The Madden Academy (2026)

30/10/2025

TRENDING: The NEW Best Defense In Madden 26

Form: Dime 32
Playbook: Jaguars
Play: Cover 4 Palms

Setup:

1. Move the blitzing linebacker to the left until he's placed over the opposite guard he started over

Recommend abilities:

3 Double or nothings on your dline.

Result:

Expect looping pressure or a disengage from the DT (happens far more often post-patch).

♟️Offensive Counter♟️

Have your pass pro set to BASE not empty.

Empty gets A-gapped far more often.

But also:

1. Identify the side they're moving their looper to.

2. Step up in the pocket with your QB to the bgap OPPOSITE the looper.

Ex.: If your opponent moves the looper to the left:

He'll loop through the right b-gap.

So step up into the left b-gap.

(The B-gap is inbetween the tackle and guard)

♟️Route Combo Counters ♟️

When scheming up a route combo:

1. Identify which of the 16 spaces they're guarding

2. Identify which of the 16 spaces are open

(Offense is stupid easy in M26 but its also stupid easy in general b/c at max the defense can only guard 8 of the 16 spaces)

Madden Academy Members will know precisely which spaces to attack.

But in general focus on the lower middle.

You want 1 high primary route + 1 high pull route for a good user to chase/switch to.

Then 2 primary routes in the lower flat to middle.

Example Play:

Offensive Playbook: Jags
Form: Bunch X Nasty
Play: Spacing Switch

1. In route the lone side WR + stem up
2. In route the point WR

This is a good play b/c all our primary routes run into the open spaces the defense isn't guarding.

And it's not the "high level" 2 drags + post combo where if they random scream you'll be throwing a panic pick at their user or switch.

Every WR respects the COVID social distancing rule.

If you found this helpful you'll really really love the free course in bio.

And if you want DAILY help mastering Madden 26's chess match follow

29/10/2025

TRENDING: Best Mindset To Beat Switch Stick

Form: Bunch X Nasty
Playbook: Jags

♟️Setups and chess match in comments below ♟️

Play: Mesh spot

Setup:

1. Streak TE
2. Slot fade in slot
3. Stem down corner on outside WR
4. HB angle

Now imagine you're playing a good switch stick:

There's specific times WHEN you should or shouldn't throw a pass.

Here's exactly what I mean...

Let's take the stem corner for example:

My golden rule is NEVER throw the corner when he's even w/ the deep blue

(Or before he passes the deep blue)

I'm waiting for the corner route to pass the deep blue by AT least a yard.

Bc EVEN if they switch it'll be too late.

BUT...

If they switch to the deep blue before the corner passes him:

(Or while they're even)

It's vital to have a slot fade over-the-top.

As what's the outside quarters responsibility?

Anything deep to that sideline.

(10x easier to visualize this w/ our 9-16 Spaces System)

BUT...

A smart switcher will switch to his flats instead.

If I'm putting a "highly switched route" on the field like a stem down corner.

I like to have another primary route 1-2 columns away.

That's why I put the HB angle.

Peep the spacing between him and corner.

But there's more:

500 likes ❤️ on top tweet and I'll reveal the full chess match vs switch stick.

If you enjoyed this thread:

1. Follow me
2. RT and like the tweet so we can hit our like goal together

(Your ❤️ will enter you into a giveaway for a Madden Academy Membership)

28/10/2025

TRENDING: How I Went 10-0 In 30 Minutes On Unreal Event

(And how it'll win you 1,300,000 coins)

1️⃣ I put my pass lead increase on "small" in my settings.

This'll allow you to throw 1 play TD's vs. man coverage with no help over-top.

(Hold L2/left trigger and pass lead away from the DB)

♟️Chess match counter ♟️ The downside of this setting is it's hard to throw crossers/open.

So run zone or 2 man under if you notice unusual pass leads vs. man.

2️⃣ I have a stock cover 3 bomb to smash the 75+ yard TD goal.

