|
Post by vince148 on Sept 20, 2021 18:03:24 GMT -6
I have the following books available for sale. PM me if you're interested. Certified check or money order only. All are $8 unless otherwise stated.
Single wing books by Keuffel, Reed, and McAdams. These are all $12
Complete Offensive Line by Trickett. $12
Coaching The Pro 4-3.
Slanting Monster Defense by Foster.
Complete Wing-T Offensive Line.
Winning Football With the 4-3 Defense.
Wing-T from A to Z, Vol. 2. $12
Bone and Shoot Attack.
Coaching the Multiple 4-3 Defense.
Coaching Youth Football Defense by Reed.
Secrets of the Split T Formation by Faurot
Offensive and Defensive Line Play by Gomer Jones
Building a Championship Football Team by Bryant
Coaching Youth Football by Reed
Power T Football by Andros and Smith
The Split Line T Offense by Gaither
Oklahoma Split T Football by Wilkerson
The One Back attack by Criner and Sosnowski
Coaching Football's 46 Defense by Ryan
Football's Simple Six by Schnake
Robust Football by Jim Smith
Football's Attacking 46 Bear Defense by Ratledge
The Hurry-Up No Huddle Offense by Malzahn
Modern Defensive Football by Jones and Wilkerson
Football's Attacking Combination-60 Defense by Kenig
Vince Lombardi on Football, Vol 1 and 2 $18
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Nov 13, 2019 14:33:17 GMT -6
I am in this situation NOW. We are a very small rural school which is made up of students from two neighboring towns. Total high school enrollment...49. We play 8 man and we barely made it through the season. We had to forfeit 4 games. With injuries and people joining then quitting, I had 2 seniors, 4 juniors, 1 freshman, and 1 sophomore at the end of the season. We have no JV team and don't even have enough for a MS team.
At this point, I'm not real sure what we can do about fundraising. I did the Gatorade deal when I was the powerlifting coach at another school which had about 190 students. That school also plays 8 man, but they have much greater resources than where I'm at now. When I left that school two years ago, a business person in the town bought them almost $15,000 worth of new weight room equipment.
Hopefully, we can get a grant. We need new uniforms. Kids buy their home jerseys and it's now reached the point that we wont have enough for next season.
This was my first season as HC there. It certainly has been a challenge and my team has certainly had to overcome a lot of adversity.
Obviously, first priority is strengthening the kids that I have. Then, we have to figure out how to get more of the 25 or so boys in the school to participate.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Oct 1, 2019 13:37:51 GMT -6
I started very late. Started coaching career by coaching youth back in 2010 when I was 52. Picked up a MS coaching position a year later, then a JV HS position. However, it's been mostly youth ball, but I kept applying for just about every coaching position available in my area. I continued to read, study, talk with others on forums and call a few here and there. This year, at 61, I was hired as HC for a small 8-man school. You just have to decide that if this is really what you want to do, to get on a staff somewhere and continue to learn and develop as a coach.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Sept 17, 2019 14:56:19 GMT -6
I suspended him for the remainder of the season.
It could cause us to forfeit the remainder of the season, but I guess I'm old school. I am the coach. You need to do what I tell you to do. To me, letting one kid get away with no consequences only sets precedent for others to do the same. Sooner or later, you lose authority and control and then the inmates are running the asylum.
