How to Run a Football Offense: Dive

An excellent short-yardage play, the dive is one of the most fundamental offenses in football.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Footballs
• Footballs

1. Set the offense in a split-back formation. Place seven players on the line. From the quarterback's left: split end, then a space of five yards, tackle, guard, center, guard, tackle, tight end. Position a running back a yard behind and to either side of the quarterback. Finally, a flanker is set five yards to the right of the tight end and one yard back off the line of scrimmage.

2. Launch the play to open a small channel in the right side of your line. From left: Split end blocks left corner. Tackle faces off against opposing end, but bypasses to hook (block away from ball) the left linebacker. Left guard and center hook tackle and nose guard, respectively. This creates the left side of the opening.

3. Allow your right guard to break the line and block the right linebacker.

4. Right tackle and tight end hook inside shoulder of tackle and end. This builds the right wall on your open channel.

5. Flanker blocks right corner.

6. Left running back breaks right, while right running back sprints forward.

7. Quarterback opens to the right and hands off to right running back.

8. The running back does his best Superman through the newly opened channel and dives over any defenders if necessary.

9. If the dive is into the end zone, the running back may want to finish with a graceful roll. Spiking the football and waggling knees are optional, but not recommended.

Tips & Warnings

• Football is as complicated as chess; defenses will change. This lineup assumes the offense is facing a 5-2 defense (five players on the line of scrimmage, two linebackers behind, a corner on either end, and two safeties in back). Adjust blocking slightly to counter other defenses, and keep the dive lane open.
• If your guard fails at blocking the linebacker, the linebacker will meet your running back midair. Sadly, the running back won't know whether the guard succeeded until after impact.

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on 8/19/2006 If your team ever has a tough fullback, you should have the running back run through the hole and have the QB hand it to the full back.

on 11/22/2005 The dive is definatly a short yardage play, but if the endzone is not near then there is no reason to leave your feet. You never know when you can break a big run, even on a designed short yardage play.