In this O‑Line TV episode, LeCharles Bentley critiques the traditional “bucket step” – a technique that asks offensive linemen to lose ground in order to line their hips on a desired track – and contrasts it with his preferred “drive‑catch” method. Bentley explains the bucket step’s underlying principle (lose‑ground‑to‑gain‑ground), demonstrates how wider defenders force larger ground losses, and quantifies the loss (≈2 feet per cone). He then introduces the drive‑catch, which starts the movement on the backside, drives the hips violently onto the angle, and recovers the lost ground, delivering power from the outset. Throughout the session he measures performance, highlights the inefficiency of giving up space, and offers coaching cues (e.g., “get your head across”) while warning against the unrealistic expectation that athletes can make up lost ground later. The episode concludes that the drive‑catch method yields more efficient, powerful run‑game execution, whereas the bucket step sacrifices essential leverage and space.
Chapters
Welcome to O-line TV. I'm LeCharles Bentley, and we got a great episode lined up for you today. The bucket step, something that is near and dear to many coaches' hearts out there. But unfortunately, you know how we do here at OLP, we have to give you the more in-depth understanding of what the bucket step is truly about and how it relates to the Drive Catch Method. So we're going to take our beautiful model here You're beautiful. High five. Good. We're going to take our beautiful model here. We're going to work through the bucket step and then we're going to work through the drive catch. And you're going to see a clear distinction of how the drive catch and the bucket step don't align in terms of your results. So first one, the idea of the bucket step. Go ahead and get yourself set. The idea of the bucket step is correct, or the term lose ground to gain ground. We get it. It aligns with the base principles of offensive line play. So when you say lose ground to gain ground, what we're trying to ultimately do is get our players' hips positioned on the correct track. That term goes back to Bucket Step, or as I said, lose ground to gain ground. But then what happens is the further the defender gets, the deeper that bucket step becomes, or the more ground the respective player has to then lose, because we're trying to get the hips on the track. Makes sense. So the wider the defender, the more ground needed to be lost in order to then line the hips on the track. Makes sense. Last point here again, we got a really wide defender. Now this is Never Never Land, but let's just say for the sake of this video, play along. We got a really wide defender, bigger bucket step. Maybe would you need a bigger bucket? I don't know, but it's a bigger bucket step. It's more ground loss. In order to really get our players' hips on that track. Make sense? Good. Now we're going to give you a visual of how that looks. So go ahead and get yourself set, Big Daddy. So the first one, what I want you to do, bucket step or lose ground or gain ground to get your hips set on this track. Let's see where this back leg lands. On the first one, on you. Good. See there? Got it. Here we go. Second one. Wider defender now. So, wider defender. Bucket step. Lose more ground to get yourself on this track. Here we go. Nice job. Last one. Get yourself set. Really wide defender here. You really got to lose ground now, so we need a really big bucket. Gotcha. Good. Hold on, don't move yet. Good. Gotcha. So we got our 3 spots set. Once again, I understand the thought process behind The bucket step or losing ground or gain ground, but I'm going to show you here clearly what you're actually giving up. So right now we're going to go drive catch. The intent of drive catch is for your players to own an angle, to force the hips on the track. Why is that so important to offensive line play, especially in a run game? It's important because we have to understand that the defender is moving as well. What we lose on the front end, more than likely you're not going to make it up on the back end. It sounds good to say lose ground to gain ground, but when it's Aaron Donald in front of you, you don't want to lose anything because you're not getting it back. And it doesn't even matter if it's Aaron Donald. It can be the JV backup. When you lose, you better be either number one a great athlete, or number 2, a specimen like this, right? True specimen. A specimen like this to make up that difference. But the fact of the matter is this: most young offensive line athletes are not in that category, which is why they play offensive line and not defensive line. So we're going to go through the drive catch. The intent is to drive through and set the hips on an angle with violence. I'm not going to get into the principles of the