LONDON JUNIOR MUSTANGS FOOTBALL CLUB FOOTBALL TERMINOLOGY GUIDE Text courtesy of Kevin Holmes, HB Sport Management Services 1 Table of Contents STATEMENT .................................................................................................................................................................. 3 OFFENSE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 POSITIONS ................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Offensive Line ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Backfield ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 Receivers .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 NUMBERING/LETTER SYSTEM .............................................................................................................................. 4 FORMATIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 HOLES ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 PASSING TREE ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 DEFENSE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 POSITIONS ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Defensive Line: ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Linebackers: ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Defensive Backs: .................................................................................................................................................. 6 NAMING SYSTEM ................................................................................................................................................. 6 STRONG SIDE/WEAK SIDE .................................................................................................................................... 7 GAPS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 FORMATIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 SPECIAL TEAMS ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 SCORING ....................................................................................................................................................................... 9 GAME OFFICIALS ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 GLOSSARY OF TERMS .................................................................................................................................................. 12 A ............................................................................................................................................................................. 12 B.............................................................................................................................................................................. 12 C .............................................................................................................................................................................. 13 D ............................................................................................................................................................................. 15 E .............................................................................................................................................................................. 17 F .............................................................................................................................................................................. 17 G ............................................................................................................................................................................. 19 H ............................................................................................................................................................................. 20 I ............................................................................................................................................................................... 21 J .............................................................................................................................................................................. 22 K .............................................................................................................................................................................. 23 L .............................................................................................................................................................................. 23 M ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24 N ............................................................................................................................................................................. 25 O ............................................................................................................................................................................. 26 P .............................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Q ............................................................................................................................................................................. 28 R.............................................................................................................................................................................. 29 S .............................................................................................................................................................................. 30 T .............................................................................................................................................................................. 34 U ............................................................................................................................................................................. 36 V ............................................................................................................................................................................. 36 W ............................................................................................................................................................................ 36 X .............................................................................................................................................................................. 38 Y .............................................................................................................................................................................. 38 Z .............................................................................................................................................................................. 38 2 STATEMENT It has been found that, in minor football, many coaches or managers are “Dads and Moms” who just want to help out because they have a son or daughter in a minor football program and have a basic knowledge of football but are unfamiliar with football “jargon”. As well, many parents who are fans cheering on their kids from the sidelines are not quite sure what is going on during a game because they have never really watched football before. They may not understand such things as holes on the offense, gaps on the defense or even what the various positions are named. This handbook is our attempt to assist coaches, managers, fans and parents in understanding football terminology using easy to understand language. We hope that this handbook is of use to you in developing a greater understanding of how the great game of football is played. OFFENSE The offensive unit takes the