It’s that time of year when so many coaches are building their playbooks in anticipation for the fall.
Whether you’re getting ready for spring practice, or you’re only able to have offseason chalkboard meetings with your players right now, we’re all focused on one thing: As coaches, how do we become better teachers?
One of the simplest ways to do that is to make sure the language, or verbiage, you’re using with your teaching is consistent and logical to the players you work with.
That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about in today’s article.
Today’s article is taken from our latest release: The Playbook Terminology Handbook: A Complete Collection of Words and Calls
Choosing Your Playbook Verbiage
First, go for short words that have three syllables or less. Think of words like “Alpha,” “Banjo,” or “Cat”—they’re perfect! These words are quick to say and easy to remember.
During the game, when every second counts, short words help players and coaches fast without getting mixed up.
Choose Opposites or Complementary Words
When you need checks or play calls for things like left and right, or strong and weak, pick words that are opposites or fit together naturally.
For example, you could use “Lake” for left and “River” for right. Or try “Texas” for one side and “Austin” for the other. This makes it super easy for players to form associations in their head with the scheme they’re learning, because the connections are already there, and the learning process is shortened.
Use Connected “Families” of Words
This follows the same principle as the second point, just on a larger scale. You could name plays after NFL teams, like “Patriots” for one play and “Chiefs” for another. Or use college mascots like “Tigers” and “Bulldogs.”
When players know that all your pass plays are NFL teams (or any other connected group of words) you’ve already made their retention that much better. By using these ideas, you’ll build a playbook that’s clear and simple.
That’s why we put together The Playbook Terminology Handbook!
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