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Post by casec11 on Jan 18, 2011 13:59:29 GMT -6
In your opinion what is the main purpose or goals a freshman football team should look to do? Lets say you had a Varsity JV and freshman squad.
What should the coaches on the freshman team be trying to accomplish with the kids to help the program out?
Is winning the most important, player development, ect?
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Post by blb on Jan 18, 2011 14:10:24 GMT -6
1. Learn basic Offense and Defense
2. Learn how to prepare
3. Learn to practice to beat the best
4. Get kids in proper positions
5. Learn techniques
We will two-platoon as much as possible, play everyone as much as we can without hurting our chances to win. When team goes on game field, they play to win. Want to develop confidence.
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Post by coachcb on Jan 18, 2011 16:46:40 GMT -6
Winning should be totally secondary at that level.
I worked my way to the varsity level by coaching several years of freshman football and I have seen bad things happen to an entire program because the powers-that-be felt that winning was more important than getting kids in.
1. The kids need to apply the skills taught in a game situation. You're not going to develop a kid if he doesn't get an chance to replicate what you've taught him in a game like situation.
2. It builds enthusiasm for the program. Kids aren't going to bus their a--es at practice and in the off-season if they've spent an entire year sitting on the bench.
3. Building the enthusiasm will keep kids out for football. You never know where a kid will be in three years so make sure you get them in and involved.
4. Who cares what the freshman team's (or JV) record is if kids quit or won't work hard in the off-season if they don't play. You're only developing confidence in those kids that are playing. So, if you have 30 kids out for freshman ball, but only half of them see consistent playing time, you're only boosting the confidence of half a class.
You're putting a lot on the line if you don't treat the freshman and JV levels as developmental. A 15 year old kid doesn't quit because they lose, they quit because they don't play. Kids aren't going to buy into any sort of work ethic if their working hard at practice and then play spectator during games. So what if you go undefeated and have half of the kids either quit the next year?
You can find that happy medium between winning and getting all of the kids turns. I coached in a program that made sure everyone played and the JV didn't lose a game in 3 years and the sophomores lost 2 games a year.
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celtic
Freshmen Member
Posts: 86
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Post by celtic on Jan 18, 2011 19:49:50 GMT -6
100% of players come out as sophomores. Unrealistic percentage maybe, but you should strive to have every one of those kids have a positive experience and want to continue in the program. You never know what that chubby, awkward 9th grader might look like in 3 years.
they should have a firm understanding of your varsitys top, basic offense and defensive plays. when you're constantly having to re-teach basics to sophs the first few weeks of camp, it can be detrimental to their development. we get roughly 20 practices prior to opening night. only so much time can be dedicated to teaching sophomores the basics of your playbook. they need to get it on the 9th grade level.
resist the urge to move freshmen up and off the freshman team. unless the kid's a total stud, he needs to play with his classmates. that bond can be special. plus if a kid's not ready, it can really screw him up and even turn him off to the sport all together. we won 2 games this year and had at least 2 freshmen that could have seen spot time for us. we were overmatched going into most games. knowing this, we left the 2 kids with the frosh, let them have an enjoyable experience and they'll be coming back ready to compete for starting spots this upcoming season. plus, our freshmen went undefeated so all those kids are pretty hungry to continue playing and compete this season.
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Post by coachcb on Jan 19, 2011 10:58:46 GMT -6
100% of players come out as sophomores. Unrealistic percentage maybe, but you should strive to have every one of those kids have a positive experience and want to continue in the program. You never know what that chubby, awkward 9th grader might look like in 3 years. they should have a firm understanding of your varsitys top, basic offense and defensive plays. when you're constantly having to re-teach basics to sophs the first few weeks of camp, it can be detrimental to their development. we get roughly 20 practices prior to opening night. only so much time can be dedicated to teaching sophomores the basics of your playbook. they need to get it on the 9th grade level. resist the urge to move freshmen up and off the freshman team. unless the kid's a total stud, he needs to play with his classmates. that bond can be special. plus if a kid's not ready, it can really screw him up and even turn him off to the sport all together. we won 2 games this year and had at least 2 freshmen that could have seen spot time for us. we were overmatched going into most games. knowing this, we left the 2 kids with the frosh, let them have an enjoyable experience and they'll be coming back ready to compete for starting spots this upcoming season. plus, our freshmen went undefeated so all those kids are pretty hungry to continue playing and compete this season. I wouldn't even contemplate moving them up to varsity unless you're a smaller school and they can consistently be one of your best 11 on Friday nights. He may be a ridiculous athlete but he's short a few years of coaching and that can make for a hit-or-miss situation. They may have the physical tools to play at that level but they're only 15 years old when it comes for cognitive development. I coached in a very successful program before I took over my current gig and we had a lot of kids out for football. Enough for freshman, sophomore, JV and varsity units. We very rarely even moved a freshman up to the sophomore level. And, that was only if the varsity staff felt that they would be playing a lot of varsity football the next year. |
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Post by coachcb on Jan 19, 2011 18:33:48 GMT -6
I coached three years of freshman ball in two different programs under three HCs.
