AFM Home | The Staff Report | Apr 2003

By Ralph Munger
HC, Rockford High School (MI)

Trap Chute drills we incorporate in our practice sessions using a Rogers Trap Chute include:

Pre-practice Footwork Drills: Pre-drill organization - three or four players place themselves under the chute. They assume a proper stance and align themselves as if the line of scrimmage ran across the front of the chute. On the coaches command (or on the command of the lineman in the middle spot) the individuals will complete the following:

• right foot lead straight ahead for five yards
• left foot lead straight ahead for five yards
• fire right at a 45 degree angle for five yards
• fire left at a 45 degree angle for five yards
• reach right with a flat 6” step that has toe of right foot perpendicular
with line of scrimmage
• reach left with a flat 6” step that has toe of left foot perpendicular with
line of scrimmage
• trap step right (assume stance while facing the left with right foot now
parallel to imaginary LOS)
• trap step left (assume stance while facing the right with left foot now
parallel to LOS)

I believe that this simple routine provides repetition which helps our players (grades 7-12) eliminate false steps and ingrains proper weight distribution as to which foot to lead with and which foot is used to push off with. The Rogers Trap Chute provides us with an apparatus that reinforces a low charge and a tool for positive reinforcement of proper technique. Having the ability to adjust the height and angle of the chute’s top as well as being able to have the players pick up the chute and relocate it easily to another area helps us keep our practice area green and level and takes only a matter of seconds to do.

Footwork and Shoulder Skills Combined (we do this during a special teams period):
Pre-drill organization - we now place two players in the chute and have two additional players standing in front of them with Rogers Lil T Shields. We have two other players waiting out of harms way with shields. The players waiting will step in immediately following the whistle that ends the drill involving the four active players. We do this so we have less down time while players rotate from blockers to shield holders and from shield holders to players in their stances inside of the Trap Chute.

This is the progression we now follow:
In this first drill we work to block the player holding the shield down the LOS rather than simply knocking them straight backwards. Obviously, the player aligned to the right will execute a left foot lead and a right shoulder block to the right while the player aligned in the Trap Chute on the left will go opposite.

• right foot / left shoulder block, flip the hips
• left foot / right shoulder block, flip the hips

All drills involving contact will end with two whistles. The first whistle indicates to the blocker that he is to stop and frame in a perfect fit on the shield he got after. A second whistle releases both players to the rotation we follow.

Next we execute inside trap steps and shoulder blocks. The player aligned on the right will trap right while the player on the left will trap left. I feel this places the players in closer proximity to the actual position of an opponent. We place the player holding the shield in front of the outside post of the Trap Chute. We do this to emphasize the importance of the player trapping up field and inside of the opponent he is working to kick out.

• trap right / right shoulder block
• trap left / left shoulder block

The same procedure is followed regarding the two whistle and rotation of our players.