|
|
Post by 5straight on Jan 23, 2014 17:25:58 GMT -6
I am a HS Coach for the last 16 years. As a Head Coach I reach out to the local youth organizations to offer any assistance that I or my staff may give. Each year I have an instructional coaches clinic for them and I receive great feedback / reviews.
My question for all the Youth Coaches is: What assistance do you think would be most helpful (clinic, chalk talk, demonstration, etc) for you to develop into a great coach?
Reason I ask this is there are youth coaches who have a ton of playing or coaching experience and then there are coaches who know very very little about the game of football. My goal is to offer the most help I can but sometimes I am not sure what would be the most beneficial.
|
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Jan 23, 2014 19:45:06 GMT -6
I am a HS Coach for the last 16 years. As a Head Coach I reach out to the local youth organizations to offer any assistance that I or my staff may give. Each year I have an instructional coaches clinic for them and I receive great feedback / reviews. My question for all the Youth Coaches is: What assistance do you think would be most helpful (clinic, chalk talk, demonstration, etc) for you to develop into a great coach? Reason I ask this is there are youth coaches who have a ton of playing or coaching experience and then there are coaches who know very very little about the game of football. My goal is to offer the most help I can but sometimes I am not sure what would be the most beneficial. This is a great question....and really difficult to answer. I have coached youth football since 1983 and STILL dont have all the answers. Randomly.... For starters....a great coach is a GREAT teacher. Patient, thorough, demanding, diplomatic, trustworthy. You have to stress to them to be a GREAT teacher. Kids are not dumb but the coach can be an idiot. Convince them that whatever they see on TV....50% will NEVER translate to the youth game no matter what. Its not about the X's and O's....its about fundamentals but more than that.....its about getting the kids to understand the game. These kids are blank sheets of paper and may or may not watch ANY football on TV. You can train an OLB to textbook tackle all you want but if he is never in the right place at the right time he is now a terrible OLB. So at the youth level you have to figure out what is too much INDY time and what is too much GROUP time. An average tackler in the right place at the right time is now a VERY good tackler. To accomplish the correct balance you have to teach them how to manage their Practice Sessions. Many youth coaches have no clue how to do this. This would probably be the most helpful from a paid professional like yourself. Not many youth coaches are students of the game. The OC is play calling and running plays without any real knowledge of how a Defense works and visa verse. They will never become better at what they are doing unless they understand why the are doing what they are doing. The best way to accomplish this IN SEASON...challenge them to never watch the football during a play but rather what players. This goes for the OC AND the DC. Youth coaches are football watchers and have no Eyes in the Skybox to help them. So...rather than the DC running the D while his AC watches his son play the whole game....challenge the OC and DC to force their AC's to become another set of eyes. I cant tell you how hard that is for most of the coaches I have trained. Stress they must beat that accountability drum when it comes to dealing with all of the players. Team Building is almost as... if not more important than execution on game day. Since football is a serious mental sport they should all play as a team and not as individuals. It is amazing how youth coaches absolutely do not get this. They spend a ton of time on play installation and drills and conditioning while completely overlooking the teams personality. Then they give out helmet award stickers to their star players and ruin any and all chemistry without even realizing it. On our teams...the players do not even wear nameplates. The chemistry within the Staff is critical as well. You cant go thru an entire season without having a pre pre season meeting to go over the Hierarchy and you cant go thru the season without having some coaches meetings to go over the weekly issues. If legal...scout....if legal...scout with film. Film your own Practice Sessions and self scout. Film don't lie and creates a smarter Staff quicker. Never tell while teaching...always show and ALWAYS ask them why when they make a mistake. Most kids are shy and will simply copy what a buddy might be doing rather than pay full attention to the Coach. Cant have that. Get them to ask questions by asking them questions. Bring all of them out of their shells. This is rather easy to accomplish and make the teaching go much smoother. Have a pre