Best Offensive Plays in Youth Football The Top 10 Plays
What are the best offensive plays in Youth Football? I am sure we will argue over the best youth football plays, but I am going to take a shot at my favorite football plays for pee wee offenses ages 6 to 12 years old. After watching and coaching youth football games for almost 20 years, here are my top 10 best offensive plays for youth football.
In the next few posts I will try to draw these best offensive plays in youth football up and discuss them in detail, explaining why I like them based on performance and aesthetics. I really wish I could get my youth players to learn all these formations and set these best offensive plays in youth football up as my offensive playbook. Well, maybe I will this Spring since I will be coaching players about to go into the 6th grade.
Update: 3/17/22 – Updated Best Youth Football Plays List
Best Offensive Plays in Youth Football
Visit the best youth football play links below to few each individual top youth football play page. Or read below why I chose these top 10 best youth football plays an offer other formations these plays can be run in to achieve similar top play results.
- Beast Right Tank – QB Off-Tackle Right 16 Dive
- Double Wing FB Wedge – FB 40 Gut Wedge
- Spread 2MO Jet TB Sweep 27 – TB Motion 27 Sweep Left
- Spin 2MO 38 Double Reverse – Fake Spread Jet Sweep WB Double Reverse Right
- Double Wing TE Pop Pass 90 Backside – Quick 7 to 10 yard pass to backside TE
- I Formation 35 WB Counter – Fake Dive and Sweep Right WB Counter Left
- Single Wing 28 TB Sweep – Power Sweep Right
- Spin 3MO 45 FB Dive – WB Motion direct snap to FB backside dive
- Split Wing Left 36 HB Cross Buck Counter – Fake 25 cross delayed dive to a 36 dive right
- Power I Left TB 23 Power Lead Dive Overload – Strong Unbalanced Line Double lead dive to three hole
Why are these my best youth football plays?
1) Beast Tight Tank – Off-Tackle Power
The Beast Right Tank off-tackle power play from the Yale Single Wing is an unstoppable youth football run play. This top youth football play has a high percentage of success for 3 yards or more because it is a simple youth football play to learn and execute. It is a quick hitting play with only one ball exchange being the snap, so less fumbles and timing issues. This good youth football play puts many players at the point of attack so it has simple blocking rules.
If you do not like the Beast Formation then use another common youth football play in a power formation like the Full House T, Power I or Wishbone. Do you consider the Off-tackle power play one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
2) Double Wing FB Wedge – Wedge Play
The Double Wing Fullback Wedge play is one of my favorite best youth football plays for pee wee offenses. The Wedge play is one of the best offensive plays in youth football so what formation you choose to run the Wedge is fine. Although the misdirection of the reverse and counter action of the Double Wing makes the Double Wing FB wedge a top youth football plays in my opinion. The Wedge play is also very simple to execute and hits the hole quickly. It is a great short yardage play and many times will be a good youth football play for long yardage when the Defense is weak in the A gaps.
I also like the FB Wedge from the Off-set I with misdirection in the background like WB Orbit Motion or Fake TB Option pass. Do you consider the Fb Wedge one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
3) Spread Jet Sweep – Sweep Play
The Spread Jet Sweep is on of the best offensive plays in youth football when you have one of the fastest running backs in your little league tackle football league. The Jet Sweep also works great when the Defensive contain men read and do not penetrate the line of scrimmage and or you have a great FB that can kick out popcorn block the DE rusher up into the backfield. Either is very effective. The Jet Sweep can be a big play since the Sweep play is like a pass play in young youth football age groups. Add this play to your youth football playbook if you have speed. The Jet Sweep also sets up many misdirection plays too.
