Developing the High School Defensive Lineman

Part I: Defensive Line Philosophies

Jason Larsen
Defensive Line Coach, Lake Orion (Mich.) H.S.
To start, I thank the Coaches Learning Network for the
opportunity to present some of the aspects of our defensive
line coaching and teaching progression. The CLN provides
a great place for coaches at all levels to come together and
exchange ideas and drills, and also fuel that off-season
ambition to get better as coaches.
Much of the information I will share was learned from
former Northern Michigan University coaches Herb
Grenke, Bobby Jurasin, Jim Driscoll, and Keith Jordan and
adapted to the high school level.
We have had success in recent years using the 5-2 defense
and mixing in some 4-3 at times. When we have had
dominant defenses, it almost always began up front with a
strong defensive line. While we all get tired of hearing it, it
really does start in the trenches.
However, many times at the high school level it is difficult to find that prototype defensive lineman. Because of
this, we have worked hard to develop defensive linemen who are tough, quick, smart, pursue aggressively, and are
explosive. Wrestling types are good fits for us. Many times, our best linemen were former fullbacks or linebackers,
or defensive ends who had trouble playing in space. We even had a player who was a receiver at the younger levels
have a good senior season filling in because he ran well and was smart at reading blocks.
We all want to have that big, strong, bull in there, but realistically, many years defensive line coaches at the high
school level earn their keep by developing talent and using stunt and front schemes to make up their unit.
People will ask if we are a penetration defense (like Miami) or a gap-control defense (like many 3-4 defenses). I
guess you could say we penetrate as we read, and are gap-conscious. We read as we penetrate to one yard. If the
offensive line fires out and we fire out, that means we are basically playing on the line of scrimmage, reading the
block, and finding the football.
It is crucial in our 5-2 (30) package that defensive linemen do not over-penetrate, as seams open up and leave our
linebackers vulnerable. We are not, however, blockers so our linebackers can make plays. In the last three seasons, a
defensive lineman has lead our team in tackles and sacks, including our nose tackle tying the state record for sacks
in a season with 26.
In our league, the most important aspect of a defensive linemans game is to be able to stop the run, particularly
playing the Veer and Trap. If a defensive lineman is veered or trapped too often, he cannot play here. This is where
young defensive linemen most of the time need to have the most coaching. Reading blocks is something that comes
with time, repetition, video, and constant reinforcement by his coach.
The time aspect is also critical, as the more the lineman realizes the blockers will lead him to the ball, the less he is
likely to over-penetrate or peek over a block. As a defensive lineman becomes adept at reading blocks, he learns the
little things he can do to cheat or get a pre-snap read. (I will cover technique in a later article).
To reinforce this reading and defeating of blocks, I spend the majority of our individual period on run blocks
opponents use. We work on base, double, reach, pull/block back, down away and down blocks daily (drill
explanation later in article). This is one of the most important things in developing young talent.

