Good Offensive Communication

There is a spectrum of offensive communication.  On one extreme is the nonsensical offense that explicitly broadcasts its players' every move before, during, and after that move is made.  On the opposite extreme is the offense so secretive that the offensive players themselves have no idea what is going on.  Although both extremes are ridiculous caricatures, very few teams at the non-elite level seem to strike the appropriate balance between complete transparency and absolute secrecy.

It is not terribly difficult to see the advantages and disadvantages of the two extremes, but stating these might be helpful in clarifying our understanding of what "good offensive communication" is.

The advantages of the offense whose players broadcast each of their intentions and movements are surprisingly many. Throwers and receivers will exchange the disc optimally.  Receivers will coordinate their fakes and cuts with one another to allow for maximum impact and efficiency.  And, the overall offensive strategy can be altered on the fly in order to gain the greatest possible advantage over the defense.  In short, there is no chance of miscommunication among players in this offense.

There is only one disadvantage of this offense, but it is a devastating one.  The defense will know exactly what the offense is doing and plans to do.  They will know the offense's overall strategy as well as the individual offensive players' strategy at any given moment.  There is no element of surprise.  This single disadvantage nullifies all advantages.

There is only one advantage of an offense that is completely secretive, but it too is devastating. The defense will not know what the offense is doing.  They will always be on their heels.

Unfortunately, there are just too many disadvantages to name for the completely secretive offense.  They would include, but are not limited to: a high rate of turnovers, an incredible amount of wasted energy, major frustration, and poor utilization of specific player skills.

So, how should an offense communicate in order to gain all of the advantages of the extreme styles while not suffering from any of the disadvantages?

First, you must realize that, although explicit communication is a horrible on-field in-game strategy, it is a very good strategy on the sidelines and during practice.  Offensive players need to start somewhere when they practice running any offense.  Having them discuss exactly what they plan to do in a given situation is an incredibly useful exercise.  When players explain their tactics and listen to the tactics of others, they begin to get a feel for one another.  This feel allows them to work together and run the offense at a higher level.  The greater the transparency in practice, the less miscommunication among players in games.  This transparency should also extend to the sidelines during games.

Secondly, once players have a feel for one another, they are able to communicate in code.  They can read each other with just a look or a head nod.  Often, they will simply read one another's body language.  All of this successful non-verbal communication allows the offense to enjoy the element of surprise.  Thus, they have the advantage of the secretive offense, but they are all in on the secret.

In this way, offensive communication can combine the advantages of both transparency and secrecy to gain the maximum possible edge over a given defense.