AFCA's Offensive Football Drills - American Football Coaches Association

AFCA's Offensive Football Drills

by American Football Coaches Association

NEW, 184 pages

Get other American Football books here

About AFCA's Offensive Football Drills

About AFCA

Since its establishment 1922, the American Football Coaches Association has strived to "provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football and coaching" and to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the coaching profession." These objectives, first declared by founders Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman, and others have been instrumental in the AFCA's becoming the effective and highly respected organization it is today.

The AFCA now has more than 10,000 members, including coaches from Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, and Russia. Through three annual publications and several newsletters the Association keeps members informed of the most current rules changes and proposals, proper coaching methods, innovations in techniques, insights in coaching philosophy, and business conducted by the Board of Trustees and AFCA committees. A convention held each January gives members a special opportunity to exchange ideas and recognize outstanding achievement.

The Association promotes safety in the sport and sets forth strong ethical and moral codes that govern all aspects of football coaching. In addition, the AFCA is involved in numerous programs that ensure the integrity of the coaching profession and enhance the development of the game. It works closely with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the National Football League, the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, Pop Warner, and other organizations involved in the game of football. Indeed, one of the many goals of the Association is to build a strong coalition—TEAM AFCA—of football coaches who will speak out with a unified voice on issues that affect the sport and profession.

The AFCA is the team of the football coaching profession. All current and former football coaches or administrators involved with football are encouraged to join. To become a member of the American Football Coaches Association, please write or call

American Football Coaches Association
100 Legends Lane
Waco, TX 76706
(254) 754-9900

Dee Hawkes began his coaching career assisting former Stanford coach Jack Elway at Port Angeles High School in Washington. Over the next 29 years, he held four head coaching positions—at Department of Defense schools in Japan and Germany, at Davis High School in Yakima, Washington, and at Bothell High School in Bothell, Washington.

Hawkes has extensive experience as a football camp director and motivational speaker. Now a newspaper and magazine columnist, a book review editor, and an analyst for cable TV and radio, he remains committed to football.

About American Football

American football, known in the United States as football, is a sport played between two teams of eleven. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. The ball can be advanced by running with it or throwing it to a teammate. Points can be scored by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line, catching a pass thrown over that goal line, kicking the ball through the opponent's goal posts or tackling an opposing ball carrier in his own end zone.

In the United States, high school football, college football and professional football are played under slightly different rules. High school football is governed by the National Federation of State High School Associations, college football by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, while the major professional league is the NFL.

The sport is also played in Europe, Japan and Mexico. The International Federation of American Football acts as an international governing body for the sport. American football is closely related to Canadian football but with some differences in rules and the field.

Because the game stops after every down, giving teams a chance to call a new play, strategy plays a major role in football. Each team has a playbook of dozens to hundreds of plays. Ideally, each play is a scripted, strategically sound team-coordinated endeavor. Some plays are very safe; they are likely to get only a few yards. Other plays have the potential for long gains but at a greater risk of a loss of yardage or a turnover.

Generally speaking, rushing plays are less risky than passing plays. However, there are relatively safe passing plays and risky running plays. To deceive the other team, some passing plays are designed to resemble running plays and vice versa. These are referred to as play-action passes and draws, respectively. There are many trick or gadget plays, such as when a team lines up as if it intends to punt and then tries to run or pass for a first down. Such high-risk plays are a great thrill to the fans when they work. However, they can spell disaster if the opposing team realizes the deception and acts accordingly.

The defense also plans plays in response to expectations of what the offense will do. For example, a "blitz" (using linebackers or defensive backs to charge the quarterback) is often attempted when the team on defense expects a pass. A blitz makes downfield passing more difficult but exposes the defense to big gains if the offensive line stems the rush.

Many hours of preparation and strategizing, including film review by both players and coaches, go into the days between football games. This, along with the demanding physicality of football (see below), is why teams typically play at most one game per week.

AFCA's Offensive Football Drills