At the University of Sioux Falls, we use three simple words to describe what we call our defensive weapons – EYES, HANDS, and FEET. When you watch football on television or coach football at any level, and you see players make a mistake, there is a direct violation of 1 of the 3. Most of the time there are two violations, and whenever you see a player on the ground, then all 3 weapons have been violated.
We explain to our players the vital parts of each weapon below:
VISION – BELIEVE WHAT YOU SEE!
- Know where your eyes are supposed to be
- Explode your eyes where they are coached to be
- Big focus
- Little focus
HANDS USAGE
Make sure they are always violent!
- Collision every opportunity
- Leverage the shoulders of your opponent (Press them back)
- Never get cut! Athletes use their hands to defeat all blocks
- Catch every catchable ball (PRIDE)
- Use your hands to create strip opportunities
FOOTWORK
- Keep them LIVE at all times
- Always motor your feet on all forms of contact
- Defensive Front: Motor your feet to change the line of scrimmage
- Know what footwork to use and when to use it
- Create great footwork habits in all drills and periods versus the offense
We have found that emphasizing our defensive weapons on a daily basis has improved our overall defensive structure and mindset. It gives our players a clear and defined direction and has cut our mistakes in half. It also allows a player that may not be the fastest or strongest, to still have the opportunity to contribute to the unit.
In closing, we always end every meeting with EYES, HANDS, AND FEET, WON’T GET ME BEAT!!! This is the belief that drives the unit. Our players are set in this belief and we believe it will carry over into everything they do.