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NFT: Youth Football OL drills

Dang Man : 10/22/2020 7:53 am
Hey guys, been asked to help coach the OL and DL for a 5th/6th grade football team this year. I know there are lots of you guys who’ve played at high levels so I figured I’d give this a shot. First, I should mention we have tremendous speed at our skill positions and we are deep there. We tend to run outside and less so through our 1 and 2 holes. 3-7 much more often. I should also mention we are emphasizing technique above all else since we are typically smaller than our opponents on the line. Outweighed by 20 lbs or so much Of the time. But they’re doing very well as a group.

1) are there specific drills to teach OTs how to deal with faster DEs? I’d love to get them doing a better job of kicking out and getting them to use the DE’s momentum against them.

2) we pull a good deal but with a traditional shoulders square and perpendicular to the line of scrimmage technique. Is it too early to teach them “skip pulling” to get them through their holes faster? Any downside to that? If there is one area we struggle in it’s hitting LBs at the second level (whether pulling or chipping NTs and then attacking forward to the Lbs).

Sorry for rambling but thanks in advance.
I'm coaching my sons 12U team right now  
nyjuggernaut2 : 10/22/2020 9:09 am : link
and we have bene using USA Football as a guide when running drills. Below is a link on some blocking drills that help develop a solid technique for the lineman that we have used as a template this season.
OL Blocking Drills - ( New Window )
Dang...  
Brown_Hornet : 10/22/2020 9:49 am : link
...Man, teach them track and kick out for Power and Counter.

Playside always down blocks (angle advantage). On Power, your FB will kick the DE and the pulling BSG leads. On Counter, they switch roles or have the FB fill the BSGs shoes giving the LBs a false read.

Coaching points become simple, BLOCK DOWN. It is much easier to teach than Base blocking when you don't know if the DL will be head-up, or inside/outside gap. This eliminates who to block...BLOCK DOWN.

Pulling is not difficult. If you recess the OL, they don't even need to step in the bucket. Have the G simply rotate on their PS heel, take 2 steps (plant back foot) and get upfield.

This is based on Double Wing Power/Counter.

https://youthfootballonline.com/the-double-wing-offense-in-youth-football/
RE: Dang...  
Dang Man : 10/22/2020 1:57 pm : link
In comment 15017725 Brown_Hornet said:
Quote:
...Man, teach them track and kick out for Power and Counter.

Playside always down blocks (angle advantage). On Power, your FB will kick the DE and the pulling BSG leads. On Counter, they switch roles or have the FB fill the BSGs shoes giving the LBs a false read.

Coaching points become simple, BLOCK DOWN. It is much easier to teach than Base blocking when you don't know if the DL will be head-up, or inside/outside gap. This eliminates who to block...BLOCK DOWN.

Pulling is not difficult. If you recess the OL, they don't even need to step in the bucket. Have the G simply rotate on their PS heel, take 2 steps (plant back foot) and get upfield.

This is based on Double Wing Power/Counter.

https://youthfootballonline.com/the-double-wing-offense-in-youth-football/


Thanks for your input. With respect to rotating your heel, do you mean rotating the play side heel outwards to save time on swinging the elbow out and stepping In the bucket? For example for a LG pulling to the right side, rotate right heel outwards and then use that foot to plant and first with the left foot? Sorry for the annoying details, but want to make sure they use proper technique since they’re short in size.
RE: I'm coaching my sons 12U team right now  
Dang Man : 10/22/2020 1:57 pm : link
In comment 15017685 nyjuggernaut2 said:
Quote:
and we have bene using USA Football as a guide when running drills. Below is a link on some blocking drills that help develop a solid technique for the lineman that we have used as a template this season. OL Blocking Drills - ( New Window )

Been skimming through this site. Thanks for posting it. Lots of good stuff here.
RE: Dang...  
widmerseyebrow : 10/22/2020 2:14 pm : link
In comment 15017725 Brown_Hornet said:
Quote:
...Man, teach them track and kick out for Power and Counter.

Playside always down blocks (angle advantage). On Power, your FB will kick the DE and the pulling BSG leads. On Counter, they switch roles or have the FB fill the BSGs shoes giving the LBs a false read.

Coaching points become simple, BLOCK DOWN. It is much easier to teach than Base blocking when you don't know if the DL will be head-up, or inside/outside gap. This eliminates who to block...BLOCK DOWN.

Pulling is not difficult. If you recess the OL, they don't even need to step in the bucket. Have the G simply rotate on their PS heel, take 2 steps (plant back foot) and get upfield.

This is based on Double Wing Power/Counter.

https://youthfootballonline.com/the-double-wing-offense-in-youth-football/


I would second this for that age group, especially if they are undersized. The angle advantage coupled with a fast get off at the snap can be devastating.
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