Offensive Line Drills – Stopping The Pass Rush

As an offensive lineman, there are 3 or 4 standard moves that you’re going to have to be able to deal with on the pass rush. They all leave defenders exposed in certain areas, and if you are confident and composed, you can learn to use the momentum and movement of the defender against themselves.

Swim Move

The swim move is an attack on the lineman’s outside shoulder, with the defender using it to pull the blocker off-balance, and swim over.

But as he does this, he exposes his inner rib cage – and this is where we will attack. First you want to make sure not to give him the inside shoulder, by leading with the inside hand, but second, punching the rib cage as the arm lifts, leaving it exposed.

Rip Move

Another move very popular with defenders is the rip. The defender is trying to engage, and use his inside arm to rip through the blockers arms, and bring his inside hip to the outside hip of the blocker.

At this point most offensive linemen will realize they are beat and with their outside arm still wrapped around the chest of the defender, will take a holding call to protect the quarterback.

As the blocker, you need to maintain your separation as they step up into your chest, and adjust your target to the lead shoulder as opposed to the center of their chest.

Spin Move

Another move that you’re going to see a lot of the time is the spin move, where the defender is going to engage, and then try to spin off to either the inside or outside.

Like the rip, one of the keys is to maintain separation, and remember to keep your shoulders out of it. You also want to remember to keep your hands mobile – you’re not going to be able to stop the defender from spinning, but you can be there with your hands ready to hit him in the chest as soon as the spin is done.

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