I played a lot of offensive linemen in youth football. I was one of the smallest guys on the team, and I would still end up on the line. That was because I was aggressive and wasn’t scared, and understood the game.
I would play left tackle and every once in a while I would get into my pass set and then fade out, get the toss back from the QB, and then would hit a receiver deep. I had the best arm on the team, but the offensive line needed help, and it can be the most important position on the field.
As a coach, prioritize offensive linemen, so you have to be able to spot out the players that would be good for it, as well as getting them better.
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Toughness
This is the most important quality in offensive linemen. They need to be aggressive and nasty. In youth football, there isn’t that complicated blocking schemes, so just being nasty is all you need. I don’t care how big or strong they are, especially at this age.
Some drills to help with this area are:
- Boards: Create a circle and just have 2 players battle it out. First to pancake or push his opposing player out of the circle wins.
- “Heart Drill”: 2 offensive players vs one defensive player. Set a dummy about 10 yards away. The defensive player has to get to the bag, and the offensive players just try to drive him away or pancake him.
- Oklahoma Drill: This one is famous, so you probably know it. Make sure it’s legal because some places you aren’t supposed to do it anymore. If you don’t know what it is check out this video, ironically done by the Oklahoma Sooners.
Intelligence
Some teams in youth football don’t have designed blocking schemes, but if you do, then your players need to know where to go and what to do. If you don’t then being smart is even more important. As an offensive linemen, you need to understand where the ball is going, especially on these teams that don’t have specific blocking schemes.
If I was the coach of your team, I would have simple schemes, but nothing to complicated, because younger teams can’t practice as much, and the offensive line takes the most practice.
Technique
Don’t make this part to complicated. The play starts before the snap. So watch this video about stances for offensive linemen because it will explain more than I can with words.
Some key reminders are:
- Stay low: Low man wins, but don’t bend at the waist, get low at the hips. You want power coming from your legs.
- Hands inside: You don’t wanna get called for holding, so keep the hands inside.
- More tips and drills can be found here on this video.
For the team
Treat the linemen like royalty. Carry their pads, and congratulate them for a job well done. If you yell at them when they aren’t doing well, make sure they are getting more positive energy than negative energy.
Conclusion
So basically, offensive linemen is the most important position on the field. It can be yes, and you will especially notice that if they aren’t very good. So coach and choose your linemen well. If you need anything else, check out the for coaches page. Or check out the free unstoppable youth football playbook here.