If I see a single high safety pre-snap (signaling cover 3) I'll do this:

(Change your shell in the formation to Cover 2 to disguise your defense pre-snap)

Playbook: Jags
Form: Doubles Flex Y Off Close
Play: Escape

Setup:

1. Stem down the s-post all the way
2. Streak tight end
3. Drag outside receiver

You'll have a 3 vs. 2 vertically to the high left to high middle which is why this works.

(Easier to visualize this with my 16 Spaces System)

♟️Chess match counter ♟️ Simply deep halve your outside DB as he plays the space that the deep post attacks.

3️⃣ I have a match bomb

If I notice post-snap that defenders are manning up to all my WR's mid play:

I'll call a play to overload the match deep.

(Same playbook and formation)

Play: Y-sail

Setup:
1. Streak tight end
2. Wheel halfback
3. In route slot receiver and stem up 3 times
4. Drag outside receiver

We have 3 vertical routes to the deep right vs. 2 matching deep zones so the TE will be wide.

♟️Chess match counter ♟️Again deep halve one of your outside DBs or inside third a safety so they don't match.

4️⃣ Man coverage + Texas 4 man stunt will be killer vs. players just picking up and playing.

Form: Nickel Dbl Mug
Playbook: Browns
Play: Midblitz 0

Setup:
1. Spread linebackers
2. Hard flat both inside linebackers to stop drags
3. Lurk deep middle
4. Shade inside
5. Select Texas 4 man stunt at playcall menu

5️⃣ I use my 16 Spaces System to base all my playcalling decisions off.

If you're still reading only outside DBs and safeties you're YEARS behind.

I see the field cut up like a chessboard but with 4 columns and 4 rows and 16 spaces.

(1 defender can only guard 1 space so even if they max coverage 8 of the 16 spaces will be wide every play)

This is useful b/c then the game is as simple as hot routing WR's to those open spaces/columns/rows.

And visa-verse defensively you simply hot route your DBs to play the open spaces WR's are running into.

It sounds crazy when you've never seen it:

But I guarantee you you'll be VERY very upset you didn't see Madden like this when you first started playing.

If you're curious to explore the Spaces System cop the free course in my bio before I take it away.

Follow for daily help on mastering Madden 26's chess match

28/10/2025

TRENDING: The Top 10 Man Beating Routes In Madden 26

(In order from worst to best)

10. Stem down corner route

9. Hot route corner stemmed down

8. Slants and drags

7. Running back in routes

6. Stem all the way down s-posts

5. Streak with small pass lead vs. cover 0

4. Speed drag from MTN Dig Under in Doubles Flex Y Off Close

3. Stem down corner on play "Escape" in Doubles again (it's unbumpable)

2. HB Crossover route on MTN Y Post in Bunch X Nasty

1. Table route on Spacing Switch in Bunch X Nasty

Honorable mention: TE out routes are highly underrated as they can't be pressed and fry non-shade out man at high clip.

Best playbook with ALL of these routes: Jaguars

♟️Advanced Chess Match Vs Man ♟️

A solid start is knowing the best routes vs. man.

(Like I provided already)

Then finalizing a route combo with great spacing vs man.

But understanding how certain route combos complement each other is far more important.

Then getting the timing right on these playcalls mid-game is the hardest part of all.

Let's discuss the last 2 points more.

My favorite 2 plays in Bunch X Nasty vs. Man:

1. Spacing switch

-Stem down corner on lone side
-In route TE
-Crosser on slot
-Return route outside bunch WR

2. Mtn Cross Post

-Slot fade on lone side
-TE post
-Stem down corner on point WR
-Drag route outside bunch WR

Why these 2 plays specifically?

Both utilize the top 2 routes forcing specific shells.

On play #1 its SO hard to guard the flat that most hard flat their outside DB.

Then man up their free safety on him.

So that opens up the WR crosser over the middle.

As the safety comes down to play a corner.

