![]() “No matter how good your first two steps are, if you don’t follow through and finish the block, good defensive linemen will disengage from you and be able to get past you,” Ciocci said. PASS PROTECTION FUNDAMENTALS: Watch the Continuous Set Drill by the Green Bay Packers and see how they develop their kick slide technique and an excellent hand punch. Finally, the offensive player must work his hips and hands to steer the defender away from point of attack and the ball-carrier’s path. The lineman must continue to work body and hand position to stay connected to the defender and maintain control. The final blocking step is the finish in which the lineman keeps his wide base, accelerates his feet and continues the leg drive to capitalize on stick and stick. The offensive lineman will have inside and underneath position, staying compact and closing the space inside the defender’s frame. After the offensive lineman strikes the defender with his hands, he will need to keep a wide base and forcefully sink his hips to maintain lavage and create a power angle in the lower body. The second step, or strike, is another six-inch step, this time with the opposite foot in which the offensive lineman launches his arms forward to initiate contact with the defender, preferably around his pectoral area. “If your ends get out of position during this step, that’s how you end up getting called for a lot of holding penalties.” “With the get off, I always tell my guys to reach for your holstered pistols like a cowboy,” Ciocci said. Get off is the first step a lineman takes right after the snap to put himself in position to make a block, usually a small six-inch step while cocking his arms back and maintaining a flat back. The result of these upper body positions is that the player is able to keep his head and eyesup and focused on the defender in front of him. The shoulders should be pulled back with the chest puffed out, and the back should be flat enough to rest a bottle of water on top of it. Both hand positions will naturally tighten the elbows. Moving up to the hands, the hand corresponding to which side of the line a player is on – right hand for right side, left hand for left side – should be down at the waist and ready to explode up while the opposite hand should be in front of the rib cage. Vice versa on the other side of the line. Linemen on the right side should keep their right foot slightly further back than the left foot. Keeping the feet and shoulders aligned gives linemen a solid base. It’s important to keep both feet firmly on the ground to maintain balance and not lean forward on the toes. If you don’t start in proper position, your pad level and your feet will be off, and you won’t be able to generate any explosiveness.” “It will affect footwork on that critical first step and the ability to make initial contact with the defender. “I can’t overstate the importance of a proper stance,” Ciocci said. The last thing you want is a bunch of false start penalties or late first steps because you can’t figure out the snap count.” Train your body to respond to his snap count. “You need to learn your QB’s cadence, learn how he speaks and the rhythm of his snap count. “I always emphasize getting off on snap count,” Ciocci said. Steven Ciocci, a four-year starter on the offensive line at Wagner University and the current offensive line coach at Pace University, recently shared his thoughts on the most important techniques for young offensive linemen to practice and the proper way to perform each one. With minimal on-camera time and no fantasy stats, football games are most often won and lost in the trenches. And because of the initial alignment (outside shade), every defender (versus standard receiver splits) is taught to use their help inside.Offensive linemen are the unsung heroes of every football team. This gives the defense two levels of “help” in Cover 1 (free safety over the top, Mike ‘backer underneath). This is done to help inside on the short-to-intermediate passing game versus concepts such as the slant or Hi-Lo (inside crossing routes). ![]() That leaves the "Mike" linebacker to drop as the underneath hole defender. If the running backs block, the linebackers can use a “green dog” technique (rush to coverage) or zone up underneath to read the quarterback. Underneath, the linebackers ("Sam" and "Will") match the first running back strong/weak. He drops down into the front and aligns from an outside leverage position to drive to the hip of the tight end in order to use his help on any inside breaking route. Both cornerbacks play the No.1 receivers from an outside leverage position: Z receiver on the closed (strong) side with the U tight end to the open (weak) side (the second tight end becomes the X receiver in Tank/22 personnel).
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