Blocking Progression: The Strike Over the years I've heard too many coaches say things like,

"Our running backs can't block like that" or "The problem is our Wide Receiver won't block that long". If these statements were made by your staff last year then congratulations, you've found the secret to success within this post. If you need your skilled players and linemen to block better all you need to do is TEACH THEM HOW!!!

All too often I see coaches spending hours on schemes and then failing to really work the details of blocking and tackling. If you want to have great blockers on your offense you must practice blocking and demand great blocking. It's really that simple. In order to incorporate blocking into your practice plan you may want to consider a blocking circuit. Within this series on blocking techniques I'll share two different concepts for a circuit that you may choose to use in your program. The first concept is a blocking progression that builds upon the different phases of each block. I shared how we use this circuit in the previous article Shoulder Blocking Technique. The second concept will be a circuit that focuses on the specific types of blocks you will be asking your players to make. Within the blocking progression there are a few phases of each block. Regardless of position you will have the stance, start, strike, fit, drive, and finish for each block. To incorporate these concepts into a blocking circuit begin by dividing your players into four groups by position. Next, you will need to divide your coaching staff so that each station has the appropriate number of coaches. I prefer to have coaches become experts on one skill within the progression. It helps build consensus and ownership of blocking within the coaching staff and avoids the wide receiver coach (sorry guys) not taking a lot of pride in his positions blocking ability. The four stations I've utilized within this progression are strike, fit, drive, and finish/open field as I believe stance and starts should be taught by the position coach. This first article in the series will focus on the strike phase of the block. Keep in mind that we teach shoulder blocking from a hybrid Wing-T offense, so you may need to adjust to fit your techniques and scheme. Much of what I learned about shoulder blocking came from watching Ed Thomas: Becoming a Champion Offensive Lineman (DVD) . This is an excellent resource that really gets down to the basics of blocking and simplifies both the teaching and learning of good technique. In terms of logistics during this circuit, we will start with one position group at the strike station while the other groups are at the fit, drive, and finish stations. After a set amount of time (3-5 minutes) we will rotate. STRIKE STATION: The STRIKE station will focus on the contact phase of the block. In order to win the battle along the line our blockers must deliver an effective initial hit to the defense. Therefore, we use this station to teach players how to use violent shoulder and forearm contact to initiate the drive off the line of scrimmage. The first phase of this progression will have players facing a partner who is holding a bag around chest level. The blocker will be in a two point stand and on command he will forcefully lift his forearm to strike the bag. Players should focus on keeping their body posture within a 2 point stance and lifting their arm, not swinging it. This phase focuses on using the arm to deliver a blow. At this point players can get in lines with one player holding a large blocking bag. The blocker will get into a 6 point stance (toes, knees, hands on the ground) and should be able to

touch the bag. On command the blocker will explode into the bag driving his hips through and head up. Players should focus on delivering a big pop on contact. This drill will progress to a 4 point stance where they do not step but instead explode into the bag. Players should get their earhole on the bag to ensure a good fit. Finally players progress to a 3 point stance. The next phase of the STRIKE progression is the Step and Strike Drill. Partners hold hand bags. Blockers will take 1 step and pop the bag using same foot same shoulder concept. Progress to 2 steps. Blocker should be in fit position after second step. This drill will advance to the blocker driving the bag holder 4 steps. At the end players will recheck their fit before releasing from the block. Blocking Progression: The Fit

One of the best ways to improve practice tempo while improving your football team is to implement circuits for basic universal skills such as blocking and tackling. Circuits increase reps, keep everyone active, dictate a high pace, and provide coaches opportunities to coach all kids on the team. I have used two types of blocking circuits within my programs. One circuit focusing on a blocking progression including strike, fit, drive, and finish. The other circuit focuses on types of blocks such as base, down, and reach blocks. This article is the second in our series on these circuits and will focus on teaching appropriate fit in our blocks. Keep in mind that we use shoulder blocking within our program so you may need to make some adjustments based upon your scheme or techniques. At the FIT station players will work on appropriately fitting into a block. Initally they will start with "fitting up" to a partner. Players will align one arms length away from their partner so they can place their palm flat against their target. They will then get into their fit position and hold it until a coach or their partner checks for the following coaching points. First the partner will help position the blocker's head so that his eyes are up and focused straight ahead. He will do so by holding him under the chin. This will help ensure the blocker is playing with his head up and a flat back. It also helps eliminate "rear in the air" blocking with players trying to stay low. The partner will also help adjust the blocker's elbow if it begins to drop and does not stay high and tight. The blocker should keep his uphand on the ground in order to focus on staying low. He will maintain a flat back and a "Z in the knee".Knees should be over the toes. If they

