step will be. This will be covered in a future post on block destruction.
We drill hand placement with a 6-point partner drill. The DL must get his hands from the ground to his keys as fast as possible. We also do a partner drill from stances where the OL takes one step in any direction and the DL must adjust his first step on the fly and get proper hand placement.
Stunting first steps:
When stunting our goal is to get through the OL as fast as possible without being touched. This is a much different concept than our base read defense. As discussed in a prior post on stance, when stunting we will use a slightly narrow base, and if we are stunting across an OL's face our base will need to be even narrower to allow for a wide first step.
The first step is taken with the foot closest to the gap we are stunting. It will be a lateral step, gaining only 6 - 12 inches in vertical movement. The width of the step will depend on how far away the gap is we are stunting to and how active (quick) the OL is we are facing. If the OL is quick then we will need a wider step to get separation.
Once our foot is on the ground we will take an aggressive second step through our gap, past the OL. Notice we are getting past the OL on the second step, we want our hips past his hips once the second step hits the ground. As we drive our leg through the gap we turn our shoulders so our back is facing the OL (this is the "get skinny" part). Our body at this point is perpendicular to the LOS, and we are low to the ground. As our shoulders turn and our leg drives through we dip our shoulder closest to the OL as though we're grabbing a blade of grass (or a turf pebble) off the ground. Then we rip the shoulder through the gap violently in sync with our leg so that our foot, hips and shoulder land past the OL.
We drill our stunt footwork in chutes with an OL key and the DL must grab a cloth off the ground as they dip and drive past the OL.
In coming posts I'll discuss techniques of block destruction and drills we use for each type of block.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Even Front techniques vs double teams & traps
I haven't posted anything about block destruction or technique yet, it will come soon! But, here's a good blog post that covers very similar ways we approach double teams, combination blocks and traps. Give it a read: http://usafootball.com/blogs/fundamentals-and-performance/post/10378/defensive-line-techniques-for-defeating-doubleteam-blocks
Thursday, June 11, 2015
How Important is a Rivalry?
I attended an athletic department meeting last evening for coaches of all sports here at Groves. At one point in the meeting the discussion shifted to how important it is for every sport to win "that game". "That game" referring to our biggest rival, of course. It got me thinking about how important it is to have a rivalry.
I grew up in Port Huron, where we had (they still do, of course) two high schools with similar enrollments and vastly different populations. I recall tagging along with any friend's parents I could find that were going to the game when I was young (my mother wasn't much of a sports fan). The stadium would fill with kids, students, adults, alumni, etc. all decked out in blue on one side of the stadium and red on the other. "That game" every year for us at Northern was huge. I'm reluctant to admit that my junior year we were a part of the first football team to lose "that game" in 14 years. We were crushed, to the point where we were embarrassed to show our faces around town because we feared that we'd run into someone from PHHS that would gloat or we'd run into an alum of PHN that chastised us for breaking the streak. Of course neither really happened that much, but the passion you felt as a player skewed your perception of reality. I remember purposefully avoiding filling up at the gas station closest to my house for an entire year because the clerk I interacted with most frequently was a PH alum and I just didn't want to hear it from him.
Of course I also grew up a huge fan of the University of Michigan, and then went on to graduate from there, so I also claim a stake in the greatest rivalry in college sports (sorry Auburn & Alabama, you got nothing on us!). Being on campus the week of "the game" is a transcendental experience. Classes? Studying? Man, it doesn't happen. All anyone cares about is beating the team down south. There's tailgates all week, blood drives, you name it. But, the best part is that the spirit of the rivalry persists all year, and across sports and academics. My favorite professors would crack jokes during lectures about OSU (such as the Differential Equations professor who made a mistake on a problem in class and when corrected by a student replied "just making sure there weren't any Buckeyes in here").
So, why is a rivalry important? The first answer is easy...it's fun! Pep rallies and marching bands playing fight songs make for a great atmosphere. The packed crowds, the student sections screaming at each other. The experience leading up to "that game" and the year-round passionate responses when "that team" is mentioned. It's just plain fun!
Secondly, it's unifying. "That game", regardless of the sport, brings out the largest crowds of the year. The community is involved, the student body is engaged. Kids that don't play the sport, or any sport, still care and even if they don't go to the game they want to know the outcome. It's an opportunity for people of all different walks of life to unite in a common goal. Alumni come out in droves to support the team, even if their record isn't great that year. Because all that matters is winning "that game"! But what is cool about the rival game is that success trickles over into the school. The halls buzz with excitement, kids are engaged in academics more because there is a sense of pride in their school. As a teacher, it really is interesting to sit back and observe the general atmosphere of the building on a day to day basis. The atmosphere most definitely swings, positively or negatively, on the outcome of "that game".
