{"id":42789,"date":"2026-03-20T18:02:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T18:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/youthfootballonline.com\/?p=42789"},"modified":"2026-03-20T18:03:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T18:03:27","slug":"5-reasons-your-defense-is-giving-up-big-plays-and-easy-yardage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/youthfootballonline.com\/5-reasons-your-defense-is-giving-up-big-plays-and-easy-yardage\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Your Defense Is Giving Up Big Plays and Easy Yardage"},"content":{"rendered":"

The truth is, most explosive plays come from the same recurring mistakes that show up on film week after week. In this article, we\u2019ll break down the 5 reasons your defense is giving up big plays and easy yardage. More importantly, I’ll show you how to fix them fast so your defense can play faster, smarter, and more aggressive!<\/p>\n

5 Reasons Your Defense Is Giving Up Big Plays<\/h2>\n

1. Misalignment<\/strong>
\nOne of the biggest reasons defenses give up big plays is misalignment. When your defense is not properly aligned, offenses can easily outnumber or out-leverage you to either side, creating instant
\nadvantages. Never allow the offense to outnumber and \/or out-leverage you to any side.<\/p>\n

Coaching Points:\u00a0 Practice alignments every day – Ensure players understand leverage and spacing – Alignment should be automatic and fast.<\/p>\n

2. Poor Pursuit Paths \/ Lack of Swarm<\/strong>
\nBad angles turn small gains into explosive plays. When defenders take poor paths to the ball carrier, they lose leverage and allow cutbacks, bounce-outs, and extra yards after contact. Contain players need to set the edge, wall players \/ pursuit players need to run track the near hip of the ball carrier- pursuit inside to out.<\/p>\n

Coaching Points: Set the edge and force the ball inside<\/a> – Pursue inside-out with a near-hip aiming point – Do pursuit drills every single day – Swarm the ball carrier with multiple defenders<\/p>\n