What is a Dig Route in Football? (Full Explanation)

By Coach Martin | Football Strategies

The Dig route is designed to make a defender think that the receiver is going to run a Go route straight downfield.

At the last minute, the receiver will stop, turn and run straight across the middle of the field.

The route is called the Dig because it requires the receiver to dig his feet into the ground when so that he’s able to stop and shift his weight properly for the second part of the route.

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8 Football Gaps and Holes That All Players Must Understand

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

Understanding what these gaps and holes are and how they’re used in football terminology is essential for any football player as they try to carry out their duties on every play.

Let’s dive a little deeper into what gaps and holes are, and how they are used to teach and run the game effectively.

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What is a Fair Catch in Football? (The Rule Explained)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

If you’ve watched a National Football League game before, chances are that you’ve seen a punt returner execute a fair catch.

As soon as he catches the high-flying punt, the play is instantly blown dead, with players on the kicking team simply running by him without making any contact.

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6-2 Defense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images)

By Coach Martin | Football Defense

The 6-2 defense is a very popular alignment for youth football teams. Because most offenses in youth football are run-heavy, defensive coaches counter by putting extra players along the line of scrimmage.

They sacrifice a linebacker and member of the secondary to have an extra man at the typical point of attack.

This defensive alignment utilizes what are known as two wide tackles in addition to the four traditional defensive linemen.

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1-Point Safety: The Nearly Impossible Way to Score 1 Point in Football

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

There are many ways to score points in a football game. The most common point-scoring plays include a touchdown (6 points) and a field goal (3 points).

Smaller point totals are also given for conversions after a touchdown, including 1 point for an extra point and 2 points for what’s known as a two-point conversion.

Teams can also score 2 points on a safety, which is a much rarer occurrence.

Even more rare is a 1-point safety.

This scoring play is so rare that not many people even know it exists — but it does.

Let’s take a look at the history of the 1-point safety, and what a team would have to do in order to convert one.

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Cover 6 Defense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images)

By Coach Martin | Football Defense

In this defensive scheme, the field will be split in half, with one half of the defense running Cover 2 and the other half running Cover 4.

This provides a wrinkle to zone coverage schemes that can keep offenses off balance and guessing, while at the same time playing to the strengths of the defense based on where the ball is on the field.

It’s a little more complicated to teach and install, as we’ll soon see.

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Cover 5 Defense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images)

By Coach Martin | Football Defense

The Cover 5 defense is a hybrid between a man-to-man and a zone coverage scheme.

Unlike some of the other “Cover” defenses, the number 5 in this instance doesn’t refer to the number of defenders covering deep.

Instead, it refers to the number of defenders who will play man-to-man against a specific receiver.

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Offensive Tackle Guide for Serious Football Players (Tips and Tricks)

By Coach Martin | Football Positions

In recent years, offensive tackles have started to get the credit they deserve.

For years, offensive linemen in general have been the unsung heroes of an offense. Now they’re respected as one of the most important players on the field.

Offensive tackles have some skills and traits that are similar to those of other offensive linemen. There are also some that are completely unique to offensive tackles.

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Defensive Tackle Guide for Serious Football Players (Tips and Tricks)

By Coach Martin | Football Positions

A great defensive tackle can completely disrupt everything an offense is attempting to do.

He can force a lot of attention along the line of scrimmage, which frees up those defensive ends, linebackers and even members of the secondary to make massive plays.

Not every football player is a great fit to be a defensive tackle, though.

It’s a position that requires a lot of size and strength, but it also requires a player to be nimble and quick.

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Cover 0 Defense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images)

By Coach Martin | Football Defense

Cover 0 is an extremely simple defensive scheme to teach players. That’s because it’s a man-to-man defense in which each player in the secondary is given a specific receiver to cover.

All other players are usually just asked to blitz.

It’s a great defense to run against a spread offense because it puts pressure on the quarterback and forces him to make a quick decision.

At the same time, if you want to run the Cover 0, you need to make sure that all your defenders in the secondary can cover really well since they won’t have any extra help over the top from safeties.

They also need to be sure tacklers, as they won’t have help in that department, either.

Here’s a closer look at the Cover 0 defense, including who should run it and how it’s run.

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