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Zone Blocking, Part I Philosophy and Concepts by: Ken Wilmesherr Offensive Line Coach, Grossmont College It is important

t for offensive linemen to learn to block through a detailed progression so they understand the overall concepts of the position. The zone blocking concept is an important element of Grossmont Colleges running attack. In part I of this three-part series on our zone game, we will introduce our offensive line philosophy and the basics of the zone offense, emphasizing coaching points for offensive linemen.

OFFENSIVE LINE PHILOSOPHY The success of every team is based on the strength of the offensive line. Therefore, it is imperative that offensive linemen establish a presence. There are eight things we look for in an offensive lineman: Toughness Intelligence Work ethic Team player Great feet Great vision Hip, knee and ankle flexibility. Balance Offensive linemen need to be fundamentally tough and fundamentally sound in both the run and pass game. To be effective and fundamentally sound, offensive linemen require patience and many hours of hard work on and off the field. Offensive linemen need to understand that run and pass blocking are unnatural tasks and can be developed to a greater degree than any other phase of the game.

Successful offensive line play depends on the the mastery of the techniques required in the run and pass game. The more techniques an offensive lineman can master in the run and pass game, the easier it will be for him to cope with various situations. An offensive linemans success can only be brought about with tremendous work ethic and confidence in his ability in both the run and pass game. Concentration, self discipline, communication, and the willingness to pay the price are part of being a respected offensive lineman. What it takes to be an effective offensive lineman: Belief in what they see. Trust their eyes. Anticipation of stunt and blitz tendencies without guessing. The ability to keep their eyes open on contact. Belief in and trust of their technique. Confidence in their footwork. Confidence in their body posture, weight distribution and body balance. Trust in their run blocking and pass blocking demeanor as well as confidence in their ability to master the techniques in the run and pass game.

BLOCKING PROGRESSION

A six-step sequence must take place for any block to be successful (See Diagram 1).

Diagram 1.

Split Vertical and horizontal. The splits should be smart and may vary with: - Defensive structure, defensive personnel. - Offensive play and individual personnel. - Linemans ability, confidence, and quickness.

Stance Develop a good one; it is the base from which all action starts.

Approach This includes footwork, eyes (shoot your eyes), quickness. Shooting the eyes allows for the lineman to make proper adjustments. Time of domination. Always work for quickness. Everything is based on a linemans ability to beat his opponent to contact.

Contact On contact, the punch is delivered up and through the defender (forklift the defender). The punch is a matter of quickness, timing, and leverage.

There are two types of leverage we are always after: pad leverage and hand leverage. Follow Through Follow through; unlock the hips. Finish off the defender. Finish Our goal is to drive the defender 10 yards and put him on his back. The finish: teach It, coach It, demand It.

ZONE CONCEPTS The zone play is different than most other offensive plays because there is no specific point of attack. As a result, the whole defensive front is stressed. Inside and stretch is not a man blocking scheme, but rather an area or zone blocking scheme. The zone play can break anywhere, so it is imperative that all linemen know that both playside and backside blocking assignments are crucial. Furthermore, the zone concept dictates to the defense and can account for defensive actions after the snap. Because of this, it is sound vs. blitzes, stunts, slants, etc. Zone blocking features co-ops, which consist of two or more adjacent linemen working together blocking defenders either on or off the ball in specific playside or backside gaps. On inside zone, there will be double teams, while on stretch there wont be double teams except on the edge between the playside tackle and tight end. However, the double team on stretch will be short lived and evolve into a co-op block between the tackle and tight end. On an inside zone blocking scheme, all offensive linemen are working vertically through their playside gap. Inside zone blocking is designed to get vertical movement on the line of scrimmage by creating double teams on down defenders while getting vertical movement to the second level defender.

The vertical movement created by the offensive linemen and the double teams (co-ops) at the first level allows the running back to press the hole and find the crease allowing for a cut back. Stretch blocking is designed to stretch the defense by getting the defenders to move laterally. By stretching the defense, there is more horizontal push by the offensive linemen. Thus, offensive linemen are attempting to gain horizontal leverage on the defenders. Because of the horizontal push and the aiming point of the running back, defenders will move laterally across the field, creating seams for the running back. As the back stretches the defense and the offensive linemen push defenders laterally, the running back will puncture the defense as he finds the seam. QUARTERBACK AND RUNNING BACK AIMING POINTS On the inside zone, the quarterback steps at either 5 (zone right) or 7 oclock (zone left). The running backs aiming point is the hip of the callside guard (Diagram 2).