♟️Ask yourself: What would a competent defensive player do to stop this play from man? ♟️

Or better yet find out what bags the play from playing.

But shade inside and/or route commit inside will play the crosser at a much higher clip.

THAT's what leads us to route combo #2.

See why we have the slot WR on a stem down corner now?

It perfectly complements route combo #1 b/c it counters the logical counter for RC #1.

Obviously a stem down corner will fry shade inside and/or route commit inside.

You should be thinking like this REGARDLESS of what coverage(s) you're playing vs.

That's why it's stupid to mindlessly rotate 9 money plays.

You'll suck when you match someone with a brain.

That's why I've released my 16 Spaces System.

It'll help you visualize how I've been a top offensive player for years and build one route combo off of another.

Example: RC #1 may attack spaces 5,8,13,16 so then I'll need RC #2 to attack 9,12,14,15 in anticipation a good defender with guard the spaces I originally attacked.

(Also will improve your mid-game playcalling)

I'll guarantee you or any offensive player in the world will learn 5 new ideas from this system at the bare minimum.

You can get started with the free course in the bio.

Follow for daily help on mastering Madden 26's chess match.

27/10/2025

TRENDING: The 10 Best Gameplay Tips In Madden 26

1. To stop auto motion wheels: Man up your outside CB to the wheel (from any zone defense)

2. Midblitz is the best shotgun redzone defense: Hover with your safety over the center and 99% of SG runs will be shot

3. Qb zone is the best run for the redzone

4. If you get stuck on the d-line: Use the d-pad to switch stick to someone in the secondary

5. Running back in routes are elite vs man coverage

6. Shading down and inside from 2 man under is the best coverage defense

7. Crossers > posts: They fry man better than posts

8. If your opponent tosses up a miracle ball: Go for the swat not pick 100% of the time

(I'm still learning this lesson every day)

9. Having a fast QB is a HUGE asset vs stunt blitzes

(Stunt blitzes run a-gap = easy rollout)

10. If you throw a bad read scream "f**k it ea sports" while the ball is in the air and hold triangle.

It increases your aggressive catches by 57% (recent study done by a Harvard lab)

For daily help with mastering Madden 26's mental chess match follow .

To dive deeper into the chess match cop your free course in the bio now.

26/10/2025

TRENDING: How I Earned LTD AJ Terrell From Gauntlet In 10 Steps

(And how you can too)

1️⃣ Cover 0 is the best defense to start in.

Man is 1000x better than zone in Madden 26.

Formation: Nickel Dbl Mug

(Or any mug)

Play: Midblitz 0

♟️Setups and chess match in comments ♟️

Setup:

-Spread linebackers
-Flat zone the linebackers
-Shade inside

I LOVE this defense vs. any form of Trips or off-meta O as trips doesn't have great man beating routes.

Vs trips specifically: You'll need a curl flat set to 15 (zone drops) for the TE corner.

2️⃣👇⃣

2️⃣ If you match a sweat in the later games with pass lead increase on small

(The setting that helps you free form streaks open vs cover 0)

Then Cover 2 man will be the next best defense to start in.

As the downside of pass increase on small:

It's hard to free form corners and crossers down and away vs. press man.

Then there's safety help so can't just free form a streak.

I'll run Cover 2 man from dime rush (with texas 4 man)

Or:

Make cover 2 man from midblitz and man up one of the blitzing LB's on the tight end.

(Browns defensive playbook has both)

Lot's of man to man should get you through the first half of your games.

3️⃣ Madden 26 is a zone drop Madden defensively.

(Maybe 1 or 2 man ups occasionally vs playmaker)

There's no time for adjustments once they break the huddle.

And shading up or down has always been inconsistent.

I regularly alternate between:

Flats on 0, 10, or 25.

Curl flats on 0, 10 or 20.

Hooks on 5, 15 or 20.

I'll also combine the zone drops with a custom stem zone.

