Pulling is when an interior lineman leaves the line to go block someone on the edge. This teaches kids how to pull, maintain their pad level, and get to the defender in space.
What you need: Four cones. Mark a line of scrimmage and place a cone 5 yards out and 5 yards to the side.
Setup: Start one kid at the line. Place a defender at the target cone.
How to run it:
- The blocker gets into a 3-point stance at the line.
- On the snap, they pull laterally. First step is perpendicular to the line, second step is upfield.
- They run toward the defender with low pad level.
- Once they reach the defender, they plant and punch, just like a base block.
- Do 5 reps pulling left, 5 reps pulling right.
What to watch: On the first few steps, do they turn upfield too early, or do they pull the line first? Pull the line, then go upfield. Early upfield movement is inefficient.
If they’re struggling: Slow it down. Have them walk through the pull first. Three steps lateral, three steps upfield, then plant and punch.
If they’ve got it: Add movement to the defender. The defender can shuffle side to side. Now the blocker has to adjust their angle to hit them.