A different and exciting form of football
7 on 7 or non-tackle football was first played in the early 1990s and is an extension of Flag football developed by the United States Army during world war II. The game includes 7 players on each side of the ball, beginning at each team’s 40-yard line; the 7 on 7 games do not have defensive linemen, and contact between players is minimum. Each game’s duration is twenty minutes, and the emphasis in the 7 on 7 games is on passing. Quarterbacks have only four seconds to pass the ball, or the team will lose a down. This variation to traditional football started as practice for high school teams during the off-season and today has blossomed into a phenomenon that is rapidly growing in popularity. The state of Texas is at the forefront of this growth. But why is the game growing so rapidly in Texas? Does it improve the overall skillset of athletes? How does it help players to get noticed by college football scouts? Who can you contact if you want to play 7 on 7 football in Texas? We will answer these questions for you!
Growth of 7 on 7 football in Texas
Texans have always been passionate about football, and football season is the most anticipated time of the year in the state. If you visit any small town in Texas on a Friday afternoon when a football game is being played, you will find literally the entire town watching! Football is a massive tradition in Texas, and every young kid wants to play football! The advent of 7 on 7 football has allowed Texans to play football all-year-round, which has served as the springboard for the relentless growth of the 7 on 7 games in the state. The Texas State 7 on 7 Organization was formed in the late 1990s and hosted its first tournament in 1998; this tournament included just 16 high school teams but has today blossomed into a statewide tournament hosting hundreds of schools each year. In addition to the Texas State 7 on 7 tournaments, Pylon 7×7 hosts tournaments annually in many different Texas cities, and another 7 on 7 organization, Fast Houston, started in 2016. Fast Houston also hosts an annual 7 on 7 tournaments involving at least 50 teams. The fact that 7 on 7 football can be played at any time has filled a void that was created by the off-season in football-crazy Texas, which helps to explain why the game has grown so quickly and become so popular in such a short period of time in the Lone Star state!
How 7 on 7 improves players’ skill sets
The emphasis of 7 on 7 football is passing. A good passing team is more likely to dominate offensively and, by extension, win more games. 7 on 7 football helps to develop players passing skills and also develop their football IQ and game awareness. Players also become more agile due to the amount of running required in 7 on 7 football. Players become better in Third-and-Long game situations and goal-line situations. 7 on 7 is already changing traditional football’s dynamic; the emphasis is now less on tackling and more on passing the ball and running. The NFL, which started more than a hundred years ago, had its top 8 passing seasons in history between 2010 and 2017, largely because of the impact of Quarterbacks that have honed their skills playing 7 on 7 football. Texan-bred Quarterbacks such as Nick Foles, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, and Andy Dalton are just a few of the top-tier players who honed their skills in Texas. Over 25% of all active quarterbacks in the NFL today are from Texas, which speaks to the impact that playing 7 on 7 football is having on player skill development in Texas.
How does 7 on 7 football help players get noticed by college recruiters?
With Texas been at the forefront of the 7 on 7 football revolution, players are now getting much more exposure while playing in the many 7 on 7 tournaments currently going around. This allows them to be seen by more college recruiters, who also have the opportunity to evaluate players outside of the traditional football season. This is a win-win situation for both recruiters and players. A small school player in a small town before the advent of 7 on 7 football tournaments was at a disadvantage in getting recruited because he might not be known to top college recruiters; 7 on 7 football has fundamentally changed this! All players now have the opportunity to be seen and recruited; this aspect of 7 on 7 football is the most pleasing to me!
Who to contact to play 7 on 7 football in Texas?
Texas State 7 on 7 Organization is the official representative of 7 on 7 football in Texas. They can be contacted at https://www.texasfootball.com/static-page/?url=7on7-contact-us.
