Motion (football)

In gridiron football, motion refers to the movement of an offensive player at or prior to the snap.

History and purpose

In the earliest days of American football, offenses were allowed to shift and assemble themselves as much as they wanted, much as defenses do. The famous Notre Dame Box relied heavily on these shifting motions. However, rule changes were eventually implemented that prevented offenses like the Notre Dame Box from ever occurring again. The motion rules seen today resulted from these rule changes. Currently, wholesale formation shifts can only occur before the offensive formation is set, and said formation must be in place for at least one second before a snap or motion can occur.

The purposes of motion are to allow the offense to change formations and, in leagues that allow forward motion, a chance to gain momentum on the 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 for a minimum of one second.

In most versions of American football, 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).

Exceptions are as follows:

*Pro Bowl: Motion is prohibited.
*XFL, Arena Football League, WFL: One player in motion is allowed; he can move toward the line of scrimmage only if he is outside the offensive tackles.
*AIFA: Two players in motion are allowed, both can move toward the line of scrimmage outside the tackles.
*Canadian football: All backfield players are allowed to move toward the line of scrimmage at the snap, regardless of their horizontal position.

In leagues that allow forward motion, the moving player(s) cannot cross the line of scrimmage, or else it is a false start.

References

*"National Federation of State High School Associations Rule Book, 2001"