Stance (American football)

Stance is the position an American football player adopts when a play begins. There are three common stances used by linemen: two-point, three-point, and four-point. The stance names reference the number of points where a player's body is touching the ground while down in the stance. Each technique has its own strengths and weaknesses; therefore, each one is used accordingly in different situations. Furthermore, stances are taught and used differently depending on the level of competition (little league football, high school football, college football, etc.).

In the National Football League (NFL), the average amount of plays per game is over 60 per team. This means that, in one game, a lineman playing the entire time could enter a stance more than 60 times. However, it is not likely to be the same stance every time. Furthermore, it is important to remember that the offensive team must remain still for one second prior to the ball being snapped. This means that once an offensive player has become set in a stance, he must stay in it until the ball is snapped and the play begins. Additional motion can result in a false start penalty. Defensive players, on the other hand, are permitted to shift as much as they want before a play. It is possible for a defensive lineman to line up in one stance and then change to another just before the play begins. He can even shift his body to another place.

Commonly used stances are the two-point, three-point, and four-point.

The two-point variation is the most upright stance. Another name for the stance is the universal stance. The two-point is used by offensive linemen to facilitate better pass blocking because it increases their initial field of vision and gives more reaction time (to stay in front of a rushing player). Consequently, it is usually only used in a situation that will require passing. Some defensive linemen employ this stance to pass rush because they naturally obtain more quickness and agility out of it (particularly the defensive ends).

The "two-points" on the ground in this stance are just the feet. They are placed shoulder width apart pointing forward. One of the feet is staggered back, for an o-lineman this will be the foot away from the ball; for a d-lineman it will be the foot towards the ball. While in this stance the player's center of gravity will be slightly lowered by bending at the knees and waist. Weight is kept away from the heels to promote quickness and agility out of the stance in any direction.

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