Teaching the Three Point Stance

Teaching the Three Point Stance

In almost every youth football practice or game that I’ve been involved with I have seen incorrect offensive line stances. Teaching the three point stance properly is one of the most important techniques for offensive linemen. A proper stance is the first essential step to a successful block on a defender. I’ve outlined key coaching points for a teaching the three point stance in  youth football.

Teaching Three Point Stance in Youth Football:

• The feet should be about shoulder width, no wider than the shoulders. Having one foot slightly back is fine.
• Feet should point straight ahead. Many times you will see that kids will tend to have their feet sideways.  When their feet are sideways they will have a slower get off.
• Once the feet are set, drop into a squatting position and extend the down hand slightly inside the near foot, in front of the body.
• The body weight should be around 70% on feet/hips and 30% on your hand. I always have my players put a lot of their weight on their feet and hips so they can maximize power on the get off.
• The arm/hand that is not on the ground needs to be ready for quick use. The arm should rest on the knee or thigh and the hand should be in the upright ready position. This allows the  offensive lineman to jolt the defender with power coming from the hips- up through the arms and hands (extend arms). Having the arm cocked will help the offensive linemen win the hand position battle.
• The shoulders should be square to the line of scrimmage and parallel to the ground. Back should be flat.
• KEEP THE HEAD UP!!! Keeping the head up allows the offensive linemen to recognize a blitz or stunt. Above all players need to play with their head up to discourage injuries. Doesn’t matter if it is run blocking or tackling, the head needs to be up at all times. See what you are hitting.

The three-point stance should be taught on the first day of practice. You can practice them in their warm up lines in the beginning of practice.  The first couple of practices we will line the kids up in our warm up lines and teach the three point stance.

(See Also) Run Blocking Technique