Last week we discussed Personnel - identifying the right playmakers, your erasers, and how this shapes your offensive identify. This week, we expand to Formations. Once you know who you want to get the ball to, how do you consistently put them in positions to win?
Short answer:
Get the right players on the field, and put them in a formation system that creates multiplicity, space and matchup advantages.
This installment will tackle 2 topics:
Why a solid formation system matters, and what it should include
A trusted formation system used by multiple staffs at multiple levels
We save window dressings through motions and shifts for next week.
Formation System Baseline
A solid formation system should:
Be simple for the players. It must make sense to them, not just the coaching staff.
Adjust to your personnel. Injuries, surprise breakout players, or a quarterback who doesn't develop as expected shouldn't force you into a new offense.
Support in-game operations and adjustments. Same plays, different formations mid-game should be executed with confidence.
Create numbers, leverage and space. Some advantages come from formation alone, others emerge from formation-play combinations.
At its core, your offense is your formation system - the plays simply finish the job.
Limestone Formation System
We went to the Limestone Formation System in 2008. Today, it is currently leveraged by multiple staffs at every level of the game. It's not the only way to build an offense, but the principles behind it have traveled.
It was built out of necessity - prioritizing key personnel within a roster that didn't always match up evenly against opponents.
Guiding principles:
All tools in the toolbox: Provide enough flexibility to handle a unique roster make-up.
Multiplicity without complexity: the ability to (theoretically) line up in 60+ formations, even if only 5-15 were lived in throughout a season.
Families as the Foundation: Everything starts simple and builds upon itself for install.
Every position has a letter and a home: X, Z, Y, F, T each have a home alignment based on formation family.
Any personnel grouping uses the same language: nothing changes.
The Core: Right & Left, Speak to the "F"
Everything in this system starts with the Right / Left family - the home formation. Often, the exact home formation is rarely used, but everything builds off it.
With our base formation established, we can now "speak to the F" - these tags will serve as the foundational alignment for each position based on where you send your F.
F tags will either be WITH the Strength ("W" term), or OPPOSITE the Strength ("O" term). Starting with Right / Left:
Wet - offset I to the strength
Wing - wing to the strength
Wide - slot to the strength
Widest - widest to the strength, bumping Z inside
On - opposite the call, on the ball (two-TE looks)
Oil - offset I weak
Off - wing opposite the TE
Out - slot opposite the strength
Outside - widest opposite the strength, bumping X inside
By teaching that the "F" aligns based on formation strength and using simple tags, you create multiple looks from a single home family.
Why this Matters
You've created multiple looks with a single home formation and understandable tags. Here's where it comes alive:
Scenario 1 - "F" is a dynamic athlete and your go-to "bubble" guy. Right Wide puts him in the slot to the strength with your bubble game built around your ideal playmaker.
Scenario 2 - "Z" is your vertical speed guy. Right Widest bumps Z into the slot, creating a potential vertical matchup with your safety.
On the surface, and on Hudl cutups, Right Wide and Right Widest may look identical. But in reality, you've:
Put different players in critical spots
Optimized who gets targets and who draws coverage
Only impacted 1 or 2 individuals with the same rules they will use in every other formation.
Adding your "T" (Back):
Once your F is set with W/O tags, add additional flexibility by speaking to your T (running back) using numbers.
"T" Tags will be odd or even, with numbers running Left to Right & Outside In.
Right Side (even):
0 - wing alignment to the right
4 - inside detached (slot) to the right
8 - widest detached to the right, Z bumps inside
Left Side (odd):
1 - wing alignment to the left
5 - inside detached (slot) to the left
9 - widest detached to the left, X bumps inside
At this point, just in the Right / Left family, you've hit 20+ formations all built off 2 tags to 2 players, and everyone else using home rules.
Expanding with More Families
With the foundation in place, additional formation families can be added without changing the teaching model.
Roger / Larry:
Teaching Rule: Roger and Larry are brothers, so are X & Z - line up next to your brother.
Roy / Lee:
Teaching Rule: Roy and Lee are crazy cousins, they're way out there, so the Y is wide and off the ball.
Rhonda / Linda:
Teaching Rule: Rhonda and Linda are sisters, they are just a bit off, so Y lines up off the ball in wing.
Ram / Lion:
Teaching Rule: Ram / Lion are heavy, classic 22 personnel or goal line formations.
It doesn't end here - staffs will also include Unbalanced families to follow the same rules. For more detail on formation families to meet your system, reach out!
How this Helps You Over a Season
With a rule-based formation system you're not installing a new offense as things change, you're just shifting emphasis.
You can chase matchups week-to-week, with confidence in your foundational rules.
In-game, you're free (and encouraged) to adjust: same play, different formation.
This creates seamless, efficient and effective agility.
What's Next?
Your formation system provides the baseline for creativity; window dressings can further set up your play for success.
Next week we will discuss how to use motions, shifts and trades as window dressing - and further extend their application with the Limestone Formation System.
Share your Thoughts: We welcome insights from coaches at all levels - your perspective shapes our content. Email us any feedback, what works for you, or disagreements at football@coachtree.us.
- Team CoachTree
Billy's Quote of the Week
"To do the things you've never done before, you have to do things you've never done before."
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