: Linebacker Play Stance We tesch concepts of stance within parameters that allow some freedom to each individual. One concept has to do with the height of the sence “The farther from contact, the higher and less formal the stance may be. When a linebacker aligns five yards deep from the Tin€ of scrimmage, biocke rise significantly in their attempt to block. The deeper the linebacker can then use a taller stance because he will contact at a higher level : nother concept involves: the base — the first thing a linebacker must learn about stances Most linebackers play with e Zones that is TOO WIDE. In their attempt to get down and ity, they spread thelr fect wide to lower their center of gravity ‘Aithough this does sink the. hips, iLalso restricts movement significantly. Be sure to watch the initial step, it should take a inebocker towerd the ball (Mot reseting the feet) Ifthe defender steps under himself, have him narrow his stance. His frst ‘slep should be clean and outside the base, never move inside his base. ‘As a goneral rule, the football postion” isthe same stance as the athlete would in @ % squat technique (Feet shoulder width apart, chest out, shoulders pinned back, knees bent, but kicked back) Alignment Detenses are often defeated because they simply align Impropery. Put a premium on ting up correctly. This takes no billy Coaches need to train ites a priory, and players must cscipline themselves to align appropriately every time Players can attah proper depth from the lin of scrimmage by always working individual drills on lined fields. A linebacker Careense a depth of four to five yards ithe is deily watching depth by the field markings (landmarks). KEYS ‘Two coaches can use the same scheme with identical techniques and yet differ radicaly with their keys. The keys of the Upfront players musi be coordinated if they are to respond in concert to a multiple of offensive threats, — © ver the years linebacker Keys have ebbed and flowed. With Single Wing and Wing-T attacks, the misdirection of these Sftonses should have linebackers keying linemen, When a linebacker watches a back for his primary movement, he is often led astray BACK KEYS When linebackers key running backs their reactions are usually clear and unsophisticated. The beauty of running back eve is thei simply with double gap responsible linebackers who fast flow Back keys are really tempting park keys ore confidence Builders for inexperienced players. The rules that players usvelly learn are the folowing: When my Key comes to me, | atlack my front-side gap + When my Key goes away, | attack my backside gap c ¢ ‘When my key shows pass block of @ pass route, | drop into my coverage rule. Back keys lend themselves to aggressive, attacking, two-gap players, LINEMEN KEYS Keying a lineman is more complex. Rather than having three basic running back paths, a lineman may have to react to five weight courses. Although itis more complex, the adage of, “inemen rarely (never) lis", i true, they are the truest keys available. ‘with play-action pass, a running back lies. He fakes 2 run and those who key him lose movement tothe receivers. Usually linemen show pass protection. When defending the Winged-T offense, keying backs will result inthe linebacker playing the weakest or lest frequently Used pays (because of the misdirection of this offense). The counter play is popular in nearly all offensive attacks today. Wher ine linebacker correctly reads the players on the line of scrimmage, they will react immediately 1 the right point of attack without any false steps (play-action), linemen are more dificult to read bul are more truthful ‘Another advantage in focusing on linemen is that linebackers can more readily recognize tips from their stances that will fier them to pericular plays Keying linemen makes linebackers more aware of their blocks. When focused on a back key, an unsuspecting linebacker wil often contac a lineman, This can lead to @ poor hitand-shed base ‘TRIANGLE KEYS inanvstiompt to combine the two Keys previously described, many coaches teach keying a triangle of backs, linemen, and the bal It gives the player the potential fast flow ofa back read with the caution of @ puling lineman who says “not so fast” on plays. 4 ‘Re angular system is sound but requires exceptional coaching ability. I also opens the door fora linebacker to guess because he is uncertain 200U((8larty of multiple keys Back reads are very clean althdUch they can be deceiving with play-action passes and counters, Pure line reads are the Pek bot take tremendous discipline and require time to leam. The triangle keys attempt to mesh the two, but at some point one Key must take piri over the other or the linebacker cannot move with confidenceHIT AND SHED = Taking on blockers s the basis of defensive football It is to defense what blocking is to offense. ICa)the defensive players Fate oe ot sormmage rr cake contact with their blockers and discard them while maintaining theif position, @ bell carrer aie eve no dayightat t17e line. He would face a wall of opposite-colored jerseys. Hil and shed Is the act of making aoe rath a blocker and then discarding him while maintaining or moving to an