What Is a Rip Move? How Pass Rushers Clear the Blocker’s Hands
Information cutoff: November 5, 2026 at 9:13 AM CST. Technique language is based on current official NFL material and coaching descriptions. The worked examples are Football Nation teaching examples, not claims about a specific live play.
The rip move is a pass rush escape. A defender threatens a lane, reduces the surface the blocker can strike, and drives the inside arm upward under the blocker’s near arm. That uppercut motion helps clear the hands and lets the defender bring the hips past the blocker. The move is not the arm swing by itself. It is a sequence built from speed, shoulder level, hand timing, hip position, and a finish toward the quarterback.
Why the rip move matters when you watch an NFL game
Offensive linemen want square shoulders, two hands on the defender, and a path that carries the rush past the pocket. A successful rip attacks all three goals. The rusher threatens the edge so the tackle must open, presents less chest by dipping the near shoulder, then clears the tackle’s near arm before the tackle can regain a balanced two hand fit.
On television, watch the defender’s hips instead of only the raised arm. If the hips stay behind the tackle, the defender has not actually won. If the hips pass the tackle’s outside hip while the rush path tightens toward the quarterback, the rip has created a real edge. The same idea applies inside, where a defensive tackle can rip through the edge of a guard on a slant or gap charge.
The four phases of a sound rip
1. Threaten the blocker’s edge
The move begins before the rip. The defender must create a reason for the blocker to turn or widen. An edge rusher can do it with first step speed, a wide alignment, or a long arm setup. An interior defender can do it with a hard step into one gap. If the blocker can stay square with quiet feet, the blocker can absorb the arm motion and keep the defender centered.
2. Reduce the strike surface
As contact arrives, the rusher lowers the near shoulder and turns the torso enough to make the chest a smaller target. This is controlled body position, not a reckless head drop. The eyes stay on the aiming point, the feet keep gaining ground, and the rusher avoids folding at the waist. A narrow surface makes it harder for the blocker to land both hands cleanly.
3. Rip the inside arm upward
The inside arm drives from low to high like an uppercut under the blocker’s near arm. The elbow stays tight enough to connect the motion to the shoulder and torso. A wide, loose arm can be caught. A compact rip lifts through the contact point and helps separate the blocker’s hand from the rusher’s frame.
4. Clear the hips and flatten
The arm clears space, but the feet finish the move. The rusher must step through, bring the hips beyond the blocker, and reduce the angle to the quarterback. If the path keeps drifting toward the sideline, the tackle can escort the rush behind the pocket. Good rushers win the corner and then flatten.
Worked example: an edge rusher against a right tackle
Imagine third and eight with the quarterback at a seven yard depth. The left edge defender aligns wide of the right tackle. At the snap, the defender takes three urgent steps upfield. The tackle kicks back and turns slightly to protect the outside lane. The defender dips the inside shoulder, keeps the outside foot gaining ground, and rips the inside arm under the tackle’s outside arm.
The critical moment is the next step. The defender lands the inside foot beyond the tackle’s outside foot and rotates the hips toward the quarterback. Now the tackle is chasing from behind instead of steering from the side. The defender flattens at quarterback depth. Even if the ball comes out, the rush has compressed the launch point and may force the quarterback to step up sooner than planned.
Contrasting example: an interior rip on a slant
Now put a three technique defensive tackle on the guard’s outside shoulder. At the snap, the defender attacks the guard’s inside edge on a called slant. The guard steps laterally and reaches with the near hand. The defender lowers the near shoulder, rips through the reach, and crosses the guard’s face into the adjacent gap. This is a shorter path than the edge example. The defender is not bending around a deep pocket. The goal is to clear the guard’s hands quickly enough to penetrate the gap without turning the shoulders so far that a second blocker can wash the defender sideways.
The holding rule is more precise than it looks
The 2026 NFL Rulebook places offensive holding in Rule 12, Section 1, Article 3(c). Its blocking notes address the rip technique directly: when the defender’s rip puts the blocker in a position that would normally be holding, the action is not automatically called holding unless and until the blocker’s action takes away the defender’s feet. That does not create a general license to grab. A blocker who materially restricts the defender outside that stated situation, or takes the defender down, can still be penalized.