Yeah, maybe I'll regret it down the road. But it just seems like too many people want to treat their players with kid gloves and coddle them. The football field is not the place to throw your little temper tantrum and then think you're going to get away with it.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Sept 17, 2019 4:56:52 GMT -6
Good luck brother. I also am all for the entire team gassers because peer pressure and teammate accountability go a long way in correcting behavior as well as long as its not to the point of bullying. - Coach Thurm That's what I was hoping for. One of my players came up to me during one of the breaks and we talked about his frustration of some of the players not working hard. I told him that maybe him and our senior captain should hold a team meeting to express their feelings.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Sept 16, 2019 18:08:46 GMT -6
I am the HC for a really small 8-man team. We only have 10 players. Injuries have already cut into our numbers, so every body counts. This kid does not give full effort and when I call him out, he throws his little temper tantrum and pouts. I decided to make the whole team do gassers because of his attitude. He refused to do them. He then laid around on the ground as I was working with something else with the team. He then made some smart alec comment and I told him that I think he should leave. This is the second time this kid has displayed this "attitude". The first time, it cost him sitting out the first game. The kid is obviously a cancer to the rest of the team and while my preference would be to just can him, I don't want to jeopardize the season for the rest of the kids. We've already had to forfeit the first 3 games due to injuries, but we were at least able to take the first two games into the second half before injuries forced us to concede. He is a good athlete, but we also played extremely well in our first game without him. We were actually ahead in the game before I had to call the game in the 4th quarter. Thoughts?
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Sept 7, 2019 11:29:27 GMT -6
We are in the same situation. 8-man at a small school. We have forfeited the first two games. The first game, we led the entire game and were up 30-28 when I called it. Last night was just a blowout, down 36-0 in the 3rd when I called it. We went into both games with just 10 players, but injuries have hit us hard already. Last week, we lost a kid for the season from a knee injury. Last night, a kid went out with concussion and may be lost for the season as well. We picked up a kid who will be eligible to play in next week's game, but he is a freshman with no experience. So I would be going in with 8 kids unless another kid who was injured comes back and makes it 9. Unfortunately, the major injuries are hitting my best athletes. While I am try to remain optimistic, it is possible that we may not even have enough kids for next week, let alone the season.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 23, 2019 18:31:47 GMT -6
Thanks guys. Maybe, I'll just do it on the white board. Might be easier.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 23, 2019 14:24:05 GMT -6
When do you typically go over your opponent's game film with your team? Our first game is Thursday afternoon, so we will already have a short week to get ready for our opponent.
Our practices are typically 2.5 hours, so I'm figuring just a short walk-through (1.5 hr) on Wednesday followed by film right after for about an hour.
Suggestions/advice.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jul 16, 2017 18:08:27 GMT -6
I don't see how time would be an issue. Most weight training programs I've seen seem to manage fairly well with 20-25 kids and get done in an hour or so. Most PE classes can do that. This could be at least 7th-9th grade, but can be scaled back for 5th/6th graders. No, not every day, but can be 2-3x a week. Circuit A and B are done in the same workout. How is that any different than a kid doing BP:3x10, Row:3x10, Press:3x10 Squat:3x10, Curl:3x10, Triceps pushsdowns:3x10? If that's the issue, start with lesser reps. For circuit A go 6-5-4, for circuit B, go 1-2-3. What I did was combine the idea of the Spartan 300 workout with something I read about in a prison workout sequence. They just used the same exercises for both rep schemes. I wanted the low reps to be more challenging and strength/power oriented while the higher reps were more hypertrophy oriented.
"Spartan 300" workout? A "prison workout" sequence?
Yikes.
Try that with your team and let us know how it works.
BTW I haven't seen a HS team doing 3x10 for each exercise in a strength training workout in over 30 years.
If they're doing the usual periodization models (hypertrophy/strength/power), they probably are.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jul 16, 2017 18:03:31 GMT -6
I don't see how time would be an issue. Most weight training programs I've seen seem to manage fairly well with 20-25 kids and get done in an hour or so. Most PE classes can do that. This could be at least 7th-9th grade, but can be scaled back for 5th/6th graders. No, not every day, but can be 2-3x a week. Circuit A and B are done in the same workout. How is that any different than a kid doing BP:3x10, Row:3x10, Press:3x10 Squat:3x10, Curl:3x10, Triceps pushsdowns:3x10? If that's the issue, start with lesser reps. For circuit A go 6-5-4, for circuit B, go 1-2-3. What I did was combine the idea of the Spartan 300 workout with something I read about in a prison workout sequence. They just used the same exercises for both rep schemes. I wanted the low reps to be more challenging and strength/power oriented while the higher reps were more hypertrophy oriented. That is a ton of volume for in-season. In-season, do 4-3/1-2 reps twice a week. The other rep schemes are more off-season.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jul 16, 2017 15:20:48 GMT -6
45-60 minutes for YOU (one person).
