Linebacker Drill: Blitz Progression

Blitzing Drill Using Football Blocking Pads Teaches Ferocious Pass Rushing

It’s third down and long. The quarterback is rattled; his receivers exhausted. The coach calls for an OLB storm blitz around both edges. The opportunity to seal the victory is now. A sack means chalking up another “W.” Winning your individual matchup means winning the game.

By utilizing revolutionary Krausko football blocking pads with arms, you put yourself in the position to win your matchup every time and win more games. 

Use The Colt football training pad in conjunction with a basic blitz progression drill to teach players proper blitzing technique. Blitzing requires instant decision making and precise physical movements to get to the QB and make the game-changing play. By teaching perfect hand placement, punch, drive and finish at full-speed with no pads, Krausko training equipment teaches linebackers to shed blocks on a blitz and get after the quarterback.

The blitz progression linebacker drill has three phases. Each highlights a particular element of blitzing: getting “skinny in the hole,” attacking from the inside, and attacking from the outside.

Blitz Progression Drill Phase One: Get Skinny in the Hole

1. Have a coach or player holding The Colt football blocking pad in a blocking position.
2. Place participants in a line directly across from the coach, allowing 1-2 yards of space for the drill.
3. Player approaches the coach, aggressively snapping the shoulders and hips sideways.
4. The player slips by the blocker sideways, getting “skinny in the hole” to avoid the blocker.
5. Player re-squares the hips to prepare for further pursuit.

Blitz Progression Drill Phase Two: Attacking Inside Gap

1. Set up the drill just as in phase one.
2. The player approaches the coach straight on.
3. The player swipes, chops, rips or swims the arm on the attack side.
4. As the player neutralizes the arms, he snaps his shoulders and hips open to slip through the gap.
5. Once past the blocker, player re-squares to continue pursuit.

Blitz Progression Drill Phase Three: Attacking off the Edge

1. Set up the drill as in phases one and two, only align the coach slightly offset from the players. Players will be practicing pass rushing off the edge.
2. The player approaches the coach from the outside, in a two point stance.
3. Player swipes, chops, rips or swims the outside arm.
4. After neutralizing the arms, the player charges past into the backfield.
5. The player re-squares himself.

For an example of the blitz progression drill in each phase using a simple arm pad, view the following video. If the coach was equipped with The Colt blocking pad, players could practice using both arms to shed the block and practice at full game-speed intensity.

Youth Linebacker Drill with No Pads Allows for Full-Speed Practice

The beauty of Krausko football blocking pads is they allow players of all ages and skill levels to practice with no pads at game speed with little risk of injury. Full speed drills wearing pads fatigues players too quickly in practice, and full speed contact drills wearing no pads is downright dangerous. 

The Youth Colt football training pad helps pee wee, junior league and adult players develop proper muscle memory which cannot be learned at half-speed. The blitz progression drill instills the correct fundamental movements to make your youth players elite pass rushers, winning their individual matchups and winning more games.

The Colt football blocking pad makes your team better—order today and watch the wins pile up.