are beyond this point the blocker is overextended. Finally, the blocker should block from a surface covering the tip of the elbow to the earhole. This drill will progress to stepping into the fit position with one step, then two steps, then from the full three point stance. Players will use their right and left shoulders. Once players are comfortably getting into the fit position the drill can advance to include "Fit to Pound/Drive". Players will get fit and pound their feet or drive their partner back four to five yards. After the specified time/distance players will recheck for appropriate fit position focusing on pad level, head and eyes up, and knees maintaining an appropriate relationship with the toes. Blockers should concentrate on keeping the defender between the knees so they can maintain control of the block. By having players help coach each other up they will become more aware of appropriate technique. It is true that coaches need to stay on top to make sure they aren't letting each other slide by with poor technique, but we do that anyways, right? This station is often not a high intensity period for the kids, but is highly effective in focusing on the details of appropriately fitting into a block. Blocking Progression: The Drive Your players have gotten off the ball with a solid initial hit on the defense, they have fit themselves into the block with proper technique, and then.....nothing. It's great to get off the ball hard and low, but you still need movement in order to gain yards. So how do you teach that? Beyond the squat rack, how can you help your blockers stay with their blocks and get movement? Within our blocking progression teaching the drive phase of the block is one of four stations. As you'll remember in previous articles strike, fit, and finish are the other stations within the progression circuit.

The focus of the drive segment is on maintaining proper body position, controlling the block throughout the play, and gaining movement. We typically start this progression with players lining up against partners with a blocking dummy. Blockers will fit up against the bag and on command they will drive the bag five yards or until the whistle blow. As always, at the end of the block the blocker and his partner will check to ensure he has maintained the proper blocking position throughout the block including head/eyes up, flat back, knees over toes, and high elbow. Once the player has checked for proper fit his rep is finished.

This drill progresses to placing the bags on boards to help focus on a wide blocking base, working from a 3 point stance instead of starting from a fit position, and working out of the chutes as shown in the above picture. Of course, the drive phase can also be stressed through use of the blocking sled. Again, players can start from a fit position or a three point stance depending on numbers and sled size. Either way I strongly suggest that at the end of their repetition you take the time to check for proper fit throughout the block and readjust to get into proper fit if they are out of position. Blocking Progression: The Finish/Open Field

As you'll remember from previous articles in this series on blocking circuits, the progression circuit is based around four stations that each focus on a different phase of the block. Players are divided out, usually by position group, into four groups that rotate between the stations at 3-5 minutes each. The other stations focus on the initial contact or strike, proper fit position, and driving the defender. d The final drill station in our blocking progression circuit focuses on a combination of the finish and open field skills depending on the week and the areas we are looking to improve. We usually start the season by focusing on open field blocking technique. Since we teach shoulder blocking this is a slightly different technique for us. When blocking beyond the first level we teach our players to make contact with their should and a two hand punch aiming for the top of the playside number of the defender. A key is to make sure players are running to the block, but maintaining control to the block so they do not lose the defender. They can do this by keeping a wide base as they approach the defender. On contact players must accelerate their feet, work their head to the playside, and drive their hips up and to the hole. In teaching open field skills we go back to basics and begin with proper fit. Players will pick a partner and fit in with their fists on top of the defender's playside number. On command they will work their hips up and accelerate the feet. Players will progress to taking one step into the defender from a two point stance and attacking then running through the block. Eventually blockers progress to the sellout phase of open field blocking. Blockers will align at the end of an angled board with the defender directly in front of them holding a bag. An important point in the success of this drill and others with the bags are for the defenders to hold them correctly. We teach our "dummies" to hold the bag over the top of the bag and grab it on the bottom. They can then squeeze the bag into their bodies. This eliminates poor technique from the blocker due to the bag getting out of control. On cue the blocker will take a directional step to the playside over the board working down the line while the defender flows that direction. Again, focus on maintaining a wide base, accelerating on contact, and swinging the head and hips into the hole.