How would that translate to training a team full of kids?
Also, what age group are you talking?
Are you doing Circuit A and B every day?
Even if not - you would have kids (during Circuit 'A', fo ex.) doing 40 reps total of each (six different) exercise?
Perhaps I misunderstood, or you need to explain better.
Otherwise I would say it's crazy and run off more kids than it would benefit. I don't see how time would be an issue. Most weight training programs I've seen seem to manage fairly well with 20-25 kids and get done in an hour or so. Most PE classes can do that. This could be at least 7th-9th grade, but can be scaled back for 5th/6th graders. No, not every day, but can be 2-3x a week. Circuit A and B are done in the same workout. How is that any different than a kid doing BP:3x10, Row:3x10, Press:3x10 Squat:3x10, Curl:3x10, Triceps pushsdowns:3x10? If that's the issue, start with lesser reps. For circuit A go 6-5-4, for circuit B, go 1-2-3. What I did was combine the idea of the Spartan 300 workout with something I read about in a prison workout sequence. They just used the same exercises for both rep schemes. I wanted the low reps to be more challenging and strength/power oriented while the higher reps were more hypertrophy oriented.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jul 16, 2017 13:47:18 GMT -6
I know it's old, but I was playing around with this for myself this summer and wanted to pass along something that I've been playing around with. After 40 years of heavy lifting and competition, I decided, to the delight of my wife, to stop pushing the heavy squats, etc. At almost 60 years old, my body just doesn't recover like it did, even after light squats.
So, I started researching some bodyweight stuff and began reading about Herschel Walker and other bodyweight programs.
So here's something that I've been doing. It's a mix of hypertrophy, strength, and power training. It is a couple of circuits.
Circuit A 1. Inverted rows 2. Back raises 3. Pushups 4. Squats or single leg movement (lunge/step-up/splits squat/single leg squat) 5. Sit-ups 6. Dips
Circuit B 1. Pull-ups 2. Single leg toe touch 3. Clapping pushup 4. Box Jumps 5. Hanging leg raise 6. Single arm pushup
Here's how the rep scheme works... Circuit A: 10 reps each Circuit B: 1 rep each Circuit A: 9 reps each Circuit B: 2 reps each Circuit A: 8 reps each Circuit B: 3 reps each Circuit A: 7 reps each Circuit B: 4 reps each Circuit A: 6 reps each Circuit B: 5 reps each
Take 20-30 seconds rest between each exercise Take 45-60 seconds rest between each circuit
I also do kettlebells in this mix. For example, I do KB swings instead of back raises. I'll do legs with KBs. Instead of SL toe touches, I'll do double KB snatches. I'll also do single KB C&P where the one arm pushups are and move those to where the clapping pushups are.
It's really a nice refreshing workout. Took me anywhere from 45-60 minutes which is about all the time I want to be in the gym anymore. But I designed it with younger athletes in mind. Add in some speed work and it's good to go.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jan 5, 2017 16:03:42 GMT -6
Low numbers was the biggest issue. As I said, we had one game where we ended up playing with 10 players. Mostly, we had 13. We were in most games at the half, even leading a couple. However, by the middle of the 3rd quarter, the other team's numbers (most of them fielded 20-25 player rosters) and our fatigue began to set in. As tired as they were, they always played hard to the end. That was our biggest detriment.
The low numbers also meant that we had to play definite MPP type kids somewhere all the time. Out of 13 kids, 4 were true MPP type players. This made it somewhat difficult to position players where I really wanted them as it seemed that I was always robbing Peter to pay Paul to get what I wanted. Nevertheless, we still performed adequately enough to be in most games.
