A formation preset is a pre-positioned group of player markers representing a tactical shape. That might be a formation, a set play, a pressing structure, a defensive shape, or a special-teams unit. Drop one onto a diagram or a lineup and the players land in place, ready to adjust.
Presets are usable in two places:
- The activity canvas editor, for drill diagrams that start from a recognisable shape.
- The lineup builder, via the Formation button, to seed a unit's slot positions. See Match-Day Lineups.
The built-in library
Planner.coach ships with a built-in library of 31 presets across 6 sports, available to coaches on every plan:
- Soccer (8) -- 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1, 3-4-3, 5-3-2, 4-1-4-1.
- Ice hockey (8) -- power-play and even-strength shapes, forechecks, neutral-zone structure, defensive-zone coverage, the cycle, and the breakout wheel.
- Inline hockey (4) -- standard and special-teams shapes.
- Basketball (5) -- standard five, the triangle, 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones, and pick-and-roll.
- American football (3) -- I-formation, shotgun spread, and a 4-3 defense.
- Rugby union (3) -- the starting 15, scrum, and a 7-man lineout.
Built-in presets are tied to the right playing surface for each sport, so the shape lands correctly when you apply it.
Preset categories
Every preset has one of five categories, which describe what kind of shape it represents:
- Formation -- a starting shape or alignment.
- Set play -- a designed play from a stoppage or restart.
- Pressing structure -- a coordinated press or forecheck.
- Defensive shape -- a defensive alignment or coverage.
- Special teams -- power play, penalty kill, and other unit-specific shapes.
Using a preset in the canvas editor
While editing an activity's diagram, apply a preset to lay out a full set of players at once instead of placing each marker by hand. From there, fine-tune positions, add arrows and zones, and annotate the diagram as usual. See The Canvas Editor for the full toolset.
Using a preset in the lineup builder
In the lineup builder, click the Formation button to open the preset picker. The chosen preset seeds the active unit's slots with positions already laid out -- which also unlocks the builder's canvas view for that unit. You then fill the slots with athletes from the roster. See Match-Day Lineups for the full lineup workflow.
Saving your own presets
You're not limited to the built-in library:
- Save a personal preset that only you can see and reuse.
- On a Club team, save a team-scoped preset that everyone in the team workspace can use.
In the lineup builder, the Save active unit as preset action in the More actions menu turns the shape you've just built into a reusable preset.
Ask the AI to drop a formation
The AI assistant can place a formation onto the canvas for you. Just ask:
"Set up a 4-3-3."
"Draw the power-play umbrella."
The assistant positions the players on your surface, and you take it from there.
See The Canvas Editor for the full diagram toolset, or Match-Day Lineups to put a formation to work picking your squad.