Kick Slide Drill: Pass Set Footwork for Offensive Tackles
Updated · Fact checked
The kick slide is how a tackle gets depth and width against a rusher lined up outside. The back foot kicks back and out, the front foot slides to catch up, and you end each step in the same balanced stance you started in. Done well, it puts you on the rusher's path with your chest square and your hands ready to punch.
The drill grooves that rhythm on air first, then against a partner rushing the edge, so it holds up when the rusher is fast. In the demo video, IMG Academy line coach Tom Nutten, a former St. Louis Rams offensive lineman, takes you through it.
How to do it
Set your stance
Line up in your 2-point or 3-point stance with your outside foot back in a toe to heel stagger, knees bent and hands ready.
Kick
On the snap, kick the back foot a short step back and out at about 45 degrees. Keep the knees bent and the chest up.
Slide
Slide the front foot after it to get back into your stance. Don't let the feet click or cross.
Repeat and punch
Take two or three kick slides, staying square, then punch a bag or the rushing partner. Reset and work the other side.
- Sets and reps
- 3 sets of 5 reps each side against a speed rush, 30 seconds rest. In the speed block: a kick slide ladder, 5 reps.
- Equipment
- A line or yard marker to set up on, A partner to rush the edge, A sandbag or medicine ball for punch reps (optional)
- Muscles and skills
- Glutes, Adductors
- Used in these 440 plans
- Offensive Line
Coaching cues and common mistakes
Coaching cues
- Kick the back foot, slide the front foot
- Keep the base wide, never click heels
- Stay low, hands ready
Common mistakes
- Crossing or clicking feet
- Leaning over the toes
- Popping up
What a good set looks like
Mike Mayock, then an NFL Network analyst, called the kick slide the basic pass protection move for every NFL tackle, and said the combine drill shows whether a tackle can get out of the stance on a 45 degree angle with great balance. Keep the steps short and the feet wide. Vanderbilt line coach AJ Blazek teaches keeping the feet wide and never bringing them together; 440's cue is the same: never click your heels, never cross your feet.
Bend at the knees, not the waist. Mayock wants linemen who drop their hips and bend their knees as they slide, not waist-benders. Greg Colby's pass blocking teaching makes the same point: tipping your chest toward the ground hurts your balance. And stay square as long as you can. Veteran line coach Dave Christensen teaches that a tackle who stays square can close down a rusher who comes back inside.
Add the hands and a rusher
Once the feet are clean, add a punch. In Rick Trickett's pass protection drills, linemen punch on the first step of the kick set while holding a 20 pound sandbag, then do a set on air so the feet feel quick. After that, add a partner who rushes the edge at half speed, then full speed. 440 pairs this drill with the pass protection punch and the mirror drill; the full plan is on the offensive line training page.
FAQ
What is a kick slide in football?
It is the pass set an offensive lineman, usually a tackle, uses against an outside rusher: kick the back foot back and out, then slide the front foot the same distance so your stance stays the same. It gains depth and width while you stay square to the line.
How many kick slides should you take?
As many as it takes to stay in front of the rusher, but drill them in small numbers. Trickett's line drills progress from one-step and two-step kick sets to a three-step kick slide for tackles. 440's plan uses 3 sets of 5 reps each side against a speed rush.
More offensive line drills
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Build my position planSources
- Combine Preview: OT And TE Drills (Feb 26, 2010, quoting NFL Network's Mike Mayock), Philadelphia Eagles (philadelphiaeagles.com)
- Keep Your QB Upright with These Pass Pro Drills - AJ Blazek (October 22, 2024), Glazier Clinics
- Three powerful blocks to stop the opponent (excerpt from Football: Steps to Success by Greg Colby), Human Kinetics
- Protect Your QB with Vertical Set Technique for Tackles - Dave Christensen (August 1, 2024), Glazier Clinics
- Pass protection drills (excerpt from Complete Offensive Line by Rick Trickett), Human Kinetics
- Kick Slide Drill - Offensive Line Series by IMG Academy Football (7 of 8) (YouTube description, uploaded 2015-01-09), IMG Academy (YouTube)
Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.