signal plays to youth senior level QB

What we did in middle school was get a whiteboard to write numbers on. They make fat dry erase markers which write thick enough to see across the field. Our plays were 2 digit numbers on the wristband like yours, so we would write 4 digits on the board and 2 were hot. We usually used the middle 2 numbers, so for your example (18 sweep is number 17) we would write 4178, or 3175, or 9172, etc.

Hope that makes sense.

YOu can always use the body numbering system. 1 is top of head, 2 is eyes, 3 ears, 4 chin..etc.

I would just yell the number to the QB. I would also use four numbers with the firs two being dummy numbers and the last two being the call.
It worked well and the QB liked it.If I waned to change personnel I would send the kid in and I would yell the numbers to the QB.
Like I said it worked pretty well and this was 4&5th graders.

Coach Dre,

I've used several of the methods mentioned above and jhanawa does a good job of summing them up.

Another method I've used (and prefer) is a modification of: "1. yell the number on the band (have multiple numbers for the same play) this works just fine"

I typically have 4 wrist-bands (assuming you can afford 4 wrist-bands) and use a different one for each quarter. I run a core of 30 plays. I've been able to fit ~ 34 plays/ Index Card (at 8.5 font) plus a title line: that I put in the wristbands and using the Black Neumann Wristbands (more expensive) I can get a total of 34 plays * 3 cards = 102 plays / quarter. Using 4 wristbands (1 per quarter) you are talking 408 different Color / Number combinations [Typically my plays are "RED 7" or "BLACK 5", rather than yelling 94 across the field, since the player may have heard 90 or 19 and thus run the wrong play]. If I have 34 different plays, I have 3 different #'s and colors for the same play per quarter, or 12 different calls for the same play per game. I don't often run the same play more than 3 or four times / quarter thus making it hard for an opposing coach to steal signals.

This works really well in terms of 1) Not confusing the QB, 2) Not sending players in to run plays (and mess up tempo) and 3) I've found this as the most secure method and least time consuming during the game.

I know putting together wristbands can be a pain every now and then but that's something you can do before Game-day, thus using your Game-time more efficiently.

just send the play in with a receiver....keep it simple

I think I got a little ahead of myself answering that. The system I described was what we used when we were no huddle and the whole offense had wrist coaches. We huddle now and use a wrist coach on our QB and we signal the numbers to him.