Developing Blocking

Fundamentals, the Drive

I t is an honor to contribute to this year’s
Summer Manual. Every year many of us
get something that helps us become better
will concentrate on what they don’t want if
we constantly are coaching them in what
we don’t want them to do. Our head coach,
Block and Double Team coaches from the Summer Manual. I hope to Ron Turner, reminds us to leave the don’ts
be able to give you something that will help out of our coaching and emphasize exactly
make your players better blockers. what we want, with great detail, everyday.
Maybe the most basic fundamental is Our basic block is the drive block. We
not a physical one. It is instilling confi- use this block more than any other. Our
dence in our players. Our blockers must approach may change but at contact we
believe they can block their man, and they want to execute a drive block 90 percent of
must believe that we have confidence in the time.
them to be able to block. The players
know whether we have confidence in Drive Block Objectives:
them or not. We as coaches better be con- 1. Get and maintain leverage on defender.
vinced that our man can block the defend- There are two kinds of leverage we are
er by the time we get to our first meeting always after:
of game week or our linemen will know. Pad Leverage: Aim our pads under the
They cannot be afraid to fail or they will defender’s pads. We want to be under the
play uptight. Emphasize and coach funda- defender to take his charge coming at us
mentals and the blocker will have the best and knock him back and up with our pads
chance for success. (Redirect his force).
Offense has two main advantages: Hand Leverage: To get our hands
Snap Count: It is not an advantage if inside the defender’s hands with power, we
you cannot use two or three of them. Must emphasize elbows in. If our elbows stay at
practice it from Day 1. First day of practice our side, tight, we have the best chance to
all snap counts are in. Commit to it and you get inside leverage. If you watch film from
will have an advantage. behind, the blocker should look armless.
Direction of the Ball: We want our You can have your hands inside but your
Harry Hiestand blocker’s helmet to the playside of the elbows may be out. We are stronger with
defender. Never let him cross your helmet. our elbows in.
Assistant Head Before we can improve our players as 2. Get our pad into defender’s chest.
Coach/Offensive Line Coach blockers and get them ready for a game, We would like to get our backside shoul-
three things must take place in practice, der into the defender’s chest. Once we are
University of Illinois remembering that they play the way they in there, we are in control. With our pad
practice: under his pad and into his chest, we have
Champaign, Ill. 1. Two speeds in practice. Walk through a great chance to succeed.
and full speed. To teach a specific concept 3. Move the defender and keep him
it may be best to walk through it to get a from the ball carrier.
clear understanding. Most of practice We are working to drive him, not turn
should be full speed. Individual drills must him. We must drive the backside leg to the
be all out by both the blocker and the defender and up the field. When our back
defender. If either one is not giving great leg stops gaining ground, we no longer get
effort, we have no drill. The culprit is usual- movement and might as well be pass
ly the defender. We challenge him regular- blocking. Our leg drive moves the defender
ly to make the blocker work for 5-10 sec- once we earn leverage.
onds in every drill. Stance: Is a critical fundamental that we
2. Be sure that everything we ask the pay less attention to as the season goes
blocker to do in practice will help him play on. It is important that our players can do
his best in the game. Think about it, be what we ask of them without wasted motion
sure you are not doing a drill just to be or false steps. Blocking is tough enough
fashionable or because you are bored with without wasting time because of a poor
basic fundamental drills. We must work to stance. We run and pass block evenly so
master the fundamentals to be effective we need a balanced stance here at Illinois.
blockers. The best stance for your players depends
3. The players must know exactly what on your offense and what you ask your
we want them to do and concentrate on blockers to do.
that specific fundamental. We must be spe- Feet: Wider than shoulders. Toes slight-
cific and clear. If we try to tell them too ly out. Weight to inside of feet. Stagger toe
much, they will become confused. Players to instep.

