The Wishbone offense is one of the easiest formations to recognize... the V-shaped alignment of running backs stacked behind the QB, and usually a balanced offensive line washighly popular at both the High School and Collegiate levels duringthe 70's and 80's. It is easy to teach, extremely flexible, and with the right coaching - can be a dominating offense at the youth recreational level.

Key reasons to consider the Wishbone offense include:

Easy to understand and install - for both players AND coaches!

One primary formation players are almost always in the same position

Power at the point of attack - much like the double wing and single wing

Great for mis-direction - lots of moving bodies in the backfield confuse young defenders!

Balanced offense - no true "strong" or "weak" side unless you CHOOSE to have one!

Versatile - for both power running, speed running, and a nice passing game.

Hard for youth to defend they have to defend the entire field from sideline to sideline!

Great for spreading the carries amongst multiple backs

Doesn't require superstar talent it doesn't hurt, but not absolutely required

Promotes precision There isn't a ton of confusion for the offense to deal with the linemen do almost the same thing on every play so they can focus on pounding the defense the backs just have to follow the path of the play!

Offensive Philosophy: Many coaches who attend my football classes are under2 majormisunderstandings

1)the Wishbone requires the ability for the QB to "read" the defense while the play is underway,]

2)there is a lot of last second-pitch work that goes on, which can lead to fumbles.

Neither is the case. Typically the only option we even allow our QB to make is on the dive itself... if he sees it is open, he can elect to allow the FB to take the ball; If not, he is to complete the fake, and then turn upfield as quickly as possible. While we do have the backside RB trail as if awaiting a pitch, at younger grades and with less experienced QB's, this is merely a ruse to draw a LB out wide to create a better lane for the QB to turn up field.

Once a QB shows us in practice that he can pitch the ball reliably, then we ALLOW it, but doit by CALLING the pitch... for example, when we call the Base 42 - QB 16 option, the QB does NOT have instruction to pitch the ball - he is the declared runner. If we call Base 42 - HB 28 Pitch, then he is instructed that after the FB fake, he is to take one more step to commit the DE, and then he MUST pitch theball.

We don't force a read... we force execution.

Here is how theBASE play works (shown run to the right):

Of course, the Base play represents only the most simple of plays to run in the Bone. Power Sweeps, Reverse

While the base dive play is the heart of the offense, we also run plenty of other plays, such as Toss, Leads, Quick Pitch, Trap, Blast, and the homerun "Counter Cross Buck". These playsare all standard fare.

Balance: Unless you elect toput a WR to one side or the other (we often do!), the offense looks totally balanced to the defenders, making it impossible to key on "left or right" tendencies which tend to dominate formations like the Wing T, Pro Set, and the newly popular Spread offense. In those formations, there is a visible side where there are more players, so the defenders can align to offset this...Not so withthe Wishbone - there is no "strong or weak" side of the formation.

To Pass or Not to Pass: Due to the high tendency of opposing teams to assume the Bone is a run-only formation, it is quite simple to make the dive fake, and have the QB drop back one step and hit the TE over the middle, where the overly anxious LB's vacate to stop the run. Likewise, screens and slants also work quite well, and the HB pass is a great "red zone" play. The Flood is also easy to execute, as is the TE drag route and the bootleg pass. Our teams-even at the youngest ages-throw at least 4-5 passes per game, and as our players get older and more comfortable with they system, we will often throw 8-10 passes per game.

Blocking This is the area where the Bone really shines. Since the Center and Guards usually double-team block, you can use lesser sized players here, and reserve your strength players for Tackle and Tight Ends. It doesn't take a lot of large dominating linemen, nor is there a great need for learning complex blocking schemes. Start of with drive blocking and you can execute 90% of the offense from that skill alone - even without dominating power. Of course,having large strong boys in the trench never hurts, either - but the ever-ellusive big strong kid that can also run like a deer is absolutely better suited for Tight End - and you only need one of those.

Summary: If you are a coach looking for a new offense, or a new coach looking for a system that you can install quickly and build on for years, the Wishbone is a great choice. It allows for multiple running backs to share the load, and provides overwhelming complexity for the defenders to figure out... even without a single read or pitch!