SAB and pulling guards.

90 degrees is straight ahead and perpendicular to the LOS so a 30-degree angle is very flat in relation to the LOS. Here is how taught it to 3rd graders and !th graders and a few pro"le#s we solved. $e always went SAB with the un"alanced line. %oot to foot splits were a disaster. All the &ids did was step all over one another so go at least the width of a fist if you li&e tight splits'.#ay"e a "it #ore. will go with progressive splits with 9 year olds ne(t year it wor&s so well) starting at * inches and ending at +!. %irst you #ust align your line with their ear holes e,ual to the centers waist"and. -he rule states that the top of their hel#ets #ust "rea& the plane of the centers waste "and so if your &ids are good at align#ents you can #ove "ac& a "it further. $e &ept things safe and went ear holes. -his is ./ - .AL to SAB so the line#an can eventually get their second step down prior to contact. -he first step is with the sa#e foot that the "loc&er will "e trac&ing towards'.if SAB right step with the right'.left'.left. t is a *(* step with the toes pointing towards the trac& at the 30 degree angle. -each the &ids at the first step to put his nu#"ers on his 0ersey to that sa#e &nee. f trac&ing right then his chest will al#ost touch his right &nee as he #a&es his first step. At the sa#e ti#e each line#an will coc& "oth ar#s "ac& to his "utt chee&s. So at the snap you will see all of their hands "ehind the#. 1ow for the critical step. $ith the "ac&side foot ta&e a step in the direction of the trac& at the 30 degree angle'.trac&ing to the right this would "e the left foot'so the second step plants directly under his sa#e side shoulder. -his will ,uic&ly get his feet under hi# and ready for e(plosion. At the second step he is swinging "oth ar#s out in front of hi# atte#pting to touch "oth thu#"s together. As he swings his ar#s forward and gets his second step down he drops his "utt and e(plodes upwards off his first step leg and then runs hard'eyes inside nothing crosses his face. f he #a&es contact with the defender "efore he gets his second step down he is easily toppled since he is al#ost parallel to the LOS and on one foot. -his isn2t necessarily a "ad thing since he is at least #a&ing contact "ut he cant #ove any"ody on the ground. f he gets toppled he is to slow off the line or not lined up far enough off the LOS. $e ended up "enching all 3fat freddies3 and playing second string s&ill players on the line. Once he gets that second step down and e(plodes up he will get lift on the defender and stand hi# up at an angle. 4car"on2s article says to get the hel#et to the defenders naval and pinch hi# with the opposite ar#. $e couldn2t get this going and reali5ed that as long as the "loc&er #a&es contact with the hands he will collapse into the defender anyway and drive hi# regardless of where his head is e(actly. f he were to "arley #iss a defender with his hands we taught his to i##ediately throw his hips into the defender since he is in the %B6. Si5e will not #atter. A s#all fast line#an will "e a"le to drive the

"ig defenders. 7-line align#ents do not #atter. $e teach the &ids not to ai# as the defense will co#e to the#. -hey could visuali5e who their #an was #ore ti#es than not "ut it really didn2t #atter. Stunts do not #atter so "e sure they trac&. t is #ayhe# fro# d gap to d gap. 7efenders start loo&ing inside our outside instead of up field anticipating a "loc& that is co#ing fro# a severe angle. 8lus each line#an through physics is now a full third wider so shooting gaps is a waste of ti#e for the defense. f a &id does not hit a defender at the first level he #ust continue on his trac& to the second level and headhunt line"ac&ers. So the gap on line"ac&ers rules co#e into play. -his will typically surprise a scraping OLB when an interior line#an pops out of the fray into his face. had our LB2s during practice co##ent on this "ecause they couldn2t see anyone2s eyes on the# at the LOS till it was too late. Another plus is pulling. /ather than having a pulling line#an step out to pull they can now pull flat since your SABers are well out of the way at the snap. -his is huge as pulling line#an can no actually get out in front of the play. -hey do they sa#e action with the ar#s "ut do don2t step at all. -hey pivot on "oth feet getting up in the "alls of the feet) nu#"ers to the play side &nee and fire out sideways throwing the ar#s forward) eyes inside nothing crosses their face. 8ulling left) nu#"ers to the left &nee'right'right and no stepping. All line#an stay low though physics so you have now won half the "attle. t is i#possi"le to #iddle "lit5 as long as you fold and pull the line. t is also i#possi"le to run "elly plays unless you have veteran line#an that can trap efficiently. haven2t got that far yet "ut e(peri#ented as "it with it. Off tac&le and out wor&s great'A and B gaps are tough so 0ust wedge "loc& those plays. SAB wor&ed so good we used it for pass "loc&ing. All line#an pinched using SAB with a guard &ic& out on one 79 and a "ac& ta&ing care of the opposite 79. :ery si#ple) really easy to teach and is not the least "it e(pensive ti#e wise. $e did not spend all that ti#e going over odd and even fronts) pic&ing up stunts or how to get to the second level on this play "ut not on that play'.etc. $e got to the second level "y pulling guards and pinching tac&les and &ic& outs with the "ac&s. 1ow you have the ti#e to teach the &ids how to catch a foot"all ; -here have "een a lot of discussions a"out SAB and why it won2t wor&. a# no "loc&ing sche#es genius "ut was a"le to teach the &ids SAB and we did very well in the trenches. 4ust "e sure you protect the "ac&side A gap as that is the only Achilles2 heel we found when pulling. SAB wor&s wonderfully with the un"alanced line.