Widen the Hole Return Drill - Will Glover

Widen the Hole Drill is a part of the Georgia Tech Special Teams Return Circuit.  The presenter in the video is Will Glover, Quality Control Specialist at Georgia Tech.

Coach Glover's believes that:

• No matter what position you play on offense or defense, special teams is Priority #1

• Being a valuable special teams player is the easiest way for young players to get on the field.

The special team return circuit allows the coaching staff to see what each player's strengths are in the return game.

Here is an outline of the entire return circuit.

The video on this post focuses on the first drill of the circuit "Widen the Hole."  The entire Special Teams Retun Circuit video is avialable on Glazier Drive.

Coach Glover walks you through practice video to see how the drill is run and then shows live game footage to see how the skills are applied to the Georgia Tech gameday punt and kickoff returns.

Each of the remaining drills on the circuit have a specific purpose and skill to teach.  But, more importantly, by putting all of the players through each drill, you can find the players who are able to execute all of the skills needed for a successful return.

Scrape the Paint Drill: Rehearses the situation where the return team player loses leverage, his helmet is not in front, he cannot see the front of the defender's jersey, and needs to avoid a block in the back.

Post Clamp Drill: Work on Double Team Kick Out.  Post rules: Nose Up, Strike, Stay on the Cliff.  Rules for the Clamp: Bang-Bang, Attack 90 degrees to post, Should to Shoulder, Hip to Hip

Loose Predator and Prey Drill: A competition to find the toughest guy, find who can redirect, find who can move their feet, who can create surface.  On the other side: who can get off, who can redirect, who can use their hands. Georgia Tech does this drill every day.

The teaching philosophy is part-part-whole.  This circuit ties everything together.  They then run through the scripts at the end of the week.