How to Coach the No Huddle Offense

The no huddle offense is a football scheme where the offense of a team returns immediately to the line after a play instead of calling the new one in a huddle. It is a great tool to have for any football team because it tires and disorients defenses, conserves valuable clock time and, frankly, makes the game more exciting. However, to properly run a no huddle takes tons of preparation. The players all need to be on the same page or it can easily backfire. If it is not run properly, there is a high likelihood for mistakes that could lead to losing downs, yards, the ball, and eventually the game.

Things You'll Need

  • No Huddle Playbook
  • Hand Signals
  • Wristbands
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Instructions

  1. The No Huddle

    • 1

      Establish the plays. You'll need to decide on anywhere from 10 to 20 plays to be used specifically for the no huddle offense. These plays will depend upon how you plan to use the no huddle. To conserve the clock, you want mostly passing plays that can go for five to 15 yards and allow receivers to get out of bounds. However, they can be diverse, and should include at least a couple running plays. Be too repetitive and defenses will catch on.

    • 2

      Come up with signals for the plays. During the game there is no way to tell the play to the entire team without cluing in the defense. You must have signals the whole team understands. Create code words that tell the team, or use hand signals to communicate, the play. Have your quarterback call out something before hiking the ball, or you could even have an order the plays are in. Some use hand signals in combination with wristbands for the entire team. The wristbands would have the plays written in them so everybody knows which play you're calling.

    • 3

      Drill these plays until memorized. During practices you want to run these plays as much as possible. Your players need to know them inside and out because they won't have time to discuss them in a huddle prior to lining up for the play.

    • 4

      Drill these plays by scenario. While at practice, give your team a scenario you will use the no huddle offense in and then execute it as if it were a game. Say, "We just got the ball back on the 10 yard line. We are down six points and there's a minute-and-a-half left in the game." This practice is not just for the players, but for the coaches as well. See which plays work best in each scenario. Consider how many yards the team needs and how much time is left.

    • 5

      Use it in a game. The common time to run the no huddle offense is when your team is down and/or it's near the end of either half. It can also be effective at the beginning of either half as well. Unless you're in a situation where you want to run down the clock you can call it at any time and give the defense a headache.