Category Archives for "Football Basics"

How to Tackle in Football (7-Step Guide)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

Following the proper tackling form will not only allow you to avoid injury — and to avoid causing injury to another — but it’ll also ensure that you tackle the most effectively, accurately, and with the most power.

Practicing the fundamentals will also keep you from being faked out by a ball carrier and left in the dust as he runs downfield.

Let’s take a step-by-step look at how to tackle in football properly.

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75 Football Books That Can Change Your Life

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

This list of football books is a great reading list for all football junkies out there.

Whether you’re a coach or player trying to develop your skills, a novice fan just trying to learn the ropes, or a devout follower who wants to read something football-related while waiting in between seasons, these 75 football books are for you.

This list is complete with biographies of legendary coaches, memoirs of star players, inspirational messages from respected football figures, and manuals for strategies and schemes.

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Teaching the Three Point Stance in Youth Football (7-Steps)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

Almost all offensive and defensive linemen start every play bent halfway over with their hand touching the ground.

It’s a technique that is done to get these big-bodied players lower to the ground from the start, so that when the ball is snapped, they can remain low and burst through the opposing team’s line.

This is known as the three point stance.

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What is the Pocket in Football? (Full Explanation)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

The pocket is a term that’s thrown around a lot when you watch football games.

It’s a way to describe an area of the field that forms around the quarterback on passing plays.

The pocket isn’t a set space on the field, as it is something that changes and molds based on the specific play.

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What is a Bubble Screen in Football? (Explanation and Video)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

It is a pass play that is designed to get the ball out of quarterback’s hands and into the receiver’s hands as quick as possible.

The work, then, is on the receivers to do the initial blocking, and for the player catching the ball to make a move or two to get downfield.

Let’s have a closer look at the bubble screen so we can know exactly what it is, how it’s run, and when it’s best used.

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The Correct Youth Football Sizes for Every Age Group (Chart)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

All footballs are not made equally.

That is to say — just because you’re playing the game of football doesn’t mean that you will be using the same ball.

Unlike a sport like baseball, where the size of the ball is always the same regardless of what level of the sport you’re playing, there is a different size football that you should use depending on how old you are and what level of the game you’re playing.

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Football Positions Explained (Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

Unlike a lot of other sports, it’s rather difficult to understand all the various football positions on a team.

While there are only 11 players on each team on the field at any one time, there are three distinct “units” for each football team:

(1) The Offense, (2) The Defense, (3) Special Teams

This means that there are 33 different football positions — or slight variations of positions — throughout a game.

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What is an Illegal Shift in Football? (The Rule Explained)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

In football, as in any sport, there are some easy-to-understand rules and some not-so-easy-to-understand rules. The “illegal shift” falls into the latter category. Not many people truly understand what an illegal shift in football is, why the rule is in place, and how referees can spot the infraction. However, one thing is for certain… It’s easy to understand how […]

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How to Catch a Football Effortlessly Every Time (4-Step Guide)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

One of the most overlooked parts of training is learning how to catch a football. A lot goes into a passing play in football… From the perfect snap from the center, to good pass protection by the offensive line, to good routes run by the receivers, to finally a good pass thrown by the quarterback. But once all […]

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All 9 Football Routes Explained with Images (The Route Tree)

By Coach Martin | Football Basics

Understanding the many different football routes is important for every player and coach. On any given play, each receiver on the field will be asked to run a specific route to attack the different levels of the defense, and to keep the defenders off balance. But let’s first start with the basics…What is the “Route Tree”?Every pass […]

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