Feature update: Ball Position and Formation Groups

Have you wanted to adjust the ball position in your formations but don't want to make manual adjustments? or you've ended up adding “(left hash)” onto the end of formation names, making quizzes tougher for players? 

The new Ball Position feature solves these problems for you.

Ball position

You now have the ability to add a ball position to any formation. Choose between Left Hash, Middle, and Right Hash to create variations without manually needing to adjust player positions or changing what players need to type to get the right answer on quizzes.

When you choose Left or Right hash, we automatically adjust the formation you have drawn. Players in or near the tackle box slide over to the selected hash, while players outside the tackle box are shifted relative to the box and the sideline so they stay in-bounds and spaced correctly.

You still have full control to tweak any player locations, so you can dial-in your exact adjustments after the automatic shift if needed.

When drawing plays, you'll be able to see the variants of your formations by ball position in the formations dropdown.

Formation groups

Alongside ball positions, you can now create Formation Groups. They work just like Play Groups—collections that keep your expanding playbook tidy by bundling related formations together.

Formation Groups are perfect when you have multiple variants of a concept. For example, a Wing formation could quickly branch into Wing Right and Wing Left, each across every hash. A group keeps them all under the same umbrella so the structure stays clear.

Creating a “Wing” formation group lets you keep all those versions together and ensures your playbook stays well organized as it grows.

To create a formation group, open the "more options"/three dots menu on the Formations page, and in the dropdown menu, click the "Create formation group" button. From there you can choose the formations you would like to add to the group, add a group name, and even add a description for the group if you want to.

I hope these updates make it easier to adjust your playbook for situational football and keep your playbook neat. If you have feedback or feature requests, please send them my way at aaron@playdesignerpro.com.

— Aaron, Founder of Play Designer Pro