We will work a variety of other open field skills in our other blocking circuit, including pull blocking, cracks blocks, and running backs on linebackers. But for the progression circuit, this is what we've used. As things progress this station will also focus on finishing our blocks. This is a station that typically dials up the intensity quite a bit as we are trying to instill a desire and sense of pride in competing to the whistle. One drill we use to teach this skill is our scoop/scramble drill. When teaching the backside scoop/scramble we have our blockers open to playside and throw their hands in front of their defender aiming for the playside thigh. Once their hands are grounded players must then work into a bearcrawl working vertically through the defender. If the defender slants away or is missed the blocker must recover to his feet and work downfield towards the play looking for another defender to block. I like this drill because it teaches players that they are not finished when then are on the ground. The whistle determines the end of the play and there is always more work to be found. I implemented this drill after watching Option-Specific Offensive Line Drills by John Reagan. Another drill we use to teach finish is the gut check. We will place blocking dummies every five yards in a zig zag fashion. Players will sprint to each bag and scramble block it. While players in our state cannot cut downfield, this drill still stresses the importance of selling out and finding blocks. Coaches must stress committing to the block and recovering to find work. It's gotta be high intensity. You'll find a number of kids that won't sell out on the open field scramble block. That tells me something about the kid. Of course when working finish there is also the more traditional end of drill focus and 1 on 1 competitions. We do this as well with incorporating the finish as the focal point of another blocking concept. One way to do this is to fit up and drive then really kill it on the whistle to finish the block. 1 on 1 competitions in front of their peers force kids to compete and I've found they usually pick up a dead practice fairly well. Hopefully you can find something within this series on the blocking progression circuit to help your program become more effective blockers. No matter what techniques you use or what scheme you run, every program needs linemen to deliver an inital strike, fit properly, drive their defender, and finish the block/block in the open field. If you're looking for a more efficient way to teach these skills and improve practice tempo I strongly suggest the implementation of a circuit like the one presented in this series. Blocking Circuit: The Base Block

As mentioned in previous articles, I strongly believe that one of the best ways to improve practice tempo while improving your football team is to implement circuits for basic universal skills such as blocking and tackling. Circuits increase reps, keep everyone active, dictate a high pace, and provide coaches opportunities to coach all kids on the team. Prior articles regarding blocking circuits focused on our blocking progression circuit which teaches the basic phases of each block such as the strike, fit, drive, and finish. The other circuit we have used to teach all our players blocking skills is a circuit that is based around the specific blocks we are asking our players to make. One great thing about this circuit is that each player gets position specific drill work within the concept of a larger skill such as a base, down, or reach block. Within circuits players organize by position and rotate among four stations at 3-5 minute intervals. Coaches stay at the same station and teach the same skill to each group of players. This benefits everyone as the coaches get to work with all players on technique instead of just their position group, all coaches become the expert on a specific skill, and we get a lot of indy type work done in a high rep and high tempo time period which helps keep practice moving at a great pace. The first station we will focus on is our station on the base block. The drills used within this circuit are not necessarily what make the circuit so effective, but the set up and overall concept of the circuit itself is something that I believe can help any program improve their team blocking skills. Remember, that this circuit is not just for the offensive line. All positions, with the exception of our Quarterbacks, will be working on position specific versions of each drill. So within the base block station you will see the following drills depending on which group is currently at the station. OFFENSIVE LINE

When our offensive line arrives at the base block station they will do one of two drills. The first is a standard 1 on 1 blocking drill in which the will block a defender who is holding a bag down a blocking board. I'm sure all your programs have a variation of this drill so I won't go into too many details, but basically it will focus on the concepts discussed in our fit and drive phases of the block. We are essentially looking for our athletes to get a great takeoff and attack their man while driving the bag holder down the board. Key coaching points include driving with the knees, keeping your head up, and blocking from the elbow to the earhole. The other drill our linemen may work on is the combo block. Since we are a shoulder blocking team our combo skills are a bit different than what you may use, but, again, I'm sure your program uses some drill for combo blocking. This is where you could insert it into your circuit. For our combos the blockers will step with the foot towards the defender and aim for his near number. This is important because we typically don't combo vertically in our scheme and because if the defender slants away from the backside man then he can still maintain position on him by working into a reverse shoulder block. If the backside man aims for the playside number and the defender slants it is more difficult to recover on that block. The players will assume the block is a double team with the backside blocker looking to come off on the linebacker filling backside. It is our goal to get three to four yards of movement on the double team in order to disrupt the linebacker's flow. It is not our first priority to worry about getting off the combo and to the linebacker. While working this drill we try to set players up with the position they will work with on gamenight (LT w/LG). Sometimes this doesn't work depending on the expected scheme so it is a week to week variable of the drill. TIGHT ENDS/RUNNING BACKS Yes, Tight Ends and Running Backs. Why? Because in our system they work together a lot and this circuit provides quality reps at establishing the necessary skills to be an effective unit. For your system you may choose to send Tights Ends with the Offensive Line or Wide Receivers. That's fine. This is just what we do. Much of this is set up very similar to the Offensive Line version of this station. The difference here is that the Tight End and Running Back will be in a wing relationship with each other to work on their combo blocking off the edge simulating the Buck Sweep scheme. For us it is important the Ends and Backs communicate who is blocking the edge player and who is tracking down to the linebacker. We will vary the alignment of the defender so they can work on making these calls.

