As a player, my coaches always told me to give 110 percent. So when I first started coaching, I told my players the same thing.
Let me ask you: Can you eat a 110 percent of a pizza or only 100 percent of it?
As coaches, we need to stop asking players for more than they are physically able to produce and focus on fine-tuning the best of what they have to offer.
I now tell my players and students to “be an expert at your position.”
For defensive tackles and defensive ends, I use SAKR – stance, alignment, keys, responsibilities – to help them improve their skills.
SEE ALSO: Be an expert at your position: Linebackers
SEE ALSO: Be an expert at your position: Defensive Backs
It all starts up front, so get the most out of these big fellas to set the tone on defense.
Stance
A great stance is where it all begins on defense. If a player doesn’t have a proper stance, then he has already lost one battle, and it is hard to come back from this.
There are different types of stances that defensive lineman can use. Here’s a quick look at each.
Alignment
Where a defensive lineman beings a play has a big influence on where he ends it. For me, the one developed by former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips is the easiest for younger players to grasp.
As with most things, simpler is often better.
Keys
Once the ball is snapped, defensive linemen look for keys from the offensive players lined up in front of. Defensive lineman must play to the run and react to the pass.
As St. Olaf College offensive line coach Eugene Crosby has said: “If something goes away, someone is coming to play.”
Here are five 1-on-1 blocks a defensive lineman must be able to recognize and defeat:
Movement is key at the snap of the ball. Coaches should practice those first few seconds of every play – a lot.
Responsibility
Defensive linemen have a different responsibility than other players on that unit. They need to play to run and react to pass. Otherwise they will be pushed into the linebackers or the ball will pass them.
Defensive linemen need to become an expert at every day drills, including:
Keep me updated on twitter @Coach_Stone_MT on how your defensive linemen respond to using SAKR.
Part 2 of this series coming in a few weeks will look at linebackers.
Anthony Stone is a USA Football Regional Master Trainerand a physical education teacher at Gregory Elementary in Rockford, Ill. He has coached football at the youth, middle school, high school, college and indoor professional levels. He also is a coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team program.