The Drills Report: Fundamental Defensive End Training

T he defensive line is home to some of the knees and hips should be as close to 90-de- largest, most athletic players in sports, gree angles as possible. This ensures that the particularly at the defensive end position. lineman isn’t overextended, which will result in Focusing on the fundamentals of a defensive lose of power when firing out. Once his stance lineman is crucial to properly develop a force is optimized, we then shift our focus to the to neutralize the initial point of contact on ev- alignment of his body on the opposing line- ery snap. man (Photo 1 - Proper Stance) Just as a building is built on a solid foun- dation, good technique starts with a defensive lineman’s stance. An offense has the luxury of knowing the snap count before every play, which is why offensive linemen place only a small amount of pressure on their hands when in a stance. An aggressive lean isn’t