assigned position Soe tickling theht and shed is the most important skill the inebacker must master For the majority of players, teexling is very natural Comverse, the hit and shed can be the mst iffcult fundamental for players to lean and execute Fee rishly regarded ahlete: Is usualy able to impress the coaching staf, his teammates, and himsoff with spurts of Inorassive play, even though he may lack sound basics He is offen simply stronger and quicker than mas of his Spponents, This suscess with poor ABCs will normaly cause problems for the demanding coach. When the talented, coool linebacker becornes frustrated in mastering the new concepts, he will usually revert to his former style of play. Fearon must ie tat Only @s0un hit and shed can win consstenty against quality compeition.Ifhe doesn't believe Trae asin must make hirn 2 believer. Once he has confidence in the hit-ané-shee concepts, he wil work to meke them second nature. Canon ou ask players and even most linebacker coaches to identi the Keys to taking on blockers, they talk ist about ciemeth upper bosy action. 0° size. Few point out the importance of he players feet, and yet that’s the most crical issue sere ingbackor mect's @ blocker The contact surface ise is relatively unimportant Linebackers can make good seen et with thelr hands, shoulder, of forearm, but their effort willbe in vain witout a correct base Correct Base When a player plants the same-side foot on the ground just before meeting the blacker with his same-side contact surface {his shoulder, foreerm, or hand), he's in the strongest position to ight pressure from an opponent Opposite Foot and Shoulder Base Fees pemeps the base thet inebackers use most frequently. Its teribly inefficient one. Many players eecept and use the hit ond shed base because they don't appreciate the value of a correct base or don't Know how to use @ correct base eae stently With nis incorrect base, an opponent, who applies pressure to the contact shoulder, wil tun the linebacker on his up (forward) foot Prayers who are tuned by offensive linemen must realize that it resulted from taking on the blocker with the opposite foot are teroulder They shouldn't need to see ikon tape During a play on a game day or in a practice dil, they should know immediately when they are Caught in this base {_Birenah an condoning linebackers do s wasted If hey don not conisteily snk 2 proper base ? Pancake Base ecg bese usually occurs when the young linebacker is trying to establish a corect base but falls to get his front foot Fronted, With only one foot fr a base, he's elmost always going o be movod backward seer who gots pancaked before establishing 2 corect hase needs to stick wih it He should realize thal he was very Aaa ne ideal tose Ho should determine whether he planted his front foot late or whether his inal step was too long Beeguane on one ails focus on the “rnt” fot ofthe players involved. After the coision, every nebacker watching the a or be able to sey whothor the participant’ front foot was correct, opposite, oF in the air. By focusing on this dooresttne al everyore can see direc the importance of @ correct base. Tis is @ creative and effective way to learn ‘even if you are able to tape practice sessions PADLEVEL Fae Ls correct but your pads are higher than your opponent, he wilikely get movement on you The old adage that the “iow man wins’, i ue ‘Offensive linemen are much larger than our linebackers, when they make contact with Inebackers they sro physicaly much nigher because they are taller and 'se more quickly from ther stances Timepagkers ere playing at a depth much farther from the offensive linemen; the linemen rise higher 2s Poy leave ther stances to reech tne deoperplayng linebacker We toll our inside linebackers that ty are "born under pad level inthis scenario F eeetteuette st mportant when tnebackers and tnemen of similar size make contactor when a linebacker is taller than an opposing neman HIP ROLL Bre step before contact te linebacker must have his base set and his pad level lower than the blocker, Now the Tnebacker must launch his pads (or contact surface) into the blocker by uncoling his hips.“The hips propel the contact. surface Power-cleans /hang-cleans emphasize the ineia created through the. hips in this sree peat and athistes with experience in these exercises can transiete that power movement in their hid-pnd-shed fundamentals rg ‘To get maximum results from the hip explosion; =] ¢ ‘The player Should use a compact base from which to uncoll his hips He should sel the front foot with @ very small stagger Players shuld experience the full range of movement they enjoy with their hips from a compact base. Gonversely, they should take an elongated base and fee! how it restcis their hip movement. “The next CONCEDL is also key. The hips follow the path of the front foot. The front foot must point al the target, directed down thee middle ofthe blocker, not on the edge of the opponent, We want the blocker to get the Full impact of our hp explosion by directing it to the center of our pponont We don't want a glancing blow Shona linebacker will set his base correctly and have it compact but will tum his front