It All Starts Up Front: Dominating Defensive Line Play

with Steve Fex,
McKinney-Boyd High School (TX) Assistant Coach;
former Coppell (TX) HS Assistant Coach;
member of 2001 University of Washington coaching staff (2001 Rose Bowl Champions)

Having a dominant defense starts up front. Steve Fex, head coach at McKinney-Boyd High School in Texas, shares the drill work to turn athletes into playmakers on the defensive line. It all starts with the philosophy of "Knockback" in which players are taught to get physical and drive the blocker back at the snap of the ball. With the proper skill set, Fex can put smaller players up front that can create a burst to halt the opposing offense. You'll learn how to do the same in this video.

Develop Dominant Defensive Lineman

Coach Fex begins by detailing his philosophy of defensive line play. Included are some tips that Fex and his staff use to identify potential defensive lineman by physical and mental traits. Additionally, he describes the alignments and stance that he teaches his players. You'll see clips of game footage and practice video that help demonstrate coaching points.

Drills for Run Defense and Pass Rush Fundamentals

Next, you'll get a description of the get-off and hand placement that Coach Fex teaches his players. Game footage clips are shown in which key coaching points are highlighted. Several practice drills are also shown that reinforce the fundamentals of playing run defense. Finally, Fex concludes with an explanation on how he teaches players to convert from run defense to pass rush. In all, Coach Fex shows:

• Stance, get-off, and hand placement that will give your players an advantage.
• Several drills that teach and reinforce run defense fundamentals.
• Tips and coaching points to help develop dominant pass rushers.

If you need strategies to improve your defensive line, this is the video for you. Coach Fex shows how he and his staff develop great defensive lineman that dominate the opposition.

93 minutes. 2019.