Inside run period at thud

Setup

1. Contact level: thud. Full speed to the moment of contact; both players stay up and nobody is taken to the ground. Full helmet and shoulder pads, and a coach watches every rep.
2. Offence: five linemen, a TE, a pistol QB and a running back. Defence: a 4-3 front plus the strong safety.
3. Script 12–16 inside runs (inside zone, duo, power) on cards. One coach shows the offence the card; a second coach stands behind the defence to officiate.
4. Mark the line of scrimmage and a cone line at 4 yards. Keep the ball between the tackles' alignments.
5. Count this period toward the team's weekly full-contact limit.

How it runs

1. The offence breaks the huddle and runs the carded play at full speed. The defence plays its call.
2. The whistle blows the moment a defender fits the ball carrier at thud, or at the 4-yard cones. The ball carrier stops on the whistle.
3. Score each rep: 4 yards or more is an offence point; less is a defence point. A fumble is a point to the defence.
4. Run the script in two sets of 6–8 reps, with the second unit in between. Keep 20–30 seconds between snaps.

Coaching points

• Thud means full speed and shoulder-led contact, head up and out of the fit, then both stay up. No take-downs, no hits after the whistle.
• Ball carrier: two hands on the ball in the traffic, pad level low, eyes up through the hole.
• Defenders: fit in your gap with your shoulder through the ball carrier's chest, then stop.
• Linemen: hands inside, head out of the block, no cut blocks and no blocks from behind.
• Stop the rep straight away if anyone is on the ground.

Common mistakes

• Defenders taking the ball carrier to the ground; at thud that is a coaching stop, every time.
• Ball carrier lowering the helmet into contact.
• Running past the whistle into the pile.
• Linebackers guessing and leaving their gap to chase the ball.