Featured courses
- How to Be an Influential Football Coach by Grant Young
- How Football Coaches Can Build A Game-Changing Special Teams Unit by Grant Young
- Master the Art of Quick Passing for High Completion Percentages by Keith Grabowski
- 3 SPO’s to Protect the Passing Game and create opportunities in space by Keith Grabowski
- The Art of Running the Corner Route- Coaches and Players Prespectives by CoachTube Staff
- Evolve your Defense with Quarter, Quarter Half to Stop RPO by Coach Grabowski
- 5 Core Offensive Priniciples for a Winning Football Formula by Keith Grabowski
- Win Downfield - Attacking Different Areas Deep with 3rd Level RPO by Coach Grabowski
- WAKE FOREST’S UNIQUE RPO GAME by Keith Grabowski
- Adjustments to Defeat the Tite Front by Keith Grabowski
- Attack Defenses with The Versatile Y-Cross Concept by Keith Grabowski
- Play Action is a Cheat Code! - 5 Play Action Concepts to Increase Your Expected Points by Keith Grabowski
- Question from Rutgers OC - What does your offense say about your coaching? by Keith Grabowski
- Gap Schemes vs. Tight Fronts, Play Action Shots and Misdirection by Coach Grabowski
- Setting up your young Qb for success by Keith Grabowski
- The Hot Gap plus 3 Gap Scheme RPO’s to Stress the Defense by Keith Grabowski
- Unlocking the True Potential of Your Special Teams Play by Keith Grabowski
- The Most Important Components of Air Raid by Keith Grabowski
- 4 Plays that Benefit from Bunch Formations by Keith Grabowski
- 3 Third Level RPOs for Explosive Plays by Keith Grabowski
- The Role of the Screen Game in Explosive Offense by Keith Grabowski
- The Chess Match: Win on the Perimeter (Part 1) by Coach Grabowski
- Unlocking the Power of Gap Manipulation to Limit Explosive Plays by Keith Grabowski
- TCU’s 3-3-5 and facing bigger personnel by Keith Grabowski
- Elevating Your Team: Strategies from Coach Matt Ruhle by Keith Grabowski
- 7 RPO’s for your playbook by Coach Keith
- Beyond Quarters - The Need For Additional Coverage Concepts by Keith Grabowski
- Top 10 College Football Players to Watch for in 2022 by Alec Burris
- Clemson vs. Syracuse Matchup of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- Sprint Out Passing: Move the Pocket for Success by Keith Grabowski
- How to Maximize Tackling Efficiency within Scheme by Keith Grabowski
- Offensive Drills of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- How a Stoplight Can Make Your Fly Sweep Takeoff by Keith Grabowski
- Keep your Drills Fresh and Your Skills Developing - Offense by Keith Grabowski
- Coach Kevin Kelley, Outside The Box by Keith Grabowski
- Want your defense to get off the field after third down? Sims and Creepers are the answer! by Keith Grabowski
- Create More Turnovers with Circuit Training & Win More Games! by Keith Grabowski
- Devastate the Defense with TE RPOs by Keith Grabowski
- Red Zone adjustments by Keith Grabowski
- CoachesClinic.com Featured Matchup: Cincinnati vs Indiana by Caleb Hopkins
- 3 NFL ZONE RUN PLAYS FROM WEEK 7 by Alex Kirby
- Sonny Dykes Teaches You How to Put Together an Offense by Coach Grabowski
- FIVE REASONS TO RUN THE 3-3 DEFENSE by Alex Kirby
- Getting Your Defense Ahead - 1st and 2nd down Pressures from Noah Joseph by John Grayson
- Chad Morris Teaches How To Builds an Offense by Coach Grabowski
- Get Your Offense a +1 With the QB Run Game by Coach Grabowski
- Are You Causing a 14 Point Turnaround...Against Your Team? by Coach Grabowski
- Learn How to Improve Your Offense with USC’s “Harrell Effect” by Coach Grabowski
- The Power of Influence - Rick Jones, Mizzou by Coach Grabowski
- Easy QB Runs to Drive Defenses Crazy by Ryan Eisenberger
- How many different ways can you make the defense cover everyone? by Ryan Eigenberger