If the Jet motion is not working you can run Orbit motion to get depth. The Jet Motion Sweep is effective from many formations like the I-Wing and Wing-T. If you’re not ready for motion then a great Sweep play from a trips formation is also great with all the blockers or a Wishbone power lead Sweep from the QB. All of the Sweep variations still very good and simple youth football plays. Do you consider the Sweep one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
4) DW Spin Reverse – Reverse Play
I really like the DW or Wing-T Spin reverse. This top 10 best youth football play is on this top youth football list because of the crazy misdirection. Yes, it is hard to implement but highly effective when you need a big play for a touchdown. The Reverse play is best when set up like with the Jet or Orbit Sweep play above and when the Defense is highly aggressive and over pursues first play action. You can consider this play the “Hail Mary Pass” in youth football.
If you are having trouble with the double exchanges you can have the QB hand off to the reversing WB. This play can also be run out of many youth football formations with wingbacks. But it is a great youth football play out of the Double Wing, my DW Speed and Wing-T Formations. Do you consider the Reverse one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
5) Double Wing TE Pop Pass – Quick TE Pass Play
The DW TE Pop pass is a simple top 10 best youth football play. The Defense will read the Wingback motion and their young eyes will look away from the backside TE which allows him to fade into the flats or run a nice seam route. I have used this quick tight end pass play since 1994.
The backside TE pop pass play can be run from any youth football formation. Just fake a Sweep or play action to one side of the Offense and throw a quick or or two step drop pass to the backside TE. I’ve run this play from the Diamond T, I Wing, Off-set I, Split backs and the DW. All very effective formations to run this simple youth football pass play. Do you consider the TE Pass play one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
6) I Formation WB Counter – WB Counter Play
The I Formation WB Counter is a top 10 best offensive plays in youth football because it offers simple and effective misdirection. Play action to one side of the Offense and then hand off underneath to the WB going the opposite direction. This play is a great youth football play against aggressive over pursuing Defenses that do not stay at home and play gap sound. The WB Counter Play is also possibly more effective with a small WB that is hard to see by the Defense. I do not know how many times, a small shifty WB running this play has scored a TD or made huge yards.
If you do not like the I Formation, the WB counter is also a top youth football play from the SW, DW and WT. Do you consider the WB Counter play one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
7) Single Wing Sweep Plays – Power Sweep
The Single Wing Sweep is one of the top 10 best offensive plays in youth football. It’s power sweep play is hard to beat with the unbalanced line and the QB as an extra blocker. Combing speed and power this play is hard top stop, especially if you have the speed at the Sweep back. Love or hate the SW you have to love the Power Sweep play.
If you are not a Single Wing formation fan then this play is also very effective out of the Wishbone, Power I, and T Formation with the QB running the play. Do you consider the Power Sweep play one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
8) Double Slot Spin FB Counter – FB Counter Play
The Double Slot Spin FB Counter is a simple youth football counter play from the Double Wing or Double Slot formations. This is a very simple Counter play with a quick handoff to the fullback from the QB. The youth Defense will be following the motion man and the FB hits the Counter hole underneath the DE. Always good for 3 to 5 yards if not a TD.
The FB Counter play can be run from many youth football formations. It is great from the I formation with a WB motion and TB Sweep to one side and then QB reverse pivots hands off to FB and back down the line with the other backs in a fake pitch sweep. Do you consider the FB Counter play one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
9) Split Wing T Crossbuck Counter – Crossbuck Counter Play
The Split Wing-T Crossbuck Counter play is a highly effective misdirection play in youth football. It is a more complicated play to implement but the pay off is usually worth the cost of practice time. This made my top youth football play list because a rival youth football team ran this play to perfection and it was a big gainer for them in our youth football league. We spent many hours of Defensive practice time preparing for this play.
You can run this play from the I, Off-set I, T Formation and other youth football formations. Do you consider the Crossbuck Counter play one of the best offensive plays in youth football? I do, plus I love the name; Crossbuck.
10) Power I TB Power Lead – Power Lead Play
The Power I Tailback Power Lead Play is a simple unstoppable top 10 best youth football play. It is a simple handoff play to the TB into the B or C gap with two lead blockers. I love this play, especially when your youth QB or RBs can audible to the open bubble hole. This play does become unstoppable since the Defense can’t adjust to your audible. We have won many games doing this Bubble audible strategy.
