Offensive line is not a glory position, you won’t receive a lot of recognition from the media, the fans, and others. Offensive line, however, is a position of pride, and you will be rewarded by your coaches, and should be rewarded by your skill position teammates.
Playing offensive line is demanding, physical, and tough to do. Offensive linemen need to be big and strong, and have mental toughness.
How to Play Offensive Line in Football
Playing offensive line is demanding in many areas. The skills needed to be successful at offensive line include toughness, physical strength, quick feet, and football IQ. These requirements can be challenging, but the rewards are worth it.
Below we will discuss the requirements of playing offensive lines. Some of the items listed are skills and others can be a mindset that is required.
Skills Needed: Toughness
This might be the single most important attribute to playing offensive lines. Toughness can be somewhat mental, and usually is, but also can be developed over the years of playing this position.
Toughness isn’t always a part of a person’s makeup, and many times is developed with experience and confidence.
Toughness can be developed through good coaching, and through confidence, many times accomplished through experience and success.
Toughness can also be developed in the weight room. Gaining strength is an important part of toughness, because it provides a level of confidence that is required on the offensive line. The weight room is mental and physical, and developing strength can provide the necessary confidence to perform in big moments throughout competition.
Why is Toughness Necessary to Play the Offensive Line?
Toughness is a requirement in order to play offensive line mostly because this position requires the most physical players. The contact that occurs at the line of scrimmage is sometimes unimaginable.
Offensive linemen are required to be physical with the players across from them. This requirement is also necessary because being physical is a huge part of the game of football.
Offensive lineman are typically bigger players on the field, but toughness isn’t always a direct relation to size. Being tough is very mental, it is an attitude, which can be developed and learned throughout years of experience.
Skills Needed: Physical Strength
Physical strength can be developed through hard work. Offensive linemen are typically the strongest players on a football team. The ability to be physical and to push people around is crucial for success.
Although technique is extremely important for offensive linemen, strength plays a huge role. Strength in any sport is a vital aspect for success, but playing the offensive line does require physicality and strength.
Why is Strength Required to Play the Offensive Line?
Offensive linemen are consistently making contact with the player across from them. Having strength to move the defensive line or a linebacker is vital for success at this position. Strength allows players to succeed when blocking defenders.
Strength also provides confidence. When a player knows that he has put in the necessary work to become stronger, that player knows that he can use his strength on every play, in order to be physical.
Skills Needed: Quick Feet
Some people believe that offensive linemen are just big players that take up space. This is not the case, especially in today’s game of football. The game has evolved and being athletic is a necessity for offensive linemen.
To find out about sizes of football players based on position, read
How Big Do I Need to be to Play Football
The game of football has evolved into more of an athletic game. Although physicality is a crucial part of the game, football is being played a little differently than it used to be played.
Years ago, the toughest team won the majority of games. In today’s game, the importance of being athletic and being able to move as an offensive lineman has become more valuable and necessary for success.
Why is Having Quick Feet Important for Offensive Linemen?
Offensive linemen must be able to run, as they are required to pull and get to the perimeter to block. Many times, offensive linemen get into space and are required to block very athletic defensive backs.
The style of offense has changed a bit and offensive linemen are now required to block on the second and third levels of a defense. This means that they are climbing off of the defensive linemen and need to get to linebackers and defensive backs as quickly as possible.
Defensive linemen over the years have become very strong and fast. In order for offensive linemen to adjust to this evolution of defenders, having quick feet is crucial.
The demands for athleticism of offensive lineman has increased dramatically.
Skills Needed: Football IQ
Football IQ comes from experience and studying the game. When football players are young, football intelligence is low. With proper coaching, the correct approach for motivation, and a desire to learn, players at a young age can begin learning how football works.
Football is one of the most complicated sports there is, with 11 players doing something different on every snap of the football. Players learn at a young age that football involves not only techniques, but assignments and adjustments.
Having a high football IQ can be learned and developed in any player, so it is important for coaches at young age groups to develop players that understand the game as a whole and not just the position they play.
Why is Having Football IQ important?
Oftentimes linemen learn their assignments only, but as players get older and the game gets more complicated, these players tend to struggle. The reason linemen struggle who just memorize their assignments is because the game changes.
Every game is different, every opponent is different, and schemes can be complicated, especially as the age groups increase and the skill level improves.
It is imperative for players to learn the game as a whole, as this will only help linemen develop into better players. Linemen have to understand where running backs are going when carrying the football, or where the quarterback is setting up to throw.
The game has evolved, as said above, so understanding how to adjust is extremely important. Coaches have figured out and developed multiple defenses, which can be confusing for linemen.
Should Linemen Study the Game of Football?
I believe that this is one area of the game that is very overlooked at the lower levels of football. Filming a football practice and/or game can be very useful in order for players to understand mistakes and accomplishments.
Film study happens usually at the high school level and above, and players learn along the way by studying what defenses do and how to react to those adjustments.
Film study also helps coaches become better at what they do, and make in-game adjustments on the fly. Studying the game gives players confidence that they can adjust as the game takes place.
Football IQ is extremely important and can be developed, but putting the time in to do so is important. Youth coaches should find time to study the game with their players.
Final Thoughts
An offensive linemen has to be physical and have mental toughness. Offensive linemen do not receive much recognition from the media, but are the most important position on the football field.
If you have a desire to be an offensive lineman you must work on strength and study the game to increase football intelligence. Offensive linemen have to be tough on every play, but also need quick feet.
Offensive linemen who are both strong and athletic have an advantage over those that are just big and strong.
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