We ran a SW type offense and the kids really enjoyed it. Defense was the Dumcoach KB. It was a good defense, but I think that I'm going to go either with a 50 front or a pro 4-3 defense so that I have better containment.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jan 5, 2017 5:42:55 GMT -6
Just found this thread and I am very curious to how this all worked out for you. I was alone for about the first 3 weeks. A couple of dads ended up helping out, although they were a little sporadic. In the end, everything went fairly well. We had to deal with very low numbers. We ended up playing one game with just 10 players due to an injury suffered in the first two minutes of the game. Ironically, it was the only game we won all season. However, the kids played hard and fearless every snap of every game and we could have easily won 2 more, but that's the way it goes. The good news is that I already have two other coaches lined up to help me next season.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jan 5, 2017 5:41:26 GMT -6
Just found this thread and I am very curious to how this all worked out for you. I was alone for about the first 3 weeks. A couple of dads ended up helping out, although they were a little sporadic. In the end, everything went fairly well. We had to deal with very low numbers. We ended up playing one game with just 10 players due to an injury suffered in the first two minutes of the game. Ironically, it was the only game we won all season. However, the kids played hard and fearless every snap of every game and we could have easily won 2 more, but that's the way it goes. The good news is that I already have two other coaches lined up to help me next season.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jan 5, 2017 5:40:13 GMT -6
Just found this thread and I am very curious to how this all worked out for you. I was alone for about the first 3 weeks. A couple of dads ended up helping out, although they were a little sporadic. In the end, everything went fairly well. We had to deal with very low numbers. We ended up playing one game with just 10 players due to an injury suffered in the first two minutes of the game. Ironically, it was the only game we won all season. However, the kids played hard and fearless every snap of every game and we could have easily won 2 more, but that's the way it goes. The good news is that I already have two other coaches lined up to help me next season.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Sept 5, 2016 14:54:43 GMT -6
I coached in a league that had weigh-in for every player before each game. Wasn't a problem at all and generally took less than 10 minutes. It was a league field commissioner that conducted the weigh-in. So, if in your case, a league official was doing the weigh-in, the dad would be dealing with a league official instead of the opposing coach (you). Big difference.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 17, 2016 11:44:06 GMT -6
Coach, Teach snap count during dynamic warmp-ups. Sprints, tail-kickers, etc... should all be on the snap count- especially if you are using any of Dave Cisar's stuff. I would definitely recommend that you do use Cisar's material. Correct 3pt stances during this time, also. Instill discipline at this time. You won't have time for horse-play during practices. Time is crucial for any staff of coaches. It's even more important when you're coaching alone. This is a half-line drill that I used when I had to coach alone. It isn't an end-all/be-all, magic bullet, or whatever. It does get the kids busy, conditions them and you can teach basics out of it. But, like the other coaches mentioned, get some AC's to help you out asap. .........................................................................C ................................X X X ................................O O O............................... W ..................................Q Don't just jump into the half-line drill. Progress your way into it. You begin with a basic 1 vs. 1 'Sumo Drill'. Have the players 'bet' on who's going to win. Winners do 5 push-ups. Losers do 10, along with the losing sumo participant. Winning sumo'er does no push-ups. This is a dogfight. Make the spectators cheer on their guy. Get them hyped and aggressive. ...........................................X ...........................................O Build and progress to this: Begin teaching correct O-line and D-line techniques. (i.e... shoulder blocking, hand blocking, rip, swim, whatever...). Look for a single winner. Ex.: one of the X's rips under the 'O' and gets into the backfield. He's the winner. He does no push-ups. All others do push-ups. Winner rotates out. New player in. It's also no longer really a sumo drill. O's are trying to drive and pancake. D's are trying whatever defensive techniques that fit your defense. ............................................D D D ............................................O O O Progress to this: ...........................................D