A defensive lineman’s hands are one of their most important assets, absolutely crucial to helping them beat their offensive counterparts, whether in the run or pass game. And while most coaches run plenty of drills working on the rip and swim techniques, there are some other lesser known drills that I believe can have just as big an impact.

Parrying Punches

When a boxer throws a punch, they’re taught to deflect it, using the momentum of the punch to throw their opponent off-balance. And while it’s not exactly the same, this skill does translate down to the fight in the trenches.

If you have access to the gloves that’s great, but they aren’t necessary. Simply get the  linemen to stand about arms length apart and designate one to offense and the other to ‘d’.

The defender should have his hands up and ready, and use the same arm on the same side that the punch comes from, to push it across their body. So if the opponent facing him throws a punch with his right hand, the defender will use his left hand, and push it over to the right side of his body.

As the players get better, you can increase the speed of the drill, and start faking and

changing the rhythm as you see fit.

Blindfold Push Pull Drill

Here we get can fine tune a players ability to feel either a push pull from the offense, and react quickly and effectively. Put a blindfold over their eyes, and have them engage with another lineman, with their hands on each others shoulders.

Then, without any kind of audio command, the other lineman should pull or push, and the blindfolded lineman will use the same parry technique they developed in the previous drill to separate themselves from their opponent.

If the fundamentals are more to your concern, make sure to check out this post on defensive line drills!