season all hands Parent Meeting with all of your needs and goals as a team spelled out. Include all team rules to include Code of Ethics. Hand them a contract with everything written out and go over every single item point by point. Then have them sign it. This will alleviate 99% of all common Parent issues. Our handouts even include the differences between the NFHS, NCAA and NFL rules that are the most confused to the average fan. Then our Parents tend to act less foolish towards the Officials ...which only helps out the Staff. For me....as a youth coach....these topics would be an AWESOME Clinic. As far as systems I would help direct them if asked and not design anything for them. This will better speak to the masses since you mentioned some have experience and some do not. You cant really demo Zone Blocking for them as a group if two are going to try the UBSW, for example. There are 100 things you could do with that time that would better serve the youth coach. I have been to quite a few local HS "youth" clinics. They suck for the most part because they are trying to sell me on catch man techniques and I coach 7 year olds.....zone option spread and I coach 8 year olds...how to teach the QB to pre snap read in for their shallow concept and Im coaching 9 year olds. So if you want to sell them on your systems...dumb them down first. Why some HS coaches dont get this is understandable. Some things cant be dumb'd down. |
|
|
|
Post by 5straight on Jan 24, 2014 9:45:59 GMT -6
Mahonz, THANKS for a great response. You brought up some really fantastic points and I agree with them all. Like I said before, my goal is to be as helpful as I possibly can but more so helpful in areas that would make youth coaches better.
You are so correct with HS or College guys talking about what they do. Other than the fundamental teaching, X&O stuff does not apply.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris Clement on Jan 24, 2014 12:54:37 GMT -6
Don't talk down to them. While many may just be well-meaning parents trying to get through the season, you may find that some are better coaches than anyone on your staff. Most coaches who've never coached at the youth level don't realize that in many ways it's much more difficult than supposedly "higher" levels.
|
|
|
|
Post by pirate1590 on Jan 24, 2014 19:08:20 GMT -6
I have coached at the HS AND youth football level. High school kids you can run a lot more with, they are mature (ish), and are developed enough that you can run more complex plays etc without less teaching. Coaching at both levels is teaching. At the HS levels you are correcting bad habits and working on fundos of kids that have been playing football for 3,4,5 years or more. At the youth football level these kids are blank slates, and most of them have NEVER played a sport with the intensity and violence that football entails- you have to go step by step through EVERYTHING. Scrimmaging is essential on occasion, these kids at young ages need mental reps x1000. Too many youth football coaches have no idea how to teach those things, often time just throwing kids off the deep end teaching them how to hit-which turns many kids off to football, as well as scrimmaging extensively and not doing ANY fundos.
The second problem in my opinion are schematic. Most youth football coaches are coaching because of their kids, and don't know a lot about scheme. Many teams just put a bunch of plays in a playbook 40-80 plays deep and have no identity and get blown off the field because they have no blocking scheme. You will do ok if you have good athletes-but at the youth football level you will likely have on a team of 24 players 5 awful players 12 okay players 3 good players 2 very good players and 2 studs. Off a team of 24 players 7 out of 24 on average play ANY level of HS football. Coaching will always beat athletes. This year at the 12-14 age bracket semifinal there was a very well coached Wing T/Power I team versus a "multiple team" LOADED with athletes, probably 10 future HS players on that team. The Wing T team was outweighed by 20 pounds a man and won 27-8- Case in point. I have seen teams throw the ball 20 times a game with horrid protection, 5 recievers in a pattern etc. Passing at the youth level is essential and deadly only in moderation. I wont throw it more than 15-20 times a game with those athletes at the 12-14 age bracket. You have to practice the passing game religiously at all levels-often times it gets neglected and will hurt a team substantially. I have never seen a dominant team that relied only on the passing game, and I have seen more teams-but not many relying only on the running game. Everything must be covered and repped. Your 10 year old Johnny Football at QB may look REALLY good on air- but chances are he cant remember his progression etc when he has 6 frothing defenders in his grill on a passing play if its only repped a few times in practice.
