Moors Offense Basics Contents Formations, Huddle, Fundamentals (Qb, Receiver, Center), Plays Formations Receivers are numbered from left to right. The center is always the 3 receiver and the 4 receiver changes side based on the name of the formation. 1, 6 are also called wide receivers. 2, 5 are also called slotbacks. 3, 4 are also called inside receivers. Blue Red 1 2 4 X 5 6 1 2 X 4 5 6 Q Q X is the center or 3 receiver. This system allows for every receiver to be just one number in the scheme. The formation is Blue because there are 3 receivers on the left (I joke that Blue means Bleft). The red formation is saying that there are 3 receivers on the right of the centre. If more formations are needed they receive different names. Blip Rip Blaid Raid 1 2 5 4 X 6 1 X 4 2 5 6 1 2 5 6 4 X X 4 1 2 5 6 Q Q Q Q Easier words can be used such Left, Right, Trips Left, Trips Right, Overload Left, Overload Right In general the receivers are spread out well from each other (7-8 yards). When a side is overloaded the receivers may be a bit closer to each other. Spacing is an item that is different for each coach and may be different for certain plays. I personally like to spread the field well. Receivers line up close to the line of scrimmage with their inside foot forward. This helps with a more explosive takeoff since their shoulders are more parallel to the line of scrimmage and it helps make the depth of patterns more consistent. Huddle This huddle is a little bit different than most by having the quarterback’s back to the line of scrimmage. This is good because the defense cannot see what the quarterback is saying. It is also good because if the quarterback or coach is holding a playcard then the receivers see it with the same orientation as the actual play to be run. defense _____________________________ line of scrimmage 1 Q 6 2 3 4 5 Fundamentals Coaching touch football is a challenge as is any sport. Teaching skills and strategies in touch football is especially challenging as there are many skills and many strategies but not always the time needed to incorporate them. I mention many fundamentals below but please remember it may take a season or a few seasons to get to them all. I put them all down to show that there is a progression to higher and higher levels of skill and strategy. Quarterback Fundamentals There are a few skills that are fundamental to a quarterback’s success. The first skill of course is throwing the ball (long, medium and short as well as flat or arced trajectory). Outlined below are the other skills needed to become a better and better qb. Drills can easily be designed to break down each skill into smaller parts. Check the videos in this coaching resource section for specific drills to help with the skills below. The first is the ability to receive a snap and get into a ready throwing position with a proper grip on the ball. A ready throwing position has a quarterback’s feet pointing towards the sideline and her non-throwing shoulder pointing directly down the field. A quarterback should be able to receive a snap and get a proper grip on the ball without looking at the ball. A more advanced skill for a quarterback to grip the ball without the laces. This means the ball feels perfectly comfortable for throwing but without regard for the laces. This skill allows the quarterback to throw the ball quicker than normal. Sometimes a bit of distance or accuracy is sacrificed for this quicker release but a quick release can sometimes be more important for a plays success than the distance a qb can throw the ball. Another factor when throwing quickly is whether the qb is throwing to her left or right. When a qb first catches the ball she is very ready to throw the ball to her left (if she is right handed). To throw to her right she has to turn her feet almost 180 degrees to set up right. The second skill is the ability to look around without moving the shoulders or feet very much. This allows the quarterback to first figure out who is open first before turning her body to throw in the desired direction. The next skill is to be able to reset the body to the desired direction of throwing. This involves moving feet and shoulders to point in the desired direction of throwing. An advanced skill of this is also possible where the quarterback just changes the direction of the back foot and shoulders and then steps with the front foot in the desired direction of the throw. Next up is the ability to look off defenders. If a quarterback stares at a certain receiver from the moment the quarterback receives the snap then the defence (mostly zone in girls touch) will flow to that receiver making a completion much more difficult. In beginner football an offensive coach often has a pretty good idea what scheme the defence is playing and can select an offensive play that is good against this defence. A good part of the play’s success will depend on the quarterback not staring at the intended receiver until she is ready to throw. A post towards the middle of the field is often a good play. I often have the qb look at a wide receiver running a fly or a receiver running a hook before focussing on the post pattern. As a quarterback gets better this skill of looking off will hopefully progress to reading the defense before deciding who to throw to. Before reading a defence the qb needs to know all of the patterns on a certain play thoroughly. Next she needs to understand how the patterns fit together from a spatial and timing sense. At this point she is ready to receive the snap and scan the field to decide who is open or follow a way of reading the defense in some progression of looks decided upon by the qb and coach. Remember that there isn’t a lot of time for the quarterback and that 2 good looks or decisions is about all the qb is going to get for decision making. The above section is very important for quarterback success but don’t forget the ability to sometimes throw very quickly after getting the snap is another useful tool for an offense. Some defences leave receivers open right away and one way to attack this defence is with a quick hook and a quick release from the qb. This will cause the defence to run quickly to stop this play setting up a later play where we stare at the quick hook then throw to another receiver. The last skill of the quarterback to discuss is throwing on the run. Before we mention throwing on the run a quick discussion of simply running is important. A running qb can be very difficult to stop. Defences have to change their principles and become completely aware of the running qb threat. This generally means one of three things, a second rusher, a delayed second rusher or more defenders playing short zone. This means that a defences will get better and better at stopping a running qb as the game and season progresses. For this reason it is important that the qb learns to throw on the run and have a great combination of two skills. There are two ways a quarterback can run: right away or not right away. If a quarterback waits to run then she will let the rusher come in and then probably make a fake or two then run. This is risky if the rusher is good but the reward can be high as the defence will show where there coverage is and the quarterback may have a lot of time to attack through passing or running for yards. As rushers get better by getting used to a qb’s moves or replacing rushers with better rushers this wait and run technique becomes riskier. The direct run is better because the qb follows a defined path on her run (generally run directly away from the side the rusher lines up on) and the offensive coach can have good patterns set up in front of the qb. This type of run is generally not for the qb to run for yards but to pass for yards. The movement of the qb sets up new passing angles, brings the wide receivers much more into play and attacks a different part of the field (sidelines). So a direct run is less risky and more predictable but the qb will have less time to run around and read the defence. The last thing to mention about throwing on the run is that a qb needs to be generally running in the same direction as she wants to throw to be able to make a good pass. If a qb is running sideways or away from her desired direction of throwing then this will lead to a weak inaccurate throw. Receiver Fundamentals Check the videos in this coaching resource section for specific drills to help with the skills below. The first fundament of receiving. When facing a qb a receiver must be able to catch low passes with a pinkies together catch and catch high passes with a thumbs together catch.