How to play vs the defensuve end

[Eliran321]

Hi, i'm pretty new to football, i'm in the team for 3 months, I'm the left tackle, 17 Y.O
our defensive end who plays against me in scrimmages is 80% of the time going really low and hitting me in the helmet with his helmet which causes me many headaches + sometimes he is succeeding to go to the QB, this guy is more than one year ahead of me in the team.
I'm assuming that i'm a little bit taller than him, and weigh also more than him i'm 6'0 - 184 cm and weight 87 kg - 192 lbs

[sowilson]

get your ass down. Low pad level wins; ALWAYS. Simple, he's got leverage on you. You'll also need to learn how to back pedal quickly

[coachfrigo]

As said above, get low. If you're getting beat by his speed, look up vertical pass setting. Might help you get low before making contact.

Definitely work on hand speed. Incredibly important with offensive line play.

Most importantly, get in the weight room. When you get in your base, nice and low, it's hard to fail if you're strong.

I'd also learn as much you can about defensive line play. If you know how to counter moves, the game is so much easier.

[coachfrigo]

I should probably clarify above. This is not meant to teach you habits your coach maybe won't like (for example, maybe he doesn't want you using vertical sets), and I'm not sure how developed your football vocabulary is, so my above post was not meant to confuse you.

But the best way to improve your OL play is through drilling your technique, and learning about defensive line play, so you can counter their moves. Two VERY highly recommended reading for this are Complete Offensive Line by Rick Trickett, and the defensive line chapters in Coaching The 46 Defense by Rex Ryan.

Complete Offensive Line will teach you the footwork that is fundamental to gaining leverage on the DL on both passing and running plays. Coaching The 46 Defense will teach you what a well-coached defensive lineman (ALWAYS assume the DL will be well-coached) will look for, and what techniques he'll use against you. While it is obviously a guide meant for DL to beat OL, the two books paired together to give you a greater depth of understanding, so you know what to do when these situations present themselves to you.

The OL book also comes with many drills, even some you can do at home. Buy a jump rope, and get good at it. Not only will you get in great condition, but your footwork will be able to keep up with athletic DEs'.