• AFCA Summer Manual — 2001 •

 Knees: Bent facing forward or inside of • Driving knees to defender helps keep Diagram 3: Pinch
feet. our feet under us. Cannot block without our
Shoulders: Parallel to line of scrim- feet under us.
mage (keep them level). • Blocker needs to work to be square on
Hands: Down hand under chin, off hand to defender to allow the running back a two
rest on thigh. way go.
Head: Eyes up, sight defenders through • By driving our knees to the defender,
eyebrows. we keep from getting over extended and
Coaching Point: If a blocker is strug- are able to finish.
gling getting something done for you,
always check the stance to see if it is hold- General Review Blocker: Second step into defender.
ing him back. 1. Stance we can move from. Drive knees, keep him pinched.
First Step: The first step must give us 2. First step to get leverage. Defender: Pinch hard to gap, penetrate,
a chance to get into position to get lever- 3. Keep feet underneath us. react to the ball.
age on the defender. The defender’s 4. Pad under pad — get to defender’s (Michael, age 10, helped with drawings.)
alignment will dictate the width and depth chest. Double Team: There are several versions
of the step. The step must allow the 5. Drive back arm, shoulder, leg. of double team blocks. We look for double
blocker to bring his back shoulder, arm, 6. Eyes to arm pit, look it in. team opportunities in every play we run.
and leg into the defender. We want to get 7. Drive knees to finish. Keeps pressure It is critical that we block the line of
and keep our helmet to the playside of into defender. scrimmage first. Our goal is to always give
the defender. If our first step is a bad 8. “Never give up.” our running back a chance by eliminating
one, we spend the rest of the block trying (Matthew, age 8, wanted that in the article!) penetration to allow our back to get started.
to recover from it. It is critical on the first To drill our drive block we will line up To teach the double team concept, we align
step that our eyes are on the aiming point across a line with our back foot close to the two blockers with about a one-and-a-half
(arm pit). line so we can easily follow the second foot split with a defender in the gap. We
Second Step: Must go into defender, step. We want leverage, then go like hell. also place a linebacker about four yards
gaining ground. Man drive block, the We like to go one at a time to be able to behind the down defender.
second step must be at defender where watch each man. We emphasize driving
ever he goes. There may be slight hesi- defender vs pressure, 10 yards everytime. Blockers
tation. Zone drive block, the blocker now Defender: Align in tight shade. Deliver a • Short step with near foot to the
has help from backside, the second step blow, anchor and make blocker work for defender.
can go past crotch of defender, full leverage. At times we want defender to try • Near number aim point, eyes on line-
speed. to cross blocker ’s face. backer.
• The wider the defender, the more width • Inside foot should stay ahead of out-
Diagram 1: Tight Alignment
you must get with the back of the foot. side foot.
(Full Line)
• Type of play and depth of ball carrier • Hips should be tight, strain, lift, bring
is also a factor. If tailback at seven yards is knees to defender.
ball carrier, we have more time to get lever- • Blockers will both drive to the line-
age and block. We must be in sync with backer. Always drive through the down line-
running back. If fullback at four to five yards men, leverage and back leg through. Get
is getting the ball, we will be more aggres- body between defender and ball carrier.
sive with second step.
• Make your back foot and knee go Defenders
toward defender vs. pressure from defend- Back guard and tackle are working on • Defensive linemen, anchor down and
er. If you give in, the back leg will not gain backside blocks. try to split double team and move to the
ground and you will not get movement on side of the blocker that comes off for the
Diagram 2: Loose Alignment
defender. linebacker (to the ball carrier).
(Half Line)
Contact: Drive backside, front edge of • Linebacker, pause then flow down hill
shoulder pad to defender’s chest. Eyes close to the defensive linemen (flow, do not
to target: Armpit. Back arm in and under sprint).
defender. Every muscle strains through • Both defenders must play low and
aim point with body in the same line. make blockers finish by going to the ball.
Helmet must be kept to the playside, we We always start with the double drill.
never want him to cross our face. Blockers must learn to work together on a
Follow Through: Run through defend- down defender. Then we move the defend-
er, get as much ground as you can. Drive Blocker: More width with back foot. ers around to get the different angles that
knees to defender, lift, strain as you go. Aim point in armpit. Knee to armpit. we need including linebacker dogs with
Keep helmet playside and look defender in Defender: Loose shade, attack, lever- down linemen movement on the snap of
the eyes to help get square on him. age, fight to keep outside leverage. the ball.

• AFCA Summer Manual — 2001 •