--- slug: "pass-rush-moves" title: Pass Rush Moves depth_tier: entry side: DEFENSE category: "Skills & Technique" source_id: "DEF-0107" created: 2026-05-13 updated: 2026-05-13 canonical: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/pass-rush-moves aliases: - speed rush - bull rush - swim move - rip move - inside counter - pass rush technique - pass rush arsenal --- # Pass Rush Moves ## Short Definition The techniques pass rushers use to defeat blockers: speed rush, bull rush, swim, rip, inside counter, and spin—each attacking a different blocker vulnerability. ## Definition Pass rush moves are the individual techniques defensive linemen and linebackers use to defeat offensive blockers and reach the quarterback after the snap. Each move attacks a different blocker vulnerability—hand placement, weight distribution, lateral agility, or set point—and elite pass rushers develop multiple moves that work in combination, setting up one technique with another to create hesitation and win the one-on-one battle. The speed rush is the most fundamental: the rusher uses pure burst off the line to threaten the outside shoulder of the blocker, forcing him to redirect lateral instead of setting his anchor. If the blocker oversets outside to stop the speed rush, the rusher converts to an inside move—the inside counter or spin move—attacking the gap the blocker's overcommitment created. The bull rush attacks the blocker's set point directly: the rusher engages with low pad level and drives the blocker backward into the pocket, compressing the quarterback's space and disrupting his platform. The bull rush requires strength and leverage; against a blocker who cannot hold his anchor, it generates pressure by collapsing the pocket rather than winning to the outside. The swim move and rip move are hand-fighting techniques to clear a blocker's arms and get the rusher's inside arm past the blocker's frame. A swim move swings one arm over the blocker's arm and down the back while the rusher dips and converts speed to the inside; a rip move drives one arm upward through the crease of the blocker's armpit while the rusher bends underneath. Both techniques reset the blocker's hand position and allow the rusher to get underneath or past the block. Developing a complementary pass rush repertoire—where each move sets up another—is what separates good pass rushers from elite ones. A pure speed rusher can be neutralized by a tackle who simply widens his set; a rusher who can convert the speed rush to an inside counter gives the blocker no comfortable anchor point. ## Example "Three speed rushes in a row—the tackle widens his set to stop it. Fourth rep, the rusher plants outside foot, converts inside on the counter, and the tackle has overcommitted. That's the speed-to-counter combination. Each rep earlier set up the move that worked." ## Common Confusion Pass rush moves are techniques applied after the snap—they describe how a rusher attempts to defeat a blocker once contact is engaged. Pass rush moves are distinct from pass rush stunts and games, which are pre-snap coordination between multiple rushers to create a free rusher through scheme. A solo edge rusher using a swim move is using pass rush technique; two linemen looping and crossing is a pass rush game or stunt. ## Related - pass-rush-win-rate - pressure-rate - hand-fighting - pad-level - pff-grade - stunt --- Source: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/pass-rush-moves