Vertical Set

walk backwards.


There, you did it. Thats all there is to the "vertical set".
"Vertical Set" as it relates to Air Raid protection is just that, a replacement to the kick-slide. It is a vertical withdrawal from the line of scrimmage where you do not chase rushing defenders, but wait for them to engage you at your anchor point. This allows offensive linemen to remain square (preventing an easy loss by turning the shoulders and improper leverage in the pocket). When rushing the passer, the first step for a defender is to reach the blockers hips and gain leverage (by getting the blocker to open up a gap through turning, or by the defender getting at the same horizontal plane of the blocker). Because the blocker is moving away from the defender at relatively the same speed, he is prolonging the time it will take for the defender to execute an escape move (get past protection and get to the the quarterback/launch point).

Though, it does require a modicum of athleticism (moreso than a kick-slide), anyone can perform it and be better off for it (because of the increased speed of their retreat versus a kick).

The distinct advantage is that because you are retreating at a faster pace, you buy more time before engaging rushers. This allows the line to keep everything in front of them (twists, stunts, angles, etc) and confidently pickup threats to the launch point. This was previously addressed here as well as here (protection with prepractice work) and video of Oline work.

The main coaching point required is to keep the 5 linemen at the same level or horizontal plane. To do this, you simply need to rep the steps (inside, outside, inside, outside) with an emphasis on the first step explosion. Each stride should equal out to roughly a yard. Referencing the previous Louisiana Tech posts, you'll see there should be plenty of video to see examples.

This is why Air Raid teams work so much on the agility ladder (see previous posts here and here ).

** UPDATE:
Examples of LTU using the vertical set