Today, we're going to focus on pass blocking drills. Before we jump to the drills, let’s talk a little bit about the core components of the pass set - kick, slide, and post.
Before we start, here's a good video from IMG that goes over the basics of a pass set: Pass Blocking Sets
Pass Protection Posture
A lineman in pass protection will have a different posture than one who is run blocking. In pass blocking the lineman will have his head up with his shoulders back. His chest will be up and his hips will be down giving him a slight forward lean. Stance will be about shoulder width and balanced. Knees will be inside of ankles and over the toes. Hands will be up and ready near mid-chest and slightly in front.
The Kick Slide
The kick slide is a core maneuver for offensive linemen in pass blocking. It establishes a solid barrier to shield the quarterback from the rival team's pass rushers. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the process:
Stance: The lineman initiates from a balanced stance, which could be a two-point (standing upright with one foot slightly ahead) or a three-point stance (with one hand on the ground for added balance and power).
Kick step: The first movement, or the "kick", involves the lineman stepping back quickly with his rear foot (the one closer to the oncoming rusher). This lateral move creates space and depth between the lineman and the defender. Speed and balance in this step are crucial to counteract fast rushers.
Slide: The second part, the "slide", occurs when the lineman brings his other foot up to restore balance. Instead of dragging, the foot slides smoothly across the ground, ready to adjust the lineman's position as needed. This action is crucial for maintaining stability and allowing the lineman to react quickly to defensive players' movements.
The kick slide is essential because it:
- Creates a buffer zone that allows the lineman to react to the defender's moves.
- Helps maintain balance while moving backwards and sideways.
- Facilitates quick reactions to any changes in the defender's tactics.
- Provides control and leverage by allowing the offensive lineman to maintain distance and guide the defender away from the quarterback.
The Post Step
In addition to the kick slide, the post step is another key technique in pass blocking that deserves some discussion.
Post step: The post step involves the lineman stepping forward with the foot opposite to the kick foot. This action provides balance, helps the lineman stay square to the line of scrimmage, and is essential for blocking the inside rush from the defender.
The importance of the post step lies in:
- Blocking Inside Rush: It allows the lineman to counter quick inside moves from the defender, thereby keeping the quarterback's pocket intact.
- Maintaining Balance: It adds to the stability of the lineman, making him less vulnerable to the defensive player's advances.
- Keeping Square: The post step helps the lineman stay oriented towards the line of scrimmage, which is crucial for effective blocking.
Example: Kick Slide and Post
The Punch
The punch is important in helping to control the defender being blocked. There are a few key things to teach about the punch in pass blocking.
One Hand or Two Hand: Punches can be delivered with two hands at the same time or with one hand then the other. For one hand, or independent hand, punches, if the defender is outside, then the lineman punches with the outside hand. If the defender is inside, the punch is with the inside hand. The aiming point is the defender’s shoulder on that side (outside hand to outside shoulder, inside hand to inside shoulder). The same side hand should be high and the opposite side hand should be lower on the defender’s body.
Low to High: When the punch lands, it should be traveling in an upward motion and try to land underneath the defender’s pad. This helps give leverage and to disrupt the defender’s rush.
Punch and Grab: As the punch lands, the lineman should try to get hold of the defender’s pad at the point of contact
Thumbs Up: The punch is done with the palm of the hand, fingers turned outward, and thumbs up. This allows the lineman to drive the punch from his body and through his arm instead of just using his shoulder muscles.
Different Plane: As mentioned above with one hand or two, the punch hands should be aimed at different levels on the defender. With a two hand punch, the hand to the side of the defender’s rush will aim at the shoulder on that side (top of the numbers) while the opposite hand will aim lower on the body (near bottom of the numbers).
Posture and hand placement are also essential to good pass protection. Throughout the kick slide and the post, the lineman keeps a low center of gravity with bent knees and hips, leaning slightly forward but keeping the chest up and the head out of the block to avoid losing balance. His hands remain up and ready to engage with the defender.
