The Pass Rush

Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton spent his career inside defensive line play, and in this session he hands over the techniques and drills behind a consistent pass rush. Hamilton walks through the fundamentals a defensive lineman lives on - stance, get off, hand use and pad level - then puts them into drill work you can run at practice. His position is that these fundamentals do not change from Pop Warner to high school to college to the NFL; they simply have to be worked on constantly.

What you'll learn

• The strategy behind a successful, consistent pass rush
• The proper stance for a pass-rushing defensive lineman
• Get off - how to maximize the first step and the first contact
• Hand techniques that free a rusher from an offensive lineman
• The Close the Gap Drill and what it fixes
• The Variant/Tennis Ball Drill for reaction and hand quickness
• The Clear Your Hips Drill for finishing the rush
• Why knowing where the O-lineman's hands are at all times decides the rep

Who it's for

Defensive line coaches and defensive coordinators at the high school and college level, plus youth coaches teaching first-time linemen. The fundamentals apply at every level of football.

About the coach

Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton played nine seasons with the New England Patriots and coached with five NFL teams - the Patriots, Jets, L.A. Raiders, Jaguars and Falcons - including his work as defensive line coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Part 1 of Coach Hamilton's two-part series, with extensive on-field demonstrations. Runtime: about 54 minutes.