If you are a Junior High or a Pop Warner football coach the information found on this page is not only invaluable, but a necessity when teaching the young athlete the drive block progression.  Most of you have heard of the phrase "hit through him, not to him".  As coaches we understand this but the young athlete does not.   Blocking is an unnatural act. It should be taught in a method that allows the blocker to overcome his fear of propelling his (her) body into an opponent.  How many times have you seen coaches or dads grab a dummy or shield and put all their weight behind it, while at the same time living out their glory days on a 6th grader?  We want to build confidence, not create hesitation.  To accomplish this teach your kids to block through soft dummies, held with minimum resistance.  Reframe from standing on the blocking sled.  Beginning offensive lineman tend to stop on impact and will not continue to drive through the defender.*  A coach I work for coined the phrase   "to hunker down".   DO NOT teach your blockers to hunker down.   Do not be responsible for creating bad technique in your offensive lineman.   Dave Cristensen of Toledo University says the same.  I consider myself an expert in this field only because I too made the same mistakes.    

 

*notes taken from Coaching Offensive Lineman by Dave Christenson.    If you have not read this book read it now!

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