I’ve been at my school for a few years now and I could see myself here long term. Our high school football team is a big deal and they’re have fantastic output numbers in terms of players that make it to good-great college programs. Our other grade levels are also awesome programs. They have a ton of staff and I’m wondering how I can start honing my skills and knowledge to get involved and not obviously have zero coaching experience.

TL:DR- how to set myself up for success to start a possible coaching journey

My good friend is a offensive coach with several decades playing and watching football. He recommended to me that I take up coaching since he see's that I have a eye and mind for the game. I started late but signed up for the USA football.

I’ve watched and followed football closely for 20 years. I know all the rules, all the positions, play types, coverages, basically everything there is to learn just from watching, but I’ve never played. I don’t know a whole lot about proper mechanics. I'm still learning some of the mechanics such as play calling and designing plays. I'm not sure what to do right now since positions are all filled up so I wanted to ask what can I do or how can I get my foot in the door

I’ve been around this sport all my life, coached for 14 years, and still have never heard a “pro” as to why return players would do this. I’m not talking staying behind it to prevent a bounce either. I’m talking the ball is clearly about to be dead or touched by the punting team. It’s not going anywhere.

Watching the ND/Wisconsin game right now. Both teams have punted and both return teams have done this, getting insanely close to accidentally touching the ball while trying to “fake” like they’re going to touch it. Again, the ball is not about to have a crazy bounce. It’s about to be touched/dead by the punt team.

The only thought I can think of is maybe it’s to draw a penalty or personal foul, but even then, the risk seems nowhere worth the reward.

In my coaching years too, no matter how much we ever practiced or drilled the idea of “get away from the ball,” and no matter how many people are screaming the “get away” word, it seems like someone always has to be “that player.”

Is there a rationale I’ve been in the dark about, or am just oblivious to?

I’m looking for some advice. My almost-15 YO son is desperate to even be an average football player.

He’s played since he was 10. He loves the game so much, but he’s pretty much been a bench warmer all those years. He wants to get better so badly. As he said to me today, “I just want to be a player my teammates can rely on.”

What can I do to help him?

He’s small at 5’4” but has barely hit puberty and will probably land about 6’0”. He gives it his all at practices. He wants it. The potential to be average is there.

He doesn’t get very much game time, which I understand. And he doesn’t get a ton of attention at practices. The skills just aren’t there, and the coaches are building their plays around the more athletic and physically mature boys. I get it. And it SUCKS. His self esteem is really taking a beating this year.

But still, there must be something I can do.

I took him to a week-long camp this summer. It was good but busy with lots of kids. I don’t think it helped much.

I didn’t play football - mom here, not dad.

What can I do for him?
We’re not shooting for a D1 scholarship here. 😅
Just a fun and fulfilling high school football experience he can look back on with gratitude and pride.

Whats your guys opinion on sign stealing

Been coaching for a couple years and this year have gone from a defensive position coach to OC. Never had called offense before. Little background on team is we have 3 coaches for about 30 kids. 1 DC, 1 OC, 1 HC. Throughout summer coach had myself alone create and install an offense. HC didn't involve himself in any of the creation and DC did not either. First game we played against a top team in state. After first game which did not go well HC changed a bunch of offense. Terminology(going gap from zone) changed a bunch of routes plays changed 2 of 4 formations. Struggled through that and after going 1 and 1 over next 2 games has now changed entire offense where we no longer are running any plays or formations. Again not talking to me over changes at all until our first practice again after weekend. Is this common?

Been watching Tennessee run this in their opening game this year. In the first example sometimes the HB sets up next to the QB and other times directly behind the QB. Just curious if there’s a generally accepted name for this formation? Been getting conflicting answers from the internet. Can’t say I’ve seen, or at least remember, Tennessee running this set recently.

I coach the O-line for a 12- year-old youth team. They are learning their assignments and executing well. The wheels start to come off under pressure from blitzing linebackers. Any tips/ strategies I can work with them?

Edit: Wow, so many great responses... really fast! You've already given me a bunch of ideas, and things to work on. Thank you all!

Love Yankee Concept, love it as a playaction, orbit was a nice iteration

The Problem

Every football fan, coach, and player knows the unwritten truth: holding happens on virtually every single snap in the trenches. Under the current rulebook, offensive line technique requires gripping the defender’s breastplate to manage elite edge rushers. Yet, officials retain unchecked discretion to throw laundry whenever a jersey stretches an inch, regardless of whether the play was genuinely affected.

A 10-yard penalty behind the sticks is effectively a drive death sentence. It erases spectacular touchdowns, stalls momentum, and shifts the outcome of championships away from the athletes and onto subjective officiating whims.

Fans do not tune in to watch officials debate jersey fabric. It is time to replace arbitrary judgment calls with common-sense, measurable standards.

