Defending Unbalanced Formations

[@larryalbaugh]

Yeah, we used to move the whole front with an "Over Here" call. Love your alternatives!

[@michaelaguon4607]

Thanks for the content coach. In my third year as HC, and I’ve learned a ton from you. At the peewee level, unbalanced is definitely a key read the kids must learn. With that knowledge, coupled with effective game translating drills i find my defense always dominates that edge on game day. I learned if you can control that edge you can control the game. Another thing I’ll note for my peewee level, (and even high school level coaches) is weak side discipline, because misdirection is definitely something a good opposing coach would do if you back him into a corner. Another crazy thing they’ll do is lean on the QB hard and start launching the ball with hopes and prayers

[@chiefpigskin]

Great insight, Coach. Yes discipline is that key word! Counter, Boot, Reverse... the Home Run Plays

[@goodmaro]

The 12U (13U with older-lighters) team I was an AC on 2 seasons ago sometimes got mixed up in games between 100 and 900 formations (wing T numbering), resulting in inadvertent unbalanced lines. It never came up on a pass play, so no ineligible receiver problem, but sometimes gave us an accidental advantage in buck sweep and belly series, as the defense against our mistake often didn't adjust well. Too bad we didn't know to take advantage, because we didn't have calls to fit those situations!

[@CoachingFootballwithBrianKlee]

Great presentation. Agree with everything. One difference for us is guys I’ve coached have almost always been able to identify unbalanced. Probably because we are operating from a 2-high structure & often are going to play Man / Cover 0. Also think our guys have priced it together because of the communication that we are always coaching. First, our LBs are always counting backs & looking for TEs. Likewise our DBs would recognize it because they are always counting receivers to at least 3. Number one part of lining up is matching numbers & also leverage & through communicating 3 “receivers” to a side with 2-back they need to adjust to it. Not saying it is the only way, but if you’re always coaching alignment rules it is something that I believe most Varsity experienced guys are able to recognize it.

[@goodmaro]

This past year health reasons precluded my coaching, but I've thought that when I return, I really, really want to do it as head coach of at least the offense, and to have less chance of formation screwups by what I consider to be a better system. Instead of a formation digit as part of the call in traditional wing T, I want to mirror all the positions left and right, i.e. flip-flop, and number the holes according to the direction of the formation (and therefore the players) rather than keeping them right-to-left. So for instance, instead of a 121 and 929 call, they'd be "21" and "flip 21", and the players, because they'd flip over, would be in the same in relationship to the play, just remembering where their inside and outside shoulders are. Unbalancing the line would then be a "guard over" call (not "tackle over"; I want the pulling guard to stay on the same side of the power guard), switching tight and split end would be "ends over", and unbalanced to the split side would be "guard and ends over". In practice, even I would get confused coaching switching my perspective from the offense's and the defense's side between 100 and 900. And other coaches did too!

[@goodmaro]

A team where I was AC over a decade back, I pointed out to the DC (we had only 3 coaches -- brothers-in-law for offense and defense, and me) that our opponent for the week sometimes used an unbalanced line. He didn't even know what that was! ("Is that allowed?") So in the warmups he let me teach how to recognize where the center of the OL was. I was trying to get us to adjust by bumping the DL over a position, but wasn't allowed much time to teach it -- and our DC sure wasn't going to see it for a call from the sideline! As a result, half our line adjusted and half didn't, resulting in an embarrassing bubble -- but it didn't matter, because our team was so much better on fundamentals, the opponents couldn't take advantage anyway! We mercy-ruled 'em. That's the thing: You need to get up to a certain competence in the basics before adjustments like these matter tactically.

[@chiefpigskin]

Well said Coach!

[@goodmaro]

Most children's football doesn't have eligible receiver numbering rules, so if a lineman with a tackle number becomes "uncovered", you'd better *cover* him in the defense sense.

[@chiefpigskin]

good point!