In
, motion refers to the movement of an
offensive
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
player at the time of the
snap.
While there are different rules regarding motion, most mandate that no more than one player may be in motion at the time of the snap, and the player must not be an
offensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...
(typically, the player in motion is a
wide receiver or
running back). Additionally, the
NFL (professional),
NCAA (college), and NFHSAA (high school) require that they be moving laterally or backwards; they are not allowed to be moving towards the
line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. The
Canadian Football League and the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
allow for motion towards the line of scrimmage at the time of the snap.
Motion and shift
There is a distinction drawn between a ''shift'' and ''motion'' in football. Motion occurs when a player is moving ''at the time of the snap''. A
shift occurs when one or more players changes their position on the offensive side of the ball ''before the snap'', causing a change in formation.
Penalties
The National Football League defines all motion and shift penalties as "illegal motion", while both the NCAA and NFHSAA make a distinction between an "illegal shift" and "illegal motion"; an illegal shift refers to players shifting and not coming to a complete stop before the snap, while illegal motion refers to a player who is in motion towards the line of scrimmage, or a player who is not a "back" in motion. In both leagues, however, the penalty for illegal motion/illegal shift is five yards from the previous spot and replay the down.
Additionally, the offensive team may be charged with the penalty of a "false start" if a player on the offense jumps or moves abruptly, simulating the start of the play. This movement is not normally considered a subset of the "motion" or "shift" rules, as the player is not judged to be moving into a new pre-snap position; he is merely starting the play too soon. This is also a five-yard penalty.
History and purpose
In the earliest days of American football, offenses were allowed to shift and assemble themselves as much as they wanted as defenses are still allowed to do. The
Minnesota shift
The Minnesota shift is an American football offensive maneuver that was a forerunner of other Shift (gridiron football), shifts and pre-snap formation changes in the game. It consists of a sudden switch into a new offensive formation immediately be ...
and the
Notre Dame Box
The Notre Dame Box is a variation of the single-wing formation used in American football, with great success by Notre Dame in college football and the Green Bay Packers of the 1920s and 1930s in the NFL. Green Bay's coach, Curly Lambeau, learne ...
were offensive systems of the early 20th century which relied heavily on shifting into new formations right before the play so that key players were already moving at the snap. However, rule changes were eventually implemented that banned wholesale formation shifts after the offensive team has lined up and required players to remain in that formation for at least one second before a snap or motion can occur.
One purpose for putting players in motion in the modern game is to gain clues about the defensive play call, particularly whether the defense is in "zone" or "man-to-man" coverage, as a defender assigned to cover a motioning offensive player will usually follow him across the formation. If the offensive team believes it knows the defense's cover scheme, it might audible to a play that is better suited to defeating the defense's strategy. Players in motion might also confuse a defense that does not communicate well, potentially leaving a pass receiver uncovered. The motion might also be used to allow an offensive player to start the play while already running at top speed parallel to the line of scrimmage such as in a
flanker sweep play. In leagues that allow forward motion, receivers can begin the play already sprinting down the field, potentially allowing them to run past defenders.
Requirements
In all forms of football, only players in the backfield and not on the
line of scrimmage may be in motion at the time of the snap. Prior to starting the motion, all players on the offensive side must be in a set
formation
Formation may refer to:
Linguistics
* Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes
* Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes
Mathematics and science
* Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...
for a minimum of one
second.
In most versions of
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
, only one player may be in motion at one time, and the player must not move toward the line of scrimmage in his motion (in other words, he can only move laterally or backward). In no situation may the moving player begin on the line of scrimmage when he moves (in other words, offensive linemen are prohibited from motion prior to the snap). Any player who shifts from a lineman position to a back position must set in position at least five yards behind the line of scrimmage before going into motion.
Exceptions are as follows:
*
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
: Motion is prohibited.
*
XFL (2001)
The XFL was a professional American football league that played its only season in 2001. The XFL was operated as a joint venture between the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and NBC. The XFL was conceived as an outdoor football leagu ...
,
WFL,
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
and most other
indoor football leagues: One player in motion is allowed; he can move toward the line of scrimmage only if he is outside the
offensive tackles. (The
2020 XFL has not indicated whether or not it will revive the forward motion rule.)
*
American Indoor Football
American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.
The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...
: Two players in motion were allowed, both could move toward the line of scrimmage, one each outside the guard or tight end.
*
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area (e ...
: All backfield players are allowed to move toward the line of scrimmage before the snap, regardless of their horizontal position.
In leagues that allow forward motion, the moving player(s) cannot cross the line of scrimmage, otherwise a ''false start'' penalty is called.
References
Further reading
* ''National Federation of State High School Associations Rule Book, 2001''
External links
Motions & Shiftsvia
YouTube
Peach Bowl Illegal Motionvia YouTube
{{Gridiron football maneuvers
American football terminology