Wall and cap sweep box
Why it works
Most outside runs that beat a young defence beat one player, the edge, and then nobody is behind him. Splitting the job in two, a wall who turns the ball in and a cap who comes down to meet it, teaches both roles at walking speed in a box small enough that nobody builds up a head of steam.
Run it
12 MINTwelve minutes, about eight reps per player, two in each role. Stop and reset any rep where someone goes to the ground, and finish before the reps get faster than a jog.
Say this
“Wall, keep him on your inside shoulder.”
An edge defender who keeps outside leverage leaves the runner only one way to go, back toward help.
“Cap, come down slow and fit.”
The safety arriving under control is the one who finishes; arriving fast is how he misses.
“Blocker, hit the shield and stay up.”
Control contact is above the waist and on the feet, which is what keeps this at a level USA Football does not count against the contact limit.
Good looks like
- The runner never gets outside the wall's shoulder.
- The runner turns inside and meets the cap, not grass.
- Every rep ends with all four players still on their feet.
- Roles rotate without the coach having to call them.
The mistakes
The wall rushing straight at the ball carrier and getting run around. Put a cone outside him and tell him the runner may never pass it.
Say: “Wall, keep him on your inside shoulder.”
The cap sprinting downhill and overrunning the cutback. Have him jog the first three reps and stop two yards short before he fits.
Say: “Cap, come down slow and fit.”
The blocker diving at the wall's legs. Hand the shield to the blocker so the only thing to hit is the pad.
Say: “Blocker, hit the shield and stay up.”
Walk it. The blocker holds the shield and does not move, and the coach walks next to the ball carrier so the wall and the cap only have to learn where to stand.
Move to thud, add a second ball carrier so the defence sees a pitch, and build from one on two to three on two with a lead blocker, the way the USA Football session did it.