Vontrell King-Williams, D-Line Coach, Auburn
This video was originally posted on Glazier Connect.
It is a segment of a content video from Glazier Drive: Attack React Fundamentals for D-Line
See why 33,000+ coaches from schools across the nation trust Glazier Drive to help their program succeed.
Glazier Drive has 3,000+ individual videos from top coaches, 58 complete football coaching systems, and exclusive content from top coaches in the industry.
Start your free trial by signing up here: GlazierDrive.com
SUMMARY
This video breaks down how to teach the attack-react mode of play to defensive linemen, including the technique itself, the coaching points, and a three-drill progression that builds from the ground up. The coach covers order of operations, alignment, keys, stance, hand placement, and the “shank” variation used at Auburn.
ORDER OF OPERATIONS: ARM
Every call starts with ARM: Alignment, Responsibility, and Mode of play. Players should know their alignment, what gap responsibility they have, and which mode they are using to get the call done.
ALIGNMENT FUNDAMENTALS
- Horizontal: Be looser or heavier on the blocker based on the alignment of the back. Away from the back, be looser (foot to foot) expecting zone to come to you. Tighter to the back, align foot to crotch because of the threat of a backside cutoff.
- Vertical: In attack-react, crowd the ball as much as possible. The coach uses “credit card alignment,” maybe an inch back, so the player can come out of the hips and deliver power.
WHEN TO PLAY ATTACK-REACT
- Used on any outside shade: 1-technique, 3-technique, 5-technique, and ghost 9.
- The key is the tip of the pad of the offensive lineman. Eyes matter because the player must react with the right footwork based on the block (aggressive or downhill).
- Sequence: two-foot push from the ground, hips and hands first, footwork after.
ATTACK-REACT LAG (“SHANK”)
- Same attack-react mentality, but the player lags his eyes to the adjacent gap while keeping body presence in his own, allowing him to two-gap out of a one-gap alignment.
- Example: a 3-technique with the guard coming at him lags his eyes to the A-gap while maintaining body presence in the B-gap.
- Has been especially effective out of a two-high shell, canceling gaps up front.
STANCE AND HAND PLACEMENT
- Toe-to-heel stance, flat back, hanging off-hand, eyes on the key.
- Feet and cleats stay close to the ground so the player can push. This is the purpose of power cleans and explosive training.
- One-gap hand placement: main hand down the sternum, gap hand on the tip of the pad.
- For shank: gap hand goes underneath the armpit to be thicker and able to two-gap.
- Thumbs up, elbows in, eyes below the hands, achieved with good pad level and forward body lean.
THE PEN ANALOGY
Think of a pen being pressed down: it coils up, then explodes. Players should load their full body weight and explode into the blocker, rather than playing like offensive linemen who “wall” off the ball. The goal is to be the aggressor and play like a spring.
TEACH PROGRESSION
- Six-Point Explosion
- Six points on the ground: two fingertips, two knees, two toes.
- Toes must be curled into the ground so the player can push. If not, have a partner hold the feet or use a springboard. Otherwise the drill is a waste.
- Coaching points: explode out, not up. Eyes up, chin up, neck braced. Hands go straight from the ground to the man with no wind-up.
- The “penny test”: a penny placed on the player’s backside should not move, proving he is coming out of his hips and not lifting his butt.
- Three-Point Layout
- Same order of operations, now out of a stance with the feet locked into the ground.
- Eyes up, chin up, neck braced, hands direct to the target, elbows in, thumbs up, full lock-out.
- Equipment note: no sled required. A goalpost works.
- Drive Sled
- Addresses a common flaw: linemen strike well, then relax and peek for the ball while the offensive lineman keeps driving.
- Teaches players to keep driving their feet with a solid base after contact, finishing the block until the ball carrier commits.
- Feet should never get too close together, preserving power and extension. The player releases on the whistle.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR COACHES
- Win the block first, then find the ball. The player isn’t done with the offensive lineman until the ball carrier has committed.
- Push from the ground. Foot contact and strong toes are the foundation of hip explosion.
- Hands go straight to the target, with no wind-up.
- You can run these drills without a fancy sled. Use a goalpost or a partner.
- Use the shank/lag variation to two-gap from a one-gap alignment.