
Instead he will side snap the ball, usually with one hand, and get it to the running back lined up just behind the offensive line blocking in front of him for a short run. The idea behind the play is literally that the long snapper will not snap the ball between his legs like normal. The side snap is probably the most common play from the swinging gate formation, and the play that most coaches start with when they're installing the formation. Now let's talk about a couple of trick plays that coaches like to run out of the swinging gate formation. Many coaches prefer to attempt the play after their first touchdown of the game, attempting to gain an 8-0 or an 8-7 lead over the defense. If a team can get good at practicing the play, it's a great way to steal points against an opponent. If the defense does not present the look that the offense is expecting, they can still shift back into the kicking formation at the last second and attempt an extra point. The offense is hoping that they can gain an advantage over the defense by snapping the football in a hurry and either throwing a pass or running the ball quickly an a way that the defense is not expecting. The objective of the swinging gate is to give the defense an unusual formation that they have to line up against with very little warning.


What is the Point of the Swinging Gate in Football? The play did not work, and actually ended up in an interception. You can see the picture below, and the way the defense reacted. One of the more recent and notable attempts was actually on a field goal attempt in the middle of the field from Washington Head Coach Jim Zorn in a primetime game against the Giants. That's not to say that you won't see it from time to time in the NFL. That doesn't mean that a team couldn't line up in an unconventional formation when going for a two point conversion, but it does mean that there would be no threat from the offense to reset back into a kicking formation, so most coaches would prefer to run a more conventional play in that scenario. In other words, it makes no sense to line up in the swinging gate from the 15 yard line just so that the kicking team shifts back into a PAT/Field Goal formation. Two point conversion attempts are still snapped at the 2 yard line, but the offensive team could not shift into any kind of kicking formation and score on an extra point. If you're an NFL fan, you're unlikely to see this ever run after a touchdown, since NFL rules say that an extra point attempt after a touchdown must be snapped from the 15 yard line. The swinging gate is not a play that every team runs at the high school or college level, but it is not incredibly rare to see either. There are many different versions of the swinging gate formation, and the term is used as a generic phrase instead of referring to a specific formation. The offense will have at least one person back to take the snap and present a threat, and then the rest of the eligible receivers can line up any number of ways. In most versions of the formation, the offensive line lines up to one side, detached from the long snapper but still on the line of scrimmage. As a result, the kicker will be on the field, lined up as an eligible receiver.

The offensive team usually lines up with kicking team personnel as part of the offensive formation, to give them the ability to shift back into an extra point formation at any point. Many coaches do not consider this play the same thing as a fake field goal, since the offensive team starts out in an unusual formation, and never presents a threat

This is typically used on a two point conversion attempt after a touchdown is scored. The swinging gate formation is an unconventional formation where the offense can either run a trick play, or shift into a field goal formation and attempt a kick. Watch the video, or scroll down to learn more about this exciting special teams play.
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We'll also be using some answers from a great presentation by Coach John Grayson, which you can watch for free in its entirety below. In this article we're going to be answering all of those questions. The swinging gate formation is one of the most unique plays in football, and an important part of special teams.īut what is it? How does it work? And why do some teams like to use it?
