Objective
Build a base front that controls the run with three linemen, keeps four linebackers free to flow, and disguises which fourth player rushes the quarterback.
Setup
Area
Line of scrimmage to about 8 yards deep, tackle box plus the edges
Players
7 front players (3 linemen, 4 linebackers) against a scout offensive line and backfield
Equipment
1 ball, Stand-up bags or cones for offensive linemen, Colored pinnies for gap assignments
Duration
15–20 minutes of front install, then team run fits
How it works
- 1
Align the three down linemen
The nose tackle lines up head-up on the center (a 0-technique) or shaded slightly to one side. The two ends align over or on the inside shoulder of the offensive tackles, usually a 4i, 4 or 5-technique depending on the call. All three are in three- or four-point stances with their eyes on the blocker in front of them.
- 2
Set the outside linebackers
The two outside linebackers align on the edge, outside the tackle or tight end, often in a two-point stance about a yard off the ball. They own the C or D gap on their side, force outside runs back inside and are the most common pass rushers.
- 3
Stack the inside linebackers
The two inside linebackers align 4–5 yards deep, roughly over the guards. On run plays they fill the A and B gaps the linemen leave open; on pass plays they drop to hook zones or cover backs and tight ends man-to-man.
- 4
Teach gap control
In a two-gap 3-4, each lineman stacks the blocker in front of him with extended arms, reads the ball and makes the tackle in either gap, keeping blockers off the linebackers. In a one-gap version, each lineman attacks a single gap and the linebackers fill the rest. Pick one system per call and name every gap on the board.
- 5
Choose the fourth rusher
On a pass call the three linemen rush, and the fourth rusher can be either outside linebacker or an inside linebacker blitzing through a gap. The others drop. Because all four linebackers look the same pre-snap, protection has to account for each one.
Coaching points
The nose tackle wins by not getting moved: low pad level, hands inside, and hold the point against the center and guard double-team.
Outside linebackers never let the ball carrier get outside them; spill or squeeze, but set the edge.
Inside linebackers read guard to back: a pulling or down-blocking guard tells them where the ball is going before the running back declares.
Every rush and drop starts from the same stance and depth so the offense cannot tip off who is coming.
Variations
3-4 Under
Shift the front away from the tight end, move the weak-side end into a 3-technique and walk the strong outside linebacker up on the tight end. It gives single-gap linemen easier one-on-one blocks and plays more like a four-man front.
Youth-friendly 3-4
For younger teams, play one-gap only, keep the nose shaded so he is not double-teamed on every snap, and simplify to one pressure call per side. Many youth programs start in a 4-3 or 5-3 and add the 3-4 once linebackers can read and react.
Build it in Coach Board
Place the three linemen and four linebackers on a Coach Board field against a scout line, label each gap, then animate an inside zone run so linebackers see which gap they fill after the nose absorbs the double-team. Duplicate the board for each pressure (outside linebacker rush, inside linebacker blitz) and file them under one front in the defensive playbook your players open on their phones.