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Post by chadbartlett on Aug 17, 2009 21:41:50 GMT -6
Hey coaches:
I began introducing the double wing formation tonight, and I began by showing them the wedge. We just went over basic steps first, foot to foot spacing. After that, I began showing them how the wedge would look when we ran it. The problem is that they are having problems keeping the "V" shape. They kind of just form one big clump...it just doesn't look to be that effective. Any tips on how I can keep them in their position in the wedge and not just have them clump in the middle?
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Post by bobgoodman on Aug 17, 2009 22:43:18 GMT -6
Hey coaches: I began introducing the double wing formation tonight, and I began by showing them the wedge. We just went over basic steps first, foot to foot spacing. After that, I began showing them how the wedge would look when we ran it. The problem is that they are having problems keeping the "V" shape. They kind of just form one big clump...it just doesn't look to be that effective. Any tips on how I can keep them in their position in the wedge and not just have them clump in the middle? It might help if you could describe the "clump" further. Does it result in players pushing the ballcarrier? Are you giving the apex resistance? Are players slipping off to the outside? What are you having them put their shoulders on? |
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Post by davecisar on Aug 18, 2009 2:04:39 GMT -6
Hey coaches: I began introducing the double wing formation tonight, and I began by showing them the wedge. We just went over basic steps first, foot to foot spacing. After that, I began showing them how the wedge would look when we ran it. The problem is that they are having problems keeping the "V" shape. They kind of just form one big clump...it just doesn't look to be that effective. Any tips on how I can keep them in their position in the wedge and not just have them clump in the middle? No chance wedge looks good after 1 practice It has to be taught in progressions, perfect it step by step Even then it doesnt come together real well for about 30 days It is a very effective blocking scheme in youth football if you teach it well and are consistent with it |
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Post by captainpp on Aug 18, 2009 22:09:17 GMT -6
Hi Coach, Not sure if this is your first go around with the D/W but it seems like it is.. 3 seasons ago, reluctantly I ran it for all the wrong reasons... To long to go into... Anyway it just went south for us... Main cause, bad coaching (me)... I understand that your decision has been made to run the D/W and I'm not saying anything neg. about that or the system.. Thing is, it is a system.. I'm not saying everyone that runs the D/W is like this but I would take a guess that many start at entry level football in a quest to develop into a power for the later years... My take when I asked question like yours was basically the same as your receiving now, Give it time ... I just couldn't... Didn't have the pateice... Things that I took from that season... That Team is a good team and I will be coaching against them this year... Thats nothing new for them because for 4 years now they have had a different coach and offense to deal with.. It's a circus around here and many kids have a free ticket to ride the merry- go- round... Thats the system. I never worked any harder than that year ... I had it down but I couldn't get it across to them.. It's like there has to be a certain mind -set established that we are starting from scratch, run a few plays (which we didn't ) and grid the clock... Heck we practiced the wedge maybe 10 times and said OK what's next in the book... Never coach out of a book again.. I will try to keep learning.. I'm all for other's helping others with their stuff.. It just not my way.. Kodak moment --- Two pulling linemen one looking back at the back seeing that he had one defender on one leg another on the other and 2 other with their ears pinned back... Our other lineman making eye contact with me on the side line around 10 yards from the play with his arms extended as to saying "what the " .. One would think that they were the ball carrier the way they were zigging left and zagging right to get past the defenders.. We always looked very good going east and west.. North and South well not so good .. There's more but I can tell that I tried your patience to the point already with all this blab.. By the way I do run the Super Power.. I just take bits of things and make them work for me.. regards to the wedge lets see we started with the center wedge to the wedge 2 then 3 to the criss cross wedge and then a QB follow wedge all of them they broke out to early and line play was to high so we canned that later also  I really rolled an egg that year it wasn't so much the kids just bad coaching and the kids picked up the sent.. I do wish you well and welcome to the meat grinding club ;D |
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 19, 2009 0:05:07 GMT -6
Might as well let someone a lot better than me explain it.
Coach, do you have any specifics to how you're setting up wedge? Or, specifics to what is going wrong with your O-line? You said that they were clumping. Where are their aiming points when they are forming the wedge? Is your O-line recessed from your center?
Once you get your players to get the technique down, you should make them believe in the wedge. It shouldn't be too hard. When properly executed, even I couldn't stand in front of our wedge. My 9>10yr olds would blast me right off the line.
I always made a big deal out of running the wedge in practices. I would shout warnings for all to hear that we were about to run wedge. I would make a scene of making sure all players were clear of the wedge. I'd then brace myself with a handshield and proceed to get launched downfield by my O-line. It was a huge confidence boost to my O-line.
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Post by touchdownmaker on Aug 19, 2009 3:17:36 GMT -6
The wedge in a V is kind of a fantasy, it becomes a SPIKE if done the way presented in the video above.