This is too complex and lengthy to break down fully in a Twitter post but...

It's 1000x easier to visualize/process this chess match with our 16 Spaces System inside The Madden Academy.

But 1 minor clue:

4️⃣ If you are being spammed with flats like Spacing Switch:

Either your flats or curl flats need to be on 0.

5️⃣ Stack ALL your AP defensively on your DT's then run a 4 down set.

I recommend these 2 DT's:

-Lawrence Taylor
-Howie Long

Or budget beasts:
-William Perry
-Johnathan Allen

Ability Stack I Use:

-Double Or Nothing + Interior Threat + Extra Credit

Or:

-Double Or Nothing + El Toro + Instant Rebate

(I'm not sure which is better yet)

Most send 5 out one of your DT's is guaranteed a 1 on 1 and with 3 of those abilities stacked they'll win a lot.

And what I know for sure is every secondary ability is useless and inconsistent.

6️⃣ ALL Your AP should be on your QB

Conductor + Gunslinger + Indoor Baller

(Indoor Baller helps me unlock my x-factor faster - Dots - which'll prevent random overthrows)

Or:

Conductor + QB Playmaker + Dashing Deadeye.

Conductor/Slinger/QB Playmaker are so OD that I'd like to see them all banned.

If you aren't using them you're at a huge disadvantage.

7️⃣ Your redzone offense should be drop dead simple.

Qb blasts, RPOs, Qb zone, inside zone, glitch flat routes (spacing switch).

8️⃣ The best way to discourage Texas 4 man stunt is not to block it but to roll out on it.

Very few understand when to switch to Left/Right Tex 2 man or Tom stunts.

So once you rollout a few times on Texas 4 man stunt you're golden.

(And will usually force a basic 4 man rush with contain and no stunts)

9️⃣Many still try to block or pocket pass vs Texas 4 man stunts.

So blitz wise that's a great place to start.

If they aren't rolling out - stick with the Texas 4 man.

If they are rolling out:

You can check out my thread from the other day on when to use all the different stunts.

🔟 You need a system to guide you in calling good plays consistently.

Everyone blows this off b/c they thinks "ofc i know how to playcall and read the defense correctly".

But that's like saying yeah I know how to shoot free throws.

Technically you know how to shoot free throws even if you can only hit 30/100.

Just like in Madden you can "playcall just fine" even if in reality every 5 out of 10 plays you interpreted what happened on previous play too slow or incorrectly.

Therefore leading to an upcoming s**t playcall that gets you sacked and stuck on 2nd and 17.

Many look like they know the game if they're running META BUT:

Very few know the game within the game and it's obvious mid-game when someone has high knowledge but mid Madden IQ.

That's why I released the first and only Madden system (The 16 Spaces):

It'll help you decide (on your own) what a good offensive/defensive playcall is regardless what you run.

It's even helped a 55 year old (BigFoFiGHTuS) who works 80 hour weeks qualify for professional tournaments to compete with the best.

Wanna know how...?

If you want a deep dive on the 16 Spaces hit the like button on top tweet

(Your ❤️ will enter you in a monthly giveaway for a Madden Academy Membership)

If you want daily help with Madden 26's chess match:

1. Follow me
2. Cop the free course + 9 Spaces in bio

26/10/2025

TRENDING: How To Be A Top 10% Passer In 3 Months

Playbook: Any
Form: Any

♟️Setups and chess match in comments below ♟️

Base Play I'll Use:

Form: Gun Doubles Flex Y Off Close
Play: MTN Hb Out

Setup:
1. Streak slot
2. Drag tight end
3. Crosser on B
4. Streak halfback

Why this?

EVERY stock zone defense has non-deep blue zones that drop 10-15 yards.

Then deep blues drop 30+ yards.

That's why...

Your route combos MUST include routes that are ~5 yards length + 20-30 yards.

Drags and crossers attack the spaces STOCK defenses don't guard.

