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.
No comments:
Post a Comment