Youth Option

teach the receiver to go directly to the DB in the most expedient manner possible! I once worked a QB/Receiver camp with Jessie Hester who was a great receiver from Fla. State and was with the Raiders of the NFL at the time. I learned from him the following technique: take the most expedient path to the DB. BREAK DOWN JUST AS YOU APPROACH SO AS TO NOT LET HIM ESCAPE. The receiver will be doing his best to do what I call " evade and avoid" your receivers approach. As you make contact, slam him hard and maintain that contact at all costs, with your hands! If he tries to spin away, keep your hands right on him. Do not fight him, ride him in the direction he wants to go and wash him in that direction. MAINTAIN YOUR HAND CONTACT UNTIL THE WHISTLE BLOWS, NOT JUST UNTIL THE RB GOES BY YOU!!! If the DB is a big, physical guy I teach our receivers to do what I call "monkey" block. Just do whatever it takes to maintain your position BETWEEN THE DB AND OUR RB!!! KEEP MOVING CONSTANTLY SO THE DB CANNOT GRAB CLOTH AND SHED YOU EASILY AFTER MAKING YOUR APPROACH AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. JUST STAY BETWEEN HIM AND YOUR RB UNTIL THE WHISTLE BLOWS. This technique has been very good to us for a lot of years and we don't plan on changing. Hope this will help you in getting started. The drills we do are just progression led, all with live personnel and not dummies, etc. We work on our approach really emphasizing the need to break down. If we are "running the guy off" and selling the pass, I teach to watch his revert steps and the instant he stops, to shift his weight to come forward as he reads run and not pass, THAT IS YOUR BREAK DOWN KEY. Then we work on the initial "slam" part of the block, making and maintaining contact until the whistle blows by a sharp blow to the DB's chest area if he is facing you. If not I teach trying to knock him off his feet if he is evading a direct frontal approach by delivering a sharp blow with both hands to his side being presented to you as he goes by. This tecnique only comes into play IF HE HAS BEATEN YOU BY SUCCESSFULLY "EVADING AND AVOIDING" your approach. MAKE CERTAIN YOUR RECEIVER, WHEN USING THIS TECHNIQUE, STRIVES TO KEEP HIS HEAD IN FRONT OF THE DB, MUCH LIKE A CRACK BLOCK, IN ORDER TO AVOID GETTING CALLED FOR ILLEGAL BLOCK IN THE BACK.

Coach Easton