I am a retired NFL player and I was a lineman. In this article I am going to explain what you must do to become a lineman in the NFL.
First of all, to be an NFL lineman you must have heart and passion, as this is the most important part of being an NFL lineman. Heart and passion for the game and victory are more important than size and strength. Looking good won’t help you, but looking mean will help (that’s a joke).
The average lineman is 6’0 “to 6’8” tall and weighs 290 to 350 pounds, and all NFL linemen fall into this range. If you’re 5’8 “and 165 pounds, being an NFL lineman isn’t in your genes or your future. I’ve always felt that linemen are soccer’s manual workers. We do the dirty hard work that needs to be done to the team succeeds, but we hardly ever get any glory.While the quarterbacks and wide receivers get all the attention, we hit all the hard shots and our bodies get the most stress and physical damage.
To be an NFL lineman, you have to work on your strength. While you are in high school and college, it is essential that you continually work with strength trainers. There are three core areas of the body that you need to work on. These are the upper body, the midsection, and the lower body. You should work really hard in these three core areas if you want to make it to the NFL. You also have to work harder than others. Getting into the NFL is extremely competitive. To get to the NFL, you have to work harder than everyone else. While natural talent is helpful, I’ve found that the players who make it to the NFL are almost always the players who work the hardest on and off the field to be the best at their position.
Here are the field techniques you must master to be a successful lineman:
1. Work on and perfect your posture. You must have a posture that gives you the most power and speed at the point of attack.
2. Work on the speed of your takeoff. Takeoff speed for a lineman is extremely important because it is almost always the lineman who hits first who has the advantage.
3. Strive to stay close to the ground in your stance and take off because the lower you go, the more power and leverage you’ll generate. Also, when your center of gravity is low, it will be easier for you to keep your balance and not get knocked over. Remember, the shortest player always wins.
4. Hand placement is extremely important and you should always focus on putting your hands on your opponent’s chest as this gives you more control and power over your opponent. You will find that the best linemen are the ones who have the best hand position over their opponent.
5. You must work on your first step as a lineman. Your first step should always be only 6 inches because if your first step is too long, the advantage is for your opponent and you don’t want that. So remember, keep the first step of your takeoff short.
6. Learn to finish each play and never give up until you hear the whistle. The best players in the NFL NEVER stop playing until the whistle blows.
And remember, it doesn’t matter if you play defense or attack, linemen are all part of the same family. Work hard and I hope to see you playing in the NFL.
