How to draw your first flag football playbook

Start with an example or a blank play

In Play library, select Read diagram to see the original paths and explanations. Select Add to playbook & edit when you are ready to create a copy. In My playbook, select New play for a blank drawing with five players and no routes. Both routes lead to the same editor.

The diagrams use QB, C, X, Z and H as editable labels. Change them in Player label if your team uses other names. Keep them short: the editor accepts up to six characters, and the same labels appear in the small printed drawings.

The field is a schematic canvas. Coordinates run from 0 to 100, and the background stripes are not yard markers. Record real distances in coach notes rather than reading them from the picture.

Move a player without leaving its route behind

Choose Move, then drag a player to its new starting position. The whole route moves with the player. To enter a position directly, select its label below the field and change X position or Y position. The editor keeps the player and route points inside the canvas.

Change a break or end point

Select a player to reveal the white points on its route. Drag a point to adjust that part of the path. Moving a point changes the route without moving the starting position. Compare the final arrow with the route you intended to draw.

Draw a new route

Select the player, then choose Draw route. Click an empty place on the field for the first point, then click again for each turn or end point. Points connect in the order you add them. Start from Clear route if you want to replace an existing path completely; otherwise new points extend the current path.

Remove last point removes only the last point from the selected player's route. Clear route removes that entire route. Use Undo and Redo to step through your recent edits while this workspace is open.

A worked edit: shorten X's out route

Open the Out route example and add a copy. In the original drawing, X goes upfield, then turns sideways toward the left edge. Leave the other four players as they are while you make your first change.

1. Select X below the field so its two white route points appear.
2. Drag the break point closer to X's starting position, then move the last point to the same horizontal level. This keeps the last segment sideways.
3. Bring the end point inward if you want more space at the edge of the canvas.
4. Rename the copy and update its coach notes with your intended distances. The original example remains available in the library.

After changing one route, review the whole diagram for overlapping paths and whether the labels and notes still make sense. A drawing does not encode movement timing or decide formation eligibility.

Copy and mirror without losing your first version

Copy creates another independent play. Use it before trying a different layout so the earlier drawing remains in your book. Mirror flips the selected drawing horizontally, including its players and route points. It keeps the labels attached to their players.

Mirror changes the drawing, but it does not rewrite your title or coach notes. If your name contains “left” or your notes tell a player to break right, review that text yourself.

Name, group and order your playbook

Give each play a short, recognizable name in Play name. Use Group to organize related drawings with your own labels, then return to My playbook to search or filter them. The up and down arrows on each card change its position in the book.

Printing uses book order for the selected plays, assigning 01, 02 and so on to that selection. If you choose the first and fourth plays only, they become 01 and 02 in that print pack. Changing the book order or selection means you should regenerate every matching sheet.

Know where your edits are saved

Without an account, drafts are saved in the current browser. A different browser or cleared site data will not have the same drafts. Use Export backup to download a JSON copy before moving or clearing your workspace.

On an account-enabled version, Saved to your account means the server confirmed the save. Pending, offline, conflict or quota messages need attention; keep a backup and use the available retry or conflict controls. Browser drafts and account workspaces are separate. Signing in does not silently import your browser book.

To restore a JSON file, select Import a backup. Review the import prompt: the anonymous flow replaces the browser workspace after confirmation, while the account flow offers its own import choices. Export the current content first if you need to preserve it.

Common drawing fixes

The route moved when I moved the player.

That is how Move works. Select the player and drag its white route points when you want to change only the path.

My new route keeps the old turns.

Draw route appends points. Use Clear route before drawing a replacement path.

A mirrored play still has left/right instructions.

Review the title and coach notes. Only the geometry is mirrored automatically.

My wristband numbers changed.

The numbers belong to a generated selection in book order. Regenerate the wristbands, call sheet and book pages together.

For the original diagrams, return to 5v5 flag football plays. For paper, sizing and calibration, continue to the wristband printing guide.