The game we know today as American football came into being, borne out of the English sports of soccer and rugby. What was created in the late 19th century is now incredibly popular with millions watching games, betting on games, and scrambling the internet to find the NFL playoff odds. It is incredible to think of how quickly this game grew
The sport we in the United States know and love as football is more properly called gridiron football, for the vertical yard lines that mark the field. Closely related to two ancient English sports—rugby and soccer (or association football)—gridiron football originated at universities in North America, primarily the United States, in the late 19th century. On November 6, 1869, players
Shotgun The shotgun formation takes place when the QB no longer lines up directly behind the center, but is about five yards behind him. This allows for the QB to have a better view of the field, as well as gives him more time to throw the ball. The formation has many variations, including the standard version, the spread, trips,
The pro set occurs similarly to an I formation, only the two backs line up 5 yards behind and to the sides of the QB, as opposed to a straight line. This set was developed for teams that had great pass catchers but wanted to involve their running backs in the passing game as well. It allowed the running backs
Whilst Tiki-Taka has declined in recent years, it’s place has been taken by the most devastating tactic of them all – the counter-attack. Drawing the opposition into your defensive third, a counter-attack starts when you steal the ball and launch into an attack at break-neck speed. Essentially, the tactic involves dropping deep, allowing the opposition to have the ball and
Anyone who has watched European football over the past ten years will have witnessed the rise of Tiki-Taka football. Both Barcelona and Spain have adopted this style, with great results, winning league titles, European cup’s and international tournaments. Defined by short, intricate passing and fluid movement between every player on the field, the key to its success is overloading the
The great thing about football is there are a million different ways to play it. It’s the job of the manager to mould the way a team plays, and you only have to take one look at the Elite end of the sport to see differences in the way team’s set-up and play football. There are many formations and tactics