D D ...........................................O O O................... W .............................................QB(Coach) Same drill. But, this time the winner goes out for a pass. You're the QB. Don't worry. They all want to go deep, which works out great for you. It's all about the conditioning. You could care less who actually catches the ball, for now. Fat kids that hate sprints will run their hearts out for a deep pass that they 'earned' by kicking someone's @$$ in 'sumo'. Progress to this: Now, a player is QB. Begin teaching QB candidates proper throwing techniques, W begins learning pass routes, everyone else is the same as usual. You can be on one knee and 'hiking' the ball to the Q. ........................................X X X ........................................O O O....................... W ........................................Coach ...........................................Q Now, you need a Center. Progress to this: It's best to have two center candidates. The center is not involved in blocking! He needs to focus on one job, only- properly snapping the football. The other center not in the drill is on the side snapping the ball to a QB candidate or anyone you can find. The winner of Sumo goes to R and your QB & R begin with proper hand-offs. No one is to tackle the Rb, either. RB takes hand-off and runs through the correct hole.. i.e.. 2, 4. 6, 8 when half-line drill is to the center's right. 1, 3, 5, 7 when half-line is to the center's left. Or, however you have your holes numbered. ...........................................X X X ........................................c O O O ........................................Q (Doesn't matter if Q is UC or shotgun. You know where to put him and how the C's are to snap in your offense.) .........................................R(Winner) Player-wise, this all starts out a little hodge-podge. But, you will see who dominates up front, who can throw, who can learn QB steps, etc... You progress at how many things you can keep track of and what you want to emphasize as a coach. Some suggestions: 1.) Keep everything very fast-paced. 2.) Only add what you're comfortable with tracking simultaneously. For example, at first it's pretty difficult to keep up with a CB's drop steps at the same time you're trying to check for correct hit & drive steps from your OG. I couldn't. But, I was better at watching a CB's B & R technique while watching the O-line. 3.) Get some assistants asap! Getting into live 1-on-1 blocking today for the line (8 kids). I have been very hesitant to go full tilt with the kids as I have only 13 and can't afford to sustain major injuries. I have been doing steps and blocking with shields and dummies and have been keeping the tackling drills within close quarters, just 5 yards apart. I know that I'm going to have to do 1/2 line stuff at some point soon, but might have to keep it in the form of Oklahoma drills, etc.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 11, 2016 7:46:44 GMT -6
Good news is that I had a dad come forward to help me.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 9, 2016 13:32:28 GMT -6
Voice of slight dissent here. We go 2.5 hours 4 nights a week throughout August, then three nights a week in September/October (5:30 - 8pm). With kids younger than that. Never have been issues with practice being too long. We start to shorten it up about halfway through the season, cut them loose about 7:30-7:45. The only practice complaints we get are that we start the season too early (Aug 1), which I agree with, but that's the Pop Warner start date. That said, I wouldn't argue against a well run fast-paced 90 minute practice. Might need to be more like 2 hours at first until you're up to speed. Totally disagree with the "wear them out" comment. With a short roster, you have to make sure they're very well conditioned or you're going to have game issues. That should happen naturally if you're running practice at a fast pace. See Dave Cisar's practice material, he does that as well as anyone out there. He never does "conditioning" and practices fewer hours than his competition, he runs very fast paced practices that MOVE. I will tell you flat out we've won 4-5 games in the past two years against teams that were physically better than us, we just wore them out by going no huddle at a fairly fast pace. Last year we "stole" 2-3 games that way with a 30 man roster vs. their 18-20 who were dead by the 4th quarter. The year before we only had 20 on the roster (18 for a couple of games), and still wore teams out going fast. We were just in better shape. I liked your practice plan, but I won't profess to be all that good at practice planning. Personally, I don't have an issue with the long practice either. The youth league that I was in prior had kids go 2 hours for the first two weeks then switched to 1.5 hr when school started. That's actually what I planned on doing. I'm making a slight change for tonight's practice in that I'm going to finish up with blocking and tackling progressions and have a QB tryout. Tomorrow, I'm going to use blb's suggestion and do some eval drills to start getting kids into positions.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 9, 2016 5:56:41 GMT -6
