No Huddle Communication

No Huddle Types of Communication

by

Spread Football and Dacoachmo

IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MANY FACETS OF THE NO-HUDDLE OFFENSE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY MANUAL AVAILABLE HERE

After our success this season with the implementation of the no huddle and the proliferation of teams running it successfully throughout the landscape I thought it would make sense to discuss it. Throughout the following paragraphs, I will try to capture the types of no huddle communication systems we have employed with the teams I have coached. Over the past six years, I have implemented the following types of no huddle communication: wrist coaches, Nascar system, hand signals (single coach and multiple coaches. Each of the aforementioned types has worked for us but we have ultimately settled on the hand signals by multiple coaches and the Nascar system.

Wrist Coaches

Three years ago we painstakingly devised an Excel file that allowed us to input what each player’s assignment was on all of our offensive plays. We installed this component of the no huddle system in the summer and we had a varied amount of success with it.

Positives

The players knew exactly what they were supposed to do on every single play based upon the wrist coach. In theory, this should cut down on the number of mistakes players make because each of the wrist coaches has been developed for a specific player on the field.

Negatives

It was evident pretty early on that our players were becoming too reliant on the wrist coach for the information they needed and they stop committing things to memory. Additionally, the wrist coaches did not allow us to go as fast as we would have liked to throughout the game because the players would take too long to read their assignment prior to the snap of the ball.

Outcome

After the second game of the season we scrapped this system because it became too time consuming for the players. Additionally, on at least one occasion our player read the wrong thing on the wrist coach and made a mistake that ultimately cost us the game.

Nascar

At the same time we abandoned the wrist coaches we started to implement the Nascar system. For those of you who are not familiar with this system, the offensive coordinator calls out Nascar followed by a color or a word. This color is a predetermined play which should be run as fast as it possibly can be by the offensive unit.

Positives

It caused us to lose very little teaching time once a predetermined play was given a tag. Additionally, these plays could be run anywhere on the field as quickly as possible by the offensive unit. Out of our Nascar system we developed our warp speed/attack style Nascar system that incorporated multiple predetermined plays into a phrase or tag word. If you have never used a warp speed system and decide to implement it, you will see how quickly the opposing defenders start to wear down throughout the series.

Negatives

At this point in time we have had very few mistakes when running this system. Therefore, for us there have not been any glaring negative outcomes associated with it.

Outcomes

The system allows us to run one or multiple plays anywhere on the field of play. Additionally, it allows us to run the offense at a speed that is very difficult for the defense to simulate in practice. Because it is difficult to simulate opposing defenders have very difficult time keeping up with us during the timeframe these types of plays are called. If I would were to try and implement this tomorrow at a school for the first time I would make sure I had selected plays that have a propensity to have a positive outcome.

Hand Signals

The hand signal system can be as complex or as simple as you would like it to be for your team. The nuts and bolts of this system are designed around a signaling system that is easy to see and easy to add to each of the plays you will run with it.

Positives

This system allows you to scan the opposing defense before entering in your play selection. It also allows you to change the play you may have called very quickly. Additionally, it lends itself to setting a pace that is exhausting for the opposing defense to defend.

Negatives

As with any no huddle system this one can cause you to become frustrated if your players miss a sign or see a sign that is not actually called by the coaching staff. When implementing this system, you will need to take great care to ensure your players are fully apprised of your base signals and any new ones that may get added throughout the season.

Outcomes

This system is easy to implement if you have a little bit of creativity when it comes to your signaling method. It would be in your best interest to make the system look complex to your opponents yet easy for your players to comprehend. The hand signal system allows you to run the offense as fast as you would like to or as slow as you desire. As with the Nascar/Warp Speed/Attack system this type of system is very difficult for your opponents to simulate throughout practice. If you choose to run this phase very quickly you will find that opposing defenders tire out at a rapid rate. If you choose to run this system at a slow pace the opposing defensive linemen have to honor that you are aligned in an offensive formation and will need to align themselves accordingly in a football stance.

Conclusion

Running no huddle effectively has many positive benefits for the offense. I have chosen to focus on three of the benefits of running this system. The first is it will strike fear into your opponent’s defensive coordinator because they will have to spend time trying to figure out how to simulate the pace of your play. If you can make the defensive coordinator stay up late at night devising ways to stop you will have effectively stolen practice and preparation time (see Stealing Practice Time) from your upcoming opponent.

The second positive benefit of running a no huddle attack is it allows you to maximize your time at practice. Each week starts out with a finite amount of time a team has to prepare for its next opponent. No huddle allows an offense to maximize the aforementioned timeframe in practice. The maximization of time allows an offense to practice more plays throughout the week.

The third and final component of running a no huddle system is it conditions your players throughout your practice time. For us, we have essentially abandoned a traditional conditioning program that would take place at the end of practice. The players run a large amount of plays throughout our practice periods at a hurried pace therefore we no longer think as much emphasis needs to be placed on the conditioning of our athletes.

If you employ a successful no huddle system you will be pleasantly surprised with the outcomes of your games and practices. Players now operate in a practice that is up tempo and run with a sense of urgency. We feel this does an excellent job of preparing our players to play at a pace that is similar if not faster than the pace of an actual athletic contest.

IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MANY FACETS OF THE NO-HUDDLE OFFENSE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY MANUAL AVAILABLE HERE