1st season: the HC wanted to make sure everyone played, no matter what. We toed that line, each player got turns and we did well. Finished up 9-2. There was a lot of fun, enthusiasm and excitement that year. All of the kids busted their humps because they knew they'd be rewarded with playing time. Out of around 40 kids, 31 came out for football the next year. However, as sophomores, a new HC took over and stressed winning above all else. That team did very, very poorly and only won 4 games and they were only playing the studs. There was a lot that went into it but the chemistry of that unit fell apart. Only 15 of those kids came out as juniors.
2nd season: Same program under the HC that wanted to win above all else. We had 55 freshman out, we wouldn't split between two teams and relied on a 5th and 6th quarter situation with running clocks to get kids playing time. We got our a--es handed to us all year: we didn't win a single game. It was a nightmare: there was no enthusiasm for football whatsoever by the fifth game. we ad 30+ kids just furious that they rode the bench all year and didn't play. Basically, 20 kids get regular reps and the other 35 were lucky to get a few plays. We wouldn't split between two teams and we paid for it. 25 kids came out as sophomores.
3rd season: New program, new HC. The AD was hell-bent on making sure we won at the freshman level so we toed that line. We went 10-0 but had games where only 15 out of 30 kids played. To make matters worse, we had freshman playing playing all three lower levels; freshman, froshmore and JV. We only had 12 kids come out the next year and we lost quite a few stud freshman because they were fried.. They had played three games a week most of the year (against state regulations) and dealt with a lot of over-use injuries.
IMO, the biggest difference between the three years was the excitement and moral level. That first year was a lot of fun; we found a compromise between playing everyone and winning football games. The second year was a disaster of epic proportions and I almost got out of coaching because of it. That third year was alright but it was very, very intense as we were basically treating it like a varsity unit. Yeah, we won games but we lost a lot of numbers because of it. I would have traded half of those wins to get the numbers back up the next year.
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Post by CoachCP on Jan 20, 2011 8:46:23 GMT -6
Simple. How to play as a team. The basic fundamentals of football (blocking, tackling, catching). The basic offense and basic principles on defense.
Just don't be vanilla. Push the kids. Trust me. Our freshmen team ran our whole varsity running game, all our quick passes, several of our PA passes, a few of our screens, and had almost all the formations installed. We used the varsity blocking rules, and they figured it out.
On defense, we had the same philosophy. We were multiple, and we let our kids adjust to formations and check out of them. We had basic stunts in place and everything. We ran Cover 2, 3, 1/4 1/4 half, and a man/zone mix for trips.
Our freshmen level is also the only level where we split up practice (offense 2 days, defense 2 days), and we still had that all accomplished with all the critical fundamentals in place.
Oh, perhaps the most important, and this isn't clinic talk. Really push them on special teams. We blocked 6 punts on our Freshmen level, and caused 2 safeties and 3 bad snaps because of the pressure (we had 3 punt "return units", we had 2 9-man pressure block schemes, and 1 7-man "return" team). All of our coaches really focused on a pair of special teams and we dedicated time ot them, and we really got jacked up for them. Trust me, the kids fed off of it, and I'm really excited to see the special teams for this group as they get older. It's going to be special I think, because it's not a joke to these kids.
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Post by sportsleader on Jan 20, 2011 15:55:06 GMT -6
I agree with coachcb and celtic. Be Positive and Demanding. You are tough and demand excellence but you are positive, encouraging, control your language and truly care about your players - you mentor them, each and every single one of them. Ask yourself - What is the purpose of sports in the first place? Watch the movie Gridiron Gang again and watch the transformation of the coach and the players. The coaches who are win at all costs really only care about themselves. They are selfish men. Period. Yes, play to win but win the right way, win playing your players, teaching them ALL something. This selfish poison is dropping all the way down to Kindergarten football. I met some parents who played at "The Winningest Youth Football Program in the city bla, bla. Their son was 8 yrs old. They practiced 4 days a week, games on Saturday. 11 game season. Their son never missed a practice. Last game of the season, they are winning 30-0 with 4 minutes left in the game. Their son goes up to the coach -"Coach, can I go in? I haven't played all year." The moron said, "No, you're not good enough yet. Maybe next year." How you conduct your HS team, your Freshman team - will be the way the K-1 grade coach conducts his. No wonder why 73% of kids quit sports by the age of 13. sportsleaderusa.blogspot.com/ |
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Post by coachbuck on Jan 21, 2011 2:16:05 GMT -6
1. Learn basic Offense and Defense 2. Learn how to prepare 3. Learn to practice to beat the best 4. Get kids in proper positions 5. Learn techniques We will two-platoon as much as possible, play everyone as much as we can without hurting our chances to win. When team goes on game field, they play to win. Want to develop confidence. BLB you hit the nail on the head. If you follow your check list winning is a by product. Winning does matter at the freshman level to the kids if you dont believe that then your crazy. |
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Post by lucassean2 on Jan 25, 2011 8:09:27 GMT -6
Teach them...
