I didn’t think it was that great of a post. But being an undersized lineman around here I realized what helped me most was my speed off the ball. The D-line coach I worked with helped me hone it with that drill, and I really turned some heads my senior year.
I’ve also been pondering about the idea of coaching some younger guys with d-line drills and such. But with football so fresh, I’ve only been away from playing for 3 years I’d much rather play.
Forgot this part… set up a bar, or 2x4 at around waist level when standing. Then line up in front of it, so when you go on your friends/relatives snap count(Actually when they move the ball, you must really work on that first step) fire out, under the bar or 2x4. This gets you in the habit of firing out low and quick. If you watch any sort of football watch the lineplay.(D-line vs o-line) not only is this the most important part of the game, you’ll see that the players that stay lower have a stronger tendancy to succeed in their goal. Driving into a gap, blocking someone out… yadda yadda.
Footwork is extremely important to a d-lineman. I can’t really offer suggestions as great as Davies can, but I do know this. Squats, and firing off the ball will get you far, well at least into the backfield. Learning to tackle is your job.