Solo d-line workouts

few weeks ago, I sent out 10 off-season workouts to improve your block destruction and pass rush skills. Shortly after finishing the post I received the below email.

Although I felt like I put together some pretty solid workouts, I realized that I didn't include any that an athlete could do completely on their own (and with little equipment).

So, for this week's D-Line Examples, I've created 4 different workouts that do just that. Enjoy!

Note: Many of these drills are from Coach Tep and Nico Trenches so make sure to check them out on social media! Both are amazing DL coaches!

At home pass rush drills

Below is a list of pass rush drills you can practice as much as you want while you're at home.

Corner hip flip

The corners of your house are a great place to practice flipping your hips, turning the corner and coordinating hands and feet. Make sure to concentrate on pointing your toe and finishing with a rip.

Buddy blocks

Whether it's your mom trying to hug you or a friend going in for a high five, you can use these as opportunities to practice your pass rush moves.

Note: Make sure to give you're mom some real hugs to make up for using her as a pass rush dummy

Visualizing get off

The best way to practice get off at home is to visualize it. To do this, go to Youtube, type in "CFB full games" and during the game visualize yourself getting off the ball when you see first movement on the LOS.

At home block destruction workout

This next group of block destruction drills you can also execute whenever you have free time at home.

Stance holds (30 second holds)

When trying out a new stance it may take some time to get comfortable in it. So whether you prefer a 2-point, 3-point or 4-point stance you should use stance holds to get comfortable staying in your stance for long periods of time.

Wall strikes

You can practice striking with violence and precision with wall strikes. All you need to do for this drill is find a rectangular piece of wall (shoulder width), start with hands pronated (by your waist), shoot your hands on a straight path and strike with thumbs up.

Quick hands drill

Hand speed is critical to striking your opponent first. So use the quick hands drill to practice punching from ground to man as quickly as possible. All you need is a rectangular flat surface.

Note: The below image shows this drill being executed on a goal post, but it can be executed on any shoulder width surface.

On field pass rush workout

Next time you find yourself next to some turf, use the below workout to improve your 1st step, rush path and pass rush moves.

Big step (10 reps each side)

Gaining green grass on your first step helps you close distance and threaten your opponent. Use the big step drill to practice this by taking as big of a 1st step as possible.

Note: use a cone or line to measure your 1st step and try to beat it.

Rush path (10 reps each side)

When pass rushing, you have to threaten your opponent with an aggressive rush path to get him to shoot his hands. Here's a drill to practice this by rushing on a tilt, closing distance and stabbing aggressively.

Note: You can use a cone instead of a bag.

Shadow rush (10 reps each side)

This one is all about visualization. Simulate your steps, hands and hip flip with any pass rush move you want to learn.

Note: this can be done on a bag or air.

On field block destruction workout

This final workout will help you to improve your explosion and run footwork. Enjoy!

Matt explosion (5 jumps x 4 sets)

Explosion comes from your hips and what better way to practice throwing your hips then with matt explosion. All you need to do is start on your knees with hips loaded, explode your hips and land on your feet.

Hill explosion (5 jumps x 4 sets)

Next, practice full body explosion, by finding the nearest inclined surface and jumping up it. Make sure to fully extend your hips and pinch the penny on your jumps.

Note: You can also do this on a flat surface if you can't find a hill.

1, 2 step (10 reps x each side)

Lastly, improve your footwork using the 1, 2 step drill. Simply explode from your hips, shoot your hands and follow with the feet.

That's all for this week folks! I hope you all enjoyed these workouts and can use them to improve yourself or your D-Line. See ya next week!

And whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. Learn how to develop top tier pass rushers and a lethal pass rush attack here (1,000+ students)
2. Learn how to turn your D-Line into a block destruction machine here (1,100+ students)

-Craig

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