Learning to effectively and legally block down from the receiver position is an excellent skill to teach.
What you need – You can start this drill with groups of receivers and a coach or a player with a dummy, acting as a linebacker.
How this drill works – On the snap of the ball, the slot receiver, or the wide receiver will execute a legal seal block on the linebackers. The advantage of this block is that it prevents the linebacker from making a play, but there are disadvantages – your receiver could get blown up by a backer, or they could cause injury to the LB if they don’t execute the block correctly.
The block is ALWAYS above the waist – never should this block be executed below the waist. The lateral movement of the linebacker exposes their knees.
The block is NEVER from behind – if the LB has his back turned, you become an impediment to their movement – not cracking them from behind.
The best crack blocks engage the linebacker in the midsection, with the head up, just to get in their way.
Properly executed, this can be a great block to add to your scheme. Note: Some leagues do not allow crack blocking, but most at the high school level will allow receivers to down block on LBs and DL.
Result – Another blocking tool for when you run your running plays.
Written by Steve Tucker
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