How to Anchor: Stopping the Bull Rush

The bull rush is the most honest pass-rush move: the defender runs straight through you, hands inside and pads low, to walk you back into the quarterback's lap. Stopping it isn't about standing flat-footed and being strong — it's about resetting your base into a position power can't move.

There's a correction here that trips up a lot of linemen. Some coaches say 'never hop.' That's wrong against the bull. The push-kick you use to get to your spot is one thing; the hop is your response when he runs through you. On a bull rush you DO hop — get your feet back, build a better triangle, and win the inside-hand leverage. Done right, size stops mattering.

Coach Jay’s cues

• You DO hopAgainst a bull rush, hopping is correct — not a mistake. Hop/flop your feet back so you don't get stood up or walked back flat-footed.
• Get your feet backYour feet have to be behind your hips, braced like the legs of a brace. Feet under your hips and you get knocked back on your heels.
• Build a better triangleReset and widen your base and posture into a strong triangle so you can sink and absorb the power.
• Inside hand lower than hisWin the inside-hand leverage — get your inside hand UNDER his. On a straight bull, the man whose hands are lower wins.

How to do it

1. Feel the bullRecognize he's coming straight through, not around — pads low, hands inside, driving.
2. Hop the feet backFlop/hop your feet back behind your hips so you have a braced base instead of getting stood up.
3. Sink and widenBuild a better triangle — widen the base, sink the hips, drop your pad level under his.
4. Win the low handGet your inside hand lower than his inside hand and lift, deflecting his momentum from straight-ahead to up.
5. Re-anchor if he keeps comingReset your feet and triangle as needed and hand-fight to the whistle.

Drills to train it

• Take-chest (bull) drillLet a partner bull you; hop the feet back, get hands lower than his, and lift to deflect his force up. The lower hands win.
• Triangle re-anchorOn contact, reset into a wide, sunk triangle; rep building the brace under pressure.

Common mistakes

• Being told "never hop" — false against the bull rush.
• Feet under the hips (instead of behind) — you get knocked onto your heels.
• Catching the bull high with your hands above his (you lose the leverage battle).
• Standing tall and rigid instead of sinking into a triangle.

The flop/hop to stop the bull rush traces to Howard Mudd — 'when he hits you, kick your feet back' — now used across the NFL; Coach Jay teaches it with the 'better triangle' and 'inside hand lower' cues.

Questions linemen ask

How do you stop a bull rush?

Anchor. Coach Jay teaches: you DO hop — get your feet back behind your hips, build a better triangle (widen and sink your base), and get your inside hand lower than the rusher's inside hand. On a straight bull rush, the man whose hands are lower wins. Done right, you brace and absorb the power and he can't move you.

Should you hop against a bull rush?

Yes. Hopping is correct against the bull rush — it's how you get your feet back into a braced position. The 'never hop' advice is wrong for this situation. (Don't confuse the hop, which is your response to the bull, with the push-kick you use to get to your spot on the set.)

What does "anchor" mean for an offensive lineman?

To anchor is to stop a bull rush — to hold your ground when a rusher drives straight through you to the quarterback. It's an active reset of your base (hop the feet back, sink into a triangle, win the low inside hand), not a flat-footed stand.

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