How to Run a Stunt in Football

Stunts often lead to gang tackles, like this one.

In the game of football, very few things on defense matter as much as proper execution. And, of all the different things that a football coach asks his defensive players to execute, stunts are among the most important ones. A properly run stunt leads to confusion on the offensive line, breakdowns in blocking, and, oftentimes, to a sack or a tackle for a loss. Read on to learn how to run a stunt in football.

Instructions

1. Plan the stunt with your teammates beforehand. In practice and non-game situations, plan out your stunts. Depending on your level of football, your coach may actually implement planned stunts and blitzes together.

2. Practice the stunts you've planned. This is absolutely key to making a stunt work on the field. Practice each stunt with your teammates who are involved in it over and over until you get the chemistry of the stunt down right.

3. Communicate on game day. Make sure that you have code names for your various stunts that everyone has memorized and that all of your defensive players are on the same page when it comes to stunts.

4. Keep the stunt a secret. Don't give away the fact that you're going to run a stunt by lining up differently or talking about it within earshot of the offensive players.

5. Use your speed to your advantage. When the ball is snapped, run the stunt quickly and make sure that you don't give the offensive linemen a chance to adapt their blocking strategy to keep up with your new placement on the line of scrimmage.

6. Attack the football. The whole point of the stunt is to create free lanes to pursue the football.

Tips & Warnings

• Use stunts effectively with blitzes to maximize the effect of both maneuvers.

• Don't overuse stunts. The opposing football team will quickly catch on to your stunts if you're using them every down. Instead, pull out stunts in key situations, such as on third downs and other passing situations, when they'll be most effective.