EPISODE 9: YOU'RE PLAYING OUT OF CONTROL!

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So, Big Dawg, imagine this right? So you get in the car and you crank it up. You put your seatbelt on because that's the right thing to do. You read the sign, click it or ticket. You put the car in drive and you get to riding. Riding and looking. Looking and riding. Got your home boys on the side and y'all talking about riding to Oakridge Mall because it's movie night. Y'all just riding, vibing to some music, talking about the game, riding and looking, looking and riding.

All of a sudden, you take your hands off the steering wheel because you're trying to show out. You real comfortable with your hands off that steering wheel until all of a sudden, uh-oh spaghetti-o. Unfortunately, this happens way too often.

Episode Number 9: Are You Playing Out of Control?

Let's think about that analogy for a second. How can we have control of a vehicle without our hands? You can't control anything without your hands. Now, I can mash on the accelerator and make the vehicle go faster. I can mash on the brakes to make the vehicle slow down. But I can't guide that vehicle in the right direction and the way that I want to go without my hands, which ultimately means I do not have control. You must get your hands on to establish control and if you don't, Big Dawg, get your hands on that vehicle sooner than later, a catastrophe's going to happen. In most cases, not having control can lead to chaos.

If you've been around football long enough, you'll know that whoever controls the line of scrimmage controls the football game. There goes that word again, control. And whomever cannot control the line of scrimmage, can't control the football game. And if you can't control the football game, a catastrophe is bound to happen over and over and over again. How important is your hand play at the line of scrimmage? And I'm not just talking about one guy. I'm talking about the line as a whole, those dawgs up front. How important is your hand play at the line of scrimmage?

It's so important that if you don't get a handle on that steering wheel, you're bound to crash. Catastrophe is right around the corner and you know what good offenses do? They'll find a weakness in the defense. They'll find that lineman who can't establish control, and most of the time that lineman that can't establish control is trying to drive the vehicle without his hands. Is that you, Big Dawg? Is that how you sound in the trenches? Boy, you out there playing out of control.

One of the reasons why I chose to talk about this today is because normally during this time of the year, I watch a lot of film. A lot of my Big Dawgs across the country, whether it be NFL or college and high school, they're always sending me film to analyze, so outside of training and consulting, I'm watching a ton of film. And whether it be on the offense or defensive side of the ball, the common denominator for error is the same. If you had to guess what that common error was between defense and offensive line play at the line of scrimmage, what would be your guess?

You guessed it. Hand mechanics, man. The common denominator for error on both sides of the ball would be hand placement before contact, hand placement at contact, and hand engagement after contact. And truthfully, when you look at NFL play, it's the same thing. The only difference is is that on that level, the game is a lot faster, which means your hands have to be quicker, which means your hands have to be more precise. So for that reason, I just couldn't pass up this question.

I got a question from one of my Big Dawgs. His name just says Laker Fan. I don't know his real name, but shout out to you, Big Dawg. You asked a really good question. It's a question I get a lot and let me read this question. It says, "How do you get a really strong first punch with your arms extended?" Like how do you get in that position is what he's saying? "It often feels like when I get off the ball, my elbows are bent and I end up headbutting the offensive lineman." I've seen that a ton, Big Dawg. You ain't the only one. "Is my upper body weak? I bench press around 315 as a junior." In other words, he's saying, "I don't think my arms a week. Why is it that I can't get that separation that I want, that extension off the ball? Why am I headbutting guys in front of me?"

Big Dawg, I see that so much that there's an issue with hand mechanics. There's an issue with the hand mechanics. That's why this was a great question and I have to answer this trench question. Laker Fan, appreciate you. Let's talk trenches.

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