- Win Passing Downs with Creepers and Sims by Coach Grabowski
- Always have a plan to play your best 11 by Keith Grabowski
- Dominate the Defense with Double Teams by Coach Grabowski
- Buffalo OC teaches his model for game planning by Keith Grabowski
- Put your 3 Deep Coverage in a Better Position with Zone Alert Rotations by Coach Grabowski
- 5 Keys to Using Trick Plays by Coach Grabowski
- Learn from 'Juggernaut' Offense by Keith Grabowski
- Bob Wylie - Offensive Line Breakdowns by Coach Grabowski
- Utilizing the Hybrid Linebacker to take away Offensive Advantages by Coach Grabowski
- Always have a plan to play your best 11 by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: #6 Oklahoma vs #21 Texas by Caleb Hopkins
- Easy for You - Difficult for Them Adjustments by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: Davidson College vs Presbyterian by Caleb Hopkins
- Week 5 National High School Football Rankings by Keith Grabowski
- Protecting Aaron Rodgers (and your own QB) by Caleb Hopkins
- Defensive Drills of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- Woo Pig - Add a wrinkle with these Arkansas Downhill Run Variations by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: #7 Cincinnati vs #9 Notre Dame by Caleb Hopkins
- Offensive Drills of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- Coach Jason McEndoo Teaches #12 Oklahoma State’s Top Running Play by Keith Grabowski
- Adjustments - Attach Screens to your best plays, defend star receivers, & movement to stop the run by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: Army vs #16 Wake Forest by Caleb Hopkins
- How To Implement A Running-Back-By-Committee Scheme by Brandon Ogle
- How To Become The Most Feared Offensive Lineman In Your League by Chrisian Benavides
- Wylie, McNally and Alexander Key Coaching Points on the Wide Zone Play by Keith Grabowski
- #21 Coastal Carolina’s play that is a whole offense within itself by Keith Grabowski
- 4 Plays that Benefit from Bunch Formations by Keith Grabowski
- Best Mesh Concept Plays by Ron McKie
- Forming Families For Football by Darryl Page
- Top 5 Things Coaches Should Strive To Get Out Of Spring Camp by Darryl Page
- 10 Tips To Know Before Attending Football Camps by James Breland
- Offensive Line Drills by Rick Bouch
- You’re a captain, now what? 5 Tips to bring your team together and establish yourself as a true leader by Lester Crafton
- COACHING THE 4-2-5 DEFENSE VS SPREAD TEAMS by Alex Kirby
- Gifts From Grinch by Coach Grabowski
- A Package to Help You Win Mid to Late Season by Coach Grabowski
- The Future of American Football: How to Run the Spread Offense by Coach Scott
- Chris Ash teaches Longhorn Tackling by Coach Grabowski
- The misunderstood Yet Powerful Run Scheme - Duo by Coach Keith
- THE GUS MALZAHN QUARTERBACK COUNTER PLAY by Alex Kirby
- FIVE TIPS FROM GUS MALZAHN ON HOW TO BUILD YOUR PLAYBOOK by Alex Kirby
- LITTLEST KID ON THE FIELD TRUCKS LINEMAN – YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP by Jacob
- HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR OFFSEASON FOOTBALL TRAINING by Dominic
- BAD CALL, GREAT COACH: THIS IS WHY PLAYERS LOVE PETE CARROLL by Jacob
- How to Get Recruited for Collegiate Sports by Brandon Ogle
- How Offensive Coaches Win with Pre-Snap Movements by Trevor Strong
- HOW VAN HALEN AND CHIP KELLY CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER COACH by Alex Kirby
- FIVE REASONS TO RUN THE JET SWEEP by Alex Kirby
- THIS GUY’S DESIGNS ARE MAKING NFL HELMETS LOOK LIKE RELICS by Jacob
How To Become The Most Feared Offensive Lineman In Your League
While there’s nothing glamorous about being an offensive lineman, it is a position that allows you to be aggressive and physical every single play.
