Contain drill
Why it works
Contain is lost in the first two steps: an end who waits on the line gets reached, and one who widens too early opens the cut back. Isolating the end against one blocker and one sweep makes him win that first step over and over, with the runner showing him at once whether he got it right.
Run it
8 MINSix reps per end, three from each side. Eight minutes. Start at thud and go live only for the last two reps if your contact limits allow it.
Say this
“Upfield first, then widen.”
Getting a step into the backfield makes it impossible to reach him.
“Keep your outside arm free.”
A free outside arm means the blocker never gets your outside shoulder.
“Turn it back. Never chase it flat.”
The job is to make the runner cut inside to help, not to make the tackle alone.
Good looks like
- The first step goes upfield, not sideways.
- The end keeps his outside arm free through the block.
- The back is forced to cut inside or step out of bounds.
- The end never gets so wide that the back cuts underneath him without a fight.
The mistakes
Widening flat along the line and getting run past. Put a cone a yard into the backfield; he has to touch it first.
Say: “Upfield first, then widen.”
Taking the block square and letting the blocker turn him inside. Have the blocker aim for the outside shoulder every rep.
Say: “Keep your outside arm free.”
Overrunning the back and leaving the cut back open. Freeze it the moment the back cuts inside the end and show him the gap.
Say: “Turn it back. Never chase it flat.”
Take the blocker out. The end only has to beat the back to a cone and turn him inside, so the footwork is learned before there is a block to beat.
Add a pulling guard and a tight end so the end has to read arc or kick out, and let the back choose sweep or option pitch.