Becoming a Champion Offensive Lineman

with Ed Thomas,
Aplington-Parkersburg HS (IA) Head Coach,
'93 & '01 State Champions,
Four Thomas-coached players (Casey Wiegmann, Jared DeVries, Aaron Kampman and Brad Meester) are NFL Lineman

Recipient of the NFL's 2006 "High School Coach-of-the-Year" Award

In his illustrious 31-year career, Coach Thomas has captured two state championships and has propelled four of his players into the NFL as lineman. The drills and techniques presented on this DVD will help athletes develop into dominant offensive lineman. The key to successful offensive line play starts with the stance. Thomas teaches toe to instep stagger with hands on knees and an arched back. A player's vision should be 5 yards downfield with his eyes up. Next is the forearm lift where players block from the tip of the elbow to the ear hole. Thomas believes the most important thing in line play is getting off the ball and getting the first proper step. He demonstrates the 6-Point Explosion Drill to help develop that first step. Other drills focus on taking on linebackers, a proper base, selling out and more. Trap block progression is something taught uniquely by Coach Thomas. The first step is to the back tip of the football with the aiming point at the thigh of the defender. This DVD concludes with the Reverse Head and Shoulder Block and 5-man shoots. The road to the NFL has gone through the teaching of Coach Thomas. The teaching and detail in this presentation are witness to his commitment to execution of fundamentals on the football field.

75 minutes. 2006.

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