Three-Point Stance

A 3-point stance is an adaptable stance because it is able to

change between stopping the pass and the rush. To get into the
3-point stance:
 Spread your feet shoulder width apart
 With your inside leg take one step back where your
inside foots big toe is lined up with your outside leg’s
heel. Set the front and back feet so they have a
heel/toe relationship
 Bend down and walk your hands out two small steps
 Your inside hand should be the down hand and it
should on the ground on fingertips and be in line with
your back foot.
 Bend the outside arm, elbow in with hand at the
earhole of your helmet, ready to strike to fight off the
offensive lineman who will throw up his hands and
get a hold of you on your numbers.
Pre-Snap Reads
A DL should always look for clues in the offensive lineman in front of them.
 Look at their eyes to determine the direction of their blocks.
 Look at their hands to determine how much pressure they have on their fingers. More pressure
means run, less pressure means pass or pull.
 Look at their feet every play to watch for changes in their stance. Sometimes an Offensive
Lineman will change their stance slightly depending on the block they have to make.
o The deeper their back foot, the more likely they are going forward.
o If their feet are balanced, more likely an angle, pull or pass block.
Almost always there will be offensive linemen who will tip-off the play. Communicate this information to
the linebackers behind you. Never guess. Rather, play honest and do your job. Let the linebackers find the
ball.
Most of the time, the snap of the ball is the first thing that moves on the offense.
 Use your peripheral vision to keep track of the ball.
 Focus on the shoulder pads of the o-line. Many o-linemen rock their shoulders before they fire
out. This is especially true for guys who are out of shape.
 Never listen to the snap count. Fire out as soon as you sense movement. If you can get into his
chest before he is fully out of his stance, you will own him.
 Defensive ends always protect yourself from crack blocks. Your teammates should warn you but
this does not always happen. If you sense the crack, play the crack. You can recover if the crack
doesn’t happen. It is much harder to recover from a blindside hit.
First Step and the Primary Key Concept
When the ball is snapped, defensive lineman react to pressure. This means that on the snap of the ball, a
DL should attack an offensive lineman and then move according to the blocking scheme.
The offensive lineman that the DL attacks is called the “PRIMARY KEY.” This key will be different
depending on the offensive formation and the defensive front.
A DL must know what his primary key is before the play begins.
 Always have the hand closest to the primary key on the ground. This means that every DL must
be comfortable in a right-handed and a left-handed stance.
 On the snap, fire your hands out as quickly as possible at your primary key, elbows tight to your
body and thumbs up.
 Aim for the middle of the chest plate with your near hand and shoulder with the far hand.
 Try to lock out your arms and grab his jersey/pads. Your movement should be loose and quick,
NOT HARD.
 Your back foot should move only slightly and your knees and hips should stay bent. This will
help you stay low.
 Being lower than the man blocking you is the golden rule for all defensive players.
 Your hands and feet should move together. However, hands are more important than feet. If you
are having trouble staying low, or getting beaten on the first step, then compress your stance and
move your hands only.
 Separation from the blocker and low pad level are far more important than penetration.
Key Progression
 When the ball is snapped engage your primary key and react to his block.
 If your primary key does not block you, your next worry is a block by the adjacent O-Lineman.
 Shoot your hands and get separation then play him like you would your primary key.
 If you are not blocked immediately, step inside and look inside for a trap or kick-out block.
 If this does not come, then you can penetrate.
 Your rules are:
o Shoot your hands
o Fight against pressure
o No Pressure, step and look inside.
o No trap, penetrate and find the ball