Lastly, it provides those who participate in it an ownership and sense of pride. Regardless the outcome each year, everyone who played in "that game" will remember the experience and be proud of it. There's no need for pregame speeches to fire up the players, everyone gives their best effort in "that game", and every year after the stories become more exaggerated!
I feel lucky to have grown up in such a rivalry and now coach in one. Rivalries are an important part of sports that affect the entire school community, and the lessons learned by participating in a rivalry game are applicable to business and professional life as well.
*A careful reader will notice that I refer to a general rivalry game as "that game", while I refer to the UM-OSU game as "the game". Go Blue!
I grew up in Port Huron, where we had (they still do, of course) two high schools with similar enrollments and vastly different populations. I recall tagging along with any friend's parents I could find that were going to the game when I was young (my mother wasn't much of a sports fan). The stadium would fill with kids, students, adults, alumni, etc. all decked out in blue on one side of the stadium and red on the other. "That game" every year for us at Northern was huge. I'm reluctant to admit that my junior year we were a part of the first football team to lose "that game" in 14 years. We were crushed, to the point where we were embarrassed to show our faces around town because we feared that we'd run into someone from PHHS that would gloat or we'd run into an alum of PHN that chastised us for breaking the streak. Of course neither really happened that much, but the passion you felt as a player skewed your perception of reality. I remember purposefully avoiding filling up at the gas station closest to my house for an entire year because the clerk I interacted with most frequently was a PH alum and I just didn't want to hear it from him.
Of course I also grew up a huge fan of the University of Michigan, and then went on to graduate from there, so I also claim a stake in the greatest rivalry in college sports (sorry Auburn & Alabama, you got nothing on us!). Being on campus the week of "the game" is a transcendental experience. Classes? Studying? Man, it doesn't happen. All anyone cares about is beating the team down south. There's tailgates all week, blood drives, you name it. But, the best part is that the spirit of the rivalry persists all year, and across sports and academics. My favorite professors would crack jokes during lectures about OSU (such as the Differential Equations professor who made a mistake on a problem in class and when corrected by a student replied "just making sure there weren't any Buckeyes in here").
So, why is a rivalry important? The first answer is easy...it's fun! Pep rallies and marching bands playing fight songs make for a great atmosphere. The packed crowds, the student sections screaming at each other. The experience leading up to "that game" and the year-round passionate responses when "that team" is mentioned. It's just plain fun!
Secondly, it's unifying. "That game", regardless of the sport, brings out the largest crowds of the year. The community is involved, the student body is engaged. Kids that don't play the sport, or any sport, still care and even if they don't go to the game they want to know the outcome. It's an opportunity for people of all different walks of life to unite in a common goal. Alumni come out in droves to support the team, even if their record isn't great that year. Because all that matters is winning "that game"! But what is cool about the rival game is that success trickles over into the school. The halls buzz with excitement, kids are engaged in academics more because there is a sense of pride in their school. As a teacher, it really is interesting to sit back and observe the general atmosphere of the building on a day to day basis. The atmosphere most definitely swings, positively or negatively, on the outcome of "that game".
Lastly, it provides those who participate in it an ownership and sense of pride. Regardless the outcome each year, everyone who played in "that game" will remember the experience and be proud of it. There's no need for pregame speeches to fire up the players, everyone gives their best effort in "that game", and every year after the stories become more exaggerated!
I feel lucky to have grown up in such a rivalry and now coach in one. Rivalries are an important part of sports that affect the entire school community, and the lessons learned by participating in a rivalry game are applicable to business and professional life as well.
*A careful reader will notice that I refer to a general rivalry game as "that game", while I refer to the UM-OSU game as "the game". Go Blue!
Monday, June 8, 2015
Why Football Matters
In January of this year I heard Jim Harbaugh speak at the MHSFCA clinic. Part of his discussion was this idea that the sport of football is under attack, and as coaches we are responsible for positively campaigning for the sport we hold dear. In March I attended the University of Michigan coaches clinic where John Harbaugh gave the keynote speech. His talk echoed the sentiments of his brother and then went on to discuss why football is an integral part of American society, especially for young men. Shortly thereafter the Baltimore Ravens published an article written by John, "Why Football Matters". I recommend anyone interested in the sport of football, especially those who are currently condemning it, to read John's article - here's a link: http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Why-Football-Matters-By-John-Harbaugh-/4aeda6f9-1ade-4a1a-88a5-51ef73e20a9a.