Once the players are familiar with kick slide and post, they should be working through a progression of these skills either pre-practice or in practice everyday.
Now let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of the pass blocking drills.
Stance-and-Start Drill
Why It's Important: This drill improves players' quickness off the line at the snap and their ability to get into a pass-blocking position effectively.
Setup/Equipment: A football for simulating the snap and a line of scrimmage.
Execution:
- Players line up in their standard positions.
- At the simulated snap, they quickly take their pass set, kicking back 2-3 times, pause with feet still firing, and then post back to the inside.
- Players then reset at the line of scrimmage and repeat.
Coaching Points: Ensure players react swiftly to the snap and maintain a good balance in their steps. Their first move should be a kick slide towards the outside. The depth of the kicks is determined by the lineman's position: Tackles need to get deeper tan Guards and Centers on the initial kicks.
Example: Stance and Start for Pass Blocking
Step Drag Drill
Why It's Important: This drill reinforces good pass protection posture for the lineman while also working on footwork and keeping hands ready.
Setup/Equipment: Cones to mark the area of movement.
Execution:
- Players start in a good two-point stance.
- On the whistle, players adopt a pass protection posture from their stance and post step laterally while dragging the kick foot.
- After reaching the end of the marked area, players then kick laterally back in the direction they came from while dragging the post foot.
- Players should end where they started.
Coaching Points: Players should maintain the correct posture for the whole drill. Make sure they are moving laterally in both directions. Players should not be shuffling their feet in either direction.
Example: Set Drag Drill
Kick Slide Drill
Why It's Important: This drill enhances footwork and lateral quickness in offensive linemen, helping them counter outside rushes effectively.
Setup/Equipment: Cones to mark the area of movement.
Execution:
- Players start in a two-point stance.
- On the whistle, players perform the kick slide movement towards their "outside".
- After reaching the end of the marked area, players reset and repeat in the opposite direction.
Coaching Points: Look for a balanced, squared stance during the slides and prevent feet crossing. The kick foot should point slightly inward to avoid hip rotation.
Example: Kick Slide Drill
Med Ball Weave Drill
Why It's Important: This drill teaches linemen to keep their hips down and have smooth movements while transitioning from kick to post. It also helps them maintain a good posture/demeanor while pass blocking.
Setup/Equipment: one med ball
Execution:
- Offensive lineman starts in a 2 point stance with a med ball on the ground below the groin..
- The lineman places the hand on the kick leg side on top of the med ball.
- On the coach’s signal, the player will kick 2 times and then post 2 times.
- During the movements the hand will move the ball as the body moves.
Coaching Points: Make sure the player stays low by lowering his center of gravity instead of bending at the waist to keep contact with the ball. Also make sure the ball stays centered under the player’s body. This requires that the player is staying in balance.
Example: Med Ball Weave
Note: A progression of this drill can be done where the players have to perform the drill but the direction (kick or post) and the duration are set by the coach as the drill is run. The players have to watch the coach for which direction they need to go and switch when he redirects them. This variation helps with recognition and direction change.
Post and Redirect Drill
Why It's Important: This drill instructs linemen on handling inside moves by defenders after executing an outside kick slide set.
Setup/Equipment: A partner to act as the defensive player.
Execution:
- Players start in a two-point stance, with the defensive player aligned to their outside.
- At the whistle, the offensive player performs a kick slide as if expecting an outside rush.
- The defensive player then makes an inside move.
- The offensive player plants the post foot (inside foot) and redirects back inside to mirror the defender.
Coaching Points: Players should maintain balance during the kick slide and avoid overcommitting to the outside. They should react quickly to the inside move, planting and redirecting with speed and balance.
Example: Post and Redirect Drill
"Baseball" Drill
Why It's Important: Linemen should be able to handle defenders who have a very tight alignment on them. This drill emphasizes a short set and a quick punch while maintaining good pass blocking posture.
Setup/Equipment: A partner with a hand shield.
