Installing Today’s Hybrid Pistol Offense Run & Pass from Top to Bottom
This manual provides you with the full offensive line, receiver, and quarterback mechanics for installing each offensive play presented. Coach Campbell has left no stone unturned for implementing today’s Pistol Offense into your program.
Greetings Coaches! I need some advising regarding line spacing for my youth football team. I am the Head Coach/O-Coordinator in my second year. Last year we used gap spacing "finger tips to shoulders". This gave us decent gap and we were only farely successful running in the middle. This year I plan to pay for attention and detail to our blocking techniques and I want to widen the splits to "fingertips to fingertips".
It my initial thought that having a little wider splits would:
1) create more room/spacing inside to block and run
2) allow for kids to determine blocking assignments (I mostly teach GOL)
3) they do not allow the defense to blitz on the Mitey Mite level
I will likely try it a bit a in practice this year just to see, but I'm wondering what other coaches may know or have experienced? I was also told that I should greatly cut the line splits and use "severe angle blocking".
I coach 10-12 year olds and run an I/Gun formation offense. The normal o-line split we try to achieve is 18" except for short yardage or in pass pro situations (we do have to work against the blitz at our level) where we go to 6".
Your initial thoughts certainly make sense. If you need to run inside and do not possess an overpowering o-line, you will need a little room to make your inside running game work for you. If you have a speed advantage and will predominantly run outside, then you'll want to obviously tighten your splits up inside.
We teach simplified zone concepts by initially teaching a double team block, working to get movement on a down defender then learning to combo by tracking linebackers on the next level. I'm only vaguely familiar with the SAB method you mentioned, but down blocking schemes can certainly be very effective at the youth level.
Out of curiosity coach, what ages are "Mighty Mites" and in what part of the country do you coach?
I hope this has been of some help to you and look forward to having you here on the Youth Football Forum coach. There are a lot of terrific coaches on this board that are more than willing to share their knowledge of the game and I hope you find the site to be a valuable resource to you. Best of luck.
Dave Hartman
CYFL Coach
"It's not the will to win that matters - everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters."
Thanks CYFL Coach! Mitey Mites are ages 7-9, 45lbs to 90lbs. I coach in the Bay Area.
The interesting thing is that I want to set up my inside run game cause many teams defense us to the outside. I dont always have the overpowering linemen up front. However I know that running inside is the best counter to running outside offensively. I run Wishbone and Wing-T, and I combine the best of both offenses for my kids. My goal this year is to run less plays and focus more on blocking technique.
But to do so I am inquiring as to what other coaches are doing out there. Thank again!