Stiff arms...
 

Why is it whenever a player with the ball stiff arms someone, they keep trying to wrap their arms around the ball carier instead of just grabbing the arm that is on their facemask and dragging them to the ground?

When we used to play out in the field, we always took advantage of something to grab a hold of. Yet, at all levels, of ball you always see the defender keep trying to lay a hit or get their arms around the runner and usually end up falling and missing all together as a result.

Is this something that players are coached to not do?

Seems to tough to get a hold of someone's arm...slippery...

Wouldn't you rather grab a waistline or something instead of a whailing arm?

If it is stuck on my helmet it wouldn't be too hard to clamp onto his wrist and at least slow him down a bit for my teammates.

Well here's my guess at it.

1 - When most guys don't use the stiff arm (I mean how many times do you see a stiff arm in a game?), defenders probably get used to going for the body. So it's habit.

and

2 - I could just imagine the kind heat a guy would take if he gets stiffed armed, tries to grab their wrist or something only to have the guy pull away his arm and seperate from him as he runs away.

You know. It's kinda like when Greg Wesley escorts the offensive player down the field trying to poke the ball out from behind rather than just tackling him.

:shake:

Could grab hold of the guys pinky and do a kung foo twist on it to bring him down.