Every flag football team requires a playbook as it contains outlines and diagrams of the plays the players have practiced and know best. It is their winning tool, their recipe for victory. It contains the plays that they are most familiar with, the drills that they excel at; the systems that may help them win a difficult game.

As the coach, you know the uniqueness of each of your players. You have seen their strengths and weaknesses. You know who the assets are. Build the playbook from there. Decide where to place who and then how to get the game rolling. As you start your own teams playbook, remember the following tips:

Keep it simple.

A playbook should be clear and easily understood by everyone. If the players get confused instead of enlightened, the playbook defeats its purpose. You may begin with a drawing of three pass routes for your receivers: one short route, a middle route and a long route.

Maintain a progression of targets & keep lines open.

For pass plays, there should be at least three targets: the first, the secondary and the bail out the player a player goes to when no one is open and when he wants to run away from the sack. Create complimentary receiver routes together with your pass plays so that if the right outside receiver runs a deep within route, a secondary right side receiver can run a medium outside route. Remind your receivers to come back to the quarterback if in difficulty.

Create a working audible system.

It is possible to find your team in trouble even though you thought you called the right play. Therefore, always have a play or two to switch to. Its not enough to match an audible with a code name. There must be a system. Avoid being predictable. Try making a series of calls in which a specific word position designates the play. Be creative. Allow each player to be familiar with the system.

It’s all about defense.

Match your plays with a strong defense. The goal is to beat the passing and running speeds of your opponents. A cover two is a basic defense to run that usually works. In this defense, the cornerbacks and linebackers cover receivers man to man, while the safeties divide the deep field in half. If a receiver enters their half of the field, the safety helps out.

These can offer you variety in your plays and a few concepts. Still, the most serious thing is that each member of your team understands the plays. It is in this fashion the playbook will work for you and that each player can execute the play well.