Execution:
- The offensive lineman starts in either a 3 point or 2 point stance (coach’s choice)
- The partner stands in front and to the side (enough to require the lineman to make a short kick for his set) with the hand shield ready like a baseball bat.
- On the coach’s signal, the defensive player will swing the hand shield at the lineman’s chest.
- The lineman will perform a short set (very little change in depth or lateral position) and punch the incoming shield.
- Once the shield is punched, the lineman gets back into his stance to do the next rep
Coaching Points: Coach the lineman to get his feet in the ground on the set, to maintain good posture, and to deliver a quick and strong punch. If the player is having trouble with getting set before landing the punch, encourage a set where the kick foot is simply picked up and put back down in place as opposed to doing an actual kick slide on the set. The player can progress to a bigger set as they get more comfortable and quicker with the exercise.
Set and Punch Drill
Why It's Important: The aim of this drill is to instill the foundational pass-blocking movement, the quick setup, and the punch, designed to keep the defenders at bay.
Setup/Equipment: A partner acting as the defensive player. Players should be in their usual line positions.
Execution:
- On the whistle, players swiftly transition into their pass-blocking set, taking a quick kick slide step.
- Immediately after setting, they deliver a strong punch with both hands into the partner.
- The players then reset and repeat the drill.
Coaching Points: Ensure players are maintaining a balanced stance and not overextending or leaning during the punch. Promote fast and explosive movements.
Example: Set and Punch
Note: This can be done with one hand, or independent, punching as well. The drill is the same except the lineman is encouraged to initially punch with the single hand on the side the defensive player is on. If the lineman has a tendency to turn, or open the gate, they may work better with the initial one hand punch.
Push Pull Drill
Why It's Important: A lineman must be able to maintain his leverage and position on a defender while pass blocking. Thai requires good footwork, body position, and use of hands especially when the direction of the defender changes.
Setup/Equipment: A partner to act as the defensive player.
Execution:
- Offensive lineman starts in a 2 point stance with hands behind his back.
- On the coach’s signal, the defensive player will perform a mix of pushing the lineman backwards and pulling the linemen forward in an attempt to get him off balance.
- The drill ends after a few seconds on the coach’s command.
Coaching Points: The O lineman must sink his weight and stay centered. He must fight against standing up and against being off balance. As he is pulled forward or pushed back he must move his feet in a controlled manner to maintain posture and balance. The lineman should try to keep hips and shoulders square and resist turning or “opening the gate.”
Example: Push Pull Drill
Anchoring against a Bull Rush
Why It's Important: This drill equips linemen to manage power rushes, where the defensive player attempts to push the blocker head-on.
Setup/Equipment: A partner to simulate the bull rush.
Execution:
- The offensive player starts in a two-point stance.
- On the whistle, the partner begins moving directly at the blocker.
- The blocker sets, punches, and drops their hips to anchor against the bull rush, striving to halt the forward motion.
- After a few seconds, the drill resets.
Coaching Points: Remind players to aim their punch at the defender's chest, quickly getting their hands inside. Once they've established their anchor, they should battle to maintain it, focusing on keeping a solid base and staying low.
Example: Bull Rush Defeat Drill
One-on-One Drill
Why It's Important: This drill enhances a player's ability to redirect a pass rusher and maintain control during one-on-one situations.
Setup/Equipment: Two players are needed - an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman. Another player or a coach can act as the quarterback
Execution:
- Both players begin in there respective stance.
- At the whistle, the defensive player attempts to get past the offensive player.
- The offensive player uses their pass blocking techniques to maintain control and redirect the rusher away from the quarterback.
- After a few seconds, the drill resets and repeats.
Coaching Points: Ensure players are applying the techniques learned in the previous drills. They should set quickly, deliver a solid punch, and use their kick slide to maintain balance and position. The offensive player should focus on reacting quickly to the defensive player's movements and adjusting their strategy as needed.
These drills are good to incorporate into your regular practices to both teach and to reinforce good pass blocking technique for your linemen. As always, pay close attention to the fundamentals before moving on to the more advanced skills.
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