The third problem is the coaches that are coaching for their kids and their kids only. I have seen many teams that have coaches kids that are woeful athletes playing skill positions like RB/QB/LB/CB. Coaching than turns into a power struggle with the coaches on whos kid to play more etc which will cripple a team. Our league does a good job with this- the two main coaches can only have one son on the team- the two ACs we pick after a few days of practice- and they generally arent skill position parents. This goes hand in hand with parents who get fed up with politics or involve themselves and start needless drama.
Finally as Mahonz said- the team often takes on the identity of its coach. When I was a kid we had one coach- coach Lee who was very loud and mean spirited to us- and we promptly tuned him out going on to go 2-6 that year. We didn't respect him at all. Being a yeller and a disciplinarian is needed at times- just like in parenting but supportive, firm, and positive coaches that discipline their players when need be will get MUCH more out of a team than a screaming blowhard- and will get you a lot more popular with the parents. One guy I coached with actually married one of the divorced moms on a team 4 years ago LOL.
So yes. The coaching styles need the most correction- in a 20 team league there will be 3 great coaches 4 good coaches 7 ok coaches and 7 terrible coaches. There are many teams that could easily be 5-3, 6-2, or 7-1 teams if coached right that go 0-8, 1-7, 2-6 ETC.
|
|
|
|
Post by 5straight on Jan 29, 2014 9:39:05 GMT -6
Thanks guys, this is all GREAT info that I will look to implement.
|
|
|
|
Post by wildcatslbcoach24 on Jan 29, 2014 14:50:28 GMT -6
Agreed about not talking down on them,creates a better working atmosphere. Coaching them up on schemes, terminology, and drills is what I think they need the most, especially when it comes to OL and DL. If they run schemes like yours, then help them learn the basic skills you want your future players to have down (or mastered in the best case scenario) before the come to you at the HS level. If they have been coaching man blocking schemes and you run zone teach them how to coach this. If they have been a one gap team and you want the DL to two gap then teach them what to look for and how to teach two gapping and vice versa. Help HCS find guys that are good coaches that will create an exciting environment to get interest in the program. At the end of the day teach them how to create players that are technically sound at their positions and work with them to create an identity that stretches from 3rd to 12th grade. They can be a great asset as they can be the tool that gets the local boys to want to be a Wildcat, Bear, Bandit, etc. from a young age.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachseth on Jan 30, 2014 10:20:15 GMT -6
Teach them blocking schemes. Please, for the love of all things holy, teach them blocking schemes.
The thing I see the most, or the thing coaches mess up the most, is blocking schemes. And the worst part is, if you have to have an assistant coach who doesn't know about blocking schemes, you have to try to teach HIM and the kids about blocking schemes.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachdoug on Jan 30, 2014 10:55:14 GMT -6
I don't really want to get into this too much here (as it has been discussed ad nauseum in other threads), but unless the youth program is part of the school system or is really tied tightly to the high school (like 90+% of the kids will be going to that HS AND the HS provides a lot of support the youth program), then the HS has absolutely no business telling the youth program what to run from a scheme standpoint. The chances that the HS will still be running those schemes by the time the youth players make it to varsity is minuscule. Just focus on fundamentals and good technique. I think Mahonz's post above is full of excellent advice. I would also suggest making sure you keep it fun. Most youth coaches don't know much about how to coach the passing game, so some on-field demonstrations on throwing mechanics (using younger players, not your polished varsity starter), and how to teach catching would probably be a lot of fun for everyone involved and would likely help the youth coaches in an area where they likely don't have knowledge.
