Coach, They Keep Holding Me!

What not to do!

Coach, they keep holding me! If I had a dollar for every time I heard that phrase in my coaching career, I would be a rich man!

Yes, getting held is simply part of the game of football. It's unavoidable. In fact, I would always tell my O Linemen, they get one freebee holding penalty in a game. After that, they are either getting beat, tired, lazy, not able to disguise the hold inside the numbers, or shouldn't be on the field.

For D Linemen, it shouldn't be an excuse for not being able to get off the block. As mentioned above, a good O Line Coach is going to coach his players to hold and not get caught. If we are being honest, officials could call holding on virtually every play on both sides of the ball. However, they won't because it would disrupt the game's flow.

So you essentially you have two options: 1: Entice the officials to throw a flag OR 2: Break free from the hold. Complaining about it to the ref is forbidden on my team. As I always say. There is only one thing you can control and that is your self. Not the weather, the other team, the refs or the penalties they call. Complaining is not a championship winning attribute. If there is an issue bring it to the appropriate coach and they will let the HC know who can talk to the ref. But players DO NOT talk i.e. complain... to the ref! If this happens, in general, or happens and results in penalty? There will be hell to pay! Do NOT stand for this. Discipline. Focus. Next Play mentality. Do not compound a bad situation. It could be the difference in the game.

Instead of bitching about being held, which is part of the game, lets look at how to break the hold So how do defensive players break the hold? Defensive players need to use aggressive and assertive hand techniques to counteract any holds by offensive players. I used to coach something for both O and D linemen. I called it VASE - Violence, Aggression, Speed and Execution. Linemen need to use VASE to be effective and this can be applied to pass blocking, drive blocking, trapping and pulling on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side, VASE can overwhelm your opponent. Especially if your Defense is conditioned and beating the hell out of the offense. This pays dividends in the 4th QTR!

Remember, defenders must drive their hands inside and under the offensive player's shoulder pads, physically pushing them aside...using technique. This applies to D Line, DB, LB, etc. While this requires strength—something not all HS and Youth players may possess—taking the initiative can often prompt the refs to consider a penalty. I would also point out players should coached up in technique. This is not a slug fest but rather technique versus technique. Yes, strength plays a role. As a defensive player, you need to faster, smarter and have better technique. As a D Linemen, if you get caught by an O Linemen inside the pads, your screwed. As a LB, DB, etc. you need to bread the block while keeping your eyes at the LOS and QB.

Players who passively accept being held will rarely draw a flag because they don’t make the hold obvious enough and should NOT be on the field. There is no such thing as a passive player on the field. If you are passive on the field, you can be passive on the bench.

This topic is why you need to incorporate technique and drills to get off the block, get off the hold, etc. These should be defensive and opponent specific and NOT one size fits all. One opponent may have a different front, blitz tendencies, GAP alignment, etc. You must coach your players up on how to deal with the difference situations. From the offensive perspective, it will be more specific to your RB, WR and TE. Again, does the defense play man, press, zone, etc. Adapt your drills to the types of defense you will see weekly.

Of course, there are preseason drills you can do to work the basics, hand movements, etc. I would highly recommend you incorporate "eyes up" during these drills. To many Youth and HS players are looking down at their hands to break the block. They should be looking into the backfield, at the QB, or if you are a receiver, you should be looking down field and taking care of your route.

Lastly, if you want your players to be dynamic and effective in these situations, incorporate specific drills by organizing your defenders and offense into position groups and working with bags then transition to live drills to enhance the intensity. Then, when the technique is incorporated, run the drills O v D. Do the coaching and technique pre and summer sessions. Then, develop a time slot in practice to work these drills against your opponent.

Remember...coach your players to not complain to the ref and talk to their coach instead. Remember and coach VASE (Violence, Aggression, Speed and Execution). Hands and technique and lastly EYES! You cant execute anything if your looking down. You will get beat EVERY SINGLE TIME! If you are a linemen... O or D or a line coach, footwork should be a given! Rep the hell out of these!! It will pay dividends in the success of your game. Especially in the 4th QTR when it matters.

If you need ideas and help with this, please reach out. This is what we do!

~ Coach David Frederick