When we do this, we get rid of the bags and hand shields, and go man on man. This gets players used to the feel of
grabbing pads and jersey and fighting for leverage that a bag wont provide. It also makes the defensive players
tougher because they have to be intense, use their hands, and hit or theyll be moved or run over. Our opponents
wont be carrying hand shields in a game!
Gregg Williams (defensive coordinator for the Washington
Redskins) said (long-time NFL coach) Jack Pardee would
only allow one drill in individual time that had an auxiliary
device (bags, sled, etc.) because he wanted his players
getting game-like contact.
You can do everything you would do with a bag or sled
against another player. Coaches can regulate how much
hitting they want in the drill and mix up hitting and speed
depending on the day of the week or how much they need
to instruct basic fundamentals.
Our defense play calling is aggressive. We like to blitz
often and bring pressure from the secondary. We also have
recently added more two, three, and four-man stunts and
dogs to our package, and have had good results with them.
However, most of the sacks that our defensive linemen get are from being disciplined and rushing through their rush
lanes. I tell my players that their job is to clean up the garbage and not let the QB out of the pocket. It is not a slow
rush, but we are very gap aware and use safer pass rush moves that keep us from being driven from our lane and
keep our eyes on the QB.
It is not often in high school football where you see an interior player whip a player one on one and fly in like
Reggie White. Im not saying that doesnt happen, but if the offenses you see are like the ones in our league, it is
uncommon. We work on pass rush secondarily and in pre and post-practice, and limit the number of moves we will
use to make sure we have maximum time to practice and perfect what we do.
Another aspect of our progression is to give your linemen constant feedback. In practice, ask your linemen how they
were blocked in team. Always have them aware of the scheme used against them. We try to coach one player every
play.
Another thing my defensive line has benefited from is grading of game film. I score every game by giving points for
important plays, like 3 points for a tackle for a loss (TFL), 2 for a Solo, 1 for an assist (AT), -1 for a missed
assignment (MA), etc. Grade whatever you feel is critical. In the end, it gives a player a tangible value for his
performance in the game. I make it a challenge to get the highest score and win the D Line Belt. It also helps with
a kid who is struggling because you can point to a number and compare it to his teammates. It isnt perfect, but it is
a way to gauge performance.
Maybe the best grading we have done is to grade pursuit. I got this idea from Lou Teppers linebacker book. As I
grade film, I keep a separate sheet with each play on it. It is simple to grade. I look to see first if every lineman is in
the frame as the whistle blows. If he is not, the play is circled as a loaf.
Next, I look to see if there is any change of speed (jogging, jog to sprint) during pursuit. If there is, that is also a
loaf. The goal is for players to grade out at 90% or better for each game. This grade is also presented to the linemen
at film on Saturday and can become a fun, competitive, measurable, goal for your players.
If you have any questions or want me to explain more about our philosophies, feel free to contact me at
jlarsen@lakeorion.k12.mi.us. My next article will be about practice structure and developing linemen as it relates to
defending the running game.

Developing the High School Defensive Lineman

Part II: Run Game Philosophies and Practice Drills
Jason Larsen
Defensive Line, Lake Orion (Mich.) H.S.
Having a strong run defense is essential to any defense, but
being strong against the run is critical to success at the high
school level. Unlike our college and professional
counterparts, we most likely will see the run on the
majority of defensive snaps, even in passing down
situations.
We also will see more teams willing to get in four-down
territory, since the kicking game and a three-point swing is
not as big at our level.
Because of the dominance of the run in our opponents
offensive package, we spend the majority of our individual
and team periods focusing on blocking schemes, defeating
blocks, running play concepts, and our defensive
adjustments for stopping the run game.
At Northern Michigan University, coach Herb Grenke taught all of us future coaches to break complex movements
into small, easy to learn parts, while using buzz-words when coaching specific points, and to reinforce the need for
excellent technique.
He broke playing defensive line down to three main aspects: Hit (re-establish the line of scrimmage, drive back
offensive linemen), Shed (disengage from the blocker by using a move), and Pursue (get in a course of pursuit to
make a tackle). He and Coach Bobby Jurasin even made shirts that players could earn that had the Hit, Shed, and
Pursue motto on them.
Both coaches drilled this idea home to their players, and I continue it at Lake Orion High School. Playing the
defensive line comes down to these three points of emphasis, so I make sure to incorporate into every practice some
hitting/ explosive drive/ reading block drills, some disengagement drills (bull-rush, rip drill, etc), and some pursuit
and tackling drills. As I wrote in the first article, the more your defensive linemen work the fundamentals of hitting
and disengaging, the better performance you will get from your defensive line.
I look at coaching football as an extension of my classroom teaching. Therefore, I plan ahead of time for what skills
we will review and what new techniques I will teach for the whole week. Almost every basic skill is built upon, and
I want a progression that teaches basic skills and techniques that carry over in drills and into our inside run and team
time.
One thing I have gotten better at is explaining to my players why we are doing a specific drill, when to use it, and
how it fits into the big picture. Most players will practice harder knowing that the drill will be carried to the field and
make them better.
Another thing we have gotten better at is teaching our players what the offense
is trying to do on each play. We as coaches give our players too much credit for
understanding us when we say, They like to run Power on third and two, or
They will run midline to the three technique side. Explain it, draw it up,
make the kids learn how Power is blocked, and explain how their position fits
into the overall defense. Even the kids who play on both sides of the ball
sometimes dont carry it over to their defensive position.

