This is always a struggle. Every Defensive Line Coach has faced it.
Pad level. “Fire out low and hard!”
That never really works, by the way. Just screaming something about playing low has probably never solved the problem in the middle of a game.
I may be in the minority, but I don’t think chutes and sleds and all the other tools and toys out there really help that much either. Maybe over the longer course of a player’s career they do. But not in the short term.
If you’re in the middle of the season and your guys aren’t playing low, short term is what you need.
Then what do you do to get your defensive line to play low?
In Episode 85 of The Joe Daniel Football Quick Clinic, I’m answering a listener question from Rob about how to get the Defensive Line to play lower. And how to do it fast!
I’ll give you my ideas on what really has an effect on the pad level of your defensive linemen. And what is just a total waste of your time.
We’ll look at tools, toys, stance, coaching points, and more on how to solve the age old defensive line coaching problem.
Before you get real excited, I’ll burst your bubble. This is not an easy problem to solve. And there is no ‘quick’ fix for it.
I go in depth on teaching Defensive Line Play in my 4-2-5 Defense System. To get an introduction to the 4-2-5 Defense System, visit http://425defense.com to sign up for an exclusive 3 video series on coaching the foundations of the 4-2-5 Defense.