The second step

Coach,

Have you tried fit and finish? Fit 'em up where they would be if they had the second step down and then have them work to the finish. I found this helps them get the feel for the power angles. Then work backwards to the first step and then the stance. If you're zone blocking with the punch I've found it very useful to link the punch with the second step. First step reach for the guns, second step bring the punch. Hope that helps a little.

Read the following as it applies to the SECOND STEP:

BASE DRIVE BLOCK
1. Explode out.
2. Short first step (1/2 way to fingers of down hand; knee rolls over toe — NOT behind).
3. Back flat.
4. Bull neck.
5. Proper aiming point (aim face at throat of DLM; base of #'s of LB). Look the block in.
6. Second step MUST be beyond first step to win. Make contact on second step (most important step). Hit 1 yard through defender.
7. Whip the arms.
8. Blocking surface (drive the elbows inside & make contact with a triangle of hat & hands (thumbs up) to a lockout; contact the short ribs & "lift him out of his socks" on a 45 degree angle with fork lift motion).
9. Shoot the hips (unlock the power).
10. Driving steps.
11. Feet under you — good base.
12. Maintain contact.
13. 2nd & 3rd effort.

QUESTION: When do you whip the defender?
ANSWER: When he tries to escape the block — you come alive and finish (STAY ON BLOCK).

Using the fit and finish, and then progressing backward to the 2 step, and then a start, fit, finish is how I've taught them to drive block this year. We've used 12" x 2" boards to make sure they have a wide base as well! On the first step the knee rolls over the toe, back stays relatively flat, and the elbows come back (and hands go to the hip) - similar to what Art Kehoe teaches at Miami.

I teach them to deliver the blow (contact) on the second step. The problem is our guys want to leave that second step behind. The first step has gotten better through the year, but we're leaving the second step behind, leaving that back leg extended, and thus losing the power angles - this also then causes a domino effect where we stop our feet.

I've tried hammering it into them, we've video taped ourselves blocking 1-on-1, on the sled and against bags. I've shown them some tape of the St Louis Rams and GB Packers doing similar drills so they can visually see the coaching points.

Again, just wondering if someone has a specific drill(s) they use for that second step

Bill,

You take care of yourself, hear? That old flu bug can lay you low! I'm fine, recruiting and into the second week of off season weight training and cardiovascular regimens for the 2005 season. Get well, coach.

JC

Hey coach

Been working with middle school o-linemen for a few years and have addressed the issue of getting the second step out in front of the first step more mentally than anything. We just stress it repeatedly, in every drill....First step ties, second step wins. My kids must hear those words in their sleep , i know my son does. Whenever the boys hear me say "first step" they end up finishing the sentence...it's kind of a game for them, but they are aware of it and we move people off the line.

Couple of quick ideas....early in the season i tend to hold bags a little further away from the kids when repping blocks, and as long as we stress a short first step (during which you load the hands aka the quick draw gunslinger), the kids HAVE to get their second step out in front of the first to make good contact on the second step.

Also, while i don't teach our kids to do it, watching the jim mcnally tape series i note that he really advocates using a very small drop step for the first step, which makes the player get their second step out in front of the first. He says that the drop step helps the o-lineman "time up" the block a little better, which probably gets that second step on the ground a little quicker without overextending the back leg. Like i said, i like to have my kids gain a little ground with the first step (especially at our level of play where a fair number of opposing d-linemen still don't fire across the line overly aggressively), but i've got a ton of respect for anything mcnally has to say about o-line play....he's the guru....

Coach,
Like you say, he's a guru and all, but I would really need to see the technique demonstrated that includes a bucket step helping you to get the second step down QUICKER which is what our goal is. I see how it works for getting it out in front, all right, but as for quicker with an explosion into the D linemen with POWER, at this point I'm not grasping it. I understand it is not a full bucket, but rather a short drop step. But, I'm not understanding how going backward even a little bit, helps you get your hands on the opponent and explode into him before he does it to you. I like your way better. I coach it just like Bill's post above and that comes from Joe Bugel, the best in the business, imo. Like always, lots of different techniques work well, not just one. Have you seen it demonstrated live, or on tape?

JC

I agree with TigerOne and Oneback;

I don't like having that first step be a 'drop step'. I know that some great coaches have success with it. I also had an opportunity to talk to some NCAA big schools about this, and not many of them liked to drop step either...

I think its the idea of losing ground to gain ground. I want my guys going forwards. Part of that comes from the fact we've got 1yd separating us from the defence (CDN rules), and so that 'neutral zone' becomes that much more important to control. To do that I believe you have to step forward with the 1st Step. Even when we pull on traps and counters, we try and pull into the line a little... so we're always going up-field.

Hammering the importance of the 2nd step mentally seems to help! We played last week and that was a point of emphasis for us all week and all game (along with sinking our punch BELOW the numbers).... and we seemed to control the LOS very well.

We'll see how it goes this week.

Darn right!

Our focus for this week is on our punch. Last week we won alot of battles b/c of the second step, but ended up too many times chest to chest on blocks b/c our punch was too high or not powerful enough... Something we've got to work on!

We've been doing the 2 step and punch drills that Bill has sent/posted by Bugel... hitting and lifting the sled, going on 4's and exploding into tall bags with our hand/arms coming out of the socket.

Any others anyone can think of?

Hopefully this week we'll knock some more people down.

Bill,

I sure did! He had a great game! I remember Darren's playing days very well. I have a daughter who lives about 30 minutes above Pittsburg. Isn't it great to watch the guys who have made it, knowing that we have had a part in shaping their careers? Did you have them in HS or college? To me, that has always been the most rewarding thing of them all, second only to seeing them become good husbands, fathers, and good citizens.

JC

Bill,

I know those are credentials that many will never achieve! What a great deal of satisfactoin you must derive from having had those fine men! Likewise, I'm sure they will always remember you as their High School Football Coach!

JC