When army ran traditional bone the fb was in 4, rbs were in 3.

Advantages I have no idea.

I can't see what the advantage of a 4pt stance. There must have been but it escapes me.

Only thing I can think of is in 4 pt you are theoretically in a more balanced stance to go right or left evenly and having all the backs down would be more deceptive (like in single wing) as it would be harder for defenders to see where they are going than if they were standing up.  I'm just not sure if at younger ages with a weaker core muscles than kids in middle and high school if it will hinder mobility more than it helps with anything else. 

When army ran traditional bone the fb was in 4, rbs were in 3.

Advantages I have no idea.

advantage is leverage and vision. keeping your fullback low to the ground allows him to see the dive key faster.

The biggest advantage is Deception!  Dont care Wishbone, SBV, Wing-T, DW. 

The Option is about deception and execution of fakes.  if the ball never comes above the QB's waist and the Backs are low and fake well,  who has the ball?? 

Is it the FB Dive?  The QB, WB or RB?  Hit fast at multiple point along the LOS.  Never show them the Ball.   

The Option is about deception and execution of fakes.

I thought it was about getting a 2-on-1 and putting the ball where the defender isn't.

To your point.  Its about putting 1 in No Mans Land.  Yet, its about putting pressure on the defense to play disciplined! 

Watch a well executed True Option offense.  Navy's FB chewed up Mighty Notre Dame for almost 200 yards because, they expected the Outside game!  Oklahoma used to lull defenses into the Dive Game and Pop the Option. 

Yet I still say its about execution of Fakes and the ability to deceive! 

Play Actions Sucks if they dont Bite the Run Fake!    😉

I thought it was about getting a 2-on-1 and putting the ball where the defender isn't.

I agree.  If it's really an option, it's not about making a convincing fake.  It's having the last choice after the defense commits.

What Dusty Ol Fart wrote applies only to the plays complementary to the option, not the option itself.  But once you rep the option as much as you need to to get good at it, doing the same thing as a convincing play fake should be trivial.

If you are not running a lot of options from the Bone, and you are running plays like Power Leads and Blasts, you are, in a way, running a sort of a two Tailback I formation look.

We ran this from 1986-2006 winning 5 State Championships along the way.

There is a reason that the Tailbacks in an I are in two point stances, so they can see daylight.
As to the FB being in a 4 point stance, in the pure option game, the FB, for the most part, is moving forward, not laterally, so it was seen as advantageous to have more weight on his hands.

We ran this from 1986-2006 winning 5 State Championships along the way.

Thanks Bignose makes sense.  Any playbooks from those years? wink wink  😉

If you are not running a lot of options from the Bone, and you are running plays like Power Leads and Blasts, you are, in a way, running a sort of a two Tailback I formation look.

We ran this from 1986-2006 winning 5 State Championships along the way.

There is a reason that the Tailbacks in an I are in two point stances, so they can see daylight.
As to the FB being in a 4 point stance, in the pure option game, the FB, for the most part, is moving forward, not laterally, so it was seen as advantageous to have more weight on his hands.

That's what we did with little dudes.  HBs in a 2 and FB in a 3.

I have coached the Bone for many years, with a varity of kids in the backfield.  I put the FB in a squat (2 or 3 point) and the HB's in 2 point style with hands on the hips.  It is important at the youth level to coach where they put their hands, or they will "tip"... sometimes the kid getting the ball will have his hands in front, while when blocking he will have them by his side, etc.  Make them be consistent in pre-snap hand placement... and the same for feet, it should go without saying.  No "right or left toe pointing"...

Coach Magee