Hand Claps

One other idea (picked it up from the deleone o-line tape series) for training a tight inside punch is to put the pads on the 7 man sled upside down (ie wide part of the pad on the bottom)...forces the lineman to keep a real tight inside punch but still allows for the windup and all-out lifting punch..

Any linemen that "winds up" as I understand the term to be defined is whipped before he takes his second step! "Wind up" to me means that the hands go back before going forward and that is not acceptable. I have long employed a drill I call "quick draw" whereby the linemen shoots his close together hands to the aiming point on the oppponents torso, emulating a "quick draw" with his hands always going forward, never backward at any time.

Coach Easton

Hi Jerry;

Personally, I was never taught to 'wind-up' or bring my hands back to the holsters. When I was taught to play OL in college in the mid 90's our goal was to punch the hands first, not to load them in any way (possibly more similar to your quick draw). We wanted to get our hands on the DL first, get control of the breastplate and use it as a steering wheel. We also wanted to get separation from the DL - so the goal was extension of the elbows as well.

The current HC I work for likes the wind up. It isn't the 'airplane' deal previously described - we were going for the holsters; cocking the elbows back past the plane of the back. I KNOW THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THIS.... and I've been on a mission here to get that fixed. But usually what happens is I teach them the quick punch (or quick draw)... and at some point... He (the HC) tells them they should be going for the holsters or winding up. ARGH.

Jerry... this is the same HC I've talked to you about before... I'll have to send you an email about some other things there too. I like protecting 5 steps one way (Big on Big)... him another (inside gaps).

So I get caught in a conundrum because I see us mis-timing it - giving up our chest, or ending up with our hands too far apart.

I'm not 'sold' on the hand clap either. We're doing some spring practice and we're trying it - I believe in trying new things, seeing how they work -- keeping what helps and tossing what doesn't.

SO FAR... the hand clap seems to keep the timing of our punch right (2nd step), and focus our hands inside. It ALSO is allowing us to get our hands on the defender quicker. Again... we'll see in August when we have pads on - that can be a different story, and there are many ways to skin a cat!

Coach KW....

Could you please PM me with your drill you were describing in detail... It sounded good!!!!!!!! ... and I am always trying to learn new ways of doing things and trying to help my players be successful on and off the field.

BlackFly73,

Email me at kwilmesh@cox.net

kw

This is from a previous post of mine in the forum here:

Typically on the first step most guys are winding the hands or elbows back to the hips. Instead he's got them clapping their hands ON the first step - it's VERY quick. It isn't a solid clap - but a clap that has the hands going forward and into the center of the chest. If you try it from a stance you'll see the the hands actually have less distance to move than if you're winding them. Kel_Coach is 100% right on when he says it keeps those hands together.

Coach Bollman also wasn't set as far back from the ball as some are - he's also getting the hips ahead of the feet on that first step as well. His reasons were quicker, harder charging DL.

The idea was to get the hand close together and on the man QUICK. He wants them getting that near/playside arm of the defender with one hand, and targetting the biceps elbow area. This does make it very hard to get off the block.


Coach I hope this clears it up!
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I feel that the experiment over our 4 days of practice this week went VERY well. Our punch was focussed inside much better - and the hands made contact on the defender sooner. Again... we'll have to see what happens when we put on helmets and shoulders.

"I you do what you always have done; you'll get what you've always gotten"