Everyone would agree, your bone crushing tackles make for great highlight reels. Before you can make your earth shattering hits, you first have to free yourself up. To free yourself up, there are three phases you need learn to defeat the blocks. The first, delivering a blow to create separation. Second, locking the blocker out to keep the blocker at a safe distance. The third phase, shedding the blocking so you can make your highlight reel.
1. Delivering a Blow
As you go into deliver your blow, keep your head and eyes up and open. Strike with three points of contact, your helmet and your two hands. You should aim to strike your helmet just under the chin of the blocker. At the same time, fire your hands up and through the V of your neck to strike the blocker’s breast plates. Shooting your hands tight and inside, and through the V of your neck will limit your chest exposure and blocking surface. On your contact, keep a low pad level and strike up and through the blocker. Your strike will help you gain vertical leverage, allowing you control him more easily.
2. Locking Out
After you deliver your blow, use the momentum of the initial blow to roll your hips and extend your arms forward to lock the blocker out. This will create the separation you need to remain unblocked. Once you lock him out, you have one final phase to complete before you tackle the ball carrier.
3. Shedding the Blocker
Once your create separation and lockout the blocker, it is time to get rid of him. You do this by shedding him. When you shed, straight arm throw the blocker away from your body. Try not to pull the blocker down and into your body. This may result in the blocker tripping up your legs. Instead, keep you arms straight and shed the blocker to the opposite side of the track of the ball carrier. Once you shed the blocker, come to an athletic stance ready to make the tackle. The key to shedding a blocker is creating the separation needed to keep your hips away from his. If your hips are not apart, you have to to back out in order to create separation. If you have to back out of a block, the blocker will accelerate through the block and drive you back.
If you are going to make highlight reel, it is a lot easier to light up the ball carrier if you’re not being block. So when you go to beat your blocks, focus on your three phases of beating blocks. Deliver a blow, lock out, and finish by shedding the blocker. After you finish with the blocker, end with a nice form tackle on the ball carrier.