Three-point stance

This prevents the player from sustaining serious injury and helps him to guide his initial action when the play begins (for example, an offensive lineman might choose whom to block first).

[1] In 1899, the Columbia Lions were defeated by Warner's Carlisle Indians 42–0: In the Columbia game, the Indians used the crouching start for the first time in football history.... Until that day the standard position for offensive backs, before the ball was snapped, was with feet well apart, body bent forward and hands on the knees.

Warner figured that if sprinters could get a faster start with their hands on the ground, partially supporting their bodies, then the same method would increase speed in football.

[3] In 2010, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell raised the possibility of banning the stance from the game due to injury concerns.

As of 2021[update], the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) had discussed but not proposed banning the three-point stance for their teenaged players.