Mudd’s Methods: Learning from Legendary Coach Howard Mudd
May 03, 2024 12:16 pm
Coach -
A legend in his own right Howard Mudd was more than just a coach but also an athlete. In a short-lived career Mudd played seven seasons before an injury ended his career, but not without earning three Pro Bowl nods in that time.
From there he almost immediately began what would be a 47-year coaching career. He was known for spreading the art and techniques of offensive line play.
Today we give him and his methods the nod and present to you another course to help prepare you for the upcoming C.O.O.L. Clinic. Without further ado, here are Mudd’s Methods.
Sometimes just downright getting after the defensive line and bringing the fight to them is just the way to get the job done. People always want to be complex to show what they know but that isn’t always the answer. Listen to the Mudd Method to pass pro.
Giving our athletes a ton of options is not something they are always capable of dealing with. But, one thing that remains in the arsenal of all offensive line coaches is the saying that first meaningful contact wins the rep.
What allows you to initiate your contact more than the idea of the short set. A quick step, repeatable and able to be coached rapidly. But also one that shortens the time the DL has to react, allows for immediate contact and allows you to put pressure on the pass rusher immediately getting your body in front of them.
Building on this is the idea of patty cake and using our hands. This is a thought process to have when it comes to setting onto blocks and something the Mudd prescribed to. Explore this in the video below and hear his thoughts.
The idea of reducing the distance and getting your hands to the man might be the most important piece of any block. Setting to a man and doing so aggressively gives them less time to think and create a plan as well as less space.
Utilizing simple drills and mastering these is really the key. As said before many times, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”. The same rules apply here, this short set is your kick and it is one of the most effective methods to block a man when repped and paired with the correct hands.
Combine these videos and further explore drills and teaching methods 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