Category: Offensive Line
Type: Reference
THREE PHASES OF BLOCKING
I support Doug Mallory's concept that offensive linemen must understand the three phases of blocking: the approach, contact, then follow through.
The approach begins with a good start. From a correct stance, linemen should be drilled in shifting their weight distribution from the back to the front foot.
One should be able to displace an offensive lineman's fingers from the ground without notice with the offensive player not falling forward. A good offensive lineman comes off the line of scrimmage low and mean. No upward movement (or raising) is tolerated. Linemen fire out, not pop up. A low trajectory can be perfected in practice through the use of drills. One such drill has a coach hold a blocking hand dummy two or three feet out in front of a lineman at or slightly above the upper level of the player's helmet. The player then comes off the ball head below the dummy and makes full scale contact with a defender.
Some players have a natural affinity for contact. They just know how to explode through their opponent, springing from a coiled stance. Regardless of size they seem to possess a natural density that allows them to bring power with the punch. Unfortunately, these players are not made by the barrel. Fortunately, that is not necessary. Contact is very teachable. Keeping the head between the defender and the direction of the play the offensive lineman approaches his block at full speed never juking or faking steps. At the final step before contact with the defender the blocker constricts his closed hands and elbows tight into the torso and uncoils into the defender extending open hands to the point of locking the elbows. The arms and hands remain inside the opponents shoulders preferably to each outer side of the defenders jersey numbers, thumbs in or down. At the point of contact the feet never stop moving. The blocker leans into the defender and pumps his legs driving the defender back.
Offensive linemen perform many different types of drills utilizing the seven man sled. The sled teaches linemen to work together as a unit and serves as a good assessment tool for player stance, trajectory from the stance, and ability to drive an opponent from an area.
Submitted by: Coach Hutchison
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