Once your players understand how they get into position to block for their assignment on kickoff return, as well as how to finish on a player with their hands and their feet, it’s time to put it all together in a “Finish” station. In this Special Teams drill, your players will work on blocking and riding out their opponent.
Set Up
1. Players begin on the end zone line
2. On the “GO” command, players are going to execute fish hooks, finish technique, and they are going to have a defender come down and they are going to block them and ride them out, steering the defender off his path.
3. Once the players hit their cone or designated spot on the field, the defenders don’t wait for the opponent – they backpedal to align and then meet them to defend and lock him out.
Important Points
- Don’t ever have your kickoff return player go out to the mark and wait, because sooner or later somebody is going to knock him down.
- If you are having trouble with players at the finish point reading the upfield shoulder, you can make this even more challenging and read the upfield shoulder. The defender can then work on re-tracing and kicking the player out.
- Remember – you are going to teach your returners to look for the hole and make the burst. The worst thing that happens is players come off the block and then they make their decision. Players should be ready to react right away!
Video Demonstration
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