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Writer's pictureThe Athletic Academy

Offensive Line: How to Build a Strong Foundation

FHD provides specific training opportunities for offensive lineman. They focus on every fine detail of the O-Line positions from left tackle to right tackle. They want to help student athletes understand how to use their body to the best of their ability and show them that its not all about being big to be a good lineman. The following is a quick breakdown of how we teach our athletes the proper stance, start, and posture for our run progression.


Run Progression

When we are taking our athletes through run progression, we focus on the key components of run blocking. This includes stance, steps/footwork, and posture/run demeanor.


Stance

We teach our athletes to have their weight evenly distributed in their stance so they are able to move effectively in both directions. It is also important that their hips are square to the line of scrimmage and that they keep tension on the insides of their legs as opposed to the outsides, so they are able to take quick and powerful steps. One thing we always look for is to make sure they are not too low in their stance. If they are too low, this will cause them to have to “hinge up” before they take their first step, which will cost them valuable time. Setting our athletes up in a proper stance will give them the best chance to dominate the next step.


Steps and Footwork

We work through four different angles: head up, shade, 2i, and 3i (these two will change for guards and tackles). The core of what we teach is the drive-catch method. We believe the most effective way to run block is to drive off of the inside leg and catch on the outside leg, while keeping tension on the insides of both legs. For a head up angle, the athlete will take a small step forward (settle step for centers) and then run block like normal. For the shade, the athlete will drive off of the inside leg and catch on the outside leg at a slight angle. The important thing to remember here is we are not gaining ground or taking a step directly at the defender. Instead, we are driving off the inside leg and catching on the outside leg at a slight angle to put ourselves on the perfect angle to dominate the rep. For the 2i and 3i, it is basically the same as versus a shade except since the defender is wider, we will have to take a wider/deeper step to put ourselves on the correct angle to dominate.


Posture and Run Demeanor

For posture, we like our athletes to be in a good athletic stance. This changes from player to player because not everybody has the same body type. Some may be lower or higher than others, but it is important to make sure the athlete is stable and powerful. Once in a good athletic stance, we teach our athletes to have a slight bend at the waist which will cause their shoulders to be over their knees. It is important that the athlete keeps their shoulder blades pinched back and hands up so they are ready to strike when needed. Just like in their stance, we want them to keep their weight on the insides of their feet/legs. This will give them more force through the ground and once they make contact with a defender, they will have much more power and stability. It is important to make sure they are taking short, powerful steps and not long steps. We want to minimize the amount of time the feet are off the ground because we have no power when our feet are in the air.


About

FHD Training was designed by offensive linemen specifically for offensive linemen. FHD is intended for the big guys, in the trenches, to have a place in Middle Tennessee to train that is focused only on the O-Line. Growing up in the area, there was never a place to work out with an O-line position specific coach. Coaches were always working with wide receivers, defensive backs, linebackers, running backs, and quarterbacks. The afterthought was, “oh sure the big boys can do this and it will help them too." However, we were never given the opportunity to learn about proper stance, footwork, or body positioning for an offensive lineman.


Hunter Schmeisser is from Brentwood, Tennessee, where he went to Brentwood High School and was a 4 year letterman and team captain. Hunter then went on to be a 4-year letterman in his 5 years at Austin Peay State University, and helped lead one of the most explosive offenses in school history and earned an OVC Conference Championship on the way to the FCS Playoff Quarterfinals in 2019. Hunter graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and an MS. With over 19 years of playing or coaching experience, he has had the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of football at all levels and all O-line positions. After his playing career ended, he started coaching at his alma mater but has determined he wants to be able to impact more athletes on a very focused basis.


Byron Glass is from Acworth, Georgia. He went to Harrison High School then went on to be a 4-year letterman and 4-year starter at Austin Peay State University. He was the anchor of the offensive line at center that turned a program around from winless to competing for the OVC conference championship every year. He earned All-Conference his senior year and received an invite to NFL rookie camp with the Tennessee Titans. With 16 years of playing experience Byron is looking to reinvest his vast football knowledge into younger players.


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