Pistol-Flex is a hybrid of two well-known American football formations: Pistol and Flexbone formations. It was pioneered in 2009 by coach Paul Markowski who is currently the Running Backs coach at West Point for the Army Sprint Football team. By combining the strengths of each offensive set, the end result is a formation that is very effective both in the passing and running styles of play. At any given time, there are at least four eligible receivers within one yard of the line of scrimmage which bodes well for the passing attack.