In many martial arts together with Muay Thai grappling, a typical approach of gaining a bonus in your opponent is to make use of their aggression towards them. Let them overexert their vitality, then redirect their vitality, throwing them to the bottom.
In the fictional anime Kengan Ashura, one of many martial arts varieties primary character Tokita Ohma makes use of a “Redirection Kata” makes use of minimal movement to control the movement of energy, and redirect the opponents assaults towards them.
The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be martial arts masters, however you would persuade me on head coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs throttled the San Francisco 49ers and their high ranked protection to the tune of 44 factors on Sunday, and a big motive why is as a result of they used the Niners aggression towards them, primarily focusing on Nick Bosa.
The Niners protection is so good as a result of in an period of reacting to the stimuli that’s an offense, they’re the aggressors, forcing the problem to the tune of permitting slightly below 295 yards per recreation and being among the best defenses in Expected Points Added per play (EPA/play). The line of defense is the primary catalyst behind the aggression. Defensive Coordinator Demeco Ryans performs his defensive ends in a “Wide 9” approach, lining up on the skin shoulder of the tight finish, even when there isn’t any tight finish connected to the road of scrimmage. This provides the ends a bigger runway to construct up velocity to tear off the sting and trigger havoc. Bosa is among the finest defenders at merely inflicting havoc, main the NFL in strain price at 20% (min. 100 move dashing reps, through Sports Info Solutions). The Chiefs had the duty of making an attempt to neutralize Bosa with a view to win.
They did that and extra, holding Bosa to only one sack and one QB hit. They did this in a number of methods, conserving Bosa’s head spinning.
One of the primary issues they did to decelerate Bosa was use sprintouts away from him. This strikes the QB and the pocket, and the bottom finish usually will get hit with a hinge block, which is when the offensive linemen seals off the bottom as an alternative of simply not blocking him. This forces Bosa to run not solely round an OL, however all the way in which to the opposite aspect of the sphere, giving QB Patrick Mahomes sufficient time to make the throw.
On the primary Mecole Hardman landing, the Chiefs depart Bosa unblocked and use his aggression towards him. When coaches are confronted with a dominant EDGE defender like Bosa, they’ll learn him as an alternative of simply avoiding operating at him, forcing him to be improper. Look on the hesitation by Bosa as Hardman runs with the ball.
On the landing run for Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Bosa is lined up within the extensive 9 alignment, however as an alternative of simply making an attempt to straight up block him, they let him run himself too far up the sphere and CEH runs proper the place he left, virtually untouched as he enters the top zone. This is peak matador-bull dynamics proper right here.
I feel an fascinating a part of what they did to frustrate Bosa was in conventional dropback settings. Bosa hardly ever had a one on one alternative, typically seeing RBs like Jerick McKinnon motioning from the backfield to “chip” Bosa earlier than operating a route.
Bosa was seeing this a number of instances, however when a vital third and lengthy state of affairs got here up, the Chiefs pulled the chair out from underneath him, operating a display for McKinnon who motioned up as if he have been chip blocking once more.
The Niners protection strikes with the power of a raging fireplace, however on Sunday the Chiefs have been as swift as a coursing river and had the drive of an ideal hurricane.
And as everyone knows, water beats fireplace.