Picking up stunts and twists

Setup

1. Contact level: thud. Rushers go full speed to the moment of contact and both players stay up. Nobody goes to the ground.
2. Full helmet and shoulder pads, and a coach watches every rep. Count this drill towards the week's full-contact time limit.
3. Five offensive linemen face four defensive linemen across a cone line of scrimmage.
4. Put a cone 7 yards behind the centre as the QB's launch point. There is no QB in the drill, and rushers stop 2 yards short of the cone.
5. The coach stands behind the defence and shows the defensive line a stunt card before each rep; the offence does not see it.

How it runs

1. Twist (tackle-end): the tackle (DT2) crashes outside into the tackle's gap; the end (DE2) jabs upfield, then loops inside behind the crash.
2. The offensive tackle (RT) takes the crasher. The guard (RG) feels the tackle leave, passes them off and picks up the looper in the B gap.
3. Stunt (end-tackle): the end crashes inside; the tackle loops around the edge. The guard takes the crasher and the tackle stays square for the looper.
4. Mix stunts with straight rushes so the line has to read, not guess.
5. Start at walk-through speed, then thud at full speed. 4 to 6 reps per group, 15 to 20 reps in total.

Coaching points

• Same level: the guard and tackle set at the same depth, so the crasher cannot split them.
• Eyes inside to outside. When the defender in front leaves, look for who is coming next.
• Pass off with the hands: push the crasher on to the next blocker before letting go.
• Call it out loud. 'Twist!' tells the next blocker to get ready.
• Hands inside on the chest, head back and out of contact; never grab outside the frame, which is holding.
• Rushers: crash flat and hard to give the looper room; looper, get depth before turning inside.

Common mistakes

• The guard chasing the crasher outside and leaving the B gap open for the looper.
• Setting too deep, so the line is in different levels and the looper runs through the gap.
• Late hands: the blocker turns sideways and grabs, which is holding.
• Rushers running into the launch-point cone; stop 2 yards short.