Kids love to run the ball and catch it and throw it. But these skill-position players won’t lead the team to victory unless they have blockers clearing the way for them. Here’s a helpful video by Mark Watson at PigskinKids.com that teaches some of the basic drills and techniques that kids need to know to be good blockers. The focus is on offensive line skills, as opposed to open-field blocking, and even covers hiking the ball.

As Watson tells the two kids he’s guiding, “You can’t do anything as a wide receiver, running back or quarterback if you don’t have the offensive line.” He then runs them through a few agility and footwork drills before showing them basic blocking techniques.

Here’s another video–a very short one that demonstrates the basics of the drive block, which youth teams probably will use most often because the emphasis at this level is on running plays.

True, the O-line isn’t a glam position, but teaching kids the basics of blocking is, of course, essential. By dominating the line of scrimmage, your team will control the tempo of the game and create opportunities for your skill-position players to score.