How to Block a Linebacker

Blocking a linebacker is a matter of assignment and footwork. Whether you are a guard, a tackle, a tight end, the center, a receiver, or a running back, the method is the same. There are two instances that require you to block a linebacker: you are specifically assigned to him, or you are assigned to an area and he moves into it. Once you know the linebacker is your responsibility, you do three things to successfully block him.

Instructions

    • 1

      Get to the linebacker. This may require you move as few as three yards or as many as 15. The job of a linebacker is to avoid blocks and get to the ball carrier. The longer the backer runs free, the more difficult it will be for you to block him because he will have momentum. If you can get to him before he picks up speed, you improve your chances of success.

    • 2

      Breakdown and move your feet once you get to him. Once you are within three or four feet of the backer, lower your center of gravity by bending your knees and widening your stance. The lower your torso is in relation to his, the more leverage you have. If your pad level is the same as his, it will be easier for him to shed your block. Continue to take steps, though not necessarily forward. Pump your legs up and down. This will allow you to make lateral movements and respond quickly to the angle of pursuit the linebacker takes on the ball carrier.

    • 3

      Make contact and drive forward. Keep your hands inside your shoulders and put them under the linebacker's shoulder pads, on the numbers of his jersey. If you get your hands too wide, he can swim through your block, which hardly slows his movement. If you keep your hands in close, the linebacker is forced to engage the leverage of your body, not just the grip of your hands. Pump your legs and force him in the direction you want him to move. Maintain your block until the whistle blows and the play is over.