foot at an angle Remember the hips folow the direction ofthe front foot. When the player places the front foot at an engle, the explosion of the nips applies only partial force to the blocker, The linebacker should always point he toe of thet front foot into the Groton of the blocker That ensures hitting the middle ofthe target UPPER BODY Phe coer body fs much 1@SS significant than anything previously mentioned Compared to the base, pad level, and hip roll the upper body action 1S merely window dressing to hit and shedding ne upper body the cont]ct surface with the blacker. Years ago al inebecker made contact wih shoulders or forearms Many have singe gone exclusively to hands. Outside linebackers use hands versus tight ends and a shoulder against power kick-outs/loads by Fullbacks. Inside nebackers use hands only for cut blocks and use ther shoulders for inemen and fullback isolations Ginon using @ shoulder, we attempt to get forearm iit over the front foot to gain separation from the blocker as our hips explode. Simultaneously, we draw our outside hand, as i rom a gunslinger’ holster, to club the blocker away from the forearm Rarely is here a discard of an offensive lineman, while in @ hale, in today’s football There is much more his and hold Srourd than ait end shed. If all Inebackers can rit and held thelr positions while maintaining ther of arm to tackle, you can play great run defense player can choose hand, shoulder, or forearm 2s contact surface, as ll will be successful bu only ifthe base, pad level, and hip roll are sound APPROACH Sion ainebacker plays within one step ofthe tine of scrimmage, he wil step forward with his lead foot and establishes the'bese When performing fom the depth, another dimension must be addressed - the approach ‘Tre approach is the movement a linebacker takes toward a blocker before he sets his base. The approach distance eae rr pending on tne depth of the inebacker and the speed of the oncoming blocker. Because of those variables, the Tinebacker can't measure the steps before each collsion ieee incbacker should make each approach under control Do not sprint to or attempt to sprint through an offensive Treman The huge linemen we face today will engulf ar tur a linebacker sprinting at them. ‘Approach under control and, just before contzct, hop of skip to @ correct base, get pad under pad, and explode off & seria base. Selting @ correct base off an approacl must be second nature to linebacker, He will reach that point if hhe works it daily.INSIDE BACKER MOVEMENT ‘This is @ shuffle technique with flow to or away trom the linebacker. Ithas a single gap duty that requires the athlete to play slow on the backside to top cutbacks ALIGNMENT Because the Mike linebacker is assigned the weak-side B gap and is in no rush with flow away, we align him wide over the offensive guard in a 30 technique. The Sam Linebacker is assigned the strong-side A gap and is a FAST filo the ‘strong A gap and slow playing action away The linebackers inside foot covers the outside fOot of the guard. We begin at a depth of 4.5 to 5 yards off the ball KEYS INSIDE linebackers can focus squerely on the guard (or at ines, the backs). His inital step s should ideally take him closer to the ball, anything else we classify 28 a false step, Guard Reads BASE ‘More common with wishbone or option teams, itis stil an excellent block to begin guard-recognition drills because it can isolate on the epproach and the feet for the hit and shed. With a base block, the linebacker Should approach the guard with outside leverage. He should settle with the inside foot forward and planted The linebacker should get pad under pad and explode off the base with the hips, keeping the outside arm free to make a playin ‘8’ gap. REACH With a guard reach block (an outside path by the guard to gain outside position on a defender), the linebacker shuffies for width first and then takes on the guard with his inside foot. Once he sets the base, he shoulel squeeze the blocker withthe ball inside. When the ball gains width, the linebacker simply pushes off the inside foot te pursue. Most linebackers are too aggressive with the reach block. They naturally went to attack up-fietd, rather than gain width When they run upsfeld, the linebackers ere more likely o be reached and they often contact the guard with the improper footwork There is no rush The linebacker should take on this big threat on his terms He should be under control, gain ‘width to protect the assigned ‘8’ gap, and settle on a firm base from which the hips can uncoil ‘Another adjustment to the reach block is noting the desired width of the guard. The wider the: guard's path, the wider the play twill become obvious that the lighter the guard reach, the more likely tis an inside play. The linebacker should then fean heavily on his inside foot to constrict the hole. The wider track of the lineman wil indicate a perimeter play and ‘quicker pursuit by the linebacker. Remember, when using this method the linebacker does not want to run up-feld on a each block If he aligns at the proper depths and takes on the guard at 2-3 yard depth, that’s ideal. He cannot however, lose his outside arm ‘The