FULLBACKS AND WIDE RECEIVERS We pair these players up not because they often work together like the Tight Ends and Running Backs, but rather because they have fairly similar blocks within our scheme. For the base block station our Wide Receivers will work on their stalk blocking while the fullbacks will work on filling for pullers. Both groups will be working simultaneously, but will be set up slightly different due to the angles and timing of their blocks. However, because of numbers it is very easy to run these similar drills right next to each other with one coach. These players will not use a combo block variance from week to week as they do not double team at any point in our scheme. Again, I'd like to reiterate, that the drills here are reallly fairly basic, but they are drills that most programs do some version of during indy time. The use of a circuit can pull these out of indy to avoid the dreaded never ending indy period and therefore improve the flow of practice. If you decide to implement a circuit into your program I strongly suggest you focus on three to four concepts all players need to master and then tailor the drills to fit your skills and schemes. Blocking Circuit: The Down Block

Within our blocking circuit athletes are able to focus on base, down, and reach blocks in 3-5 minute stations. Some of the major benefits for using a circuit to practice these blocks are that circuits allow you to: 1. Get a lot of reps in a quick amount of time 2. Keep a high practice tempo 3. Schedule in scheme specific blocking drills for all athletes 4. Provide opportunities for coaches to work technique with kids outside of their position group 5. Eliminate the drag of an extended indy period Within circuits players organize by position and rotate among four stations. Coaches stay at the same station and teach the same skill to each group of players. This benefits everyone as the coaches get to work with all players on technique instead of just their position group, all coaches become the expert on a specific skill, and we get a lot of indy type work done in a high rep and high tempo time period which helps keep practice moving at a great pace. The second station in our blocking circuit is the down block station. Again, our players will be divided into the following groups: Offensive Line, Tight Ends and Running Backs, Fullbacks and Wide Receivers. As shared in Blocking Circuit: The Base Block, we divide our players this way

because these players often work together or have similar types of blocks. Your scheme may differ so I urge you to consider how these concepts can be applied to your technique and scheme as you read this. OFFENSIVE LINE The Offensive Line station will have three variations of the down block they can drill. The first variation is a true down block on an inside defender. Typically players will use this block vs. defenders who are reading and not getting much penetration. Players will align with a partner offset holding a bag. On command they will step towards the defender on a 45 degree angle and execute the strike and fit. His aiming point will be the playside hip of the defender. The second variation of this drill will move to the gap block. This is very similar to the down block in that the blocker is attacking a defender on his inside gap. However, the gap block is used vs defenders who are likely to get penetration and can be gameplanned or used as an adjustment. In executing a gap block our lineman will take a slightly deeper step towards the defender and make a wrong shoulder block so their head is in the backfield. From this position players can drive their defender flat down the line or, if it is a personnel mismatch, can even get into a basketball style boxout. Again, the goal of this block is to avoid penetration and keep the defense from reacting back down the line. It is not necessarily for movement at the point of attack. The final variation in this drill will focus on taking a down track to a flowing linebacker. I discussed much of the technique for this block inBlocking Progression: The Finish/Open Field. In essence, we teach our kids to deliver a closed fist punch to the playside number of the linebacker while accelerating feet on contact and working hips to the hole. For this drill we will set four cones in a short square. The blocker will be at a bottom corner and release into the square. The defender will move into the square and the blocker will adjust to make his block. TIGHT ENDS AND RUNNING BACKS Our Tight Ends and Running Backs will work on the same drill set up as the Offensive Line. The one difference is that a variation of the down block on a Linebacker will simulate the insert block we use in Belly and Midline. In each of these plays the playside back will drop step to 45 degrees and work the angle to the area Linebacker. After the drop step this block will follow the same guidelines discussed within our Offensive Line drills. The Tight End may use an insert on Midline in some situations. Therefore, he will work the drop step out of his three point stance as well. FULLBACKS AND WIDE RECEIVERS Our down drill for Fullbacks and Wide Receivers mimics the 4 cone set up used by the other position groups. The difference will be the distance the blockers will go to make the block. For our Wide Receivers this drill is set up to practice the crack block. Defenders will hold bags and enter the cones while the Receiver crack blocks him. We do not worry about the physical nature of the hit on these blocks, but rather teach our blockers to settle their feet and make sure they at least set a screen in the front half of the defender. We all know high school officials love holding and blocks in the back by Wide Receivers. For more on specific Wide Receiver technique I suggest you take a look at Sam Nichols Wide Receiver Blocking Series. Our Fullbacks will treat this drill as a pass pro drill because they do not down block within our scheme. Fullbacks will fill to the cones and the defender will serve as a blitzing Linebacker.

