One comment that I've run into frequently while promoting court football and getting the word out on court football is that "Any legitimate player or coach wouldn't go for this."
I believe that comment to be false. I do believe that players would see court football as an opportunity to broaden the horizons of their carrer, while coaches would consider it viable, since it keeps most traditional football strategies. It's nothing too outrageous from the norm.
What type of skills would players devlop in court football? For one thing, speed. With the field being smaller, plays that don't develop in the blink of an eye will fail.
The field isn't so small that routes can't be run. Although there are some routes, like posts, corners, and fades, that might not be incredibly succesful (and, since the receiver will probably meet a zone defensive back, rather painful as well), it highlights those routes that don't pick up megatons of yardage, but, as the song title from Blink 182 states, "All the Small Things." Those little plays can add up. Routes like slants, stand-ups, and flats.
"Wait a second, though," the nay-sayers might say, "wouldn't a smart defensive back just play right up on the receiver, jam him on the line (which is, of course, is legal for 2 seconds afte the ball is snapped), and prevent the QB from throwing him the ball?" To which I always reply, "Sure. They can do that if they wish. But, it is high risk. First off, if they are within two steps of the line, somebody else has to be off by two steps. Because, according to the rules of court football, only five defenders, not six, can be within the line of scrimmage. Since the DB on the line of scrimmage will be stretch out to cover the wide receiver, that's one less player being able to place pressure on the QB. Possibly, now there's an audible for a dive play up the middle, a sweep away from the wide reciver, or maybe even the perfectly legal "center sneak" (where the center just allows the QB to touch the ball, then keeps it and runs up the field). Also, what if the weakened pass rush isn't able to get to the quarterback in two seconds? The DB can't jam the reciever anymore, he runs free, and the pass still gets off. Then all that work was for nothing."
Then, since I (maybe) got them reeling, I throw in the worst-case scenario: "What if the receiver were to break free from the DB's jamming and run a go route, straight up the field? Unless there is a safety back (which reduces the number of QB rushers even more,) The defense is really in trouble."
Now, what about other positions on the field? For starters, defensive backs will learn how to pass protect with better precision. Perfect tackling is a must. That goes for all defensive players. For lineman and linebackers, improved pass rushing skills are also learned. Not that they can completly fall asleep on the run, either. Offensive lineman, of course, improve game situation pass blocking skills without destroying the craft of run blocking. Running backs learn how to backfield block, and for the most part, how to improve their ability to run a dive play (running without a lead blocking back), and how to break tackles, since they will be running through traffic. Quarterbacks learn precision passing, since anything else will likely be intercepted.