This is a really small area. Lucky enough to even be able to field a team. We have cones. They just ordered 4 shields. There are 2 heavy dummies. This is what I came up with for the first two weeks. Coach - You put a lot of effort into this. I commend you...far better than I have seen from most youth coaches. With that being said, I think you are doing WAY too much. With 14 kids and a 2+hour practice, you are going to wear these kids out. You need 11 to play. What happens when 2 or 3 of these kids quit because practice is too long and hard? Here's what I would do if I was in your situation: 1) Find some assistant coaches. There has to be at least 1 or 2 dads who are willing to help. Doesn't even matter if they know anything. You just need some warm bodies to help you out. 2) Assess your players. First practice should be something of a "combine". Come up with some skills tests that will help you separate linemen from backs. 3) Schedule a 90-minute practice and break it into two 45-minute periods. First part of practice is linemen and ends only. For 45 minutes, linemen work on stance, drive blocking progressions, and whatever special techniques (pulling/trapping/double teaming, etc, etc) you need. Second 45-minute period is for backs only. Work handoffs, ball security, and begin installing base plays using cones or garbage cans for the OL. Also a good time to let kids try out for center...gives the QB an opportunity to take live snaps in a "safe" environment. Work tackling EVERY day. 4) Do the above for about a week. After that time, you and your 1 or 2 assistant coaches should be able to coach either backs or line/ends. By the second week, you should be able spend the first 45 minutes repping team offense. You will have to coach and make corrections on the fly. Begin installing and coaching up the defense. Use garbage cans as the OL and find some adults to run the backfield motions for the basic plays you will see every week. Understand that you won't stop many teams. Emphasize slowing them down. 5) Realize that you probably aren't going to be very good. Don't yell and scream and carry on and berate kids. Regardless of how disastrous things get, remind yourself that you only have 14 kids and you took a thankless gig no one else was willing to do. 6) Run the DW on offense and the WT6 on defense. Both schemes can be run with 2 coaches (offense...1 guy takes line and ends, other guy takes backs. defense...1 guy takes interior DL and MLBs and other guy takes OLBs and DBs). Get to know Hugh Wyatt and Dave Cisar REALLY well! Just my thoughts...hang in there, coach...my thoughts are with you this fall! Thank you for your comments and suggestions. You are the only coach that has provided some actual food for thought and it is much appreciated.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 8, 2016 11:49:06 GMT -6
vince, do you have use of any field equipment - sleds, agility bags, hand shields? This is a really small area. Lucky enough to even be able to field a team. We have cones. They just ordered 4 shields. There are 2 heavy dummies. This is what I came up with for the first two weeks.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 4, 2016 11:03:47 GMT -6
It's only for the first week to get the basics in. And think about it, what would normally be done in 15 minutes with separate group indys will take me 45 minutes because I have to cover every group separately. So filling the time and keeping everyone busy won't be an issue. Unless you have another solution.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Aug 4, 2016 9:54:12 GMT -6
It appears that I am the only coach for my 5th/6th grade team. Our practice starts Monday and will go 2.25 hours. I have roughly 14 kids. Does anyone have any practice plan ideas or suggestions?
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Apr 4, 2016 10:00:47 GMT -6
Is anyone else having issues trying to load this site with Google Chrome? It's not loading properly for me. First, a blank screen appears. Then I hit the refresh button and the banner shows, but no topics. That's usually as far as I can get.
I have no loading issues when I use Internet Explorer.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jan 18, 2016 14:54:00 GMT -6
Take a lesson from the local HS in my area that decided to use crossfit to train their football team this past summer. They finished 1-8.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jan 11, 2016 9:06:14 GMT -6
Just went on eflix. Don't like the new format. The Coaches Choice videos seemed to provide much better instruction.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Dec 6, 2015 16:41:45 GMT -6
Try a modified version of the Navy Seals PE. It's all bodyweight.