Remember, this station is a quick period designed to maximize reps and get all athletes working on scheme specific blocks within a blocking circuit that focuses on the following blocks: base, down, and reach. It is not so much the drill itself that matters during this period as the idea that all players are blocking. This emphasizes the importance of blocking at all positions while getting all players actively involved in a high tempo period. Find a way to take these concepts and apply them to your own schemes and techniques, and don't be afraid to share those thoughts in the comments section. Blocking Circuit: The Reach Block

Prior articles regarding blocking circuits focused on our blocking progression circuit which teaches the basic phases of each block such as the strike, fit, drive, and finish. The other circuit we have used to teach all our players blocking skills is a circuit that is based around the specific blocks we are asking our players to make. One major benefit of this circuit is that each player gets position specific drill work within the concept of a larger skill such as a base, down, or reach block. By working these reps in a blocking circuit format your are able to improve practice tempo while simulataneously improving your football teams basic skills. Circuits increase reps, keep everyone active, dictate a high pace, and provide coaches opportunities to coach all kids on the team. The Reach Block station will be the focus of this article within our Blocking Circuit Series. Because of the technique and use of this block, this station is the least differentiated between positions. OFFENSIVE LINE The Offensive Line can work one of two drills during this station. The first drill is a basic reach drill in which they are executing a block on the outside shoulder of a man lined up in an outside shade. To work this technique we will align vs a bag holder in a shaded position. On command the bag holder will take a step to the outside while the blocker attempts to block him on his outside shoulder. Since we shoulder block our technique may be a bit different, so use what works within your scheme. Some key coaching points we use in teaching the reach is to aim for the outside hip of the defender, get vertical on contact, and drive the second step through the crotch of the defender. We also tell our players that the wider and faster the defender is the deeper their first step should be. However, the blocker must be careful to avoid angling his toes or he will not be able to get vertical on his block.

The second drill our Offensive Line will work is applicable to our Jet and Rocket schemes. Since it is not vital to maintain a block throughout the play on these schemes we use a slightly different technique. In this drill we will set the blocker with a defender in front of him at linebacker depth and another approximately three feet to either side simulating a defensive lineman aligned over the next outside lineman. On command the blocker will open up and rip around the defensive lineman while working into a path to intercept the flowing linebacker. He will block this defender using the techniques described in Blocking Progression: The Finish/Open Field. The key to blocking these plays is not so much in maintaining a solid reach block, but getting in front of flowing defenders to slow them down and therefore the focus of this drill is really the reach and rip of level one and pursuit to level two. TIGHT ENDS/RUNNING BACKS This group works the same drills as the Offensive Line except the Running Backs may work more on the Rocket drill while the TE spends more time working the close range reach block. We can work both these blocks together at the same time with Tight Ends blocking each other while Running Backs do the same. WIDE RECEIVERS/FULLBACKS This station will be broken into two drills both running simultaneously. The Wide Receivers will run through the same drill as the Offensive Line except they will work both a close range reach block and working to the outside shoulder of a defender in space. The Fullbacks will work on logging a Defensive End because that is the closest they come to a reach block in any of our schemes. To manage these two different drills the coach will have the fullbacks rotate their drill while the wide receivers are getting their reps and vice versa. This keeps the drill high tempo while allowing the coach to manage two simultaneous drills.