Let me expand on what I mean by teaching catching. Pretty much everyone knows to teach keeping the hands together and to make a diamond shape with the thumbs & forefingers for anything coming in chest high or higher, and the put the thumbs together for anything lower. And, of course, watch the ball all the way into the hands. You can skip (or at least cover very quickly) all that. Focus on the drills you do to develop the skills of catching a ball. Demonstrate players catching 100 tennis balls (or racquetballs, or whatever you use), the arms-around-the-goalpost drill, the turn-and-catch-the-ball-already-in-the-air drill, one-handed catching drills, Settle-n-Noose, Pat-n-Go, catching through disruption, etc, etc. Most youth coaches tell the kids to run 10 yards, cut in and they throw them ball - whichever kids catch the most become receivers, but when they drop a few, the coaches decide that youth players can't catch so they abandon the pass game. Catching, like pretty much everything else, is a skill that can be taught and drilled - give your youth coaches the tools to do so.
Anyway, that same process applies to blocking, tackling, coverage, zone running, etc. I just chose to focus on catching as I know that few youth coaches know how to teach it and I think it would be fun for everyone involved, but if it is more appropriate for your group to focus on something else, pick whatever is best for your situation - just break it down the most basic skills and demonstrate how to teach and drill those skills.
Good luck.
|
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Jan 30, 2014 12:48:41 GMT -6
I don't really want to get into this too much here (as it has been discussed ad nauseum in other threads), but unless the youth program is part of the school system or is really tied tightly to the high school (like 90+% of the kids will be going to that HS AND the HS provides a lot of support the youth program), then the HS has absolutely no business telling the youth program what to run from a scheme standpoint. The chances that the HS will still be running those schemes by the time the youth players make it to varsity is minuscule. Just focus on fundamentals and good technique. Doug Great advise. I have coached in Orgs whereas my youth team feeds 5 HS programs and I have coached in Orgs whereas my youth team feeds one HS program. Obviously I cant run 5 Systems at once so that was never a consideration. But when we fed one HS program and tried to bridge the gap systems wise it was a mess because a lot of what the HS was doing wouldn't lend itself all that well to the youth game. It became way too much work for the HS Staff to try and "manage" a youth team. We ended up doing simple things like same hole numbering on Offense but nothing the same on Defense. It didn't work....and I was in this situation twice with two different HS programs. But a HS Clinic for youth coaches that covers everything outside of their actual systems and more about how to teach this particular position to do that or how to manage your team or your practice or how to hold a quality camp ....now Im in the front row pencil in hand. |
|
|
|
Post by coachphillip on Jan 30, 2014 23:17:10 GMT -6
I've been trying to get our program more involved with our local youth program and I've come to that same conclusion. The youth players don't need to know our schemes because not all of them will go here. But, I would like for them all to be fundamentally sound in blocking, tackling, shedding, catching, throwing, ball carrying, etc. This thread is helping a lot. Thanks gentlemen.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachphillip on Jan 30, 2014 23:18:21 GMT -6
Do the clinics you provide or attend typically free? And do they have a decent enough turnout from your organization's coaches to warrant having one? Trying to decide between an open it up to anyone for $20 deal or a sit down with the president and say we will clinic all your coaches for free if you package our youth skills camp into your registration fees as a fundraiser and a chance to get these kids in early.
|
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Jan 31, 2014 11:03:00 GMT -6
Do the clinics you provide or attend typically free? And do they have a decent enough turnout from your organization's coaches to warrant having one? Trying to decide between an open it up to anyone for $20 deal or a sit down with the president and say we will clinic all your coaches for free if you package our youth skills camp into your registration fees as a fundraiser and a chance to get these kids in early. Coach The Coaches Clinics I have been too that are sponsored by the HS Staff are typically $10 at the door. That covered the food and drinks. Sometimes the Youth Org will foot that bill and make the Clinic free. If you dont feed em....they wont come. Camps sponsored by the HS Staffs are as low as $35 and typically run a couple of evenings for two hours with no food or t-shirts.... on the high end up to $250 but run a full week during the day and include a simple daily lunch and a t-shirt or maybe some awards at the end or even a guest speaker that is a local sports hero. I have attended both formats and the numbers were always good. |
|
|
|
Post by 5straight on Feb 2, 2014 13:00:54 GMT -6
Coaches,
First off, GREAT REPLIES !! You guys have really provided some awesome insight and advice. I guess now my question is geared more toward actual Youth Coaches; How do I present all this great info to youth coaches without appearing condescending. I want to teach / present as though no one in the room knows what I am talking about without appearing as a "know it all". I take the same approach with my players. I never want to assume they know what I am talking about or they understand the "lingo" I am using. For example "an overhang LB".