Pushups Dips Pullups Squats Lunges Calf raises Abs
It's all on youtube
Add in some jumps and sled work and you're good to go.
|
|
|
Post by vince148 on Jul 23, 2015 16:59:42 GMT -6
*RANT WARNING* Unless your team is some kind of select traveling team that is in an ultracompetitive league, "playing the best 11" in 6th grade football is complete and total BS. We routinely have 25+ every year and we play EVERYONE...in fact, we are usually able to start everyone somewhere. When we can't start everyone somewhere, we create some kind of rotation between 2 or 3 kids at 1 spot (2 plays in, 2 plays out..something like that). I see this every year. In our league, most of the other teams only play the best 11 kids. So you have a team with 20 kids and 11 or 12 kids are getting all the snaps on offense and defense and those other 8 or 9 kids, if they're lucky, get in the last couple minutes, usually when the game is decided. That is complete crap and it pi$$e$ me off to no end. Do we win every game? No. Have we lost games over the years because we don't play our best 11? Absolutely. But we win more than we lose and seldom have parents complaining about a lack of playing time. Parents know when they come to the game on Saturday morning that they are going to get to watch their kid play a lot of football in real game situations. In fact, I can't even begin to try and guess the number of parents who have told us that our organization is the best youth sports experience they have ever had. In my 16 years of coaching at the high school, middle school, and youth levels, I am most proud of that. I have run our youth organization since 2009. Since then, I can count on one hand the number of parents who have complained about how playing time is allocated. And almost all of those parents were mostly upset about the position their child was playing, not the lack of playing time. Again...I have a low opinion of youth football coaches who do the "play the best 11" thing (unless the exception I noted above). For those guys, the #1 priority is winning. Developing players, giving kids a fun experience, fostering a love and appreciation of the sport...those priorities are all secondary so some local hotshot can brag up his youth football record from the barstool. Those "play the best 11" youth coaches...the football is really for them and not for the kids. RANT OVER I get the playing time thing and I agree with a lot that's said on here, but I'm going to disagree in part. I coach in a low income area. More than half my kids come from single parent (read mother) homes. Only about a quarter of my kids can afford their own equipment. We have to beg, borrow and steal to get enough shoes some years to make sure all our kids can play. Our philosophy is that if you want to get better, you show up to practice, not the games. We will play all our kids. But in an average year we will only start 15-17 different kids the whole season. Start that is. Our kids playing time is determined by a) showing up to practice, b) effort at practice, c) ability to execute, d) skill. We will never be and in fact most of our staff thinks it's immoral to teach our kids that everyone gets equal playing time. We have to teach our kids work ethic, "hard work pays off" isn't just a call and response for us, it might literally keep some of our kids out of jail. If our kids are taught that just showing up is enough to earn playing time, we will hurt our kids. We have to teach them that success is built on hard work, applying skill and that execution on the field, in the classroom and in life is important and will be rewarded. So while I agree with some points, I think that whom you are coaching can have a lot to do with how you coach. Of our 6 coach staff all of our kids collectively in a 13 game season last year played less than 120 snaps. Most of our kids will play 50% or more of the snaps this season. We weren't any easier on them and pressed all of our kids to improve whether they started or not, played or not. Practice is where the kids really get better and that has to be stressed to parents and kids alike. This something that I always wrestle with in youth. I'm like you. I believe that the kids that come to practice and give their best effort, good or bad, should play. That's what's wrong with today's society. Everybody thinks they're entitled to something. In the league I coach(ed) in, kids have to play a minimum 6 plays per half, and get this, you can't win by more than 25 points, and if the spread is 30 or more, the coach can be suspended for a game. Yet, on Monday afternoon, those kids couldn't even tell you what the score of the game was. We have become a coddling society.
|
|