How to catagorize plays

Yo Groundchuck,

Whichever seems to be the easiest for the kids to grasp, and you feel the most comfortable with. My running game, I use numbers. My passing game, I use a combination of numbers for some, words for others. We use words to audiblize, (colors) as well as numbers.

Coach Easton

I think there are pro's and con's to each. Back-to-hole system is simple, but i feel it runs into problems when you want to start adding counter plays or reverses. Do you number the play according to where the ball is going, or by the play that is the fake? I have coached in a back-to-hole system. Every play was a 2 or 3 digit number with a word. the last digit told the line where the ball was going, and the word told them how to block (trap, iso, power, etc).

In the wing-t plays are in series, and the last digit is the lineman the ball is run over. But again, there are some plays where the backs must remeber that they are faking away from the hole being attacked.

I have seen I-formation coaches number there plays in a series. For example:30's are dive option plays (FB dives over OG, TB is pitch man); 50's are power series (tradtional I-formation iso and power); 40's are Belly series(FB dives over inside leg of OT). The last digit of the 2-dogit call tells the ine the POA and the name gives the blocking.

Last, but not least, I have been around coaches who do not number the plays. They simply call the play by its name and give the direction (iso right, sweep left, counter right). They teach the players the concept of the play (i.e. iso is always run at first LB from OC out). I don't know how or if they audible, but I know that it works for them.

Hope I've helped, or at least given you some food for thought.

Coach4life- that is the whole idea as to why I use the word method. I think it is easier though not necesarily best (which is why I pose the question in the first place). I actually asked our players, which they prefered and overwhelmingly they said words only like Dive Right. When we call passes in our 3 step game we say "slant-arrow" for the slant concept or double slant. We use colors and hand signals to change things up then.

I also think it is easier to call plays. When I called plays by number sometimes my sheet looked like the math homework I assigned. Numbers all over. Also I think kids relate better to words and it is very simple to say DIVE RIGHT.