---
title: "Football Formations Explained: Trips, Empty, Bunch & Double"
description: "Football formations explained with diagrams: Trips, Empty, Bunch and Double (2x2), what each one forces a defense to show and the passing concepts run from it."
url: https://www.crucibletech.com/playbook/formations/
---

Crucible playbook

# Football Formations

A formation is where the offense lines up before the snap. It decides how many receivers are on each side, which in turn forces the defense to declare how it will cover them, and that is the first clue a quarterback gets.

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![Bunch diagram](https://www.crucibletech.com/playbook/img/football_11v11/formations/bunch-right.thumb.webp)

Bunch 5 plays
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![Double diagram](https://www.crucibletech.com/playbook/img/football_11v11/formations/double-right.thumb.webp)

Double 10 plays
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![Empty diagram](https://www.crucibletech.com/playbook/img/football_11v11/formations/empty-right.thumb.webp)

Empty 6 plays
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*Diagram: Shotgun diagram*

Shotgun
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![Trips diagram](https://www.crucibletech.com/playbook/img/football_11v11/formations/trips-right.thumb.webp)

Trips 10 plays

Reading It Is the Hard Part
Knowing what a coverage looks like on paper is step one. Crucible puts you at quarterback against it, rep after rep, until the read is automatic.
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