This matters for viewers because a tackle’s arm across a rusher after a rip can look like an obvious hold in a frozen frame. Officials judge the full action. The defender may have created that arm position by ripping under it, and the feet and path determine whether the restriction becomes illegal.
What the blocker can do to defeat the rip
The strongest counter is patient posture. A tackle can keep the inside half square, use an independent hand instead of lunging with both, and keep the feet underneath the hips. If the rusher dips too early, the tackle can replace the hands on the shoulder or rib area and widen the rush. If the rusher rises after the uppercut, the tackle can regain leverage and run the defender beyond the quarterback.
The strongest counterargument to calling the rip a stand alone winning move is that it usually depends on a setup. A defender who has not threatened speed or power gives the blocker no reason to overreact. The conclusion changes when the blocker stays square and the rusher cannot get the hips even with the blocker. At that point the rip is motion without displacement, and the defender needs a counter such as a spin, long arm, or inside club.
Common misconceptions
The rip is not simply throwing an arm into the air. The feet, shoulder level, and hip clearance create the win.
A low shoulder is not the same as losing vision or diving at the blocker. Controlled pad level keeps the rush balanced.
An arm across the rusher after a rip is not automatically offensive holding. Rule 12, Section 1, Article 3(c) requires the full action to be judged.
The pass rush rip is not the same technique as a tackling phrase that also uses the words dip and rip. This lesson concerns escaping a blocker at the line of scrimmage.
Watch a directly relevant coaching drill
The historical public X post below comes from pass rush coach Chuck Smith. It demonstrates the link between a speed chop, the rip, and the rusher’s hip angle. Watch the near shoulder shrink, the inside arm travel from low to high, and the hips continue through the escape. The post is a teaching reference from March 2015, not current roster news.
Football and fantasy consequences
The football consequence is pocket shape. A clean rip can force a quarterback to hitch early, climb into interior traffic, or throw before a route develops. It can also turn a pressure into a sack when the rusher clears the blocker’s hips without drifting behind the pocket.
For fantasy football, one successful move is evidence, not a projection by itself. Team defense managers should combine pressure quality with opponent protection, quarterback release time, game script, and turnover opportunity. In individual defensive player formats, a rusher who wins with more than one move has a more sustainable path to pressure than a player living on one speed rush. The next checkpoint is the following game: does the defender set up the rip with power or an inside threat, and does the player convert pressures into sacks without sacrificing run responsibility?
Frequently asked questions
Which arm performs the rip?
Usually the arm closest to the blocker’s near contact point drives upward. On an outside edge rush, that is commonly the rusher’s inside arm. Alignment and the chosen escape path can change the exact hand relationship.
Can a defensive tackle use the move?
Yes. Interior defenders use a compact rip to clear a guard or center on slants, gap charges, and the exit phase of a power rush. The path is shorter, so the arm and hip clearance must happen quickly.
What should I watch on replay?
Pause at three points: when the blocker first turns, when the rusher’s arm clears the near hand, and when the rusher’s hips pass the blocker. Those frames reveal whether the move created a real advantage or only looked active.
Takeaway
A rip move works when speed or leverage makes the blocker commit, the rusher reduces the strike surface, the inside arm clears the near hand, and the hips finish past the block. Watch the hips and the path to the quarterback. The arm is the visible part, but the feet decide whether the rush actually wins.
Sources checked
Checked November 5, 2026 at 9:13 AM CST: 2026 Official Playing Rules of the National Football League, Rule 12, Section 1, Article 3(c): https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/fl_attachment/league/tqivdkzt9mu6wdgsh1ku.pdf
Checked November 5, 2026 at 9:13 AM CST: Philadelphia Eagles, combine defensive line and linebacker preview, description of the dip and rip motion: https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/combine-preview-dl-and-lb-3565792
Checked November 5, 2026 at 9:13 AM CST: NFL video, Bryan Thomas uses a dip and rip move for a sack: https://www.nfl.com/videos/bryan-thomas-uses-dip-and-rip-move-for-12-yard-sack-vs-jalon-daniels
Checked November 5, 2026 at 9:13 AM CST: Baltimore Ravens training camp transcript, coaching emphasis on using the rip to clear the hips: https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/transcripts-ravens-training-camp-availability-8-4
Checked November 5, 2026 at 9:13 AM CST: Chuck Smith public X technique demonstration: https://x.com/chucksmithnfl/status/572818179749257216
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