Rip move

The rip is the low-pad-level cousin of the swim. Instead of going over the top, the rusher dips his near shoulder, gets under the blocker's hands, and rips his arm violently upward — through the armpit — to clear the blocker's hands and turn the corner with leverage. It keeps the rusher low and is hard to stop once he's under your pads. For the lineman the answer is leverage and hand placement: get your hands inside and your pads lower than his so there's no room to rip under, and don't raise up.

Defined by Coach Jay Freeman — 32 years coaching the offensive and defensive line.

Related trench terms

Swim moveD-Line

A D-line move where the rusher chops the blocker's hand down with one arm and swims the other arm over the top to get past.

Bull rushD-Line

A power-based pass rush move — straight-line force driven into the blocker to walk him back into the QB.

Long-armD-Line

A pass-rush move where the rusher fully extends one arm into the blocker's chest to control distance and keep his hands off.

Pad levelBoth sides

How low your shoulders are at the moment of contact. Lower pads win leverage.

Independent handsBoth sides

Each hand is a separate weapon with its own job — not a single two-hand punch. Coach Jay’s signature hand doctrine.

Go deeper

• Coach Jay’s lineman training library — the technique behind the term →
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