Reducing the friction – those split-second delays and hesitations – that your players experience in the fly zone on kickoff coverage is a key to winning this critical phase of the game.
In this video, Drew Svoboda, Associate Head Coach at North Texas, shares the drills and techniques he uses that will transform your kick coverage team into a synchronized unit that flows through the fly zone with confidence and precision.
The video segment is from Coach Svoboda's Glazier Drive talk entitled "Kickoff Coverage: Winning in the Fly Zone."
Fly Zone Defined
🏈 The portion of the kickoff between the +35 yard line and the opposite -25 yard line. The fly zone shrinks on a shorter kick.
🏈 All contact should be avoided in the fly zone. No friction in the fly zone. Fly in the fly zone! (Flying 40's).
🏈 In the fly zone, the coverage team has time and space to avoid blocks.
🏈 Avoid contact (friction) in the fly zone.
🏈Don't engage blocks 40 yards from the football.
🏈 Initiating contact on your own terms is a means to avoid contact.
🏈 Reduce surface area by using a Dip & Drive. That technique is to boar your shoulder and put the near foot in the desired direction. It is also used in some pass rush moves.