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris Clement on Feb 2, 2014 21:47:54 GMT -6
You can explain things from the ground up without being condescending. The "better" coaches will just nod along as you go over the basics. It's more about speaking to them as grown men.
|
|
|
|
Post by jrk5150 on Feb 3, 2014 10:27:18 GMT -6
I'm going to throw another subject on the table - practice planning.
Most youth coaches have no idea how to run a good practice; how to keep groups small, how to avoid talking at kids for more than a few seconds (attention spans are pitiful at the youth level), how to keep the kids moving, how to teach what needs to be taught with only 2-3 practices a week, how to account for missing kids that may still have to play on the weekend, etc.
I realize some of these challenges are unique to youth ball and wouldn't be in a HS coach's wheelhouse to address, but from a generalized planning/concept standpoint, that's probably what youth coaches need as much as anything else. The practice time wasted at most youth practices is astonishing, especially considering the limited amount of time they start with!
|
|
|
|
Post by scotdaking on Feb 7, 2014 16:09:42 GMT -6
This is a great thread coach and thanks for asking how you can help youth coaches.
First, I would start by gaining a sense of the youth program's level of sophistication. Is it a new program? How is it organized? Is there a structure? Are basic processes in place? Who is calling the shots? Are the dad's doing most of the coaching or is it an experienced coaching staff.
Second, I would ask the leadership how can we help. Perhaps there's a need for a better practice field or some equipment or coaching videos/books.
Next, I would offer to attend practice and make suggestions that may improve the practice planning and efficiency.
Finally, I would offer the services of the HS Seniors who may lead drills and help youth coaches wanting to teach technique.
I wouldn't impose the HS offense or defense scheme and playbook on to the youth coaches. I would remain in the background and allow the youth coaches to experience a level of independence.
But clearly, it is essential that the HS coaches get involved with the youth programs. The HS coach has an interest in ensuring the youth are receiving the instruction necessary to achieve success once they reach the HS level.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris Clement on Feb 8, 2014 14:08:59 GMT -6
The idea of seniors helping at the youth level sounds nice, but it carries a big risk. A lot of the time they get distracted and misunderstand the distinction between coaching and just showing off. Choose those players carefully.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachphillip on Feb 8, 2014 15:30:00 GMT -6
I wouldn't do it. I would use Seniors as examples and maybe do some fun stuff but there's a reason coaches coach and players play.
