Offensive Line Installation

Coach,

I utilize Coach Campbell's concepts and terminology in coaching our o-linemen and have taught zone blocking to our kids using double teams as a starting point. After creating a good stance and working on developing the drive block, L-step and drop-step, we introduce the double team first and then evolve that into teaching combos. We do not use line calls at our level yet. We use a very simple covered/uncovered zone rule that works pretty well most of the time.

As Coach Easton said, it is really important for them to understand who and how we are trying to block defenders and then allow them to see for themselves how we get there by repping combo drills as much as we possibly can. Because of their age (10-12) and inexperience, it sometimes takes our kids most of the season to grasp what we're trying to teach them. We do a lot more walk-throughs during our group and team periods than most teams in order to help us coach the who and how.

From a practical standpoint it is usually still effective at the youth level even as they're learning because, as I constantly tell our kids, it doesn't matter how good our block on a linebacker is if we get dropped in the backfield because we didn't get a down linemen blocked!

I certainly haven't perfected this progression yet. I just think it is usually possible and important to introduce kids to concepts and skills they can take with them to the next level and be at least one step ahead.