Table Of ContentA MANUAL" OF FUNDAMENTALS AND DRILLS FOR
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LINE PLAY
A Projeet
Presented to
tlie Faculty of the School of Education
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science in Education
by
Ralph Dale Lythgoe
August 1950
UMI Number: EP46450
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This project report, written under the direction
of the candidate’s adviser and approved by him,
has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty
of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of
Science in Education.
Date...
Adviser
Dean
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PART I. TEAM DRILLS
HOW TO WIN BALL GAMES
1. PAYDIRT: HOW TO SCORE......................... 2
1. SIGNAL DRILL: How to run your plays and
formations in order to remember tliem......... 2
2. PASSING: How to protect the passer......... 8
3. PUNTING: How to protect the punter •........... 10
4. CONVERSIONS: How to block in the lina on
conversion tries ........................... 12
5. KICKOFFS: How to begin the football game ... 14
6. PUNT RETURNS: How to bring back the ball ... 16
7. KICKOFF RETURNS: How to set up a return play . 18
2. GOAL LINE STAND: HOW TO KEEP YOUR OPPONENT FROM
SCORING....................................... 24
1. SCRIMMAGE: How to play team defense in dummy and
live drill................................ 24
2. BLOCK: How to block punts and conversions ... 26
3. RETURNS: How to stop punt and kickoff returns . 28
4. PASSING: How to play defense against a good
passing attack ............................. 33
iii
CHAPTER PACE
5. GROUND ATTACK: How to play defense against
a strong running t e a m ......................... 35
PART II. COOPERATIVE LINE DRILLS
HOW TO HELP YOUR TEAMMATE
3. FIRST AND TEN: HOW TO COMBINE JOBS TO WORK THE
PLAY MORE EFFECTIVELY............................41
1. CROSS-CHARGE: How to execute the cross-charge
and resulting block.............; ...........41
2. MOUSE-TRAP: How to work the trap play......... 44
3. DOUBLE TEAMING, BOXING, WEDGING, AND
INTERFERENCE: How to work together to perform
these offensive line fundamentals . ......... 44
4. COMBINED WORK: How to practice cooperative
offensive fundamentals with the backs......... 34
4. HOLD THAT LINE: HOW TO UNITE YOUR EFFORTS TO
STOP AN ATTACK................ 62
1.. LOOPING: How to work out a looping defense . . 62
2. END AND TACKLE CRISS-CROSS: How to vary your
defensive play............................... 64
3. LINE DIVERSION: How to practice the sliding
or slicing technique ........................ 64
4. CUP DEFENSE: How to carry out cooperative
line spacing................................. 66
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
5. BACKFIELD: How to practice cooperative de
fensive techniques with, the backs..........66
PART III. INDIVIDUAL DRILLS
HOW TO BE AN ALL-ROUND BALL PLAYER
5. OFFENSE: HOW TO OPEN UPH OLES IN THEO PPOSING LINE.. 72
1. REFLEXES: How to gain quickr eaction time ... 72
2. CHARGE: How to charge on offense............73
3. BLOCK: How to move an opponent out of the way . 74
4. TRAP: How to pull out of the line and run
interference........................... 79
5. THE CENTER: How to practice special offensive
fundamentals........................... . . 79
6. GUARDS AND TACKLES: How to practice special
offensive fundamentals . .................... SI
7. THE ENDS: How to practice special offensive
fundamentals....... v . 85
6. DEFENSE: HOW TO STOP THE BALL CARRIER WITH
LITTLE G A I N .....................................94
1. CHARGE: How to fill up a hole on defense ... 94
2. TACKLE: How to bring down the ball carrier . . 95
3. THE CENTER: How to practice special defensive
fundamentals........................... 102
V
CHAPTER PAGE
4. GUARDS AND TACKLES: How to practioe special
defensive fundamentals...................... 105
5. THE ENDS: How to practice special defensive
fundamentals............................. 108
6. FORMATIONS: How to vary your individual
defensive techniques against different
offensive systems of football.............. 109
BIBLIOGRAPHY . ....................................114
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
ILLUSTRATION PAGE
1. Dummy Scrimmage....... ....................... 5^
2. One Side Scrimmage . 7
3. Line Pass Protection ........................ 9
4. Triangle Punt Protection..................... llS
5. Wedge Conversion Drill . . ................. . 13 ^
6. Conversion Drill.............................15
7. Kickoff Defense.......... I....................17
8. Returning the P u n t ............ . 19^
9. Returning the Kickoff ..................
10. Blocking Punts— Up the A l l e y ..................27"'
11. Blocking Punts— Through theM iddle............. 29"/
12. Blocking Punts— Criss-Cross...................
13. Blocking Punts— Overloading One S i d e ........... yiy/
14. Cross-Charging .................. . . . . . . . 43 ^
15. Pressure Blocking............................ 45 ^
16. Trap Blocking................................ 46"^
17. T Cutback P l a y ..................... .........47*^
18. Double Teaming.................'............. 49/^
19. Boxing the Tackle.............................50y^
20. Wedge Blocking............................. 52
21. Running Interference.........................53^
22. Cooperative Dummy Scrimmage........... . ' .. . .. 55^
ILLUSTRATION PAGE
23. Punting Drill.................................. 57
24. Pass Receiving.................................58
25. Looping........................................ 63
26. End and Tackle Criss-Cross................... 65
27. Line Diversion ............... 67
28. Linebacker Pass Defense.......... 69
29. Charging Bags.................................. 75
30. Blocking Practice.............. 78
31. Charging Contest ............................. 80
32. Check Blocking ......................... 83
33. Pulling Out of the Line forI nterference..........84
34. Running Shoulder Block ....................... 86
35. Individual Pass Protection . .................... 87
36. End Pass Maneuvers .............. 89
37. End on the Tackle...............................90
38. The Head-on Tackle............................. 98
39- Side Shoulder Tackling........................ 100
40. Live Tackling Practice . .....................101
41. Tackling and Blocking Combined............ 103
42. Backing up the Line............................ 104
43. Charging and Tackling Combined................. 107
44. Defensive End Drill........................... 110
viii
PREFACE
Football as it is played today is one of the most
difficult of all athletic events to learn. This is due to
its dependency on detailed team coordination and timing;
to the large number of players the coach must handle; and
to football’s great popularity and accompaning pressures
upon the coach. Too often, valuable practice time is
wasted by the players because they do not know how to set
up methods of learning the fundamentals on their own time^,
Drills are one of these important methods of learning.
That is why special attention is given to drills in this
syllabus. But drill for drill’s sake is not the desired
product; it must be purposeful. The act must be meaning
ful to the doer. Therefore, every attempt has been made
to enliven each practice with realistic drill techniques.
The more each practice drill resembles conditions encount
ered in an actual game, the better the results will be in
the game.
Also, as the team is of first importance, primary con
sideration should be given to team offensive and defensive
techniques rather than to isolated individual stunts.
Part I of this syllabus concerns team offensive and
defensive fundamentals and drills. The next two divisions
give helpful hints on what cooperative and individual