1. Discipline
2. Accountability
3. Sound fundamentals
4. Varsity Off, Def, ST
Keep them out for the team by putting 22+ players on the field.
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Post by coachcb on Jan 25, 2011 9:53:22 GMT -6
1. Learn basic Offense and Defense 2. Learn how to prepare 3. Learn to practice to beat the best 4. Get kids in proper positions 5. Learn techniques We will two-platoon as much as possible, play everyone as much as we can without hurting our chances to win. When team goes on game field, they play to win. Want to develop confidence. BLB you hit the nail on the head. If you follow your check list winning is a by product. Winning does matter at the freshman level to the kids if you dont believe that then your crazy. Of course they want to win; who doesn't? BUT you have to find a compromise between winning football games and developing your players by getting them in game situations. Like I said, no one is going to give a crap if about the freshman team's undefeated record if more than half of them don't come out as sophomores. And, finding that happy medium between winning and getting everyone in isn't that difficult, as long as you're coaching the crap out your kids. |
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Post by blb on Jan 25, 2011 10:45:40 GMT -6
BLB you hit the nail on the head. If you follow your check list winning is a by product. Winning does matter at the freshman level to the kids if you dont believe that then your crazy. Of course they want to win; who doesn't? BUT you have to find a compromise between winning football games and developing your players by getting them in game situations. Like I said, no one is going to give a crap if about the freshman team's undefeated record if more than half of them don't come out as sophomores. And, finding that happy medium between winning and getting everyone in isn't that difficult, as long as you're coaching the crap out your kids. The purpose of Freshman Football is to introduce them to HS athletics and get them ready for JV Football, whose purpose is to get them ready for Varsity Football. By the time they reach 9th Grade most have had four years of Football (and other sports) where the "Everybody Plays" philosophy is appropriate. We believe HS Football is a step-up to competitive, interscholastic athletics. I don't see a contradiction or need for compromise between developing your players and striving to win as much as possible at the lower levels. We are not a "Win at all costs" program. We have never had a year where "more than half of them don't come out as sophomores." We have what I consider normal attrition as kids begin to discover where their interests and aptitudes lie. In fact, two years ago the district where I worked instituted "Pay to Play", and yet we had the highest turnout for Football in the history of the school! Further, I have been a head coach 27 years and can count on one hand the number of kids who showed little to no potential as 9th graders who developed into Varsity starters or regulars. Many decided to "stick it out" anyway because they enjoyed being part of our program and the camaraderie with their peers and coaches despite the lack of playing time. And don't think for a second that a confidence and winning attitude they will carry with them does not start with their first experiences in the program. |
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Post by lukethadrifter on Jan 25, 2011 11:07:38 GMT -6
I would say that the Freshmen football players need to master the fundamentals of the game, and need to master the terminology, base offense, defense, and special teams that your program uses. Because technically, they could be moved up to varsity at that age if they are good enough. Doesn't happen often; especially at the bigger schools; but it does happen every once in awhile.
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Post by cspaulson on Jan 25, 2011 16:02:13 GMT -6
1. Development of fundamental skills.
2. Equal practice opportunities for all participants.
3. The amount of game time is determined by the coach's evaluation of the athlete's attitude, skills and team role, working toward equitable playing time.
4. Learning the rules of the game.
5. Development of love for the sport.
6. Development of an orientation toward team effort by each athlete.
7. Sportsmanship and fair play.
8. Development of the ambition to achieve at the next level of competition.
9. Improvement defines success more than winning.
10. Player retention.
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Post by lochness on Jan 25, 2011 16:09:52 GMT -6
For us, it's disgustingly simple (just like everything else):
1. Learn the fundamentals of the game
2. Become used to the way we practice (drills, progressions, practice structure, etc)
3. Have a blast, develop a love for football, come back next year excited and ready.
That's it. Everyone plays, everyone is worked with, and everyone improves.
Nothing else matters to us at that level.
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Post by coachplaa on Jan 26, 2011 17:46:10 GMT -6
Best advice I ever got for our lower level teams:
Two Goals for the End of the Season
1) Each kid will say "I had fun playing football this year."
2) Each kid will say "I want to play football again next year."
Fundamentals and everything else is great and important, but a kid that is fundamentally sound, and doesn't play the next year because it wasn't any fun, won't do the varsity team any good anyway.
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