The Five Fundamentals

Every lineman eventually plays a snap where the call breaks down, the front is weird, and everything is moving fast. Coach Jay's answer for that moment is the same answer for every moment: hang onto the fundamentals. He boils his entire method down to five of them — the things that are true on every block, every set, every snap, regardless of scheme.

These five aren't drills; they're the posture and the priorities underneath every drill. Learn them, and the technique pages on the rest of this site (the 45° set, independent hands, run blocking, anchoring the bull rush) are just specific applications of these five ideas.

Coach Jay’s cues

• 1. Play Long with Hands proceedingKeep your hands out in front and your arms long. A long strike radius means the defender can't get into your chest and your feet move less to control him.
• 2. Play Coiled / Try To Stay CondensedStay coiled — knees bent, body low and compact, never standing straight up. A tall lineman is an easy lever for a defender to throw.
• 3. Stable — Head Balanced with Little StepsKeep your head balanced over your base and move with little steps. Big, long steps get you off balance; little steps keep you stable and ready to strike.
• 4. Rooted / Drag Your Gator Tail with Gator LegsKeep your hips down like you've got an alligator tail off your tailbone dragging in the grass. Low pad level and a rooted base you can move from — leverage is the universal lineman language.
• 5. Stay as Square as You Can as Long as You CanStaying square is about vision — when you turn, you shut off your vision to a whole side of the field. When you can't touch anyone, "Get Square to Air."

How to do it

1. Set your baseKnees bent, hips down (Gator Legs), feet under you, head balanced. Condensed and rooted before the ball ever moves.
2. Play longHands out in front, arms long, ready to strike at strike distance — not thrown early.
3. Move with little stepsCover the defender with short, stable steps. Feet before hands.
4. Stay squareKeep your hips pointed up the field as long as you can so you never give up vision or an edge.
5. FinishPlay through the whistle — the rep is not over until it is over.

Drills to train it

• Mirror dodgeStay square and condensed while mirroring a partner moving side to side — no hands, just feet and posture.
• Gator-tail walksWalk forward and laterally holding a low, hips-down position to groove the Drag-the-Gator-Tail feel.
• Strike-distance fitPartner walks in slow; you hold your base, play long, and only strike when he reaches strike distance.

Common mistakes

• Standing straight up out of the stance (losing condensed posture and leverage).
• Throwing the hands early instead of waiting for strike distance.
• Turning the hips and giving up vision to a whole side of the field.
• Long, lunging steps that put you off balance.

Coach Jay's fundamentals descend from the John Strollo "circular force" teaching (Long · Condensed · Stable; the Gator-Tail image) and the broader Howard Mudd / Jim McNally / Paul Alexander coaching tree.

Questions linemen ask

What are the fundamentals of offensive line play?

Coach Jay Freeman teaches five: (1) Play Long with your hands out in front; (2) Play Condensed / coiled and low; (3) Stable — head balanced with little steps; (4) Rooted — Drag the Gator Tail with your hips down for leverage; (5) Stay as Square as you can as long as you can, because turning gives up your vision. They apply to every block and every pass set.

Why do linemen "stay square"?

Staying square is about vision and leverage. When you turn your shoulders and hips, you shut off your vision to a whole side of the field and give the defender an edge to win around. You stay square as long as you can; when you can't touch anyone, you 'get square to air.'

Related technique