Are you looking to come up with an interesting trick play for your next big football game? If so it may be time to learn about the hidden ball trick. This trick play has become famous in several sports including baseball, lacrosse, and of course football.
The hidden ball trick in football doesn’t refer to a single play but rather any play in which the opposing team is unable to see the ball. The team with the ball will then use this confusion to their advantage and strike the opposing team in a way they are not expecting.
Below we will break down several of the most successful hidden ball trick plays you can pull off.
The Backfield Huddle
One of the most common styles of hidden ball tricks in football is the backfield huddle. A huddle as you likely already know is a gathering of players in the backfield.
Prior to a play several plays will get together in a tight circle and communicate which play is coming next.
When pulling this hidden ball trick off you want to recreate a miniature huddle during the play.
Once the ball is snapped several players will run into the backfield and huddle up. One of these players is the quarterback holding the ball.
Once in the huddle, the ball will then be passed to one of the players. Since all the players are huddled together it is impossible for the defense to tell which player has it.
Then all players in the huddle will sprint in opposite directions down the field. One running wide to the right, one wide to the left, and several more throughout the middle of the field.
Only one of the players will actually have the football in their hands. If the defense is not able to quickly identify which player has the ball then a touchdown is likely the result of this play.
A similar hidden ball trick can be seen in the video below. But in this version, the ball is kept underneath the center as opposed to being brought back into the huddle.
The Hidden Ball Kick Return
One of the next most common hidden ball tricks in football is done on the kick return. This trick play is very similar to the one above as the kick returners will also make a small huddle on the field.
On this play, the ball will be kicked off and the kick returner will catch it. After catching the ball he will run towards several teammates and they will proceed to huddle up.
The ball will then be passed to one of these players unbeknownst to the kicking team.
The players will then separate in all directions running towards the opponent’s end zone. If the kicking team chases after the wrong player it is likely that the players will be out of position.
This often allows for enough space for the real ball carrier to make his way down the field to the opponent’s end zone.
An example of this trick play can be seen in the video below.
The Crouching Tiger
The final hidden ball trick play we are going to discuss is one I like to call the crouching tiger. I’m sure each coaching staff has a name for this sort of hidden ball play but this name I find to be quite suiting.
On the crouching tiger a player on the offense will crouch down behind the offensive line in a way that makes them nearly impossible to see.
Once the play starts the ball is discretely handed off to the crouching player and the misdirection begins. The offensive line and the quarterback will begin to move to one side of the field on a play fake.
Once the offense starts moving to the side the defense will follow. At this point, the crouching player will spring up and take off in a sprint towards the end zone.
The misdirection of the play fake should have given the crouching player ample space on the other side of the field.
That’s all on hidden ball plays learn about other trick plays such as the statue of liberty with our article.
