Coach ,

It’s happening this week…the 2024 C.O.O.L. Clinic. Register here!

After winning consecutive Joe Moore awards the Wolverine OL was finally dethroned. But staying true to the fashion that they have been trending lately they gladly made the exchange as their shortcoming from the three-peat was overshadowed by a National Championship performance and victory.

The leader of that group was the new Michigan Head Coach Sherrone Moore. Just as this program and position group have continued an upward trend, so has the coach’s popularity. 

He has proven himself in many roles throughout his time at Michigan and this coming year he will find himself in another as he takes the mantle of Full Time Head Coach for the defending National Champions. 

So let’s dive in and see what he offers from the OL realm. Today we give him and his methods the nod and present his previous clinic presentation to help prepare you for the incoming C.O.O.L. Clinic.

This year Coach Moore will be presenting on “Coaching Transition and Building a Two-Back Run Game”

Sherrone Moore- Gap Schemes- Teaching Progression and Attacking Defenses

At the OL position, you are inevitably asked to do a plethora of tasks and blocks throughout the game. When boiled down to even just the idea of the gap schemes there are still a significant amount of situations that your linemen can be put in, and the appropriate response and knowing the proper technique for the various plays are crucial. Being able to coach them is equally as important. Let’s start with the down block.

Video: Down Blocks - Game Clips

Inevitably you are going to put your offensive linemen in a position to downblock at some point in these schemes if you are running them consistently. 

Differentiating the way in which you execute this block and the double team steps if you are looking to work the gallop technique and those advanced techniques OL play is moving toward. 

Big in these drills is a down block on a 2i and a back block for the center. How can we teach this in a way that be effective and drill it to bring confidence in technique? A major piece after that is teaching the reaction to the movement whether that is running him out of there or keeping firm on that ear hole depending on what the DL tries to do to escape.

Once the down block and situations are mastered, the more intricate aspects come into play such as the double team. More specifically, we are going to focus on the idea of pulling. Many people have different ways to execute this movement and many different techniques but Michigan really focuses in on one specific way.

Video: Open Pulling - Practice Clips

The idea of the skip pull is the first thing to address in this situation. Some subscribe to it and like the idea of keeping the shoulders square and eyes downfield.

The open pull comes in as a preferred method because of its ability to be more natural for the OL. While there are advantages to both schemes the nature of the movement tends to be way easier for the athletes with the concept of the open pull. 

They can see lanes for rushers while understanding depth and avoiding situations that will knock them off their pull. The biggest advantage is the speed.  Because of the movement being more natural, it allows the big guys to pick up speed much more rapidly as opposed to the slower more broken movement of the skip pull. 

The additional lessons in this presentation allow you to explore drills and teaching methods further to learn more about offensive line play and continue to expand your mind heading into the leading offensive line clinic in the world!

Don’t forget to register for this year's C.O.O.L. Clinic and see all the information about the clinic this year here!

Get it from the chalkboard to the grass!

The C.O.O.L. Clinic Team