linebacker should be unreachable both by alignment and key. PULL FRONTSIDE More offen than not, the linebacker can get a pre-snap indication of pull from the guard's stance (ight in the sei hang). pull toward the linebacker tells him that there is no ‘B' gap threat and he can immediately overlap to ‘C’ gap and beyond ‘The pul alerts the inebacker of an opening He can begin pressing before seeing the running lane The linebacker can make a negative yardage tackle based on a read. PULL BACKSIDE ‘Similar to the front-side pull, a lineman may give a pre-snap indication of the pull and wil put even less weight on the set hand and more weight in an almost squat or racking backward stance. With guard pull away, the bail will usually folow, and the linebacker should shuffle, shadowing him, looking for an opening to press Keeping the linebacker discipined with pull away is essential, as most will want to beat the guard to the outside perimeter, ceating a vulnerable seam to the quick hing inside trap PASS or DRAW DOWN BLOCK VEER Back Reads ‘The key can vary from team to team The truest key is the guard, but back reads have their place “Against big line splits to the linebacker, the linebacker should walk up tighter on the guard, anticipating an inside play, or check to a penetrating charge by a defender in the B gap. ‘When faced with small splits, anticipate an outside play and deepen the linebacker and widen him to the gap. Anytime the nose widens his alignment or stunts to a wider alignment, play the linebacker in a wide technique with the same guard or back readsINEBACKER PLAY A GAINST THE RUN — KEYING 'IN’, ‘AT’, ‘OUT’ AND 'OTHER'Linebacker read progression LINEBACKER PLAY A-GAINST THE RUN ~ KEYING IN, AT, OUT AND OTHER, Linebackers must quickI$7 diagnose the direction and flow of an offensive play. Direction refers to the ke-37 movement toward one of three landmarks. Flow includes the action of the play along with direction, being closely tied to the speed of the play. The linebacker must quickly detemine if the play is a Slowly developing counter action or a quick hitting isolation or toss sweep After direction, the recognition of flow will allow the linebacker to stop the running play for limited gain. These linebacker primary keys will remain consistent throug Hout the season. ‘The initial movement of the assigned key will give the linebacker a clue in diagnosing ditecti on. Keys secondary to the rusraning back key are also included within the linebacker’s field of vision, These keys will include the quarterback’s actions, other backs, or possibly an uncovered offensive lineman, This field of Vision, sometimes called. the triangle, is what the linebacker sees with his “dim lights”. An effective linebacker is ble to focus his bright lights on the primary Key, while is constantly processing what is occurring in his dim Tights Bright lights will illuminate direction, but the flow of the play will be determined by what is happening in the dim lights. With bright lights focused on the running back key, the lincbacker recognizes movement and ‘steps to stance”, widening 2 pre-snap stance in which he had his feet only inches apart. ‘The eyes widen as the lead foot steps sideways to the same direction that the key stepped. The eyes should become as large as saucers sssaucer eyes” We also say the eyes should go “Singletary” (referencing Bears HOF middle linebacker). “The linebacker gets big eyes to widen his field of focus. Ditection is diagnosed and it is now a matter of confiming the flow as in’, ‘at, ‘out’, or ‘other’, In widening his field of focus, the Linebacker now shifts his bright lights fiom the primary Key tothe triamgle Thus, the linebacker’s attention goes from the small focus of the primary key to the big picture of where the ball is going ‘The step to stance buys time forthe primary key to show directional intent Additionally, this step allows the linebacker to shift his focus of bright lights to the mentioned triangle. Linebackers must be focused on the primary threat fo the “In” area first and foremost. If the primary key step straight ahead and the bright light-dim light transition confitms the direction and flow, the key is said to be attacking the ‘in’ box. In diagnosing this example of direction and flow, the linebacker steps to stance with his inside foot, goes “Singletary” and reads the ‘in’. Recklessness is important to defeating an ‘in’ flow due to the faet that oman “in” the offensive tackle will try to pin the backer Upon making the ‘in’ read, the backer attacks the ‘in’ box with abandon. Most ‘ins’ are insidé® rap plays, plays in which the linebacker must tackle the running back near the Jine of serimmage. FailuréJo immediately strike at the ‘in’ leaves the linebacker vulnerable to a devastating blindside for the outside leveraged lineman. Before extensive practicing of the other reas, linebackers should have the ‘in’ reads honed to game time readiness if the key attack the ’at’, the linebacker’s eyes go wide and scarch for a flashing color. Iino flashing color is seen, the linebacker drives out ofthe stance to Which he stepped and attacks the key. 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