Defensive Line - Run Block Techniques

Our defense is grounded in the belief that playing great run defense is about maintaining gap integrity. We believe that playing shades, either inside or outside, is the best way to put our athletes in a position to be successful at maintaining their gap. Their job is to control their gap by controlling their shade.

We don't always have the athletes with intangibles that the next levels are look for, but we know you can play great defense with average athletes. Those average athletes can be great by playing with good technique and a fanatical effort. Those two factors are within their control, genetics is not. As coaches we can only really control one factor; technique. If we over complicate teaching technique we won't allow our athletes to play with the effort we desire. This is the fine line every coach tries to walk!

We teach our DL that your shade, when it comes to run blocking, can only do three things. He can either come at you (Base Block), go away from you (Down Block), or try to get to your outside shoulder (Reach Block). Yes, you can get double teamed but the way we teach that technique is just the same as a base block. Teaching three techniques allows us to play every run scheme and get a ton of reps every week.

After we walk-through each of the three run blocks we will discuss escape techniques that are a crucial part of block destruction. We will also discuss the core of our defense philosophy which is dive spill and the different scenarios that can occur.

Lastly, it's important to understand if you are an inside shade you are still playing your shade, you are not going to play the OL inside of you towards the ball. A base block to an outside shade is the same as a down block to an inside shade.

BASE BLOCK:

Base blocks are most often used in zone and iso schemes.

We lineup one yard off the LOS. Without getting into the specifics of stance, which is often a preference among each DL coach, having that space allows us to fire off the ball and also gives us the time to read the block. Effort off the ball is the paramount to being successful at block destruction.

Our aiming point is always the "v" of the neck of our shade. Attacking the "v" will encourage our pad level to remain lower than our shade. We must not get head up on our shade, a great phrase to use is "play half the man".

Contact is achieved by the "3-point" blow delivery with our hands and crown of our helmet. Our eyes must remain up and the blow delivery is about shocking your shade in order to knock him off his path and balance.

After shocking the shade with our blow delivery we must achieve separation while maintaining our head in the gap. Separation will allow us to use an escape technique to defeat the block and get to "heel line", which will allow us to play on their side of the LOS.

We have defeated the block once we get "butt to butt", which now will allow us to pursue the hip of the ball carrier. When we get to heel line it's important to understand that we have opened up two gaps behind us, which means that we must make the play.

DOWN BLOCK:

Down blocks occur in either gap schemes or zone away.

All block destruction's start the same way; one yard off the LOS, coming off the ball with effort, and attacking the "v" of the neck.

When the "v" of the neck disappears it should indicate that you're getting a down block. Gap exchanges are crucial to maintaining gap integrity. In order to protect our LB's and help with the exchange we must get hands on your shade by punching the near hip, which will disrupt his base just enough to allow the LB to scrape and exchange.

After we have punched the hip we should be in a butt to butt position. Our eyes should now go inside.

We will now work the heel line of the LOS and anticipate taking the dive or spilling a puller. This technique will be discussed later in the article.

REACH BLOCK:

Reach blocks occur in outside zone schemes.

Just like previous two blocks we start 1 yard off the LOS, effort off the ball, and attack the "v" of the neck.

As we deliver our 3-point blow it will likely occur closer to head-up than base block. To maintain gap integrity we need to reposition back to half a man by pushing with our outside arm and pulling with our inside arm to force the OL's shoulders sideways and using our feet to get back to our gap.

With the push pull we should have achieved separation to set up the escape to get to heel line. This should resemble a base block at this point.

Use an escape technique to get butt to butt. Pursue the hip of the ball carrier.

DOUBLE TEAM:

Same starting point as with all other blocks. Defeating a double team is about effort off the ball and attacking the "v" of the neck of your shade.

Deliver 3-point blow to your shade. Don't try and work hands on the other OL, you can't defeat two lineman just focus on your shade.

You must get separation on your shade, then you can push pull him to turn his shoulders. Once your shade is turned then you can split the double team, turning it into just a base block. We don't believe in teaching taking a knee or corkscrewing if it's a stale mate. Don't give your athletes a way out, only except defeating the block!

Shed the base block with an escape technique and get butt to butt. Pursue the hip of the ball carrier.

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES:

DIVE SPILL TECHNIQUE:

After defeating a down block your eyes need to go inside and down the LOS to anticipate to take the dive or spill a puller.

If you have a puller then gain ground down the LOS and attack the inside leg of the puller. Use your outside shoulder to rip through his inside leg and try to create a pile, hoping that you can take out any extra puller and get a two for one.

If you don't see a puller than eyes need to go to the mesh. If RB at you then take dive. If RB away from you then sit and take the cut-back or the QB keep. Here is where you can crash the mesh or sit depending on game plan.

On a flash dive or power read, sometime called the inverted veer, the dive player is now the QB keep.

Teaching your DL to play these three simple block schemes, escape techniques, and playing dive/spill you will ensure that you maintain gap integrity up front and you will be successful against all run schemes.