How to draw football plays for free

Play Designer Pro's free play drawing canvas includes everything you need to show your routes, blocking schemes and pre-snap motions exactly as you intend.

It comes loaded with an array of line drawing tools so you can quick switch between line types.

When you want to adjust a line, enter “Edit” mode, click on the line you want to edit, and start dragging the line points to exactly where you need them to be.

The free play drawing canvas lets you draw curved lines too, great for wheel routes, quick outs, and roll outs. Either switch to curved mode before drawing a line, or toggle to a curved line with that line selected in “Edit” mode.

If you’d like to highlight a particular route, or if you prefer color-coding your skill position players, you can tap on any player or line and change the color from the toolbar.

You also have the choice of two display styles for your players. You can toggle between having them outlined, or filled-in. The filled-in style boosts the contrast of your players on the canvas, and works particularly well for youth or flag teams that have a fewer number of players on the field.

The canvas supports the 11-on-11 football that we know and love, but also supports 4v4 through to 12v12. Other variants include 5v5, 6v6, 7v7, 8v8, and 9v9, making it perfect for youth and flag football.

There’s also the ability to add defensive formations so you can see how your plays fit up against different defensive fronts. You can change the color and shape of individual defensive players so you can highlight them as an indicator for a read or a mike call. Once you add a defensive formation, you’re free to drag players around and customize it to whatever defense you want to see.

Looking to make specific play calls or adjustments in the red zone? You have the ability to switch the canvas from midfield to goal line, so you can show you plan on getting into the end zone.

Finally, once you’re happy with your play, you have the ability to download it as a PDF. From there you can print or share it digitally with your players.

To start drawing your plays for free, head to the free play drawing canvas page.

If you want to save your plays, build a playbook and share it with your players, be sure to check out Play Designer Pro.

Not only does it let you save plays, but it also automatically turns your playbook into bitesized quizzes for your players. This way they can learn the plays outside of practice and come prepared to execute at practice or on game day.