Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Triple Option Football Explained

Triple option football has all three elements of the different styles of running attacks - quickness, finesse and power.

Homer Rice is given credit for inventing triple option football. He retired as Georgia Tech's athletic director in 1997. Before that, he was head coach at Kentucky, Oklahoma, Cincinnati and Rice. Mr. Rice also worked as athletic director at Rice and North Carolina as well as a brief stint as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

But it was when he was coaching high school in the 1950's that he came up with triple option football. The two usual triple option styles are the wishbone and veer.

The main idea behind this offensive set is to leave the defensive tackle and end unblocked in order to double-team the linebackers with extra offensive lineman. This brings an element of power to this basically finesse type of running attack.

The "Wishbone" style of triple option football gets its name from the alignment of the backs. You have a quarterback, a fullback directly behind him and then two halfbacks split behind the fullback. At the snap, the quarterback turns and puts the football in the fullback's gut as he reads the defensive tackle.

If the QB sees the tackle taking outside responsibility, he hands off to the fullback. If the tackle takes inside position, the QB keeps the ball and the fullback blocks the tackle. Now the quarterback's attention turns to the defensive end. If the end comes in to tackle him, he pitches out to the halfback who is trailing behind the play.

The quarterback has much responsibility in triple option football. He must first make sure there is no confusion with his first option (whether to handoff to the fullback or not) in order to prevent a fumble. He must also make a good pitchout to his halfback. Further complications can arise if the QB makes the wrong read on the defensive tackle or end.

Here's one way to teach the quarterback to read the end - If he can see the end's number, he should pitch the football as the end is probably coming in to tackle him. If he sees the end coming across the line of scrimmage focusing on the halfback, the QB should keep the ball. The quarterback should also keep an out for further pitch opportunities to his halfback even as he's making his way downfield.

The "Veer" style of triple option football adds a passing element. Bill Yeoman invented the veer in 1965 as coach of the Houston Cougars. That's why you'll hear it also called the "Houston Veer". Yeoman replaced the fullback with a wide receiver and split out an end.

Now the QB's first option is to a diving halfback (no fullback). The pitchout option then goes to the other halfback in the set. The tight end helps get the defensive end wide by taking a wide split. At the snap, the tight end arcs around the end(remember, the end is left unblocked) to block anyone trying to tackle the quarterback (usually a safety). The wide-out takes on the cornerback.

Looking for finesse, power and quickness? Try using triple option football.

Matt and Dave run http://www.football-plays-and-drills.com/tripleoption and have written the free coaching report, "5 Keys to Discovering the Successful Coach Inside You". Pick up your free copy by sending a blank email to footballtips@aweber.com

We give full permission for you to use this triple option article in your newsletter or on your site as long as you include our Resource Box with our website link and email link included.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Thursday, June 3, 2010


Soccer Betting

Sebastien Veilleux

Soccer (or Futbol) betting is very popular in many parts of the world. In fact, the only place that its not is the United States. The game of soccer can be claimed as the world's true sport, but the United States does not enjoy soccer anywhere near as much as other parts of the globe. As with any other game, its important to know the game before you put down your cash. Thanks to the Internet keeping up with teams and getting information on foreign teams is a snap. You can find some wild money lines in soccer.

If you are brand spanking new to soccer betting, you are in for a treat and possibly a headache. One thing thats both good and bad is the number of leagues around the world. Its good because there is plenty of soccer action to wager on, but it can be overwhelming at the same time. Its recommended that you start by focusing on the soccer league(s) in your region or a region that interests you.

This will allow you to become an expert in that area and you will do much better. Once you get the hang of it, you can expand your horizons if you want.To win more money and more consistently you will need to know how a soccer game works at least to some degree. The more you know about soccer and the more you understand the flow, the better off you will be. This task can be accomplished quickly be browsing some Internet websites and reading the data they offer.

While you are searching around, look for pages on some of the teams you might be betting on. Specifically, look for any information on how they play the game and anything about their scoring and defense.The main question is about money. Can you make real money betting on soccer? The quick answer is yes. Soccer presents some great opportunities for the informed sports bettor. When you place a bet on a soccer match, you bet on the winner outright. There is no point spread although some sports books do proposition bets with goals. You can also bet on the match ending in a draw, which happens semi-frequently. Betting on the draw usually results in a nice payoff if it comes in. Many draws will be +200 or higher.

The lines in soccer matches are usually pretty interesting. Matches that feature teams who are close in talent have plus-money lines, which is different from other sports. For example, you might have the favorite being a +125 and the underdog being a +175. No matter whom you choose, you are getting value for your money. Even if you are not experienced with soccer betting or soccer in general, it can sometimes be easy to spot the big favorite.

Teams that are overwhelmingly dominant in a match might be -500 favorites. Obviously, theres no value here and smart sports bettors should stay away from such matches.Overall, soccer betting is definitely something sports bettors should look into. The game gives sports bettors great value for their money and there is plenty of action to go around. If you have not tried betting on soccer yet, give it a look. You just might find your new moneymaker.