The Pistol Offense

Please finde nclosed our Passing Tree, comments welcome!

Great post Coach. Thanks for sharing. We run an almost identical passing tree!

When you call plays, do you number the routes and read them left to right a la Urban Meyer? Or do you use "concepts" and have your kids remember those? For instance, we have our kids memorize the "smash" concept or the "shallow cross" and then can tag the routes if we want to change them.

For instance, we call might call Trio Right 96 smash. Trio is trips with a TE as #3 and 2 flankers (our H and Z). The outside guy has the hitch and the #2 (H) has the flag over the top. The TE has a get open route in the middle of the field.

If the other team gives us a look that we want to change it, we can call switch or release or some other tag along with a route (quick, dig, curl, comeback, et. al) as opposed to using a number. The numbers do not do us any good. How about you guys?

Any thoughts?

Jef,

we use a number system, and since every kid has his own wristcoach we can then audible to another play if our QB likes something else.

Also every Passroute (except the 30 - HB) is possible with a "Lookroute" it will be called "Look" after the play, and if the CB or LB is playing off he gets the quick Pass:

Coach, what is the coaching points to this play you have , especially for the backs and the qb. We are looking to add the pistol, and was wondering the depth of the qb, and the motion coaching point. Thanks

Depth of QB is 3-4 Yards / HB is 5-7 depends on the QB.

QB has much more Vision, and since we are a 80% pass team this is very important the QB can take his reads when they develop and not when they are already passed. Everything else will follow through reps, if you have alot of reps everything will go very smooth. Let your QB and center have some time alone because the Snap is not typical Gun snap because it is shorter, other than that we had no problem adapting from the gun to the Pistol!

I use the concept system example Smash, Drive, flood, mesh, shallow and so on

My play calling is to the receiver

coach Kuhlman uses Trio Rt 74 Smash

my same play would be Pistol Stack 74 Smash H Seam

My H Is my TE and Y would be on the line at about 8 from the tackle and my Z would be slit wide off the line

What does it all mean Pistol is our QB and TB alignment..(will be geting away from this tag neext year though) Stack is our H backs alignment just on the back foot of the RT Tackle. 7 is the depth and the protection 4 tells us what side we wnat to attackbut i leave that up to the QB to make a decision.

if i want to run the same concept but change some routes I jusst tag them

Using the same play as above and formation I could go

Pistol Stack Zip Exit 74 Smash X-Z Pivot H Seam

Translation zip exit is motion and shifting by my wides to move to number 2 receiver on both sides and the pivot route looks like we are gonna run mesh crossing routes but we pivot back at five and attack the flat

One of my bread and butter plays is the mesh concept

I tag it as follows

Pistol Strong Snug 78 Z/W Mesh Y Choice

translation Strong is the H alignment ligned up on the inside foot of the tackle at the same depth at the QB. Snug Brings in my Receiver and aligns them tight i yard apart and 2-3 yards outside the tackle typically Y and X Are on the line Z/w Mesh and Y has a choice route either a post or a corner dependent on the middle of the field situation

If anyone has any questions I can draw these plays up on power point and send them to you....Keep in mind I don't have a playbook....so it may take a few days to get it....Yes coaches I don't use a playbook, kids don't look at them anyway all my stuff is done at practice and through reminder/scouting sheets every week. the diagrams i use if any are in power point and i usually only use these for new plays that are new to my offense.

anyway I'm always open to talk about the passing game, unless u number your routes then I'm lost...hence the reason i use the concept system...i'm not smart enough to remeber numbers.

Cheer's
Coach Jeff

great post jeff, but you saw that for example my numbering is based on each other? If you did gave me a playbook and i had to learn your offense I would probably get lost at snug, Zip & Exit...

But i admire that you do this without a PB!

possibly coach, just to give you an Idea. Snug is an alignment wher the rec align 3 yards away from the takle on the line an the slots alihn 1 yard outside of them. Zip is my "Z" rec motioning in towards the tackle from out wide Exit is is for my X REC to do the same thing.

I'll break my tags down for you

The focal point of aligning my offense is based around my H Back. This athlete is a TE/FB athlete. My formation is based on where he aligns to start

Example

Pistol Stack: he aligns 1 yard outside the tackle on the Right side or as I call it the strong side
Pistol Sting he aligns 1 yard back in the G/T gap
Pistol Strong 3 Yards Behind the RT Tackle
Pistol Slot he aligns in the slot 5-9 yards from the tackle
Pistol Side he aligns out wide or 3 yards outside of the widest REC
Pistol Wing is like stack except on the left or weakside
Pistol Wham like sting
pistol weak opposite of strong
phistol Whip like slot
pistol Wide like side

my Y aligns at 10 yards from the RT in all these fromations on the line and my Z aligns at 8-12 outside of Y of the line. X Aligns at 10-15 and W aligns to split that difference. My F back is always aligned behind th QB in the Pistol alignment.


just a brief idea of how I align them, and then the rest is easy. Keep in mind I only use a few of these formations eveyweek. Plus a few air raid empty formations