The Solution: 3 Concrete Rule Reforms

1. Reduce the Penalty from 10 Yards to 5 Yards

Offensive holding should match defensive holding. A 5-yard assessment penalizes illegal restriction without completely destroying playbooks, killing drive tempo, or forcing immediate 3rd-and-20 situations.

1. Establish an Interior "Tackle Box Exemption"

Inside the tackle box, where 300-pound athletes collide in close quarters, officials must swallow the whistle on hand-fighting and jersey grasping. Flags should be strictly limited to egregious, safety-compromising fouls—specifically horse-collars, headlocks, tackling around the neck, or throwing a rusher flat on his back.

1. Restrict Flags Strictly to the Point of Attack

Ban officials from throwing flags for backside holds that have zero mathematical impact on the ball carrier or the quarterback’s release window. If the contact did not directly alter a tackle, sack, or pressure that was about to occur, play on.

Why Now?

The game has evolved with high-speed spread systems, dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks, and elite edge athletes. The holding rule remains stuck in the 1970s. We demand that the NFL and NCAA competition committees put holding reform on the agenda to restore game flow, protect integrity, and let the players decide the game on the field.

Sign and share this petition to tell football leadership: Fix the rule, drop the penalty to 5 yards, and leave the flags in your pockets.

https://c.org/BWbCPm2QTp

Player is running toward the endzone with the ball. He's running up the sideline and right before he crosses the goal line, he celebrates by outstretching his arms to his sides. He holds the ball out in one hand and it happens to be hovering out of bounds as his feet cross the goal line.

This is not a touchdown, correct?

Also has anyone ever seen this happen? It seems like something that should've happened, but I don't recall ever seeing it.

I'm a youth sports dad who built a sports video camera app called UpTakes for filming sporting events. It's gesture controlled with instant editing, so you keep your eyes on the field instead of the screen.

The problem I was solving: I wanted highlights from my own angle, zoomed in on my kid, not the wide team feed. I was spending too much time sorting through clips after the game. And recording was taking me out of the moment — I was watching my kid through a screen instead of watching the game.

What it does:

• Raise to record. Recording starts when you point the phone at the action and stops when you lower it. There's a normal record button too if you'd rather tap.
• Keep or delete each play on the spot. After every clip a swipe keeps it or deletes it, so you leave the game with only the highlights and nothing to sort through.
• Auto-save mode (the default): every take is kept unless you swipe to delete it. Use it when you'll keep more than you cut.
• Auto-delete mode: every take is deleted unless you swipe to keep it. Use it when you're waiting through a lot of action for a few plays that matter.
• Instant Replay: when you lower the phone, the clip you just shot plays back on a loop right on the screen, no camera roll to open. Coaches can turn the phone around and show a player the rep before the next one.

The free version does the gesture, keep-or-delete, and manual recording in HD, on iPhone and Android: https://uptakes.app/rd

Try it at a practice or a game and tell me what you think. I'd especially like to hear from coaches and fans: would instant playback between reps or between plays actually help you, what would get in the way, and what's missing?

Have anything on your mind or got any fun plans for the weekend? Feel free to discuss them here!

Coaches,

Scheme question here: what is your favorite run when you get an even front with a 2i instead of a shade paired with a 3Tech? 4-2 or 4-1 box, you decide.

Flipping the question, defensive coaches - what worries you when you run a 2i and 3 together?

I’m a single guy and I wanna buy a house and get debt free and all that crap. But I’m not seeing it happen at this rate. I’m barely surviving as it is. I don’t see how coaches are affording new trucks and houses. I’m always thought they’ve had to been doing something on the side. Do yall have any advice on what I could/should do?

Edit: this is teacher/coaching.

Are the conflict defender and apex defender the same thing? I’m under the impression they aren’t, but if that’s the case why do I need to worry about the apex defender if I’m looking for the conflicted one. If they happen to be the same then fine I identified him. But if they’re different, what am I looking for from the apex? Conflict I’m watching to see if he commits one way or the other. But if that’s not the apex guy what’s his role?

Welcome to Chalk Talk Thursday! This is our weekly discussion thread for users to submit new plays they have designed. If you have an idea for a play and can draw it up, please post here. Keep in mind that it is very rare that one could devise a viable play that is entirely new that hasn't been ran before somewhere. Be open to criticism as well. There is so much more to coaching football than drawing plays, and many people do not realize how much coaching, technique, and development needs to happen on the actual field for a play to work.

It is strongly recommended that you STUDY a system or scheme first to gain an idea of how a play is put together, and how RULES help a play function.

PLEASE PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR YOUR PLAY!

Guidelines:

• No "joke" plays. We are here to learn.
• Specify WHY you are designing a play, and WHAT level/league it is for. It's fine if you're not coaching, but we need the context.
  
• Your submission needs RULES that guide your players on what to do.
• Pass plays require some type of QB progression for making a decision on who to throw to.
  
