This article will cover how to correctly execute a kick-out block, common issues I see with it, and how to fix any issues you or your players might be having.
Nowadays, many positions are asked to kick-out a defender to either the PS or a BS of a concept. While kicking out on a Counter or a Trap play can have a big exciting hit for us, often times overeager offensive players will get embarrassed if they don't have the right fundamentals.
NO-NOs, LOADING THE LEGS
The first thing I will address is the an extremely common miscue I see in coaching any pulling technique. Coaches must avoid instructing their athletes to “load” their legs before pulling. Let me put it this way, if you put more weight on one side of the squat bar, will that leg be more powerful than the other? No, because it’s under more load and therefore cannot produce force as rapidly (I understand the biomechanics of a squat wouldn’t relate as simply as put but I still find it to be a good metaphor). So, with this in mind, why would placing more weight on one leg in the stance make it more powerful than the other? Now, onto the rest of the article.
RULES
As with most things in football, there are rules to a kick-out block.
The second rule is that the puller must gain ground on the path of the pull. We would rather adjust into the backfield if a defender rushes too far rather than adjusting into the LOS. This is in part due to the fact that if the defender plays too far up field they have removed themselves from the play and we only need to get a piece of them. The other part is that is we allow too much space between our puller and the LOS, many defensive ends or outside linebackers will be taught to spill the running back by fighting inside. If we're able to dig that out, his help with be outside and our ball carrier will be inside. Gaining ground on the pull also helps with the aiming point we will discuss in rule number three.
The below clips act as visual for kick-out blocks.
The third rule, and the most important, is making contact outside shoulder to inside shoulder. At the point of attack, we want our pullers outside shoulder (that which is farthest from the LOS) to hit the defenders inside shoulder (that which is closest to the LOS). The purpose of this aiming point is that it ensures that the defender cannot beat us inside. That is the cardinal sin of the kick-out block. YOU CANNOT GET BEAT INSIDE. With this aiming point, defenders trying to beat the block will end up playing directly into the puller. This outcome is a win for the offense. If the defender tries to play up field, they are taking themselves out of the play and the puller can simply adjust up field to fit their aiming point as best they can.
Lastly, there are circumstances that disallow the puller from successfully hitting their aiming point. For example, if a defender closes the space inside, or doesn’t come up field, we may end up in one of two scenarios. One of these is known as a dig, and the other is known as a wrap or a log.
DIG
If the defender squeezes inside towards the gap rather than playing up field, the puller must dig them out of the gap. To keep it simple, the dig just means that you are forcing your aiming point, outside shoulder to inside shoulder, to take place. Against defenders that are playing tight to LOS or the down block, we would prefer to dig them unless it simply cannot be done.
WRAP
Sometimes, the defender plays so far inside that they cannot be dug out. In this case, the defender can be wrapped inside. This pins the defender into the backs of our PS double team and requires the ball carrier to slide outside your block. If the defender is playing in a way that we need to wrap them, our offensive player has to displace them. If we get stood up in the hole, that's a win for the defense because the ball carrier must cut to the outside. As I mentioned earlier, if they defender is squeezing it's because that's where his help is. I mentioned above but will mention it again, we only want to see this when it is absolutely necessary.
If you're a big Counter Read guy/team, you may be more fond or encouraging of wrapping the kick-out than other teams. Do what works best for your system.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
To conclude, I wanted to mention that this is a hard-nosed and bad ass block. It’s violent, quick, and meant to be punishing for defenders. Playing this soft can wind up poorly for a puller as it is a one-on-one situation. All the technique in the world can’t help a soft blocker.
From a schematic standpoint, the most common use of a kick-out block in many modern offenses is a PSTE or PSH whamming the BS of zone. Whether we do this to block six and throw an RPO off of seven or just to prevent a chase down situation, we still need attitude and bad intentions in this block. While hammering that BS EMOLS may not be important to us throwing the RPO, it's important because it starts to make the defender react differently. Where early in the game he may sit and let the wham take him out, about ten wham blocks in he might decide he's tired of getting his ass lit up and plays more aggressively into the face of that oncoming block. This opens us up in the read game with a bluff from a PSTE or PSH, ignore him as a defender with something like Jet Sweep, get around him on a bootleg PA, or any other way to take advantage of their aggressive adaptation that you have brought out.
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