There are an endless number of potential gestures to use when trying to convey information to your players via signals.
One way many coaches have used signals is via a “Body Clock” – An easily understood signal system to get information quickly (and covertly) to your players.
Today’s article is taken directly from “The Complete Guide to Football Signals: A Coach’s Handbook“
Using a “Body Clock” To Signal Plays
The second example of how to use a body clock is to assign each arm movement a number and have a pattern in which you count while moving down the body. In this example any time you have a single arm signaling it is an odd number and any time you have two arms signaling it is an even number.
You would give one number followed by the second one. You can assign each play a number in your system or you could put all of your plays on a wristband and have the players look at the wristband to find the corresponding number after they read the signal. If you are concerned about your signals getting stolen by your opponent you can have multiple people signaling.
One tip that can help your players distinguish between different signs and directions is to have your signalers wear different colored wristbands. They may wear a red wristband on their right wrist signaling right, and a blue wristband on their left wrist signaling blue. You can use different colors also but that is simply an example of how you can make it easy for your players to identify different sides of the body.
You also always want to remember that you want to make it as easy as possible for those on the field to recognize the signals so when using a body clock you need to go clockwise in the way that the viewer will see it, not the way the signaler would see it. Simple things like this can make a huge difference in having your players understand the signals.
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