Football Route Tree Explained: All 9 Routes to Teach
The football route tree is the numbered map of the core passing routes a receiver runs, from the quick slant to the deep go. Most systems number them 0 through 9, with lower numbers for short routes and higher numbers for deep ones. Teach the tree and your quarterback and receivers can call a full play with a single number, which speeds up practice and cleans up game day.
Below is every route explained in plain language, how to teach the tree to young players, the mistakes that kill completions, and the drills that fix them. Draw each one on a board and your athletes will see it before they ever run it.
What is the football route tree?
The route tree is a diagram that assigns a number to each of the main routes a receiver can run. Picture the line of scrimmage as the ground and the routes as branches growing up and out from the receiver. The stem, the vertical release off the line, is the trunk. Each break off that stem is a branch, and each branch gets a number.
Why bother numbering them? Because it turns a paragraph of instructions into one digit. Instead of telling three receivers to run a curl, an out, and a go, you call a three digit concept and everyone knows their job. It is the fastest shared language you can give an offense.
A simplified route tree. The full tree adds the hitch, flat, comeback, and curl.
What are the 9 routes on the route tree?
Here is the classic tree from 0 to 9. Depths are typical starting points for youth and high school. Adjust them to your athletes and your quarterback's arm.
Custom Pro Football Whiteboard -w Handle | 2 Sided
Draw the full route tree on one side and diagram live game adjustments on the other. The handle makes it easy to hold on the sideline while you coach.
How do you teach the route tree to young players?
Do not dump all ten routes on the first day. Build the tree in layers so players master the stem and the break before you add depth and reads.
What are the most common route running mistakes?
Most incompletions at the youth and high school level trace back to a handful of fixable habits. Watch for these three.
Curving the cut instead of planting sharp gives the defender time to close. Coach a hard plant foot and a 90 degree break on outs and digs.
Breaking at 8 yards on a 12 yard out puts the receiver in the throwing lane. Use yard lines and cones so depth is exact every rep.
Fading toward the sideline on the release shrinks the field and kills spacing. Keep the stem straight and vertical until the break.
Fix these on air first, with no defender, so the timing and depth become automatic. Then add a defender and let the receiver feel the leverage. Charting depth and break angle on a board after film helps players see the difference between a good route and a great one.
Football route tree FAQ
Numbers let the offense call a full route combination in a single word. It saves time in the huddle and keeps everyone on the same page, especially for young players still learning the concepts.
No. The 0 to 9 tree above is the most common version, but many programs flip the odd and even sides or start counting from a different route. Always teach your own playbook's numbers.
The slant. It has a short stem, one clean break, and beats soft coverage, so beginners get quick, confidence building completions while they learn footwork.
Start quick routes at 3 to 5 yards, intermediate breaks at 8 to 12 yards, and deep routes as far as the quarterback can throw on time. Adjust to your athletes.
An out breaks flat toward the sideline at 90 degrees. A corner keeps climbing, angling toward the sideline corner at about 45 degrees for a deeper shot.
As a rule, quick routes beat off coverage, breaking routes beat press, and posts and corners attack a single deep safety. Teach the read after the shape is clean.
Draw the route tree, then draw the win
Players learn routes faster when they can see them. A custom two sided football board lets you diagram the full tree, walk through combinations, and make live adjustments on the sideline. Build yours in your team colors below.
