Once an opponent breakdown is complete the first thing a defensive staff should do is create a Hit Chart to analyze the different formations used by the offense. This is where a defensive staff can really see the fruits of their breakdown labor. Even with the advent of HUDL and other playmaking technologies, it is important to have a basic drawing of the formations a team is going to run. Especially one that a staff can manipulate, duplicate and is aesthetically pleasing.
With a Hit Chart, a defensive staff can identify quickly how they want to align to a given formation, what blitz/pressures will work against the said formation, and identify tendencies within the offensive scheme. The Hit Chart is a visual representation of an offense and can be used in multiple ways. For example, if utilizing PowerPoint, the defensive staff can create a separate slide for each formation, print them, and place them on a wall. This allows the staff to continuously look at the Hit Chart as they discuss film and meet about the game plan. This kind of quick reference guide allows the staff to efficiently answer questions regarding formations.
Hit Charts serves a broad purpose within the overall breakdown of an opponent but can give the defense an edge in playcalling if done the right way. It is important to stay efficient when creating a Hit Chart. The initial breakdown of formations is key to the quality of the chart. The more accurate the information, the better. If there are too many formation variances or mistakes, the chart loses its value.
In order to be efficient, a defensive staff should drop the use “right” and “left” formations and combine the data to give a more complete picture. A traditional 10p Doubles formation is a Doubles formation. The back being on the right or on the left in a Doubles formation really doesn’t matter. The only variance a staff could use is formation into the boundary (FIB) or when the RB aligns into the boundary in a Doubles set.
The play calling for many offenses changes when the formation is put into the boundary. This reason is why, in a Hit Chart, a defensive staff should track how many times a formation is into the boundary (Doubles, Ace, and 1×1 Diamond are the only exceptions because they are even sets). In an even set the DC can make a decision whether to keep a tally at the top of the Hit Chart (FTB/FIB) or make it a separate card. At the end of the day, the formation is still Doubles and there is no need to have separate labels as demonstrated below.
