This article was originally written about 2 Seasons ago for the San Juan Scorpions Football Website, but was never published. It includes great tips. Some of the info may be outdated.
Every young boy grows up inspiring to play football someday. Either in the little leagues, junior high school, high school, college, and eventually, if you are qualified, in the NFL. Most parents begin this indoctrination from a very young age. Every father dreams of one day watching his son play the great game. Fathers typically encourage their children to either play quarterback, wide receiver, or running back. In school yards and at playgrounds, it is the quarterback, wide out, and tail back that are on the receiving end of their playmates respect and praise.
And it is this last position that we will discuss.
Running back is a unique position to play. It takes talent, speed, and heart. If any of these attributes is missing, the player will most likely play some other position.
What is a running back? What do they do? How should they play? What are some tips for aspiring running backs.
What does the running back do?
The running back is the player that, as is expected, runs with the ball. Unlike the full back, the running back does more running than blocking. In high school athletics, running backs are the core of the game. Most plays are designed for running backs, as it is difficult to throw. However, in the playgrounds, the wide receivers dominate.
The running back can either receive the ball directly (hand off) or indirectly (pitch). The handoff requires coordination between the quarterback and running back and is the bread and butter of a running game. The pitch, which is a short toss, is a little more difficult to execute, and more can go wrong. The biggest mistakes are made in teh exchange between the QB and running back. The QB may hand the ball off wrong, or pitch it in a weird way. Make sure you know what each one is.
Who is the running back? THE SUPER FREAK is who.
Every young boy grows up inspiring to play football someday. Either in the little leagues, junior high school, high school, college, and eventually, if you are qualified, in the NFL. Most parents begin this indoctrination from a very young age. Every father dreams of one day watching his son play the great game. Fathers typically encourage their children to either play quarterback, wide receiver, or running back. In school yards and at playgrounds, it is the quarterback, wide out, and tail back that are on the receiving end of their playmates respect and praise.
And it is this last position that we will discuss.
Running back is a unique position to play. It takes talent, speed, and heart. If any of these attributes is missing, the player will most likely play some other position.
What is a running back? What do they do? How should they play? What are some tips for aspiring running backs.
What does the running back do?
The running back is the player that, as is expected, runs with the ball. Unlike the full back, the running back does more running than blocking. In high school athletics, running backs are the core of the game. Most plays are designed for running backs, as it is difficult to throw. However, in the playgrounds, the wide receivers dominate.
The running back can either receive the ball directly (hand off) or indirectly (pitch). The handoff requires coordination between the quarterback and running back and is the bread and butter of a running game. The pitch, which is a short toss, is a little more difficult to execute, and more can go wrong. The biggest mistakes are made in teh exchange between the QB and running back. The QB may hand the ball off wrong, or pitch it in a weird way. Make sure you know what each one is.
Who is the running back? THE SUPER FREAK is who.
