Evolving Youth Offensive Linemen

We did two things for our linemen to recognize their unsung jobs.

Each week at the last practice before our game the linemen were given a couple minutes to pick their "BEAST OF THE WEEK". The only guidance they were given was to pick the lineman who has had the best week of practice. Effort, attitude, improvement etc... Kids are naturally kind and with out coach intervention they spread the honor around.

The BEAST was announced at the after practice team meeting. We made a big deal out of this. The BEAST was one of the team captains for the week and if circumstances allow (almost always did), we would run beast wedge for an extra point play. The back that scored the run would take the lineman's place on the line and we would run wedge with the BEAST running the wedge. It became a team point of honor to get the BEAST into the end zone. The wedge often went to the back of the end zone. Didn't take up much practice time, what the play lacked in perfect technique it more than made up for with shear energy and desire.

With older kids we also put in Bruce Eien's  Left Guard Special - Left Guard Special . When you can successfully pull a guard, you can run this play. Kids loved it.

One thing you can do is make their practice more fun.  Things like sumo drills can be made into tournaments.  If you have a sled that accommodates several blockers at once, there are ways to make that competitive by seeing the direction the sled moves.

Also, depending on your system, you can have plays for them to run, or at least get touches on, the ball.  If your snapper snaps while looking thru his legs (as in single wing, short punt, or other systems where the snap needs to be directed to different points in the backfield), make it clear to him that he's a passer.  In the system I installed in 2015, I had as a regular part of a series -- not as a trick play, but a play intended to be set up by, and to set up, other plays -- a play where one of my guards carried the ball, a guard-around; he doesn't need to turn and face his own end line if it's a backward handoff, as it was in my play.  Since they probably play in a circuit with no eligible receiver uniform numbering, you should be able to have tackle-, guard-, or center-eligible pass plays, where because one or more players usually on that side of the line are not, one of those interior line players becomes an end; more creatively, if you recess your line, disguise a blocking back as an interior OL, and an end as a wingback, for instance.  (Just make sure the officials know, so they don't try to "help" by telling such a player to move up or back to get into their "right" position!)

Do you have anyone video your games?  If so, assign the videographer, or an auxiliary videographer, specifically to capture line play.  Then put it on the WWW for the rest of the team to see.

Do you assign any of your OL to lead block -- not targeting an opponent at a particular position, but just leading the ballcarrier, having him play off any block that develops downfield?  Then describe this blocking assignment as running for a TD.  (Only thing is, he's not allowed to juke or dodge tacklers!)

Make it fun. Don’t ever give off the impression that OL is second-rate. Rename the positions of you think it might help. Now you have a crocodile, two gorillas, and two tigers. It’s not a trap block, it’s a Gorilla Sneak Attack!

Hype goes a long way, especially if they feel you buy what you’re selling. Renaming things seems like a silly example but for kids it makes it fun. If you have to call your best play “poolicker” to get buy-in, do it. (Kids are gross). As George Plimpton once said “no child grows up dreaming of being a third and medium pulling guard.”

This philosophy works for all ages, I ran the self-titled “Greatest Scout O in the Nation” by getting a bunch of disappointed redshirts and career benchwarmers to believe that our success would cause deep humiliation to our DC.

Pull and Trap, let the OL be aggressive. Everyone looks to touching the football as the best part of the game, but its not. ITS HITTING PEOPLE!!! Let them do that. We down block and kick out. I preach to my guys that we get to be the aggressors while the defenders are standing there waiting to get hit. We earhole people that don't see it coming and laugh about it. Make a big deal out of great hard physical blocks in film study.

In practice - sumo type drill(we do "King of the Ring" all the linemen stand in a big circle and 2 guys go 1 on 1 with the only rules being no facemasking and no tripping. The winner stays in and faces a new challenger. This continues until we have a new King and he goes until he gets beat. Builds toughness, confidence - lesser players will eventually beat your stud when he gets tired, and the stud learns he can go longer than he ever thought possible.