(Then "pull routes" like a streak to ensure the deep blue don't come down)

But it's not just about what routes you put out there...

The WORST popular "high level" combo in Madden history is 2 drags.

If you randomly get screamed at you'll get nervous and click 1 of the drags.

(And the user will be lurking between both)

Most only consider where the routes will be ~4 seconds in.

But I always do this too...

I freeze the play in my head 2 seconds in.

Why?

B/c random screams will happen.

And i don't want my WRs clapping hands when a blitz hits.

I imagine all my WRs have covid and the goal is for them to never get it.

(Social distancing 7 foot rule)

But it gets more complex...

You can't just mindlessly rotate setups.

You need to track which of the 16 Spaces are open.

Or else you'll look like the 50,000th person who knows the hottest METAs...

But doesn't have a damn clue about the game within the game

The next step for you is...

If you want a deeper dive into how my 16 Spaces System works like my TOP tweet.

(At 100 likes ❤️ in first 12 hours I'll do a follow up thread )

If you want daily help with Madden 26's chess match:

1. Follow me
2. Cop the free course + 9 Spaces in bio

26/10/2025

Show love to Madden Academy Member Ravindra♟️♟️

In under 2 weeks in the membership he's out here throwing perfect games 🤝🤝

25/10/2025

The Traditional Way To Read Defenses Sucks.

Reading an outside DB or safety is 5 years outdated.

50 likes ❤️ and I'll reveal the right way to read a defense

(♟️And most importantly the reading defense chess match♟️)

24/10/2025

55 Year Old Businessman, Mark, Became A Top 0.0002% Passer

Yes, through The Madden Academy Membership

50 likes ♥️ and I'll reveal step by step how we did did it

22/10/2025

TRENDING: Best 1 Play Touchdowns Vs Match In Madden 26

Playbook: Jags
Form: Bunch X Nasty
Play: MTN Hb Option

Setup:
1. Streak circle B
2. Corner route TE and stem up 3 times
3. Do whatever with halfback

Result:
Either the inverted streak or streak will be open for TD.

Reasoning:

Match is like man coverage but delayed.

The matching defender mans up to the WR/TE that crosses his face first.

Therefore its rare a WR running from across the field will cross the safety in match first.

That's important to know because then there's only 2 matching deep blues on each halve of the field.

So if we send 3 receivers vertically:

Its 3 receivers vertically > 2 defender vertically.

That's why someone will be WIDE open.

If you found this helpful leave a like to help us hit our goal of 10k followers this month.

If we hit 100 likes in next 4 hours I'll drop a follow up comprehensive guide with 3+ match beaters from 3 different forms.

Follow for daily help on mastering Madden 26's chess match.

22/10/2025

TRENDING: Top 10 October Madden Tips ♟️♟️

1. Jets is emerging as a top offensive playbook

2. Gun Ace Slot in Jets is a top redzone offense in the game

3. Gun Bunch TE from Jets has the best RPO in game

(From nickel wide - can be countered by manning up same side linebacker as the bubble and diving

4. Nickel 33 Odd is emerging as the top pressure defense in game

(Blocking HB counters it easily)

5. Nickel 33 cub is also emerging as a top blitzing defense.

6. Seahawks is my new defensive playbook.

(Has Dime Rush the new blitzing + stunt defense I released for Madden Academy Members and the above forms)

7. To stop the spacing switch flat route:

Have your flats or curl flats on 0 in zone drops then obviously flat/curl flat to same side of flat.

8. Empty bunch quads in Jags has a deadly QB blast/RPO combo for the redzone.

9. Double or nothing + Interior threat + Ripper has been the best defensive ability stack to get dline pressure for me.

10. Hybrid defense + advanced zone dropping + switch stick is VITAL on defense.

So much so I just released a 182 minute defensive course on The Art Of Hybrid Defense.

Comment below 👇with which of these you want me to dive deeper in.

♟️Follow for daily help with mastering Madden 26's chess match♟️

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