Football Library · Routes
Hitch
Route3-6 yd
5-yard vertical release then a ROUNDED quick turn back toward the QB, settling at 4-5 yds with a slight inside lean (route tree #1). The turn-back is a smooth settle, not a sharp corner. Beats off-coverage instantly. Quick-game staple.
Demo rendered on @X (outside WR) at 5yd depth. Only the route runner and the QB are shown so the break stays the focus; the same route family scales to any depth a play calls for, and concepts that use this route may set a different depth.
How to run it
quick stop, eyes back to the QB on rhythm.
Reading it by coverage
How to run the hitch against what the defense shows.
- Cover 0:
- hot vs blitz — quick stop, eyes back fast, square up to the QB.
- Cover 1:
- vs man — head-fake go, snap back to the throw on the third step.
- Cover 2:
- sit in the soft spot between the corner (squat) and the flat defender.
- Cover 3:
- settle outside the curl/flat defender — between him and the squatting CB.
- Man:
- vs man — sell vertical first, snap back hard to the throw.
- Zone:
- soft spot in the underneath zone — face the QB.
Concepts that use this route: Smash