biomechanics and all that jazz. Just understand this. Go ahead, stay down. With the Bucket Step or Losing Ground or Gaining Ground, the movement starts here. It starts frontside. With the Drive Catch, the movement starts here, backside. Totally different movement, much more intentional, much greater results. So go ahead and get yourself set. Now we're going to set the hips on the track with violence. Drive, catch, set that angle on the first cone. Here we go. On you. Good. Give me one more time. I missed it. I got trying to— got tape stuck, Big Daddy. So here we go. Set yourself. On you. Boom. That's where we stuck. Second one. Good. Last one. It's a big drive. Big drive. Power. Power. Own that angle. Get out there. Got that. So at the end of all this, we'll have a shot that kind of clears it all up for you. But here's what we do know right now. We know that our young athlete here, when he's driving, he's able to set his hips violently and intentionally on the track without giving up anything. So ultimately what he's doing is he's getting what we— what we want relative to setting the angle, but he's doing it in an intentional violent manner, which is how the game is supposed to be played. But when we get down into the nitty-gritty, here's what we discover. And when we talk about what we discover relative to what your issues are, Coach, in the run game, you're going to go, Ah, makes sense. So on the first cone here, this first angle with our young athlete lost ground to gain ground. We lost about 2 feet. We lost about 2 feet. I wear a size 12. That's 1, that's 2. So let's just say about 2 feet we've lost, but through the drive catch, We gained those 2 feet back. But when we lose ground, this is what you see relative to performance. Are you guys making, or your girls making contact behind the line of scrimmage? Are you not getting the movement you want in the run game? Makes sense now? Aha! But then we get to the second cone. Same deal here. With the bucket, We lost about a little less than 2 feet. Now measure it out. One. Boom. A little less than 2 feet still. But how does it show up with width? It shows up like this. You now are in a position where your players aren't able to get outside leverage on that defender. But then we go to the coaching cue, you got to get your head across. You got to get your head across. Eh. You ever see a zebra in a fight or a giraffe? Giraffe. A giraffe in a fight. I saw a zebra in a fight and it looked like something like that. A giraffe in a fight, it's just them swinging the neck around like that. And what happens with your players, when you tell them you got to get your head across, outside of it being a fucking coaching cue, they end up reaching here and then throwing their head across the defender and now You're telling them you can't make contact 4 yards in the backfield. Oh, well, we got to be more powerful at the point of attack. We can't give up too much ground. Our running back, they can't make the read. Here's why. Because you're giving up 2 feet of space to better, big, strong athletes. So then we get to Never-Never Land, which is way out there. We lose a little bit more. So a little bit under 2 feet now. But it's the same thing with the second cone, but it's just much more gross. Meaning you now, your players are in the backfield. The defenders are now probably taking a handoff from the quarterback. Now your players, they're, you know, you ever see this? Outside zone. They can't get there. Yeah, they can't get there, Coach, because you've given up and they've given up so much to try to make it up on the back end. But you can't do it with power. How do you do it with power? You do it with power from the beginning. You don't get power later. If you want power, you want the angle, you start it from the beginning. Not later. That's not how this game works. Nobody goes up for a rebound and then mid-flight says, "Mm-mm, I need 2 more inches." It doesn't happen that way. A broad jumper doesn't go take off and then say, "Ooh, man, I wish I had a little bit more flight time." But you left it on the platform. It's the same thing here. If you want more efficiency in a run game, more power in a run game, more dominance in a run game, you don't lose anything. You don't give up anything. You establish your angles with power. You take ownership from the beginning with drive. That's the drive-catch method. Did I make myself clear? Good. So go ahead, take that bucket over there. Throw it over there. That was trash. That was not a good throw. You could have like really flung the thing, but instead he took a bucket step. I would have really— never mind. Anyway, moral of the story. Buckets of the past. I understand the logic and the concept, but if we want to make it more efficient, more effective, let's put a little bit of force and ownership behind it. Thank you.