If you do not like the Power I, this play can be run from the Wishbone, T Formation, and Pistol. Do you consider the Power Lead Play one of the best offensive plays in youth football?
A Few More Best Offensive Plays in Youth Football
I just remembered I like the Spread Jet 3Mo Half Back Y90 Pass too, but that’s another list. I am sure you have your favorite best offensive plays in youth football too. Please leave them in the comments and we can discuss.
Check out my new Top / Best Plays by Formation posts on the
- Top 5 I Formation Plays for Youth Football.
- 5 Best Single Wing Plays
- Base 8 Beast Plays
- Top 5 Double Wing Plays for Youth Football
- 5 Best Trick Plays
- Best 5 Power I Plays
- Top 5 Wing-T Plays
- Best Offensive Formations for Youth Football
- 20 T Formation Off-Tackle Plays
And finally I have written youth football formation plays eBooks to match some of the top pee wee football formations in the above best offensive plays in youth football list. You can find many of the best offensive plays in youth football in these new plays eBooks.
All of the popular youth football formation plays eBooks above have over 50 youth football plays including the popular top plays from above. Many of you might know my Power Wing Beast Offense eBook and maybe the Wildcat Spread eBooks, but in 2021 I wrote the 7 new Selected Youth Football Plays series which included the Wing-T, Single Wing, Double Wing, Wishbone, Power I, I Formation and the Tiger T plays digital eBooks. I decided to write these since so many readers were asking for them. Take a look and let me know what you think.
I hope to have a Pistol / Diamond T Spread eBook out by July 2022. What formation would you like to see in a youth football plays eBook? Let me know on the contact form below.
You can also check out my best offensive plays in youth football video playlist on my YouTube channel.
What are your favorite best offensive plays in youth football? Did my Best offensive plays in youth football match yours? Let me know I would love to hear from you. Contact me anytime.
Remember, Play for Fun and Winning is Funner!
Good Luck this Season,
Coach Parker
Keller, Texas, DFW, Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas
wedge from the unbalanced sw. Will demoralized a youth defense quickly
I would say wedge from the single or double wing. Power is also usually hard to stop in those formations. And my finally and favorite is the outside veer from the split back with 1 or 2 TE’s. Youth DE’s are usually taught to “box” and by the time they realize that they should have taken the dive back and not the QB, it is too late.
Hey man i think this is fantastic. We are trying to build the sport here in Canada for the tykse through bantam as it is obviously not as big as in the U.S.
We are just north of Toronto and we are finding that bc of the experience some of the larger demographics have in their players we have a hard time being competitive. Can you offer some insight or thoughts on the best aproach for a coach who has a team without the knowledge or experience to be more competitive or a primary focus? Its been suggested to run a more limited playbook but teach the kids to run a handful of plays but try to get them to run them as perfect as their skill levels will allow. Any thougjts on that?
Thanks
Read youth football books by Cisar, Reed and others. I would stay with plays your coaches know. I personally run a multi-formation offense but if your coaches are new to the game I would probably run an single wing or double wing offense. On defense, I would like at a Gap 8, 6-2, 70 and 3-3 stack defenses. Read, research and learn. Attend clinics when you can.
I’ve played/coached football at various levels, but am coaching 3rd&4 th graders for the first time (although I’ve worked in other capacities with this age group). Anyway, I really like a basic I formation (two tight ends, one tight end, or the receivers spread) with an iso play that sets up a reverse to the slot receiver, boot leg, or play action pass. What advise do you have? Does this sound age appropriate and all?
Love it. U can use power I every now and then too for power leads.
My top 5 in no particular order
1. Wedge is a killer on the youth level no matter the formation.
2. Power right out of the beast formation. The only difference is I run my best out of the Shotgun.
3. XX counter out of a double wing look.
4. Bubble or Tunnel screen out of Spread look
5. Fake the tunnel and throw the wheel over the top.
Thanks for the info