As a player, my coaches always told me to give 110 percent. So when I first started coaching, I told my players the same thing.

Let me ask you: Can you eat a 110 percent of a pizza or only 100 percent of it?

As coaches, we need to stop asking players for more than they are physically able to produce and focus on fine-tuning the best of what they have to offer.

I now tell my players and students to “be an expert at your position.”

For defensive tackles and defensive ends, I use SAKR – stance, alignment, keys, responsibilities – to help them improve their skills.

SEE ALSO: Be an expert at your position: Linebackers

SEE ALSO: Be an expert at your position: Defensive Backs

It all starts up front, so get the most out of these big fellas to set the tone on defense.

Stance

A great stance is where it all begins on defense. If a player doesn’t have a proper stance, then he has already lost one battle, and it is hard to come back from this.

There are different types of stances that defensive lineman can use. Here’s a quick look at each.

• 2-point stance. The immediate benefit from a standing position is being able to see a wider range of the field, side-to-side, as well as into backfield in an upright position. For defensive ends especially, this allows them to maneuver around slower offensive tackles in order to get to the ball-carrier faster.
• 3-point stance. A good 3-point stance allows players to get their hands prepared for a contact situation right from the get go. The stories are true: Low man wins, and if you are not getting cut then having great hand placement, active feet and being low will get you a long way in the trenches.

• 4-point stance. The advantages of a 4-point stance are that both hands and feet are connected to the ground, spreading a player’s body weight evenly. This stance allows players to move forward quickly.

Alignment

Where a defensive lineman beings a play has a big influence on where he ends it. For me, the one developed by former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips is the easiest for younger players to grasp.

As with most things, simpler is often better.

Keys

Once the ball is snapped, defensive linemen look for keys from the offensive players lined up in front of. Defensive lineman must play to the run and react to the pass.

As St. Olaf College offensive line coach Eugene Crosby has said: “If something goes away, someone is coming to play.”

Here are five 1-on-1 blocks a defensive lineman must be able to recognize and defeat:

• Down block. Defensive lineman goes down with blocker, stays in hip pocket and remains square to line of scrimmage. Stay flat and don’t create a hole. If the defender identifies a pulling blocker coming toward him, wrong arm the blocker, close the hole and make the running back bounce outside.
• Base block. The defensive lineman should attack half the man, protect his gap and fight pressure with pressure. If you feel like you are losing, fall and make a pile.
• Pull. Defensive lineman follows the pull and get in the hip pocket of the pulling lineman.
• Kick slide/pass pro. If the interior offensive linemen backs up, the defensive lineman should once again attack half the man and protect their gap. Defensive ends should make sure they contain and close the play if they read kick side/pass pro.
• Reach block. The defensive lineman needs to take half the man on while not letting the offensive lineman take over the gap. Stretch the play down the line of scrimmage. Don’t let the blocker take you up or get hooked. Fight pressure with pressure.

Movement is key at the snap of the ball. Coaches should practice those first few seconds of every play – a lot.

Responsibility

Defensive linemen have a different responsibility than other players on that unit. They need to play to run and react to pass. Otherwise they will be pushed into the linebackers or the ball will pass them.

Defensive linemen need to become an expert at every day drills, including:

• Be a hand fighter
• Have active feet
• Leverage all blocks
• Beat and defeat blocker first
• Keep separated from the blocker
• Create a new line of scrimmage
• Maintain pursuit speed
• Play to the whistle and get in on every tackle

Keep me updated on twitter @Coach_Stone_MT on how your defensive linemen respond to using SAKR.

Part 2 of this series coming in a few weeks will look at linebackers.

Anthony Stone is a USA Football Regional Master Trainerand a physical education teacher at Gregory Elementary in Rockford, Ill. He has coached football at the youth, middle school, high school, college and indoor professional levels. He also is a coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team program.