The game of football has grown to become so complicated over the last 30 years that folks from the 1950’s probably wouldn’t even recognize it. In the past, the best football offensive formations were all running plays. You would run to the left, run to the right and then right straight ahead. It wasn’t very inventive and it was as exciting to watch as watching grass grow.

But things changed with the forward pass, and now, football is a game with literally dozens of formations to choose from. But remember, don’t make your formations too complicated. Not only will your players get confused, it can really ruin the amount of fun they have when they play.

The first of the many football offensive formations we’ll look at is the jumbo set, or the goal line set. This is one of the best football offensive formations because it almost guarantees that you can pick up a yard or two when you need it, even if the defense knows you are about to run it.

With the goal line set, you bunch your offensive line together closely, and you add a tight end to the end of your line for extra protection. You do not use any wide receivers, which makes this formation primarily a running formation. You have the choice of running straight ahead, having your tackles and center pull to one side or the other, or, if your running back is extra quick, you can try to make it to the corner and run outside, but often times, the opposing defense will play up since they know the chance for a pass is slim, they will anticipate a run.

If you take an extra few seconds to try to bust the play outside, the defense has time to react and stop your running back in the backfield for a loss. Your best choice here is to run it straight up the middle with the help of your fullback. If you want to throw the ball, have your tight end block for a second or two and then peel off to the left or right and hit him in the flat. But be careful, since the defense is playing up to begin with, a corner or a safety can jump the route and intercept the ball, and if that happens, there is very little chance that he will be caught before he reaches the end zone.

Another pass play you can make (works with a number of football offensive formations) that can really shock the defense from this formation is known as the tackle eligible. Before the play starts, have your quarterback tell the ref that one of your tackles is now eligible to catch the ball. If you don’t, and he touches the ball, you’ll get a penalty for illegal touching. Have your tackle peel off the line and head forward on a diagonal path. Loft the ball up so only he can catch it and have him look back without breaking stride and catch the ball. This is an excellent play to run on short yardage plays or in goal line situations.