Shotgun snap and centre release

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American football drill · Under-8 and up

A flag football play is over before it starts if the snap is on the floor. In flag the centre is also a receiver, often the quarterback's safest one, so this drill joins the two jobs: a snap that arrives chest high every time, and a centre who is out into a route before the defence has noticed them.

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Time
8 minutes
Players
2 at a time, or pairs side by side: a centre and a quarterback
Equipment
  • 1 ball per pair
  • 2 cones per pair

Setup

  1. Put a cone on the line of scrimmage for the centre and a second one five yards straight behind it for the quarterback.
  2. The centre sets up over the ball, feet wide, and snaps it back between the legs to the quarterback.
  3. On the snap the centre runs five yards straight upfield, then turns out to the left.
  4. The quarterback catches the snap, looks upfield, and throws the ball back to the centre on the turn.
  5. Swap jobs after five snaps, so everyone learns to snap and to catch one.

Coaching points

  • Centre: both hands on the ball, then one firm swing back between the legs. Aim for the quarterback's chest, not their hands.
  • Quarterback: hands up as a target, catch it with the hands, and eyes downfield before the ball arrives.
  • Centre: release on the snap. The ball goes back and the centre goes forward at the same moment.
  • Count the bad snaps. A pair that does five clean ones in a row moves on.

On the run sheet: Snap it hard between the legs to the chest, quarterback eyes downfield, centre out into the route on the snap

Progressions

  1. Have the quarterback call the cadence, and snap only on the called count.
  2. Put a defender five yards off the centre, so the turn has to be into open space.
  3. Change the centre route each round: turn left, turn right, or sit down at five yards.

How it runs

The ball starts on the line with the centre. They snap it back between their legs to a quarterback five yards deep, which is the shotgun spot most flag offences play from, and on the same beat they release upfield. The quarterback catches it, sets their eyes downfield, and finds the centre turning out at five yards. The animation shows those three things in order: the snap, the release, and the ball going back to the centre.

This drill assumes the common flag rules: the snap goes between the centre's legs rather than being tossed to the side, nobody blocks, and the centre is an eligible receiver once it has gone. Check your league's book on the snap; a few leagues allow a side snap for the youngest groups.

Why it works

The snap is the one skill every play depends on, and it is the one most teams never practise separately, so it gets learned in games. A snap that arrives at the chest lets the quarterback look downfield straight away instead of chasing the ball. Joining the snap to the centre's release is the flag-specific part: with no linemen, the centre is a receiver, and the one the defence most often forgets.

The mistakes to watch for

Snaps that float or skip off the turf, usually from lifting the head to look back. Centres who watch the snap arrive instead of releasing. And quarterbacks who catch it with their eyes on the ball and only then start looking for a receiver.

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