Coach Larsen
Explain it, draw it up, make the
kids learn how (it) is blocked,
and explain how their position
fits into the overall defense.

Monday through Wednesday, my defensive linemen will work in full pads and will start their time with me doing
agilities or plyometric drills. We constantly work on their athletic ability and their ability to run and change direction
quickly. This is not meant to be conditioning, but a time where you develop better athletic coordination and power.
My goal is to get the agility period done without using any individual time, so I work it in while the rest of the team
is doing special teams, or work agilities into pre-practice.
This also sets the pace for the defensive line, as they learn there is no time for down time on the practice field and
they are not standing around while the special teams work. We have noticed a difference in the quickness and power
of our athletes since we emphasized this part of training.
Here is an example weekly agility plan:
Monday: Agility Bags (add in whatever movements you want)
Tuesday: Plyometrics (bounding, broad, vertical, box, and squat jumps) agility hurdles, medicine ball tosses
Wednesday: Lateral and linear agility ladder drills, 4-cone drill
By working daily on agility, explosiveness, and
coordination you can turn marginal athletes into better ones.
Many times we neglect to work on building athletic ability
once the season starts, and lose the explosiveness gained in
the off-season conditioning program. It is important to
remember, however, that these drills should not take away
from football instruction or football specific drills. Use prepractice or lineman down time to work in these drills.
After agilities are done, we will begin stance and start
drills, focusing on a quick get-off on movement. Always
have your defensive linemen move on movement, never on
voice or whistle. It sounds like common sense, but if we are
practicing it, it must be perfect practice. Get them used to
moving on the stimuli of a moving ball, hand shield, cone,
hat, anything that makes them focus and move on
movement. Make sure your linemen are coming out of a stance that allows them to get-off quickly, and low. I used
to harp on everyone having the same clinic stance, but now I realize if they are comfortable, they will get out of
their stance faster and lower.
The next part of the teaching progression is to come out of a stance and work on explosively hitting. I teach them to
come out low towards half of the man they are covering or shading, firing from the legs, throwing the hips (throwing
means forcing hips forward with feet, as opposed to rolling the hips, which causes a player to raise his pads),
benching (bench press motion) with elbows in (it helps from exposing the chest), and making contact with the half
side of the man to the gap they have responsibility for.
You can use a sled for this, blocking shields, or another padded player. The key teaching point is to teach the
lineman to stay low and deliver a blow while penetrating his gap. Teach him his bench is meant to move the LOS
back and keep the offensive lineman off of him.
Lastly, teach the defensive lineman that the less time he spends with the offensive
lineman, the better. So many times a young defensive lineman thinks he did a
great job because he really hit that guy across from him and showed him. I ask
him where the ball went and if he made the tackle. Hitting and getting off the
block are much more important than hitting alone.

Coach Larsen
Hitting and getting off
the block are much more
important than hitting alone.

I will then have players do another hitting/benching drill after the first drill. One drill we do is a simple board drill. I
use the boards the offensive linemen have for the chutes for this drill. Put two defensive linemen across from each
other on the half way point of the board. Neither side is offense or defense, but the goal of this drill is to play low
and drive the other player off the end of the board. It is basically sumo wrestling. It teaches good leverage, a good
base, to keep feet moving on contact, and to fight for inside hand position on the opposing lineman. It is also a place