|
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Feb 8, 2014 16:04:44 GMT -6
Finally, I would offer the services of the HS Seniors who may lead drills and help youth coaches wanting to teach technique. This is a very interesting idea. We host 3 day full pads full contact youth camps every July. All kids are split up into small teams by age. They stay in these small teams for the entire camp. 2 days of fundies and then 1 day of round robin scrimmages at the end with teams in your same age group. In 2 of these camps we have paired up a Youth Coach and a HS FB Senior as the coaching staff across all teams, all age groups. This format was GINORMOUSLY successful. The little dudes thought John Elway himself was coaching them and the bigger dudes hung out during water breaks and the like asking questions about their HS experiences and Programs. We had Seniors from 5 different HS Programs in attendance that the Varsity HC selected for us. So it worked well for camps. I coached Semi Pro and Youth for 8 years during one run. Semi Pro ended in August so I invited key players to come and coach up certain things for my youth team that they were beyond proficient at and I was lacking at as far as the coaching was concerned. One season our place kicker came 3 times a week for 30 minutes for an entire month. He worked with the snapper, holder and place kicker. We could kick 20 yard FG's like nothing thereafter that season. He came to teach both the kids and my staff a skill set I was weak on. Had a DB do the same that played for the NY Jets...our 35 year old Center that was masterful at the position...etc. They only showed up 3 or 4 times but that was all it took. Then a few would come to a game or two during the season. The kids really enjoyed these adults showing up to help. I would think a Senior HS FB player would be just as successful. |
|
|
|
Post by scotdaking on Feb 8, 2014 16:18:26 GMT -6
Agree. The Seniors have a way of communicating to the wide eyed youth players in a manner that gets their attention. And yes, there is the feeling amongst the youth players that this Senior is doing it so I can too. We are talking mostly technique here so there shouldn't be any real conflict between the Seniors and the youth team's coaching staff. Task is to get only those Seniors who are leaders and can demonstrate proper technique. My experience has been the Seniors love the opportunity.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachjeff2378 on Feb 16, 2014 13:55:01 GMT -6
First off I want to applaud you for doing your best to help the youth coaches in your area. I disagree with the guys that commented that HS coaches should stay out of youth football. I've been coaching youth ball for several years and I try to be like a sponge. I feel like I can learn something from everyone that's willing to talk to me and teach me something about the game. I think even the most seasoned coach can still learn things. I'm always open to HS coaches helping me as much as they're willing to. The other part to that is that even if a player isn't going to play in your HS program, I think it's still paramount for any kid trying to learn the game to learn it with the best fundamentals as possible. So even in that situation, it can benefit the kid to have their youth coach learning proper coaching.
I was an offenseive/defensive lineman in my playing days, so when I first started coaching I was fairly strong in fundamentals relating to those positions and weak in fundamentals for other positions. The only offense I really understood was the split veer my HS ran. So I had a lot of work to do to be an adequate head coach. So at that juncture I could have benefitted from help with offensive schemes, defensive schemes, and fundamentals everywhere but the line.
Fortunately, you can learn a lot on coachhuey and different online websites. Also, I'm lucky to have a buddy that's an up and coming OC that has helped me a ton with offense. He doesn't disrespect or tell me what to do. He tells me with they do and how they run stuff and the wrinkles they use and I tweak it to what my team does and put it on a youth level.
One thing I think is beneficial for youth coaches is organizing their offense and developing an offensive system in general. As I learned different offensive concepts, I had a tendency to try to "grab bag" the concepts I liked even if they didn't fit with the rest of the offense. As many of you know, this practice fails and wastes practice time. With kids your offense really needs to flow together in a logical manner to help them understand. So I think a good thing for HS coaches to teach is just helping youth coaches with that process. Every year I go through a process where I evaluate my players, determine the type of offensive philosophy I want to run that fits those players, list the concepts I like that fit that philosophy, and then finally I strip out the concepts that aren't absolutely necessary. I want to run as little on offense as possible to have answers for defenses. The less I run, the more the kids can focus on perfect execution of those plays. Since employing this strategy I have seen offensive production increase exponentially. I think youth coaches would benefit from some type of organizational system like this.
In summation:
1. Fundamentals
2. Chalk talk
3. Defining your offensive system
This is a good place to start in my opinion.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachcb on Feb 16, 2014 17:25:48 GMT -6
I've coached every level of football, youth through varsity. I agree with everything that's been posted above but here's my two cents.
The local HS HCs need more influence over the youth leagues. I've coached in two youth leagues; one run by a former college coach with strong ties to the HS football community, the other run by a revolving group of idiots.
