DAVIE, Fla. — Fighting in a phone booth.

That's the analogy Jared Tomich uses when the former NFL lineman tries to explain the hand-to-hand combat football requires on every single play.

It also was one of the ways he managed to get the Miami Dolphins' attention during a recent series of consulting sessions regarding martial arts and how they can improve a football player's ability to shed blocks and hold them as well.

"In a sense, you've got a couple square yards of real estate you either have to take over or stop someone from taking over," says Tomich, a former defensive end who played five seasons in the NFL and starred on two national championship teams at Nebraska in the mid-1990s. "It's all about handwork and trying to coordinate that with using your feet."

Tomich and his longtime friend Michael Storms, a New Orleans-based martial arts instructor, recently spent a total of six days in a three-week span with the Dolphins in order to help their coaches and players grasp these concepts.

The pair just got back from Nebraska, where they worked with the Cornhuskers on the same skills.

Tomich, a second-degree black belt who now runs a gym in southern Illinois, isn't sure if he'll be invited back when Dolphins training camp opens in August, but he would have been proud of his former pupils at the just-concluded minicamp.

As they ran through a variety of drills, there were times when it wasn't clear whether the Dolphins were playing the old schoolyard game of hand-slaps or auditioning for a Ginsu knife commercial.

During one period, offensive linemen would maneuver through a series of overturned gray garbage cans, hands chopping the air with as much speed as they could muster. The running backs took turns slapping hands away as well.

"It's a hands game," Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland says. "For pretty much every position, you have to be able to use your hands, either getting off blocks or punts or separating into a route. Whatever it may be, it's a hands game."

Dolphins strength and conditioning coach Evan Marcus knew Storms and Tomich from his time in New Orleans. Marcus was the one who suggested the idea to Ireland, Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells and coach Tony Sparano.

"We said sure, what the heck?" Ireland says. "These players are always looking for a little bit of technique work, one way or the other. This was a nice opportunity to get those guys that technique work."

According to Tomich, he and Storms would spend the first day of each visit introducing new concepts to the Dolphins' coaches, then on the second day they would bring them to the players, tailoring them by position.

While Channing Crowder says Ronnie Brown "looked real goofy" trying to master the hand moves, veteran linebackers Joey Porter and Jason Taylor quickly mastered things.

"I really enjoyed it," Dolphins left tackle Jake Long says. "It's all about your hands and fast hands and how to punch and how to get people off you. That's the first time I'd ever done it, but it's cool. I hope they bring them back."

Starting right tackle Vernon Carey was familiar with some of the so-called "hand-swiping" from his time at the University of Miami, but he liked picking up a few new tricks.

"We learned a lot," Carey says. "Linemen have to be quick with their hands. I'm going to use a lot of it, just trying to get that defender's hand off you."

Long said most players were "pretty enthusiastic" about the drills, especially the ones where they were taught how to punch an opponent's forearms and biceps.

Not that you should look for any of the Dolphins on the MMA circuit anytime soon.

"There's no breaking arms," Carey says, laughing. "That's karate."