No skill or technique is more important to defensive players than the ability to use their hands. This goes for all players on that side of the ball if they are to play their positions effectively.

Whether a defensive lineman is using his hands to defeat a blocker, gain operating space and pursue the ball-carrier; a linebacker using his hands to ward off a blocker and make the tackle; or a defensive back playing off an offensive man to force the football, coaches should build drills that teach these skills into their practice plans and reinforce them regularly.

In general, there are three basic categories of techniques employed with the hands.

Gaining leverage

The first of these techniques is the power, two-gap – or leverage – technique that is used most often by defensive linemen and linebackers.

In this technique, the strength of the blow comes from the quickness with which the blow is struck, the extension or locking of the arms and the involvement of the big muscles. It is essential that there be no hitching or winding up and that all hand and arm movement be forward.

The blow is struck with the palms and heels of the hands. Ideal hand placement is under the shoulder pads of the offensive player at approximately the outside tips of the player’s numbers.

Arm extension or locking out at the elbows along with rolling hips finishes the power aspect of this technique. In order not to rise up and to maintain a power-position advantage over the blocker from start to finish, it is crucial that the defensive player’s shoulder level stay down.

This technique is best be accomplished when the defender keeps his head and eyes up, focused with his facemask lower than that of the offensive player.

Beating low blocks

The second category of hand techniques is used against blockers who are trying to scramble or cut block. To combat these, at times, it may be necessary to give or lose a little ground in the execution of these techniques.

The offensive player is trying to get under a defensive player’s “block protection” when attempting a low block. In order to not let the blocker get to the legs, the defender has to be able to extend the arms and bend at the ankles, knees and hips.

As with the leverage technique, it is important that all hand and arm movement be forward and that there be no false movement. Exactly where the blow is struck on the offensive player depends on the elevation at which he is trying to block. This positioning will vary all the way from under the player’s pads if he is blocking relatively high to the tips of the shoulders if he is scramble blocking.

It is important that the defensive player have good flexion at the ankles, knees and hips in order to gain force behind the blow. The more he bends, the more power he will have behind his blow.

It is a critical coaching point to have players overemphasize the bending aspect – the lower the better. If they do not bend when trying to defeat blockers who are blocking low, the blockers will break through the hands and get to the defender’s legs.

Slip, slide and drop step

The third technique is the slip, slide or drop step. These techniques involve the defensive player using his hands to avoid or finesse blockers. They involve the defenders using their hands to simulate striking a blow, then slipping or avoiding the blocker to make the tackle.

Basically, a slip technique involves the defensive player avoiding a blocker by driving his hands at the offensive players, such as when he does a power move, and then either giving ground to get by the blocker or using his movements to pull the blocker by and sliding underneath him to make the tackle.

The defender employs the drop step against a drive blocker by driving his hands at the offensive man, and then just before contact is made, dropping a hand, pulling a leg back, and using the momentum of the blocker to avoid contact to get to the ball-carrier.

Conclusion

Football rules allow the use of the hands to ward off, avoid or defeat blockers. This capability is an advantage the defense has over the offense. In my opinion, the ability of the defensive coaches to teach this technique is a determining factor, to a large part, how well a defensive team plays.

Build time into your practice schedule to teach these skills, which are just as important to a player’s skill set as tackling or tracking the ball. Being able to use his hands allows a defender to get to the play and make more of them.

Leonard Frank “Fritz” Shurmur served as the head football coach at the University of Wyoming from 1971-74 and was an assistant coach in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Phoenix Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. Sherman was the defensive coordinator for the Packers team that won Super Bowl XXXI.