Trench Lab · O-Line · Run Blocking · Coach Jay Freeman
How to run block: drive, reach, down — and finish the pancake
To run block, fire out with a short power step, strike with your hat and hands across the defender's playside number, win with low pad level and inside hands, and run your feet through contact to finish. The block type depends on the scheme: a drive block displaces the man over you, a reach block gains his outside shoulder and seals him inside, and a down block seals an inside defender.
By Coach Jay Freeman · 32 years coaching the line · Updated May 31, 2026
The drive (base) block — displace the man over you
A drive block is the foundation: you're blocking the defender aligned over you and driving him straight off the ball. Get your hat across to his playside number, strike with inside hands, keep your pads lower than his, and run your feet. Low man wins — if your pad level is under his, you control the rep. The finish is the part most kids skip: you run your feet through contact until he's on the ground.
The reach block — gain the outside shoulder, then seal
On a zone/reach block, the defender is shaded to your outside and the ball is going wide. Your job is to gain his outside (playside) shoulder — get your helmet across to his outside number — then turn your hips and seal him inside while the back bounces outside. Reach blocks are won with width and feet, not with a big initial punch.
The down block — seal the inside
A down block blocks a defender aligned to your inside (down toward the ball). You take a short leverage step down and inside, get your head across to his far side, and seal the gap so the back can run off your block. The cue is "head across, seal the gap" — if your head is on the wrong side, you've given up the gap.
How to pancake a defender
A pancake — putting a defender flat on his back — is a finish, not a separate move. It comes from winning leverage (lower pads, inside hands), then running your feet and rolling your hips through him until he loses his base. You don't lunge for a pancake; you sustain the block and finish through the whistle, and the pancake happens.
"Hat across the playside number, hands inside, pads low, and run your feet. The pancake isn't something you reach for — it's what happens when you finish." — Coach Jay Freeman
Common questions
- What is the difference between a reach block and a down block?
- A reach block gains the outside shoulder of a defender shaded to your outside and seals him inside (the ball goes wide). A down block seals a defender aligned to your inside, with your head across to his far side so the back can run off your block.
- How do you pancake a defender?
- A pancake is a finish, not a move. Win leverage with lower pads and inside hands, then run your feet and roll your hips through the defender until he loses his base. Sustain the block through the whistle and the pancake happens — never lunge for it.
- Why does low pad level matter in run blocking?
- The lineman with the lower pad level has the leverage and controls the rep — "low man wins." If your pads are under the defender's, you can drive him; if they're higher, he controls you no matter how strong you are.