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Post by coachsimp1 on Jul 13, 2018 14:33:32 GMT -6
I have recently retired from coaching high school football. I am now in charge of organizing a middle school football program. Looking for suggestions on what defensive skills we should be focusing on for 5th/6th/7th grade. Any help would be appreciated.
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Post by Chris Clement on Jul 13, 2018 14:34:13 GMT -6
Tackling and coherent run fits.
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Post by chi5hi on Jul 13, 2018 14:55:03 GMT -6
Pursuit and tackle.
Contain and tackle.
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Post by Defcord on Jul 13, 2018 16:54:22 GMT -6
Tackling and coherent run fits. I would say this plus block destruction.
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Post by Chris Clement on Jul 13, 2018 16:55:01 GMT -6
Baby steps...
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 13, 2018 20:04:21 GMT -6
If you are going to say "baby steps" regarding having 3 points of focus (tackling, run fits, block destruction) I would absolutely say that run fits would come last. Striking (both block destruction and tackling) would be the paramount defensive skills of 10-14 year old players.
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Post by agap on Jul 13, 2018 20:54:57 GMT -6
Tackling, run fits, and block destruction like others have mentioned. Personally I think all three go together and all need to be emphasized equally.
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Post by oldman61 on Jul 13, 2018 22:04:57 GMT -6
-Tackling -Block destruction (offense works on blocking everyday) -Alignment -Run fits -And I would do 10 minutes of change of direction drills every day. Set up 5-6 stations of the same drill and get kids to sprint plant and change direction flipping hips etc. CoD is a very overlooked defensive skill.
Just because a kid isn’t going to master something doesn’t mean you can’t introduce them to it.
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Post by Chris Clement on Jul 13, 2018 22:31:42 GMT -6
I’d argue the other way. Block destruction is important but only insofar as he’s in the right spot.
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Post by CS on Jul 14, 2018 4:32:17 GMT -6
I’d argue the other way. Block destruction is important but only insofar as he’s in the right spot. What if he needs to use block destruction to get to the right spot??? Chicken and egg principle. Lol
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Post by bobgoodman on Jul 14, 2018 8:39:52 GMT -6
Strange subject line for this, "Team Structure".
Run fits are system dependent, so I wouldn't coach them until I had teams in place.
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 14, 2018 8:41:23 GMT -6
I’d argue the other way. Block destruction is important but only insofar as he’s in the right spot. What if he needs to use block destruction to get to the right spot??? Chicken and egg principle. Lol Exactly. I was thinking of DL play primarily when I posted it, but seriously, Striking (which is both block destruction and tackling) is the most unnatural and unique yet universal aspect of football when compared to other youth sports. Run fits are going to change based on position (which will change as the kids mature) and scheme. The fact that to be successful in football, you have to be a violent striker will not.
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Post by Chris Clement on Jul 14, 2018 9:44:28 GMT -6
I can't speak to your run fits, but for us if a blocker comes up on a kid and he just gets to the right side of the blocker he's more or less in the right spot.
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 14, 2018 10:39:49 GMT -6
I can't speak to your run fits, but for us if a blocker comes up on a kid and he just gets to the right side of the blocker he's more or less in the right spot. Ah, in that regard, I would say that falls under block destruction and would agree that teaching them to not run around blocks is important.
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Post by carookie on Jul 14, 2018 11:27:58 GMT -6
-Tackling -Block destruction (offense works on blocking everyday) -Alignment -Run fits -And I would do 10 minutes of change of direction drills every day. Set up 5-6 stations of the same drill and get kids to sprint plant and change direction flipping hips etc. CoD is a very overlooked defensive skill. Just because a kid isn’t going to master something doesn’t mean you can’t untroduce them to it. This is darn near my edd schedule for both ms AND hs. We all like to think that fundamental development is for levels lower than ours (whatever level that is), while at our level wr have to focus on strategy and plays. I coached a hs staff that was all former college coaches and nfl players- they felt that hs was just for development towards the next level. The thing is repping fundamentals is good for all levels. I am sure Steph Curry still works on his ft form; same line of thinking here.
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Post by coachklee on Jul 16, 2018 5:03:03 GMT -6
I can't speak to your run fits, but for us if a blocker comes up on a kid and he just gets to the right side of the blocker he's more or less in the right spot. What if he should of been in the “left” spot?
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Post by Chris Clement on Jul 16, 2018 7:15:01 GMT -6
Gott im Himmel! Instant TD.
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Post by bobgoodman on Jul 16, 2018 8:30:51 GMT -6
I can't speak to your run fits, but for us if a blocker comes up on a kid and he just gets to the right side of the blocker he's more or less in the right spot. Ah, in that regard, I would say that falls under block destruction and would agree that teaching them to not run around blocks is important. I'd never teach them "to not run around blocks". They shouldn't run around a block if the blocker's carrying out the right assignment and is fast, but if the blocker's in the wrong place or can easily be beaten by steps, then they should run around the block. In practice you'll have quickness mismatches sometimes where the right thing would be to run around the block, but the reps with that pair of players needs to be kept "honest" so the blocker & defender both get something out of it, by disallowing the runaround. I know I've had to organize some drills like that. But they should also rep at least occasionally "dishonest" to practice taking advantage of an agility mismatch by, yeah, running around the block.
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 16, 2018 9:02:12 GMT -6
Ah, in that regard, I would say that falls under block destruction and would agree that teaching them to not run around blocks is important. I'd never teach them "to not run around blocks". They shouldn't run around a block if the blocker's carrying out the right assignment and is fast, but if the blocker's in the wrong place or can easily be beaten by steps, then they should run around the block. In practice you'll have quickness mismatches sometimes where the right thing would be to run around the block, but the reps with that pair of players needs to be kept "honest" so the blocker & defender both get something out of it, by disallowing the runaround. I know I've had to organize some drills like that. But they should also rep at least occasionally "dishonest" to practice taking advantage of an agility mismatch by, yeah, running around the block. Bob..beating someone to the spot is not "running around a block" Running around a block means that the defender takes the improper run fit (not the right/correct side as Chris Clement puts it) to avoid contact. Keep in mind bob that the OP is looking to develop skills for 5th/6th/7th grade teams, presumably acting as feeder teams to HS programs. Running around blocks is one of the worst bad habits younger players have. It is akin to the really fast kid just trying to run wide instead of running behind his blocking scheme. Sure it works...sometimes... until it doesn't. By then the player has lost countless opportunities to improve.
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