My wife is a human resources generalist at an automotive supplier in the Detroit area. As part of her duties, she recruits and interviews potential candidates applying for jobs at the company. Recently much of our discussions at the dinner table center upon how hard she is finding it to hire quality individuals. A minimum qualification for working at my wife's company on the production floor is a high school diploma or GED. Reflecting upon my daily conversations at home and the talks from John and Jim Harbaugh, I think a good question to ask of all job applicants is, "Did you play organized sports in high school, and in particular did you play football?" While all sports teach common values such as dedication, commitment, perseverance, hard work, etc., football does all of these things and more.
A large problem my wife's company has right now is high turnover, employees quitting after a short period of time. I have been coaching football since 2002, starting out by coaching middle school linemen. I've worked with young men (and even a few young ladies) from 7th grade through senior year, and I've seen first hand how football changes, or rather, molds young individuals. I've witnessed how those who chose not to stick with football found it easier to quit other things in their lives, too. Our Head Coach, Brendan Flaherty, always says, "the first time you quit is the hardest." His statement implies that each time thereafter it becomes easier to quit something, and he is 100% correct! Football teaches commitment and discipline. It is hard to get up at 6AM on an August morning knowing you're about to spend 8 of the next 14 hours conditioning and practicing, putting your body and mind through a battery of drills and tests of fortitude. It's even more difficult to get up at 6AM the next day to do it again! But we all did it, and our kids do it now, every year for preseason practices.
Football is also the ultimate team sport, and teaches the value of putting forth one's best effort all of the time, as well as being accountable to others. What people see on TV or on Friday nights at the locals stadium is that all 11 guys on the field have to contribute their best effort each play, because even one guy missing an assignment or giving poor effort can result in a game-changing play. What people don't see is that at practice during the week the same is true of EVERY athlete. It takes a full team effort to prepare for the opponent. If the scout team left tackle gives poor effort and doesn't execute his assignments in practice, the defensive end will play poorly on game day. Knowing that the team depends on you, needs you there every day to give your best effort every time makes you accountable to your teammates and coaches. It may be hard to get up at 6AM, but you'll do it in part because you know others are depending on you.
Football teaches delayed gratification. In today's world everything is instant. Need to know something right now, search it online and your answer appears in seconds. I also teach high school mathematics, and I fight this mentality daily when I pose problems to the class that require strategy and perseverance, because students are engrained with the notion of "I want it now" types of answers. In football, gratification only comes at the end of a game or a season. Gratification comes in the form of being able to look at a teammate in the eye and know that each gave his all on the field that night (of course, wins are also gratifying, but are not always as frequent!). Athletes have to train all winter, spring and summer and then endure rigorous practices and meetings in preseason and finally a week of specific preparation for an opponent before even getting the opportunity to play a game. Then, maybe at the end of the night an athlete can feel gratified. Imagine working for an employer where you trained for 9 months before getting your first paycheck, and you won't know exactly how much that check is for because it will depend on the outcome of your performance only on that last day.
As Jim Harbaugh said in January, "football teaches toughness." Football is hard. It's physically and mentally demanding, more so than any other sport in my opinion. In a football game things will go wrong, you'll have adversity. Your team will give up a big play, or a key athlete will get injured, or you'll turn the ball over at an inopportune time. Well, I can guarantee that everyone will face adversity in his or her life, too. Losing a job, losing a loved one, a cheating spouse, whatever. Everyone will face some adversities, sometimes on a daily basis. And while other sports can also teach perseverance, the mental and physical toughness taught by playing football equips young men with the capability to face the toughest of life's challenges.
"Isn't football primarily a sport played by the alpha males?" I hear forms of this question every year from the young men I approach to play football that aren't quite sure of it. My answer is, "Yes, it is. And don't you want to become such a person?" I think what Jim alluded to, and I will state outright, is that we need more alpha males, or, more precisely, we need to develop more tough men, with strong character, who are disciplined and can persevere through adversity, and who are reliable and accountable. These are the kinds of people we want as future leaders. These are the men my wife needs to hire at her company. This is what football is all about!
 |
| Jim & John Harbaugh at the University of Michigan's Coaches Clinic, March 2015 (photo courtesy of MLive) |
My wife is a human resources generalist at an automotive supplier in the Detroit area. As part of her duties, she recruits and interviews potential candidates applying for jobs at the company. Recently much of our discussions at the dinner table center upon how hard she is finding it to hire quality individuals. A minimum qualification for working at my wife's company on the production floor is a high school diploma or GED. Reflecting upon my daily conversations at home and the talks from John and Jim Harbaugh, I think a good question to ask of all job applicants is, "Did you play organized sports in high school, and in particular did you play football?" While all sports teach common values such as dedication, commitment, perseverance, hard work, etc., football does all of these things and more.
