Defensive Calls / Hand Signals for Youth Football Defenses
I recently received an email about how do I call my defense from the sidelines. Here are a few things I do to call my youth football defense for my youth football teams.
Hi Coach
Thanks for your email and support. You can find more youth football coaching tips, talk and plays over at CoachParker.org
So what do I use for defensive signals. Many times I will yell in the signal to the player, team, and or defensive lb closest to the sidelines or the closest cb and they will send in the signal to rest. I am very loud. Find out what works best for your team.
I also have hand signals and voice commands, which I make up each season since we are scouted. Here are a few to give you some ideas. Whatever I name my base defense formation for year or game is called “Base”
This defense info is from my 62 Multi 8 Youth Football Defense eBook.
1) 62 Wide Tackle — Open Hand over Head fingers open — for wide — Voice Call — “Wide or Base”
2) 62 Tight Tackle — Fist over head — for tight — Voice Call — “Tight or Tigger”
3) 62 Double Wide — Open Hand Flashes over head — for wide and wider — Voice Call — “Dodo or Double”
4) 62 Max Tight / Gap 8–8 symbol over head — for 8 — Voice Call — “Ocho or Max”
5) 62 Loose / 4–4–4 fingers out to my right side shaking — for 4 loose — Voice Call — “Lucy or Loose”
6) 33 Stack — 3 fingers over chest shaking — for 3 stack — Voice Call — “Rifle or Stack”
7) 70 Diamond — peace sign over head or point to my eyes with each finger- for half of a diamond — Voice Call — “Diamond / 70”
8) 52 Dragon or Monster — 1 Finger pushes up my nose to pug it — for mobster — Voice Call — “Dragon or Monster or Air”
So each player and or defender I will make up a nickname for them. For me, Parker, I was called “Bear.” So if I am playing one of the iLB i would call out Bear Cobra for that lb to blitz to the C gap on his side. Cobra for C. Bomber for B, Apache for A and Dog for D gap. I could also have a hand signal for each player but that got tedious and they never looked over. So I use nicknames for specific player blitzes. “Bear Cobra, Bear Bomber etc”
1) Cobra hands signal is my arm bending at the elbow like a snake striking
2) Bomber — my arms is out to the side like an airplane wing flying
3) Apache — my hand taps my mouth or two finger behind my head for feather
4) Dog — I put my hand together and close it back and forth to look like my hand is barking
If I have a combo blitz package I will yell the main blitz players nickname and then hand signal or call in the blitz. So an Oklahhoma Left blitz I would call maybe “Bear Oklahoma” or just Bear and have a hand signal over my head with an OK sign.
You really need to test out what your youth football players call handle. I have found just yelling loud works the best. Another youth football author also recommends yelling in info since the players will hear it and acknowledge you. But I do also have hand signals for almost everything each season.
So when I teach I will say the name of the blitz, nicknames of players and blitz, and show the hand signal so we are all learning it all together. Also ask the players what is a good name and use funny names for complicated info because they will remember the information better. Kids love names like Pink Unicorn and Stinky Monkey and Wild Weasel or the Beast Tank. :)
You can also use the american hand sign language signs for signals and or Dutch, German, French or Spanish for words, this works great too.
If you have my 62x8 defensive book there are blitz calls set up on page 73.
I hope this gives you some ideas.
Let me know how I can help,
Coach Parker
