Power is one of the best run concepts in football because it’s physical, simple, and gives you answers against multiple defensive looks. Adding H/W motion makes it even tougher to defend. When you motion the H/W across the formation, it creates an immediate alignment and assignment conflict for the defense. Many times, defenders won’t bump, rotate, or match the motion correctly—giving your offense an instant numbers advantage at the point of attack. Below is a breakdown of the Single Back Formation Power Scheme with short / trade motion.
Single Back Formation Power Scheme
C: Block backside A-gap defender.
RG: Double DT with RT.
RT: Double DT with RG.
LG: Pull, wrap for play-side LB.
LT: Inside-Over-Free. (replace LG)
Y: Inside-Over-Free. (replace LT)
H: Line up left, once QB gives waves you across, come in motion across, kick-out the DE once the ball is snapped.
𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞
The motion player cannot go or lean forward until the ball is snapped. Make sure the H knows to stay flat and square to the line of scrimmage.
S: Bubble screen.
X: Stalk block CB or R.
Q: Send the H in motion, begin cadence once the H is behind the QB, take snap, hand to the T, fake out to the left.
T: Take handoff, aiming point is the outside foot of the RT- follow the LG.
See Also: Single Back Formation Clinic
This is also a great way to take advantage of defenses that are shifting or overloading toward the TE side. The H/W motion can pull the defense back across the formation and create favorable numbers away from that shift. The motion also forces defenders to communicate, adjust their fits, and maintain eye discipline.
If they don’t adjust, you can outnumber them at the point of attack. If they overreact to the motion, you can come back with counters, play-action, or other complementary concepts. That’s what makes motion with Power so effective- it creates conflict before the ball is even snapped. The Single Back Formation Power Scheme is great for all age levels and team skillsets.