A large problem my wife's company has right now is high turnover, employees quitting after a short period of time. I have been coaching football since 2002, starting out by coaching middle school linemen. I've worked with young men (and even a few young ladies) from 7th grade through senior year, and I've seen first hand how football changes, or rather, molds young individuals. I've witnessed how those who chose not to stick with football found it easier to quit other things in their lives, too. Our Head Coach, Brendan Flaherty, always says, "the first time you quit is the hardest." His statement implies that each time thereafter it becomes easier to quit something, and he is 100% correct! Football teaches commitment and discipline. It is hard to get up at 6AM on an August morning knowing you're about to spend 8 of the next 14 hours conditioning and practicing, putting your body and mind through a battery of drills and tests of fortitude. It's even more difficult to get up at 6AM the next day to do it again! But we all did it, and our kids do it now, every year for preseason practices.
Football is also the ultimate team sport, and teaches the value of putting forth one's best effort all of the time, as well as being accountable to others. What people see on TV or on Friday nights at the locals stadium is that all 11 guys on the field have to contribute their best effort each play, because even one guy missing an assignment or giving poor effort can result in a game-changing play. What people don't see is that at practice during the week the same is true of EVERY athlete. It takes a full team effort to prepare for the opponent. If the scout team left tackle gives poor effort and doesn't execute his assignments in practice, the defensive end will play poorly on game day. Knowing that the team depends on you, needs you there every day to give your best effort every time makes you accountable to your teammates and coaches. It may be hard to get up at 6AM, but you'll do it in part because you know others are depending on you.
Football teaches delayed gratification. In today's world everything is instant. Need to know something right now, search it online and your answer appears in seconds. I also teach high school mathematics, and I fight this mentality daily when I pose problems to the class that require strategy and perseverance, because students are engrained with the notion of "I want it now" types of answers. In football, gratification only comes at the end of a game or a season. Gratification comes in the form of being able to look at a teammate in the eye and know that each gave his all on the field that night (of course, wins are also gratifying, but are not always as frequent!). Athletes have to train all winter, spring and summer and then endure rigorous practices and meetings in preseason and finally a week of specific preparation for an opponent before even getting the opportunity to play a game. Then, maybe at the end of the night an athlete can feel gratified. Imagine working for an employer where you trained for 9 months before getting your first paycheck, and you won't know exactly how much that check is for because it will depend on the outcome of your performance only on that last day.
As Jim Harbaugh said in January, "football teaches toughness." Football is hard. It's physically and mentally demanding, more so than any other sport in my opinion. In a football game things will go wrong, you'll have adversity. Your team will give up a big play, or a key athlete will get injured, or you'll turn the ball over at an inopportune time. Well, I can guarantee that everyone will face adversity in his or her life, too. Losing a job, losing a loved one, a cheating spouse, whatever. Everyone will face some adversities, sometimes on a daily basis. And while other sports can also teach perseverance, the mental and physical toughness taught by playing football equips young men with the capability to face the toughest of life's challenges.
"Isn't football primarily a sport played by the alpha males?" I hear forms of this question every year from the young men I approach to play football that aren't quite sure of it. My answer is, "Yes, it is. And don't you want to become such a person?" I think what Jim alluded to, and I will state outright, is that we need more alpha males, or, more precisely, we need to develop more tough men, with strong character, who are disciplined and can persevere through adversity, and who are reliable and accountable. These are the kinds of people we want as future leaders. These are the men my wife needs to hire at her company. This is what football is all about!
Friday, June 5, 2015
1. STANCE
For a defensive line blog it only makes sense that the first post be about stance. This is where it all starts! A poor stance will lead to poor results. A good stance, you have a chance! As a D-Lineman, you primarily have two types of movements, either you're read stepping or you're stunting. Each movement has a slightly different stance.
Read step (base defense) stance: When read stepping you want to have the ability to adjust where your first step lands based upon the movement of your OL key. To do this, you need a fairly balanced stance. Begin by getting your feet shoulder-width apart (the outside of your shoulder should be in plane with the inside of your feet). Your shade foot is the back foot, since this is the foot you are stepping with first. You should have a toe-heel relationship with your feet, so your shade foot toes are even with your other foot's heel.
