The next step in football evolution has arrived with the USA Football Contact System – created by former NFL offensive lineman Scott Peters – which teaches proper use of the hands and hips to reduce helmet contact through exceptional technique in blocking and defeating blocks.

RELATED: Check out USA Football's Contact System Online

Level 1 of the USA Football Contact System is now available in an online educational format here, with videos, accompanying text, still photos, self-assessments and problem-solving. 

"Coaches can watch the videos, learn how to do it, then troubleshoot for answers to common issues that come up with players performing the drills," USA Football Senior Manager of Education Joe Frollo said. "If their hips or their feet aren’t doing the right thing, for instance, you can learn how to correct it to make it more fundamentally sound."

RELATED CONTENT: USA Football Contact System public clinics now available

The leverage-based, all-position system addresses posture and body movement for skill development and transformation. Peters has taught the system to more than 50 college and professional teams.

"[This contact system] is so detailed I don't think anyone has seen anything like it before; that's what we hear from every coach we work with." Peters said. "Everything is spelled out."

 

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Peters devised the system over time, after an injury sidelined him in 2006, while he was playing for the Carolina Panthers. Since that time, the system has evolved into one that covers virtually everything coaches need to know in order to teach it.

Level 1 of the eventual three-part series includes coaching points and application, and drills that convey the "Shape, Sharpen and Polish" skill development model. 

Shape drills are meant to shape the body to understand and utilize techniques (shaping the spear). Sharpen drills are non-competitive, contact-based drills that work on hand fighting (sharpen the spear). Polish drills are designed to get players to learn how to compete together or against each other to help refine the drills they learned (polish the spear).

RELATED CONTENT: USA Football Contact System clinics: Safety through superior technique

Featuring Peters’ contact system instruction and demonstrations by high school football players, the online clinic videos were filmed at the Arizona Cardinals practice facility. 

"These drills are appropriate for any level of football that wants to teach the skills of blocking and defeating blocks," Frollo said. "This is going to make your players better, and help you coach the fundamentals in a progressive path, to make it easier to remember. The goal is to help you win on game day, but it’s also designed to eliminate that natural step that leads kids to put their head down, to take the head out of the contact."

While Level 1 lays the foundation, Level 2 (scheduled for release later this year or in early 2019), will be more position-specific, and Level 3 will be geared toward schemes. 

"It’s exciting. It’s the first of a new wave of USA Football in-person and digital clinics, where youth, high school and even college coaches can come learn from experts, and take it right into their practice plans," Frollo said. 

 

This post was updated on 12/6/18.