A center's RIP technique, a rip-across arm motion that traces back through Olin Kreutz and Roberto Garza, works best against defenders who tilt into the A-gap. The speaker shows a 2014 Seattle example and warns that youth centers should master basic blocks first before using it in specific tilt situations.
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Here at OLP, we've been getting a lot of questions about these unconventional blocks, and for lack of better terms, I'm just going to call them hacks that are popping up on social media. You know, things like the RIP technique at center, jump snatch, jump hook, backdoor, slingshot technique, and we're just getting asked, should we use them? So I'm going to kind of break it down for you, give some context to these, these type of hacks, talk about how I maybe applied them in my own personal evolution as an offensive line athlete, where I learned it from, where I witnessed it, and just when's a good time to do it or if you should do it at all. So for starters, we're gonna start with the rip technique at center. The rip technique is simply used on outside zone to reach a shade. And you're just ripping your arm across, owning the angle, still all the same principles, but instead of keeping these arms inside, you're ripping your backside arm to their playside arm and running your angle. So I learned this from Roberto Garza when I was his backup in Chicago. He learned it from Olin Krootz. Some other centers that I've seen do it are like Casey Wigman and Nick Hardwick back in the day, and then around when I was playing, it became a very popular hack. And when it became popular and effective, defensive line coaches and defenders learned how to play against it, and it's not very effective anymore. Because when you go— now when you see— if you see centers use it at all, they go rip, The defender plays behind him, disrupts the whole play, and it doesn't work. So that's the rip technique, but it's not completely useless. There is one block and one alignment that I believe it is the best way to neutralize the defender, and that is that tilted shade. So tilted shade, it's way tougher. They're tilted into you, look like they could be going to this A-gap, and they're close. Often what happens is they're opening up field. They're taking that first step, and going straight upfield, and it makes them more like a 2-eye than a shade. So traditional outside zone reach techniques for center leaves them— you get kind of screwed. They beat you right upfield and they disrupt the whole play. So this technique works great versus the tilt, the rip technique. I remember coming across this in 2014. We were playing Seattle in the preseason. I was gonna play a lot, and Meebane was just killing everyone. With this out of the tilt. Every center, elite centers, Pro Bowl centers were trying to reach him and they just couldn't get it. And he would make the tackle for a TFL or disrupt or cause a cutback early. And that was it. So I remember talking to LeCharles Bentley and Garza and Olin about it, and they talked about, you got to get that rip. So that was the block I applied on that I used for him. And that's what I found effective versus the shade or the tilted shade. And the key is is still driving, still catching, still owning your angle, and getting that arm through now and hooking their outside arm. But for the aiming point purposes, you got to get your backside hip to their playside hip, and you can't do that versus a tilt that they're going to open up straight upfield and using a conventional reach technique. So given context, the RIP technique, it was great. It has a great history. A lot of the most dominant centers in the game and Pro Bowl and perennial Pro Bowl centers and potential Hall of Fame centers have used it and used it well. They've caught on to it now, so it's not— that's why I kind of put that in that hack category. And it's something we get a lot of questions about. But in regards to a tilted shade, it is the most effective way. So it's still something to practice, you know, and use. So I've got some clips here, kind of show, you know, Garza using it. Even LeCharles Bentley used it. Neither one of these were big outside zone teams. You know, these are not tilts, but they, uh, they were effective versus these nose guards back then. Now, not so much, but applied to a tilted shade, tremendous block. So there it is. We're gonna come back, keep coming with these unconventional, these hack blocks, giving context, giving some history, giving application. So do I think that a youth center should apply this? No, not really. Get good at the basics. Get good at just owning your angle. Get good at the regular reach blocks. Save the rip. If you're faced with a shade or tilted shade, maybe give it a try. So it is something to work, but it still stands within, or you still stick with the OLP principles of drive, catch, own your angle. Hope this helps. We'll see you next time.