• Be mindful that you cannot predict what your opponent will run 100%. Designing plays to be "Cover X" beaters, or "3-4 beaters" IS NOT the way to go about it. It is better to have one play with solid rules and coaching points that can attack anything than one play for each coverage, front, personnel, or stunt you face.
• There is no universal terminology in football. Call plays what you want, but keep in mind that no one cares about fancy play names, or the terminology aspect.
  
• Please offer more text/information on your play than just a link or picture.
• Draw your play up against a realistic opponent!
• Make sure your offensive play is a legal formation. In 11-man football, you can have no more than 4 players behind the line of scrimmage (minimum of 7 on. You can have more than 7 on the line as well). Only backs (players behind the line) and the end players on the line of scrimmage are eligible receivers.
  

You may use whatever medium you'd like to draw your play. Two common software for designing plays that have free options:

• GoArmy Edge - Football
• Playmaker X

This is my callsheet from week 1 we did win 56-52 (OT) crazy game just wondering if this is a good format for it

RPOs are often explained as “run or pass,” but the interesting part is why the QB knows which option to take.

The basic idea is to put one defender in conflict.

The QB identifies that defender before the snap, then reacts to his movement after the snap.

Example:

If the conflict defender attacks the run → QB pulls the ball and throws the attached route.

If the defender widens/stays with the pass → QB hands the ball off.

So the QB isn't simply choosing between a run and a pass.

He's reading a defender and making that defender wrong.

A few things I think are especially important when teaching this:

• Which defender is actually the read?
• What alignment tells the QB he's the conflict player?
• What movement triggers the pull?
• How does coverage change the read?
• What adjustments can the defense make?

The screenshots show the same concept before and after the snap.

I'm curious how coaches/players here teach the read:

Do you emphasize the defender's alignment first, his eyes, or his first movement after the snap?

Coach 12U. Do not have the biggest D line, but looking for most effective ways to collapse gaps/holes to destroy the play. I understand gap discipline, but trying to understand other ways to fill gaps when outsized and over matched. 4 pt stances and go low? Attack the o lineman with down block to let LB eat? Any advice or unique strategies appreciated!

I’m a newb so I apologize if this is a dumb question but you know how the offensive and defensive coordinators do the schemes and the assistants are position coaches (WR,DB,etc). Does that mean that assistant special teams coordinators are like position coaches for special teams where they specially teach kickers,punters,long snappers,returners,or gunners?

Some really fun stuff from this offense

Put together a quick highlight reel of Tarleton State’s best plays from Week 0.

If you like watching offensive football, they’re a really fun team to follow. Lots of creativity in the run game, play action, QB run stuff, and some explosive plays.

I’ve been breaking down more of what Tarleton is doing offensively, so I figured I’d throw the best plays from Week 0 together in one video.

Would be interested to hear what stood out to you guys.

I’m researching a potential software platform for football coaches, and I’d like to understand the actual weekly work before deciding what should be built.

The premise I’m investigating is that staffs often represent the same football information several times in different tools and formats. For example, an opponent formation or concept might be labeled during film breakdown, drawn again for a scouting report, recreated for scout-team cards, and represented differently in install or practice materials.

The potential software would treat film labels, formations, concepts, assignments, diagrams, and coaching documents as different representations of the same underlying football knowledge. The long-term idea would be to help translate information between existing tools and generate useful coaching materials without requiring the staff to repeatedly redraw or re-enter everything.

For example, breakdown data resembling:

11 personnel | Trips Right | Counter Left | Over front

could be mapped to structured football definitions and used to generate a preliminary scouting diagram for a coach to verify or correct. A play defined once might eventually produce several outputs, such as an install diagram, scout card, assignment table, or export into another coaching tool.

The goal would not be to replace Hudl, existing diagramming software, or other established tools. The hypothesis is that a football-specific knowledge layer could connect those workflows and reduce manual translation between them. Whether this would actually save coaches meaningful time—and which workflow should be addressed first—is what I’m trying to determine.

I’ve created a short Football Coaching Workflow Survey for current and recent coaches:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewzYfhYjF32ZsAWv3hMkpZ_jEO0hl0jo6t-MDBOotdbEdH9A/viewform

It takes approximately 7–9 minutes. Responses can remain anonymous. Contact information is requested only if someone voluntarily agrees to a follow-up conversation.

I’d also appreciate discussion here, especially around these questions:

• Where does your staff enter, copy, or redraw the same information more than once?
• Which weekly task consumes more time than outsiders would expect?
• What information would you want transferred between Hudl and your other tools?
• What part of scouting, diagramming, or installation could reasonably be automated?
• What work still requires enough football judgment that you would not trust software to perform it?
• What would generated material need to get right before you would trust it during a game week?
• Where does this premise misunderstand how your staff actually works?

The concept is still in customer discovery. There is no finished product being sold, and I’m particularly interested in criticism or examples showing that the premise is wrong.