AFL Coaching Glossary, Part 8: Tactical Concepts & Cues
Short phrases coaches yell from the box — composed possession, fight forward, hold six forwards — and what they actually mean.
AFL Coaching Glossary, Part 8: Tactical Concepts & Cues
Short phrases coaches yell from the box — and what they're actually asking for.
A lot of AFL coaching language is shorthand: short phrases that pack a tactical instruction into something a player can hear and act on in two seconds. This article unpacks the cues you'll hear coaches use during a game, and the broader tactical concepts behind them.
Terms marked Advanced are the deeper concepts that take a few minutes to explain even when you understand the phrase.
Composed possession
Keeping the ball under control without panicking — short, safe disposals to retain possession while the team gets organised. Coaches call for "composed possession" when they want to slow the game down, often in the defensive half or when defending a lead.
Strong field position
Having the ball — or being set up to attack — well inside your forward half. Coaches use it as a goal more than a cue: "if we have strong field position, we'll score more". The implication is: don't take risks if it might give up that good position.
Patience on entry
A cue to the player about to kick inside 50: wait one more beat, let the forwards reset, then kick. Patience on entry produces better-quality contests inside 50 but costs you time, so it's a trade-off coaches keep adjusting.
"Find a mark to take the pressure out"
A cue to a ball-carrier under pressure: don't panic-kick, look for any teammate you can hit cleanly. Even a sideways or backwards mark resets the chain and lets the team reorganise. It buys composure when the opposition is pressing.
"Hold six forwards" Advanced
A cue to the forward line: all six of you stay forward of the ball at stoppages. Don't rush up to help at the contest. Holding six forwards keeps the field stretched and creates one-on-ones up forward, but it removes pressure at the stoppage.
"Score next" mentality Advanced
A team-wide mindset cue, usually used after the opposition scores. The cue says: don't let this momentum slide — the next score is critical, play as if it has to be ours. It often comes with a tactical instruction (e.g. surge straight forward) but the cue itself is about urgency.
"Fight forward" Advanced
Covered in Part 3: Possession & Chain Play. The cue means: only move the ball forwards. Used when coaches are worried about turnovers in their defensive half.
"Explode" on intercept Advanced
A cue for what to do the moment your team wins the ball back: move it fast — no settling, no second-guessing. The opposition is unbalanced for about three seconds after a turnover, and "explode" tells the team to use that window.
Blocks and movement Advanced
A combined cue, mostly used around stoppages: midfielders setting blocks (physically getting in the way of opposition runners) while teammates use the movement that creates. It's a coordinated, almost basketball-like tactic.
Cover players Advanced
The defenders who hold off-ball positions behind the contest to "cover" any opposition break. A cue like "pull the cover players away" means moving these defenders further from the contest so they create more space for an attacking handball receiver to use.
That's the end of the AFL Coaching Glossary series.
If you've read all eight articles, you've now got working definitions for around 110 of the most common terms in AFL coaching. None of this makes you a senior coach overnight — but next time someone calls for a "skinny entry with seven defenders behind the ball", you'll know what they mean.
Previous: Part 7 — Stats & Metrics Index: The AFL Coaching Glossary