If you use a 3 point stance, now, bend at your hips and knees into a squatting position and place your shade hand on the ground at a point in front of your helmet. You should have to reach slightly to get to this point, but not too much. Once your hand is on the ground you should feel most of your weight on the insides of your feet. Your back, when looked at from the side view, should be flat or even have a slight forward lean (shoulders below hips). If your back is angled upward at all, you need more reach with your down hand. Your off-hand should be up near your head ready for contact, do not let it rest on your thigh!
If you use a 4 point stance, start from your knees and place both hands on the ground out in front of you. Get your feet into the proper alignment described above, then raise up your hips so that your back is flat, as described above. If your back is angled up, bring your feet up underneath you more and elevate your butt. Both of your knees should form right angles.
Stunt stance: If you are stunting then you will be taking an aggressive first step into the gap you are stunting. This means you will want a slightly narrower base and more forward lean. Begin by getting your feet inside of shoulder width so that the outside of your shoulders are in plane with the outside of your feet. You want a toe-instep relationship with your feet (instead of toe-heel), and the back foot will be the foot nearest the gap you are stunting since your first step will be with this foot.
For a 3 point stance, place your down hand well out in front of your helmet so that you have to reach for it. Most of your weight should be on your down hand and your toes. Your hips should be above your shoulders so that you have a downward lean towards the line of scrimmage.
For a 4 point stance, get both hands well out in front of you and raise up so that your hips are above your shoulders. Your knees should form obtuse angles.
Regardless of which post-snap movement you are doing, your eyes need to be locked onto your key once you're in your stance. Block out all offensive communication, listen only to your guys, and focus your eyes on your key and be ready to pounce once it moves!
Read step (base defense) stance: When read stepping you want to have the ability to adjust where your first step lands based upon the movement of your OL key. To do this, you need a fairly balanced stance. Begin by getting your feet shoulder-width apart (the outside of your shoulder should be in plane with the inside of your feet). Your shade foot is the back foot, since this is the foot you are stepping with first. You should have a toe-heel relationship with your feet, so your shade foot toes are even with your other foot's heel.
If you use a 3 point stance, now, bend at your hips and knees into a squatting position and place your shade hand on the ground at a point in front of your helmet. You should have to reach slightly to get to this point, but not too much. Once your hand is on the ground you should feel most of your weight on the insides of your feet. Your back, when looked at from the side view, should be flat or even have a slight forward lean (shoulders below hips). If your back is angled upward at all, you need more reach with your down hand. Your off-hand should be up near your head ready for contact, do not let it rest on your thigh!
If you use a 4 point stance, start from your knees and place both hands on the ground out in front of you. Get your feet into the proper alignment described above, then raise up your hips so that your back is flat, as described above. If your back is angled up, bring your feet up underneath you more and elevate your butt. Both of your knees should form right angles.
Stunt stance: If you are stunting then you will be taking an aggressive first step into the gap you are stunting. This means you will want a slightly narrower base and more forward lean. Begin by getting your feet inside of shoulder width so that the outside of your shoulders are in plane with the outside of your feet. You want a toe-instep relationship with your feet (instead of toe-heel), and the back foot will be the foot nearest the gap you are stunting since your first step will be with this foot.
For a 3 point stance, place your down hand well out in front of your helmet so that you have to reach for it. Most of your weight should be on your down hand and your toes. Your hips should be above your shoulders so that you have a downward lean towards the line of scrimmage.
For a 4 point stance, get both hands well out in front of you and raise up so that your hips are above your shoulders. Your knees should form obtuse angles.
Regardless of which post-snap movement you are doing, your eyes need to be locked onto your key once you're in your stance. Block out all offensive communication, listen only to your guys, and focus your eyes on your key and be ready to pounce once it moves!
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| Notice the hips above the shoulders, obtuse angles in knees and eyes focused on his key! |
 | ||||
| Notice the flat back, good knee angles, off hand ready, and eyes focused on the key! |
Groves Football - DLine Blog
Wylie E. Groves High School is a public school in Beverly Hills, Michigan, part of the Birmingham Public Schools, just north of Southfield, Michigan, and northwest of Detroit, Michigan. The football program offers 9th grade, JV, and Varsity levels, and competes in the Oakland Activities Association.
This blog is ALL FOOTBALL! I will post specific things for the varsity (and subvarsity) Defensive linemen. I will also post topics about the sport in general. Posts with numbers will be technique posts.
This blog is ALL FOOTBALL! I will post specific things for the varsity (and subvarsity) Defensive linemen. I will also post topics about the sport in general. Posts with numbers will be technique posts.
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