Diagram 2. The running back is reading the first down defender from the center out. The back will press the hole and cut back.

On stretch, the quarterback steps at either 8 (left zone) or 4 oclock (right zone). The running back is reading the hip of the edge blocker, either the callside tight end or the callside tackle. The running back is on an angle to the edge blocker (Diagram 3).

Diagram 3. If the edge blocker controls the defender, the back will bounce the edge to the sideline. If the edge defender is not controlled, the back will work upfield and cut under the defender. COACHING POINTS FOR LINEMEN It is important that linemen know the proper vertical and horizontal splits in the zone concept. They must understand the difference between being an uncovered or a covered lineman. They must understand the proper footwork for both an uncovered and a covered lineman. They must understand the blocking area or zone. They must know the landmarks, aiming points and hand placement on inside and stretch. Vertical and Horizontal Splits Vertical and horizontal splits are determined by the ability, quickness, and confidence level of your offensive line personnel and your offensive philosophy. The tighter the vertical alignment, the faster the offensive lineman can engage the defender and use his size and power.

A zone team will have deeper vertical splits because there are two-man or three-man (co-op blocks) schemes in which offensive linemen are reading and reacting to the defender while working to a certain target area. Vertical splits are loose; the down hand is on the instep of the center. This allows for two steps in the ground before contact. We maintain a minimum of 18 inches to a maximum of 24-inch horizontal splits. However, depending on defensive structures and defensive personnel, splits may vary on the play side and the back side (Diagram 4).

Diagram 4.

Uncovered and Covered

In the zone concept, we speak in terms of uncovered and covered linemen, which are designated by the down defenders alignment. The footwork will vary between uncovered and covered linemen. A lineman is covered if he has a man on him, and he is uncovered if he has a man on him at depth (e.g., a linebacker). Being covered playside is defined as having a defender aligned in the playside shade or gap on the LOS (Diagram 5).

Diagram 5.

Being covered backside is defined as having no defender in the playside shade or gap, but having a defender head up or in the backside gap on the LOS (Diagram 6).

Diagram 6.

Being uncovered is defined as having no defender either backside, head up, or to the call side shade or gap on the LOS, but is covered at depth by a second-level defender (Diagram 7).

Diagram 7.

Uncovered linemen will zone with the adjacent lineman to the call side. Covered linemen will zone with the back side (away from the call side) lineman. If both backside linemen are covered then they must man block (Diagram 8).

Diagram 8. Defining Zones Each lineman is responsible for a zone or area. For example, the backside tackles zone is from his nose to the backside guards playside shoulder. The backside guards zone is from his nose to the centers play side shoulder, the centers zone is from his nose to the right guards playside shoulder and so on. However, the playside tight ends zone is from his nose to the sideline (Diagram 9).

Diagram 9.

Landmarks, Aiming Points The landmark for covered and uncovered linemen is outside the bodyline (playside hip, knee, and armpit) of the first or second level defender. Offensive linemen want to rip the far landmark. On the inside zone, an uncovered lineman is reading the near hip and chasing the far hip of the down defender. If the down defenders hip disappears (color goes away), the uncovered lineman works to the second-level defender. If the near hip comes to him, he takes over the block (Diagram 10).

Diagram 10.

The landmark for stretch is the outside the bodyline (playside) hip of the defender. On the back side of zone we can also use cut and scramble blocks. The scramble block is performed mostly by a backside lineman to stop penetration and pursuit by a defender. It is important for a lineman to not chase a scrapping linebacker because he is usually replaced by a slanting lineman. Hand Placement

Inside zone: The covered lineman needs to keep his playside arm free while doing a one-arm bench with the backside arm. The aiming point is the play side (outside armpit) of the defender. Punch the playside breast plate of the down defender. The covered lineman will squeeze with the uncovered lineman creating a double team to the second level defender. The uncovered lineman will one-arm bench the down defenders near breast plate with the playside arm and keep the backside arm free. The uncovered lineman will piggyback the

covered lineman to be in position to handle slants, stunts, and blitzes. Stretch: All linemen will rip with the backside arm (ripping the funnel). The offensive lineman is trying to get his backside arm through the defenders playside armpit (rip the far target). The entry level of the funnel is the elbow and the ribs. The end of the funnel is the arm pit. Keep the outside shoulder free. When ripping the funnel, the lineman needs to stay square. By ripping the funnel, this will keep the defender from holding or grabbing the offensive lineman.

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