The Linebacker Shuffle

We, as coaches, spend countless hours trying to develop the ideal offensive or defensive scheme. As impotant as these schemes are they cannot be practiced at the expense of developing fundamentals. As we all have witnessed, in crunch time it is the execution of fundamentals that often determines the outcome of a game. This is exemplified at the linebacker position in many ways but none more than stance and movement. A coach can drill key reaction and devise schemes to get a linebacker to the ball all day long, but if the player cannot put himself in position to get his body on the ball carrier the scheme work is fruitless. Like all positions in football, proper stance and movement out of this stance, are the foundation for great linebacker play. Diagram1 Diagram2 Diagram3 Diagram4 Diagram5 Diagram6 Diagram7 Diagram8 Diagram9 Diagram10 Diagram11 Diagram12 Diagram13 The stance A