where you can pick out the players who like contact and will stand up to the challenge of one-on-one fighting. No
matter how fancy our game becomes, in the end, it comes down to which players like to grind it out the most and
which team is willing to out-hit and out-hustle the other.
The last hitting/benching drill I would do in this progression would be some kind of hitting and reading drill. You
could have a player shade another player and react and hit/bench according to the block. For a base block, have the
defensive lineman hit, bench, and drive his blocker backwards while getting his body into the gap. For a scoop or
reach block, have the defensive lineman hit to the side of the reach, fight to get his head outside the offensive
players head, and penetrate the gap. If the blocker down blocks away from the defensive lineman, teach him to
replace the blockers hip with his hip and look to the inside. That will prepare him for Trap or Veer. Pick which
blocking schemes you will see in the week and drill them for repetition.
After doing one-on-one drills, have your lineman go against two blockers to work on block combinations. Teach
your players to attack the man he is shading or covering and feel the man to his outside. This is a good chance to
work against double teams and work against a down block by the offensive tackle and a pull by the guard. Unless
your opponent uses false pulls, (which you can pick up in scouting), the offensive guard will take you to the football
almost every time. Again, depending on scouting, you will be able to plan which combinations to practice.
We then move on in individual time to Shedding drills. We work on a variety of sheds, like the Rip, Rip Counter,
Swim, Bull, Push-Pull, and Club. I teach these moves in a progression and might only allow a young defensive
lineman to use one or two shedding moves until he perfects it. This is a case
where having too many moves and not being good at one will hurt him.
Coach Larsen
If we had trouble tackling a big
To finish off our individual period, we will work on pursuit to the football,
back, we might work on low
playing off of cut blocks, and tackling drills. We believe that a player can
tackling, or if we have to play the
never work on pursuing to the ball or tackling enough. This is a source of
veer, we might work on closing
pride for our defense: Everyone hustles, everyone hits!
tight and squaring up for a tackle.
I usually pick a few different tackling drills specific to what you will see and
what you need work on. If we had trouble tackling a big back, we might work on low tackling, or if we have to play
the veer, we might work on closing tight and squaring up for a tackle. Before we go to inside run, well run a
defensive line pursuit drill where we try to force a fumble.
We then move on to inside run, where we work 7-on-7 against the run. To conclude practice, we go full team and
work through our whole package and play this package against the opponents plays. This is not all we do, but its a
basic plan for our practices.
If you have any questions about run game defense or defensive practice planning, feel free to email me at
jlarsen@lakeorion.k12.mi.us. My next article will be on pass rushing and pass rush drills.

Developing the High School Defensive Lineman

Part III: Pass Rush Philosophy and Practice Plan
Jason Larsen
Defensive Line Coach, Lake Orion (Mich.) H.S.
Putting pressure on the quarterback is a whole-defense
responsibility. The linemen must be able to provide
pressure on their own, linebackers on a blitz are assisted by
gap-responsible defensive linemen, and good coverage
helps both groups get more time for pressure.
The first key to a successful pass rush is to implement a
fundamentally sound defense that allows for a balance of
rush and coverage. This sounds elementary, but many teams
take unnecessary risks in the coverage area in order to bring
pressure. Make sure your coverage fits your blitz package.
Also, know your personnel and their strengths and
weaknesses. If your team has a defensive front that can
provide pressure on its own, you have a great advantage. If
you have a secondary that can lock down in Cover 0, you
can blitz more freely. However, if you have trouble covering, you may want to play it more conservatively with zone
pressure, man-free, or a man under package.
The second key to good pressure is to have each group skilled in technique and knowledgeable about their positions
responsibilities and assignments. As a defensive staff, we teach our players how they fit into the rush scheme and
how each of them is a part of every hurry, sack, or interception we force.
We try to be very unpredictable in the way we align on passing downs. We will move, use stunts and blitzes, and
give a variety of coverages. Our Defensive Coordinator, Dave Tooley, always works to be creative on stunts and
blitz combinations, uses input from defensive back coach John Blackstock and me, and ideas from our kids about
what they are seeing, to bring pressure from all levels of the defense.
As much as we like to gamble on passing downs, we do not take
unnecessary risks. We try to match our calls to our personnel (for
example, our stunt game improved last year because of an athletic
interior), and be aware for screens and draws. It is a continual and
changing process year to year, based on the players we have and the
strengths of our opponents.

Coach Larsen
Putting pressure on the QB is a wholedefense responsibility. The linemen must
be able to provide pressure on their own.

