1. Think Inside the Box
The box is a football term that refers to the area near enough to the line of scrimmage to enable a player to defend the run. The more defenders inside the box the easier it is to stop the running play. The more players you put in the box the fewer a defense has to defend a pass. The usual amount of players in the box is seven, but if the probability of a running play is high, there may be as many as nine players close to the line. The amount is dictated by down and distance as well as the strengths of the team you are playing.
2. Gap Responsibility
Each defensive player has a gap that they're responsible for. Gaps are the areas between the offensive linemen. Most coaches name these gaps A, B, C, D and either weak-side or strong-side. The strong-side is whichever side of the offensive line has more blockers to the left or right on the center. For instance, if there are more blockers to the right side of the center, then the gap to the center's right is strong-side A and to his left is the weak-side A gap. To stop the run a defensive linemen or linebacker must be responsible for each of these gaps. The defensive scheme will dictate which gap each player must cover.
3. Standing Players Up
If you want the run defense to be effective, the defensive lineman must establish his position at the line of scrimmage. The offensive lineman's objective is to drive the defender back and move him out of the way. The defensive linemen must either stand up the offensive lineman or use the lineman's own forward momentum against him. To accomplish this, you use a swim move or something similar to get him off-balance to tackle the running back.
4. Run Blitz
Most think blitz only in the terms of the passing defense. However, there are blitzes that specifically target the running game. The conceptions are mostly the same as a pass blitz but instead of going for the quarterback a blitzer seeks out the running back and comes towards the line of scrimmage more under control than on a pass blitz. The reason for this control is that generally running backs are more agile and mobile than quarterbacks. Therefore, if the blitzing defender is out of control he can overrun the play and miss the running back, resulting in big gain for the offense.
5. Subterfuge
When trying to stop the run make sure you use movement by the defensive players just before the snap to disguise what you are attempting. Have the players stand back until the last minute or tell them to move back to cause the offense hesitation and confusion before they snap the football.
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