Pistol Installation Book

tboise

I coach at the 5th and 6th grade level and we've run our offense from the Pistol the past two seasons with a lot of success. We were fortunate to have athletic kids at QB with good decision making skills running the offense for us and I would say that is critical to getting the most out of the formation, since utilizing a backside DE (zone) read is a key component in our base run game.

In putting together our offense, I pulled ideas from several different approaches, including Coach Campbell's manual. If you feel comfortable with what you want to do offensively, I would certainly think you can take the concepts presented in Coach Campbell's materials and simplify them enough for use at that age level. What type of offense have you used previously with your kids coach? What type of blocking scheme(s) do you teach? What kind of speed do you anticipate having next season and what are the strengths of your playmakers on that side of the ball? Just a few things you might consider when deciding whether the Pistol is for your team or not. Best of luck with everything coach!

Dave Hartman
CYFL Coach

It is a great idea to do what fits the kids best, but I think it is also important to try to run what the high schools and middle schools in your area run. You can always adjust and tinker with an offense so that it will fit your players. This way the younger kids can see the older kids running the same stuff that they are, really gets them excited about playing football!