One last overall philosophy note is that all of our defensive coaches preach forcing turnovers to their position
groups. As a whole defense, we work on forcing fumbles, pressure, and interceptions. It became a major point of
emphasis last season, as we made forcing three turnovers a game a goal. Every practice, we constantly talked to our
players about forcing three turnovers; in 7-on-7, in Skelly, and in team we kept reminding them.
It carried over into games. We had players who forced fumbles and interceptions running over to the sideline and
telling us that they were on our way as a defense to three turnover! When they got their goal, they were happier
because the defense achieved three overall turnovers than in their personal achievement of causing the turnover!
That is where we win as coaches.
You win as a defense when you have players that buy into your program and see the defense as one group with a
united cause. Players will feel things are important if they are important to you, and you give them constant
reinforcement and reward for accomplishing important goals.

In terms of our defensive lines pass rush preparation, we scout our opponents types of protection, linemen for
strengths and weaknesses, pre-snap keys (lighter stance, etc.), what hand the quarterback is, if the quarterback is a
scrambler, and any other information that will help us game plan.
One of the first things I also chart is how often the other team runs screens and draws and how they block those
plays. The coaches have this information compiled by Saturday or Sunday, and we then plan on how we will attack
the offense. On Monday I give the defensive linemen our plan and what our opponents tendencies are.
In practice, I am given a lot of time to work with my defensive line because we are a two-platoon team. This allows
me to spend up to an hour a day working with my linemen and teaching run and pass drills. It also allows us to do
more as a defense in terms of scheme and has made our defensive linemen better at those skills. I do spend more
time on run defense, but because of the time I have, I can work on pass rush, screen and draw, and pursuit daily.
We always start pre-practice with agilities. I try to work in pass rush specific movements into these agility sessions
with things like dipping and ripping, running tight corners, planting and going, and retracing your steps (as
defensive linemen should do on screen and draw).
I also teach players that on every play they run to the ball. Making
tackles is as much about the will to hustle every down as any skill I
could teach. We can make as many tackles as the linebackers can
on short passes because we pursue. To do this, I will fit in a pursuit
drill (in stance and start period) where they get off the ball, pass
rush, get hands up, and pursue to a ball thrown to a manager down
the field. I will also give them screen reads in this time.
We always want our kids hitting, shedding, and pursuing, and
above all, playing smart and reading what their keys are telling
them. The lineman across from him will always tell the defender
whats happening in the play, so smart readers make good players.
We also work on pass rush skills in individual time. Coach Bobby
Jurasin (former CFL star and Northern Michigan University defensive line coach) is an expert at pass rush. He
taught me most of what I now teach my players about using their hands, using moves that fit the linemans skills,
and the use of counter moves. We will work on all these techniques as we teach the Bull Rush with Push Pull, Rip
with Rip Counter, Speed Swim with Club, and Speed Rush pass rush moves. I have players fit up wrestling style and
practice one-on-one at half speed and then work up to near full speed.
Monday through Wednesday we also schedule one-on-one pass rush with the offensive line. It helps both sides of the
ball to have full contact, full speed drill work. We limit the time to keep it intense. We also will have a session of
pass under pressure (PUP) where we work live through our third and long defenses and stunts. I push them to use all
of the moves we practiced in individual work instead of just focusing on their favorite move. I teach them to come to
the line with a first move and plan to have a counter move if they are initially blocked.
The last part of the defensive practice is team defense. Team usually focuses on the big picture of the defensive
scheme, but you still should watch your defensive linemen to make sure their technique and reads are perfect. Coach
one player every play.
Another idea of making team more productive is to break the team session into situations like first and 10, third and
short, etc., and use your scouting breakdowns to get the kids into a rhythm for what you will call and what plays
your opponent likes to run in these situations. It makes better use of time, keeps the drill more intense, and makes it
more game-like.
Thank you for reading my three part series on high school defensive line philosophy. While these three parts are an
overview of how we develop our defensive line, I would be happy to talk more about specific drills and skills we
use. You can contact me at jlarsen@lakeorion.k12.mi.us. Thank you for this opportunity to share my views and
philosophy on defensive line play.