How to Execute Trick Plays in Football

Football is a game of preparation and execution. You cannot expect to learn a few plays that are outside the normal gameplan and hope that they are going to help you beat your opponent. However, if you have mastered the basics of blocking and tackling and you also have a balanced offense that can move the ball through the air and the ground, a few trick plays attempted at the right time in the game could be enough to provide the margin of victory--or at least set your opponent back on their heels.

Instructions

1. Execute the halfback option pass. The quarterback hands the ball off or pitches the ball to the halfback, who takes off towards the sidelines as if he is running a power sweep. The running back keeps the ball tucked under his dominant arm, selling the running aspect of the play to the defense. The receivers initiate a blocking action before taking off downfield on a pass pattern. An instant before the running back makes his turn upfield, he pulls the ball up and throws it in the direction of the open wide receiver. If the receiver is not open, the halfback simply brings the ball back down and runs downfield.

2. Put pressure on your opponent with the end-around play. This play works best for teams with extremely fast wide receivers. You have been getting the ball downfield to your wide receivers, but your opponent has turned up the heat with bump-and-run coverage that is preventing your receivers from getting a clean release. In order to get your speedster the ball, you send him in motion toward the interior line. Instead of breaking downfield on the snap, he heads into the backfield and takes a handoff from the quarterback while running at full speed. He continues to run toward the sidelines before cutting it upfield. An offshoot of this play has the wide receiver pull up behind the line and throw the ball in a similar manner as described in the halfback option pass.

3. Shock your opponent with the fake punt. It's 4th-and-8 and your offense has been stopped on a key series near midfield prior to halftime. Punting the ball back to your opponent is prescribed, but in order to change the rhythm and momentum of the game you attack with your punter. After the 15-yard snap back to your kicker, have him take two steps as if he were about to punt the football. Then after all but the two outside men on the punt coverage team have turned their backs on the play to block for the punt returner, your punter takes off and runs. He needs to make one man miss by faking inside and cutting outside. This should throw off the "gunner" on the outside who most likely has his mind set on blocking the punt. Once this man is out of the picture, your punter should have plenty of open space to gain his first down.

4. The throwback pass to the quarterback will confuse your opponent. The quarterback immediately pitches the ball to the running back who takes two or three steps to his right and then raises up to pass the football. He looks at his wide receivers on the right side of the field but then throws the ball to the quarterback who is running down the left sideline. This play will only work if the defense has not accounted for the quarterback running a pass pattern. The running back must loft the ball so the quarterback can run under it. If the quarterback is covered the running back must either tuck the ball in and run or throw it away. Please note that this play is perfectly legal in high school and college football but not in the NFL where the quarterback is not an eligible receiver if he takes the snap from under center.

5. Take advantage of a packed-in defense with a fake field goal. On most field goal attempts, the defense is packed in around the interior line with the hope of finding a crack in the offensive line so the kick can be blocked. Every once in a while, it is a good idea to keep the defense on its heels by faking the field goal. There are two ways to do this. After the center snaps the ball to the holder, he quickly raises up and runs to his right. The outside blocker on the offensive line--technically an end--runs 5 to 8 yards upfield and then squares off to the sidelines. The holder tosses the ball to the receiver and a first down or touchdown is the result. The other fake field goal has the kicker take off and runs past the shoulder of the holder. As he hits full speed, your holder tosses the ball to the kicker who runs toward the first down marker. This play is very risky because your kicker can get hurt if your opponent sniffs this play out and it will only work if the kicker is a good athlete and a fast runner.

Tips & Warnings

• Excel at the basics of the game. They will carry you a lot further than trick plays.

• Study film and realize that your opponent's aggressiveness will help you execute trick plays. If you are going up against a defense that plays full speed at all time, you may hit a home run with these plays. A defense that reacts to what you do will be much tougher to fool.

• Trick plays call for expert timing. You need to spend extra time in practice working on them in order to be successful in games.