How to Coach an AFL Team

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

Rate: (4 Ratings)

Your experience as a professional football coach will be turned upside when you join your Arena Football League (AFL) team. The AFL plays their games on a 50-yard field with eight players on each side and narrow goal posts that make field goals a serious challenge. Your AFL coaching job requires an ability to mold your past experiences into the unique environment of arena football. Read on to learn how to coach an AFL team.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Clipboard
Footballs
List of Plays
Whistle
White Board and Markers

Step1

Study the rules of the AFL before setting foot on the practice field. Your professional coaching experience likely does not include playing on a 50-yard field or coaching an eight-man offense. The league provides a web page called AFL 101 that gives the basics on game play and roster management. See the Resources section below for a link.

Step2

Prepare your field goal unit to cover missed kicks as they would a punt return in a regular football game. There is no punting in the AFL so missed kicks that go off the end zone netting can be recovered by any player. Find the right combination of players to protect the kicker and get down field for coverage.

Step3

Call safe defensive plays to ensure all parts of the field are covered. League rules only allow blitzing by the middle linebacker so you are limited in defensive variations by rule. The small field is advantageous to the defensive backfield so focusing on technique is critical to preventing the big play.

Step4

Maintain contact with your quarterback during offensive possessions. Quarterbacks often head over to the coach or offensive coordinator to get plays or talk about strategy. You can save time by giving your quarterback a series of plays while your defense is on the field.

Step5

Work with your general manager to find versatile players for your team. Only 20 players are activated for each game and most players need to be capable of playing multiple positions to save roster space.

Step6

Install offensive plays that include pre-snap forward motion by your receivers. Receivers in motion gain momentum and an advantage over defensive backs. You will need to coach your receivers to eliminate their instinct to stay still before the ball is snapped, as is customary in regular football.

Tips & Warnings

Develop a reliable running game despite the trend toward passing in the AFL. The narrow fields of AFL stadiums and the limitations of three offensive linemen leads most AFL coaches away from running plays. Utilize your line's speed by running draws, delays and counters within the tackles to trick the defense.