The former league was well run and very hard on poor coaches. Coaches that were in it for the wrong reasons and/or treated the kids poorly were asked not to return. The guys that ran the league maintained a presence on the sidelines and made sure things were done the right way. They also had set offensive (straight T) and defensive (4-4) playbooks that everyone had to run for the first half of the season. These playbooks were simple, emphasized fundamentals and involved as many kids as possible. You could switch to other schemes halfway through the year but those teams that strayed too far away from it got their a$$es kicked. This also kept the Maddenites away from the league.
The latter league is terrible.. Absolutely terrible. The guys that run it are shady, there's little control and they let anyone coach. Long story short, I bagged out of coaching for the first time in fifteen years because I was told I had to accept an assistant who had been kicked out of another league for losing his temper with the kids.
|
|
|
|
Post by 33coach on Feb 16, 2014 23:47:05 GMT -6
training on drills and practice organization!
I was only successful as a coach AFTER i learned how to properly plan practice.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachdoug on Mar 2, 2014 15:30:20 GMT -6
I disagree with the guys that commented that HS coaches should stay out of youth football. When I first read that I thought maybe I missed something, so I went back and re-read the entire thread. No one said any such thing. The only comment that was even close enough to be misinterpreted that way was mine, so I'm assuming that your comment was directed at me. Please allow me to clarify what I said. I've never said (or even thought) that HS coaches should stay out of youth football. I welcome involvement from HS coaches - the more we all work together, the better it is for the kids, which hopefully is one of the central goals of everyone involved. This off-season, I've already personally met with 3 of the local varsity head coaches of the schools where most of my kids will go, and had some brief face time with a fourth this weekend at the Glazier clinic. I attend spring and summer practices of at least 3 or 4 local high schools as well as off-season skills development camps run by coaches all over San Diego County. I also attend at least 5-10 local HS games every season. What I said was very specific and limited solely to SCHEME - HS coaches have no business dictating scheme to their local youth program unless they are in a pretty rare situation of having the youth program almost exclusively feed one HS and that HS is highly involved with providing support to the youth program. Even then, given the realities of staff turnover and changes in philosophy, it's probably not that good of any idea as it's pretty unlikely that the HS will still be running the same scheme by the time the youth players get to the varsity level. However, help and input from HS coaches wrt to everything else is welcome and greatly appreciated. Even help and input wrt to scheme can be welcome and appreciated, so long as it is offered only when asked for and is not handed down as an edict forced upon the youth program against their will. I hope that clears things up. |
|
|
|
Post by coachjeff2378 on Mar 7, 2014 11:38:49 GMT -6
I disagree with the guys that commented that HS coaches should stay out of youth football. When I first read that I thought maybe I missed something, so I went back and re-read the entire thread. No one said any such thing. The only comment that was even close enough to be misinterpreted that way was mine, so I'm assuming that your comment was directed at me. Please allow me to clarify what I said. I've never said (or even thought) that HS coaches should stay out of youth football. I welcome involvement from HS coaches - the more we all work together, the better it is for the kids, which hopefully is one of the central goals of everyone involved. This off-season, I've already personally met with 3 of the local varsity head coaches of the schools where most of my kids will go, and had some brief face time with a fourth this weekend at the Glazier clinic. I attend spring and summer practices of at least 3 or 4 local high schools as well as off-season skills development camps run by coaches all over San Diego County. I also attend at least 5-10 local HS games every season. What I said was very specific and limited solely to SCHEME - HS coaches have no business dictating scheme to their local youth program unless they are in a pretty rare situation of having the youth program almost exclusively feed one HS and that HS is highly involved with providing support to the youth program. Even then, given the realities of staff turnover and changes in philosophy, it's probably not that good of any idea as it's pretty unlikely that the HS will still be running the same scheme by the time the youth players get to the varsity level. However, help and input from HS coaches wrt to everything else is welcome and greatly appreciated. Even help and input wrt to scheme can be welcome and appreciated, so long as it is offered only when asked for and is not handed down as an edict forced upon the youth program against their will. I hope that clears things up. I got ya. I misunderstood what you meant. I agree with you completely. |
|
