atching blocks is major issue for D-lines across the nation. Rather than shooting out with aggression, D-Linemen will hitch their punch, strike with minimal force and let their opponent carve them out of their gap.
Luckily two of the top coaches in football, coach Clint Hurtt (OC for Seattle Seahawks) & Eric Henderson (DL for LA Rams) have a few tips to combat this issue.
Tip #1: Roll out of your hips
The hips are the foundation from where power is generated and if you aren't using your hips to generate force off of the ball then you're gonna be in trouble.
That's why Coach Hurtt teaches his players to roll out of their hips so they can generate horizontal force off the ball and into their man.
Tip #2: Keep a flat back
Defensive line is a game of leverage and the best levers aren't crooked they're straight.
To enforce this, Coach Hurtt teaches his players to keep a flat back so they can transfer all the power they've generated from their hips through their back/hands and into their man.
Tip #3: Strike with one motion
The first man to make contact will win the battle for leverage. So, Coach Henderson teaches his D-Line to punch from ground through the man in one single motion with zero hitches.
Tip #4: Strike through the man not to the man
Your hands are the levers through which force from your hips are transferred; but if you're stopping your punch when you make contact, you're applying half the force you could be.
Coach Henderson on the other hand teaches to strike "through the man" to get his D-Line to apply maximal force through their opponent.
Well that's it for today. As always would love to hear any feedback you have or ideas on what I can write about next.
And whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
Join 13k+ subscribers receiving the D-Line Examples Newsletter
Every other Tuesday you'll receive one short actionable D-Line case study
More from
Block Destruction
category
