American football · offense, defense & 7v7
American Football Formation Maker
Set your offense or defense on a marked field, drag every player into place, draw the routes and blitzes, and print the play card. Free, no account.
Eleven-a-side formations
Three offensive looks and the two base defenses, each one laid out on the field and ready to rename. Swap personnel, shift a receiver, and the rest stays put.
I-Formation
Power run
Quarterback under center, fullback and running back stacked behind him. The classic power-run look: blocking downhill, short yardage, four-minute offense.
Shotgun
Pass-first spread
Quarterback five yards back with receivers spread wide. Buys a read before the rush arrives and opens the whole field — the default for a pass-first offense.
Pistol
Run-pass option
A compromise. The quarterback sits four yards back with a runner directly behind him, so run and pass look identical at the snap. Run-pass option football lives here.
4-3 Defense
Base defense
Four down linemen, three linebackers. The base defense most teams install first: strong against the run without surrendering coverage.
3-4 Defense
Versatile defense
Three linemen, four linebackers. More bodies who can blitz or drop, so the offense cannot tell where the fourth rusher is coming from.
7v7 and flag football
Seven-on-seven takes the line out of the game, so the formation is all route combinations. Start from the spread layout and move receivers wherever your concept needs them.
Spread 7v7
Passing scrimmage
Seven-on-seven passing scrimmage. No line play, so everyone on the field is a receiver or a defender — the shape youth camps and summer leagues run.
How football formations are named
Offensive formations are named for where the quarterback and the backs line up, not for a string of numbers. Under center with two backs stacked behind him is the I-Formation; five yards deep with nobody behind him is Shotgun; four yards deep with a runner behind him is Pistol. The receivers get described separately, usually by personnel — “11 personnel” means one running back and one tight end, so three receivers.
Defenses do use numbers, and they count front to back: the first is the defensive line, the second the linebackers. A 4-3 is four down linemen and three linebackers, a 3-4 is three and four, and both leave four defensive backs behind them. Nickel and dime packages trade a linebacker for an extra back when the offense spreads out.
None of those names constrain what you can draw here. Put eleven players wherever you want them, label the positions yourself, and add arrows for the routes, blocks and pressures that make a formation into a play rather than a picture.
Questions
Is the football formation maker free?
Yes, completely, and there is no account to create. Open it, build your formation, and print or download it.
Which formations are built in?
Offense: I-Formation, Shotgun and Pistol. Defense: the 4-3 and the 3-4. Plus a Spread 7v7 layout for seven-on-seven. Every one is a starting point — drag any player anywhere to build your own look.
Can I draw routes and assignments?
Yes. Draw arrows from any player to show a route, a block, a motion or a blitz, and add zones to mark coverage. They print with the formation.
Can I add player names and numbers?
Yes. Tap a player to set their name, jersey number and position label, and mark a captain. Extra players go on the bench and drag onto the field.
Can I print a play card?
Print it straight from the browser, or download a PNG for a group chat or a printed playbook page. Both keep whatever arrows and labels you added.
Does it do soccer formations too?
Yes, on its own page. The soccer formation maker covers 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2 and every small-sided shape from 5-a-side up.
Coaching soccer instead?
The soccer formation maker has its own page, with 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2 and every small-sided shape from 5-a-side to the full eleven.
Build your formation
Pick a look, drag your players, draw the routes, then print the play card.
Open the formation maker