There’s nothing better than dominating another player in a man-to-man matchup, driving him into the ground as your running back sprints untouched through the epic hole you just created.
This position isn’t easy. To be a great offensive lineman, you need strength. You need agility and finesse. And you need more tenacity than every other position combined.
Here are 4 ways to become the most feared offensive lineman in your league.
1. Improve Your Stanceance
The key to determining who wins the battle between the offensive and defensive lineman is the first step. To achieve the quickest first step, your stance needs to be constructed in a way that allows your body to quickly react.
Since the center is in charge of assessing the defense and snapping the ball, his stance requires feet shoulder width apart and even with each other.
Guards and tackles will have a stance where feet are still shoulder width apart, but slightly staggered, meaning the outside foot will be farther back than the inside foot. The outside foot should be positioned so that the toe is aligned with the heel of the inside foot. This allows for a quick reaction, either backwards for pass blocking or forward for run blocking.
In certain situations, depending on the coaches’ preference, one hand may be on the ground in a 3-point stance, which is used mainly for run blocking scenarios since it allows you to be the “lower man.” In pass blocking situations, it is common for the inside hand to be on your thigh while your outside hand is in a “ready to strike” position.
Correct stance posture is essential to determine the strength of your base of support. No one will be able to push you around when your base is strong.
2. Master Your Footworkwork
A great lineman not only has a lot of power, he also has feet that are as delicate as a ballerina… albeit a very large ballerina.
As we mentioned before, the first step is often the key in determining who wins the battle. Quick feet are essential for getting your hands on the defense before they reach you, getting into an effective pass blocking position, and running out in front of your running backs and quarterback to clear those smaller defensive backs out of their way.
To improve the quickness of your feet, there are a variety of advanced linemen techniques that can be utilized, the most common being running footwork drills through a rope ladder. Setting up cones and running drills like the shuttle run also improve feet dexterity. Make your feet quicker and you become more dangerous.
3. Learn the Power of Leveragerage
Arguably one of the most important characteristics of a dominant offensive lineman is his ability to consistently gain leverage on his opponents.
Leverage gives even the smallest lineman the ability to put a large defender on his back. In a run-blocking situation, the lowest man always wins. When a lineman gets under the pads of his opponent, he has the leverage to move the defense in any direction, and 9 times out of 10, he’ll win the play.
Gaining leverage requires an offensive lineman to be able to fire out of his stance quickly AND with accuracy. It requires frequent repetition, which is why most offensive line coaches start each practice by having their players practice exploding from their stance into practice dummies.
To practice firing off low, coaches often have players practice under a chute, which is a contraption that does not allow the player to stand up. The more practice under the chute, the more accustomed you get to staying low on the field. With the proper usage of speed, power, and leverage, you will be an unstoppable force.
4. Gain Physical and Mental Toughnessness
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of an offensive lineman is toughness. To be completely dominant, it is essential that you be the toughest person on the field.
The offensive line is a violent position that requires physical and mental toughness every single play. A running back, quarterback, and wide receiver can get away with not touching a single defensive player on some plays, but an offensive lineman`s sole responsibility is to engage with the opponent play after play.
Being physically tough is the combination of strength and aggressiveness that translates into shear power on the field. Being physically tough is earned in the weight room and out on the practice field.
Being mentally tough is the ability to overcome fatigue play after play and to out-will your opponent over the course of the game. It's the ability to follow through on your assignment every single play. There is no limit on your mental toughness. You can be as tough as you want to be and there is no such thing as being “too mentally tough”.
They Will Fear You You
For a player, the offensive line is one of the most exciting positions on the field. There is nothing more satisfying than being dominant on the O-line.
If you consistently improve your stance, master your footwork, utilize leverage, and increase your toughness, you WILL be feared on the gridiron this fall.
Never stop working. Never stop getting better.