The Give - Army’s John Loose on Defensive Fundamentals: Blocks, Tackling, Takeaways

In this episode of The Give, presented by Lauren’s First and Goal, Army Football coach John Loose breaks down two of the most important defensive fundamentals in football coaching: block destruction and tackling with takeaways.

This episode is built for football coaches, especially defensive coaches looking for better ways to teach getting off blocks, defeating blocks, leveraging the football, pursuit, tackling fundamentals, and forcing turnovers.

In the first segment, Loose teaches the details behind block destruction technique. He explains why defenders must keep their eyes on the block, understand their key, play with the right leverage, and defeat the blocker before relocating to the football. He also gets into coaching points on spill technique, box technique, hands and hips, pad level, and how to play fast to the gap side while staying disciplined away from the ball.

In the second segment, he shifts to tackling drills, takeaway philosophy, and defensive practice structure. Loose talks about building position-specific tackle drills, teaching offensive players to tackle, emphasizing ball security after turnovers, and training defenders to attack the football through strip attempts, fumble creation, quarterback sack-fumbles, and loose-ball recovery situations like country ball and city ball.

For coaches trying to improve their defense, this episode offers practical insight into how to build better habits around block destruction drills, football tackling fundamentals, pursuit to the football, and takeaway circuits.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Block destruction in football
• How to defeat blocks and get to the football
• Spill vs. box technique
• Defensive leverage and gap responsibility
• Hands, hips, and pad level in block destruction
• Football tackling fundamentals
• Position-specific tackling drills
• Teaching pursuit after interceptions
• Forcing fumbles and takeaway drills
• Ball security after turnovers
• Loose-ball recovery coaching points
• Defensive football fundamentals for coaches

Who this episode is for:
Defensive coordinators, linebacker coaches, defensive line coaches, football staff members, and any coach who wants better teaching progression for defeating blocks, tackling in space, and creating takeaways.

Learn more:
For full clinic presentations and year-round football coaching education, visit LFGClinics.com.

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