With Saquon Barkley being the cover athlete for Madden NFL 26, it should come as no surprise that his famous reverse hurdle mechanic has made it into the game. The mechanic was originally added in Madden 25, shortly after he pulled off the move in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As Madden 25 players know, though, the reverse hurdle is one of the toughest moves to pull off in a game of Madden. We’ll be breaking down everything you need to know about the move and how to do one yourself in Madden 26 in the guide below.

How to pull off a reverse hurdle in Madden 26

First off, the reverse hurdle is a mechanic that’s specific to Saquon Barkley. Any other player can’t make use of this mechanic, so don’t bother trying to set it up with another running back or offensive player.

It’s also important to note that the reverse hurdle is incredibly difficult to do, and the situation that calls for it is quite rare to see. So, while you’ll still want to know how to do a reverse hurdle if you’re using Saquon Barkley, don’t expect to use the mechanic often during your time in Madden 26.

With those disclaimers out of the way, let’s get into how to do a reverse hurdle in Madden 26:

• While using Saquon Barkley with the ball, you need to be running with a decent amount of speed. If you’re squeezing through the trenches, that won’t suffice.
• Approach a defender and wait until they’re fairly close to you. You also have to make sure the defender is coming at you from a 45-degree angle.
• You can somewhat force this angle by turning Saquon’s body so that the game thinks the defender is running at you from a 45-degree angle. A 45-degree angle means the defender is essentially approaching you from a diagonal angle and not straight on.
• When the defender is close enough and at the right angle, simply press the hurdle button: Y/Triangle on your controller or “R” on keyboard and mouse.
• After pressing the hurdle button, the game will do everything else for you if you set up the reverse hurdle correctly. You’ll see Saquon Barkley leap into the air backwards and jump straight over the defender’s head.

As we previously mentioned, the scenario to even try a reverse hurdle doesn’t come up too often. Even if the situation does arise, making sure the defender is at the right angle while being close enough, and then getting the exact timing down, are all very difficult elements to get right simultaneously.

The best way to practice your reverse hurdles is to use the Philadelphia Eagles in a practice session in Madden 26. From here, call a toss or pitch running play and try to set up the scenario for the mechanic. It could take you up to or over an hour to even pull off one reverse hurdle, but once you fully understand how the mechanic works, you’ll have a solid idea of when to use it in a real game.