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AFL Coaching Glossary

The AFL Coaching Glossary

The AFL Coaching Glossary

An easy reference for the language coaches use in the box, on the boundary, and at training. Eight short articles, around 110 terms in total.

The AFL Coaching Glossary

An easy reference for the language coaches use in the box, on the boundary, and at training. Eight short articles, around 110 terms in total.

If you've ever stood next to a senior coach during a game and quietly wondered what "go wing on wing" or "pull the zone deeper" actually means, this series is for you.

We've put it together to do one job well: take the language that gets thrown around AFL coaching circles and explain it in plain English. No diagrams, no theory — just clear definitions you can read between quarters.

A few notes before you start

We've included terms you almost certainly already know. Words like kick, mark and forward 50 aren't going to surprise anyone. We've left them in for completeness so that newer coaches, team managers, parents and supporters can pick up the glossary and not feel like they're missing pieces.

Some terms are labelled Advanced. These are the ones senior coaches use when they're talking shop — set-up structures, specific roles, tactical cues. If you're an experienced coach skimming for new ideas, look for the Advanced tag and skip the rest.

This isn't a coaching manual. It's a dictionary. We tell you what each term means, not how to coach it. The "why" and "when" sit in our other writing — and most of these terms show up in the live tactical advice Powercoach gives you during a game.

The eight articles

  1. Field Zones & Locations — F50, the corridor, the wedge, and every other patch of grass that has a name.
  2. Stoppages & Clearances — Centre bounces, ruck contests, sweepers, and the language of getting the ball out.
  3. Possession & Chain Play — How coaches talk about moving the ball from one end to the other.
  4. Forward Craft — Marks, crumbs, leads, isolations — the language of attack inside 50.
  5. Defence & Pressure — Zones, references, +1s, and how coaches describe shutting the opposition down.
  6. Player Roles & Mix — Who plays where, what a "forward mix" is, and why "fast feet" matters.
  7. Stats & Metrics — Differentials, conversion rates, and the numbers that show up on a coach's iPad.
  8. Tactical Concepts & Cues — Short phrases coaches yell from the box and what they're actually asking for.

Links above will go live as each article is published. Bookmark this page — it's the index.

Quick term index (alphabetical)

Below is every term covered in the series. Each links to its full definition in the relevant article.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

W

Z

Ready to start? Begin with Article 1: Field Zones & Locations.

By Phil Warren · Updated May 2026
Phil Warren
About the author

Phil Warren

Founder & Grassroots Coach

Phil Warren is a founder of Powercoach who played a long amateur AFL career across multiple clubs before turning to coaching. He also founded Team App, the team-management platform used by hundreds of thousands of clubs worldwide. Phil writes from the grassroots sideline — he has lived the gap between what elite clubs can see and what every other coach is left guessing at.

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AFL Coaching Glossary, Part 1: Field Zones & Locations
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