No Huddle p2

MAKING THE NO-HUDDLE PLAY GRID

By Hugh Wyatt

First, make a grid, using almost any drawing program or, if you have it, a spreadsheet such as Excel. (Being a Mac user, I use Appleworks. It is fairly inexpensive program, easy to learn, and very handy - it combines a word processor, a spread sheet, a database, and a drawing program.)

If you are using a drawing program...

Start the grid by first drawing a rectangle, roughly in the proportions shown here, then draw lines to create columns (vertical) and rows (horizontal).

Make it as large as you like - don't worry at this point about making the grid small enough to fit on a wrist , because you're going to reduce it in size after your're finished making it

Next, "paste" numbers around the edges - across both the top & bottom, and up and down both the left & right sides. These will be your coordinates (just like on a map). I sometimes use only three columns, but as you see here, I've used as many as five.

You don't want to have more, I've found, or else when you reduce the grid down to wrist size, the numbers will be hard to read.)

Notice that after I used single-digit numbers for the columns, I used double-digit numbers along the sides. It is essential to use completely different labelling for the columns and for the rows, so that no matter what order you say them in (for example, "20-4" or "4-20"), any pair of coordinates can refer to only one location on the grid.

Next, enter the play names/numbers in the grid by pasting or typing them in. You might enter bread-and-butter plays more than once, to eliminate the (very slight) possibility of opponents breaking your code.

You really don't need to clutter up your grid with specialty plays that you may only run one time - if at all. There are other ways to call them.

Because I might run the same play from different formations, I normally don't enter in the formation or motion I plan on using. (I give that info to the quarterback when I give him the coordinates.)

Next, I color the columns - Red, White, Blue, Black, Yellow in this case, but they vary. This adds to our coding possibilities ("Yellow 35," for example, means the same thing as "5-35", or 6-G). As you get clever at this, you could even go so far as to enter 1st down plays in column 1, 2nd down plays in column 2, etc.

Once you have your grid made, it's time to reduce the image to about 3 x 1-3/4 (Max) and cut it to size - roughly the size of a business card. Now, it's time to make the wrist-bands.

*TIP: MAKE LAZER COPIES ONLY - IF YOU USE A DOT-MATRIX OR INK JET PRINTER, OR A COPIER THAT USES TONER, MOISTURE MAY MAKE THE INK RUN, AND THE WRIST BAND WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO READ!

To find out more...

Page 1- The No-Huddle

Page 3- Making the Bands

Page 4- Coding the Game Plan

Return to Home

	First, make a grid, using almost any drawing program or, if you have it, a spreadsheet such as Excel. (Being a Mac user, I use Appleworks. It is fairly inexpensive program, easy to learn, and very handy - it combines a word processor, a spread sheet, a database, and a drawing program.) If you are using a drawing program... Start the grid by first drawing a rectangle, roughly in the proportions shown here, then draw lines to create columns (vertical) and rows (horizontal). Make it as large as you like - don't worry at this point about making the grid small enough to fit on a wrist , because you're going to reduce it in size after your're finished making it
	Next, "paste" numbers around the edges - across both the top & bottom, and up and down both the left & right sides. These will be your coordinates (just like on a map). I sometimes use only three columns, but as you see here, I've used as many as five. You don't want to have more, I've found, or else when you reduce the grid down to wrist size, the numbers will be hard to read.) Notice that after I used single-digit numbers for the columns, I used double-digit numbers along the sides. It is essential to use completely different labelling for the columns and for the rows, so that no matter what order you say them in (for example, "20-4" or "4-20"), any pair of coordinates can refer to only one location on the grid.
	Next, enter the play names/numbers in the grid by pasting or typing them in. You might enter bread-and-butter plays more than once, to eliminate the (very slight) possibility of opponents breaking your code. You really don't need to clutter up your grid with specialty plays that you may only run one time - if at all. There are other ways to call them. Because I might run the same play from different formations, I normally don't enter in the formation or motion I plan on using. (I give that info to the quarterback when I give him the coordinates.)
	Next, I color the columns - Red, White, Blue, Black, Yellow in this case, but they vary. This adds to our coding possibilities ("Yellow 35," for example, means the same thing as "5-35", or 6-G). As you get clever at this, you could even go so far as to enter 1st down plays in column 1, 2nd down plays in column 2, etc. Once you have your grid made, it's time to reduce the image to about 3 x 1-3/4 (Max) and cut it to size - roughly the size of a business card. Now, it's time to make the wrist-bands. *TIP: MAKE LAZER COPIES ONLY - IF YOU USE A DOT-MATRIX OR INK JET PRINTER, OR A COPIER THAT USES TONER, MOISTURE MAY MAKE THE INK RUN, AND THE WRIST BAND WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO READ!