We use that progression and we teach it :
on air, one step and freeze
then step by step with the coach giving command 'step" and continueing to coach and reinforce the techniques and positions
rep it half speed
then full speed on air
then use either a bag holder or a popsicle sled (which I love for wedge) and do the same thing, let them drive the sled in slow motion and working up to full speed. blow the whistle immediately if someone falls down.
theres more than one way to do it obviously but I do love the shoulder/flipper across the butt of the inside neighbor. I also like to use both wedge xx and wedge on sound but all that wedge at 2 and wedge at 3 stuff is too much in my opinion. we only wedge on the center as the apex and we are a hs team. i dont think you will have the practice time to wedge at either guard and also teh center and hope to perfect any of it. my advice, wedge only on center no matter what defense you face. get good at that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2009 6:00:56 GMT -6
Coach , that's a common occourance, what often happens is that the sides usually cave in because the center get's out too fast. Guys get in between each other and the wedge gets all jumbled up.
Tell the center not to fire out, but to allow the guys behind him to push him
Tell them to get low and push against the butt pad of the man in front of them, tell them to try to keep their inside foot between the legs, of the man in front, and push. The center shouldn't "fire out", per se, but allow the guys behind him to push him. The guards, put their forearms across the centers butt, their helmets should be outside his hip pads, tell them ti create a "V" with their helmets and push the center... at least that's how we did it
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Post by bobgoodman on Aug 19, 2009 10:46:20 GMT -6
rep it half speed then full speed on air I would never rep wedge on air. They'll almost certainly fall over. They may get up discouraged or laughing, but either way they won't take the wedge seriously. Always wedge against some kind of resistance. |
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Post by bobgoodman on Aug 19, 2009 10:52:31 GMT -6
Coach , that's a common occourance, what often happens is that the sides usually cave in because the center get's out too fast. Guys get in between each other and the wedge gets all jumbled up. Tell the center not to fire out, but to allow the guys behind him to push him And prepare for the game situation in which you have no opponent on your apex player by having your apex player lean back to provide resistance and keep the wedge together. Apex push forward against opposition, lean back and dig the heels in against no opposition. |
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Post by touchdownmaker on Aug 19, 2009 12:28:03 GMT -6
rep it half speed then full speed on air I would never rep wedge on air. They'll almost certainly fall over. They may get up discouraged or laughing, but either way they won't take the wedge seriously. Always wedge against some kind of resistance. Wedging on air is imporant. Its particularly important to create the concept THAT YOU ARE NOT BLOCKING ANYONE ON DEFENSE but forming a moving body with individual parts that must work in unison. falling over is akin to learning to walk and falling down a few times before you master walking. additionally, when you wedge vs an even front you are essentially wedging on air. Just based on my experience teaching it this way since the late 90s. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2009 14:16:45 GMT -6
Coach , that's a common occourance, what often happens is that the sides usually cave in because the center get's out too fast. Guys get in between each other and the wedge gets all jumbled up. Tell the center not to fire out, but to allow the guys behind him to push him And prepare for the game situation in which you have no opponent on your apex player by having your apex player lean back to provide resistance and keep the wedge together. Apex push forward against opposition, lean back and dig the heels in against no opposition. great point Bob. I 'l also add have them straddle long blocking bags to get them to keep their feet apart, a wedge can be stopped if hit from the sides (a little tip there) |
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Post by coachguy83 on Aug 21, 2009 10:13:33 GMT -6
It took us two or three weeks to get it looking good. Early on part of the problem was that my coaches didn't understand wedge blocking. I have great line coaches but I finally had to step away from the backs and show them the wedge. We finally took it step by step first with two guys, then three, and so on until we had ten of eleven guys in a line wedge blocking. Now we consistently run it for 3 to 4 yards even with weaker backs.
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Post by chadbartlett on Sept 2, 2009 15:31:27 GMT -6
Hey guys...haven't been here for a while, but I am grateful to say that the wedge is looking a lot better. We have had two weeks of practice with it, and it is getting quite a bit better. I found our main problem was that our guards were shooting forward too fast for our center and he couldn't keep his footing. Also, we switched our left side TE to a stronger blocker which is helping out a lot.
We had our Jamboree this past weekend and looked very good. Our defense is very good so far this year. We have two VERY good tacklers and our outside containment is terrific. In our league, the outside containment is what gets a lot of teams.
On offense, the plays we have introduced are the Wedge, Wedge (no motion), 28/47 Super Power, 26/45 Counter, and a playaction pass. We are trying to get the trap put in this week.
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shawnm
Freshmen Member
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Post by shawnm on Sept 4, 2009 15:11:03 GMT -6
I teach the wedge in a progression and get pretty excited about it when we teach it. The key I've found is getting into the wedge as fast as possible. We teach the inside hand on the back and the opposite hand on the shoulder pad of the inside guy. We'll just rep over and over a slide step and getting the hands in the correct position. Also emphasis not blocking anbody just making sure nobody allows the wedge to break.
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