|
Post by mahonz on Sept 21, 2015 15:07:08 GMT -6
I say its about time.
Good for them for finally thinking outside the system for a change.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Jul 8, 2015 16:58:03 GMT -6
Just thought I would get some opinions on moving the youth league in your area to the spring. This is just a 5th and 6th grade league. Enrollment in our district has gone down significantly. The hope would be that it gives you a chance in the fall and winter to get in the building and advertise the league more. Possibly gives you a chance to hold clinics/camps during the school year (would not be overkill, just enough to be around the kids and get them interested). This would also allow the staff at the high school to be more involved. The only thing I would be worried about would be the other high schools/youth leagues in the area getting our kids to play in the fall. However, it is a low income area and we generally dont lose that many kids because of the transportation. Tell me your thoughts! All thoughts are appreciated Seems it would be easier to hold camps and clinics and be more involved with the youth kids during the Spring when you are not in Season yourself. If enrollment is way down....I'm not sure shuffling Seasons would do much good especially when you will be battling the traditional Spring Sports for numbers. Interesting thought though. I coach youth Spring Tackle and its pretty much all of the Lineman types playing.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Jul 4, 2015 17:27:30 GMT -6
I took 2011 off and filmed the games. It was a nice break after being part of the Board the previous 5 seasons....and coaching at the same time. I was fried. It helped me refocus.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Jun 4, 2015 13:35:19 GMT -6
I don't get any injury concerns at that age. They're too small and too slow to hurt each other, especially if you put unnecessary and heavy equipment on them, it's like walking around in a weight vest for those kids. Coach Clement, I used to feel the same way you did but am more on the fence now. The CTE research, while still not definitive, is suggesting that repeated "sub-concussive" blows the head may be more damaging than an actual concussion. If this turns out to be the case, 6 yr olds in pads, with zero neck strength (aka bobbleheads) running into each other, might be more harmful than we think. I'm leaning more and more toward Dr. Cantu's recommendation of starting full contact football at 13 - 14 yrs old. Funny post. Got together with all the Grand-kids over Memorial Day. The oldest is 11. 4 of the 7 will be playing tackle football this Fall to include one Girl ( second season ). Two fell out of the tree house, one ran into said tree on her bike, 4 got hit in the face playing tether ball more than once , all 7 fell off a skate board at one time or another, one fell down the steps ,one took a swing with a plastic baseball bat right in the face, one got stung by a bee, 4 fell off the retaining wall that was under construction, two got buried playing Mega Jinga ( pieces are made out of 2x4's) all played some tackle football with no pads while the dogs chased them.... This was in one 5 hour period. Yah....I wouldn't let young kids play tackle football either. WAY too dangerous. If we leave it up to the Adults....football is done.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Jun 2, 2015 9:32:50 GMT -6
While this is true, and they don't generate enough force/torque to really deliver any explosive hits, they still can collide into each other head first, and worse, hit their head against the ground. This is especially true because of the heavy equipment. Added to this is the fact that some research is out there showing that the brains are more susceptible to injury as they are not well developed yet. I'll add the physical differences as well. In the bigger cities they split kids up by weight, but in small towns they do not and some combine grades (like 5th and 6th). So 5th/6th tackle football has kids from 60-180 lbs playing together against each other. Not to mention the physical maturity differences are huge at that age (and into JH for that matter). Some kids are just jacked and explosive while other fall over every time they tie their shoes. Problem is parents see flag as "soft" and don't want their tough kids doing it. And for those saying flag doesn't transfer skills, who gives a rip! There isn't a 10 year-old kid that is looking to develop his skills for high school nor should he be. He should be worried about hanging with his buddies and having a good time playing a competitive game. Period. I loved hearing the high school boys talk about their flag football Super Bowl glory days and you could tell that was something they would always remember. Now with the tackle football they play a 5-game schedule like JH and I don't hear any stories anymore. And I definitely wouldn't say these "more seasoned" players are any better than the players we were getting during the flag era. A 5 game schedule? Never heard of such a thing....tackle or otherwise. I coach in a big city. We don't split the kids up by weight....only grade. Its sounds like your particular area is unique.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on May 31, 2015 19:12:16 GMT -6
On a side note, the amount of head injuries in flag were higher than tackle when we did have a flag division. Agreed. When I lived in the desert I coached in a 12U Winter competitive flag league. It was pretty aggressive.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on May 31, 2015 10:45:16 GMT -6
We start tackle in the first grade because there is a Market for it. Our League is single grade based 1st thru the 8th grade. The largest number of new registrations for all levels...the 4th grade....by a lot.
The smallest number of new registrations...the 8th grade...by a lot. We have no MS Sports where I live.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on May 11, 2015 10:39:24 GMT -6
I always thought a website where you can download an article for a buck or two per would be great. Have a couple 100 articles to choose from and you now are speaking to the market. AFAICT, that's the model My Coach Online follows, but with videos. They offer a membership plan and a la carte. Youth friendly?
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on May 10, 2015 8:53:26 GMT -6
Greeting gentlemen, I hope all of you are enjoying your offseasons. I was wondering if anybody around here has created their own system for youth coaches who might be struggling? The reason I ask is, when I coached youth football it was a very eye opening experience at how little I actually knew until I went clinicing. Now I know most youth football coaches are fathers or businessmen who might not have that kind of time and I'm interested in designing a system that will help them out. Something that they can utilize and run from year to year hopefully finding success. So my big question is, does anybody have any experience designing something like this? Or does anybody know if there would be a big market for something like this? Thanks in advance. Hopefully it is something that hasn't been "done to death" already. Lots of competition out there so if you are not actually on the job and coaching your systems....you would need to find a niche. I think the market is huge now with the Net being in just about every household now. Plus like others have mentioned...an endless market since many coaches are in and then out rather quickly. A slick website would be a good start with instant downloads and the like. Something coaches will at least take a look at and then bite while they are shopping. I'd also go the volume route so keep the pricing low. Any money spent is always out of pocket since your are dealing with volunteers. If a coach spends a small amount for something and never ends up using it....no harm if they can at least pick up and idea or two from you. I always thought a website where you can download an article for a buck or two per would be great. Have a couple 100 articles to choose from and you now are speaking to the market. Some of these "Internet Coaches" have playbooks that are so overwhelmingly large....it becomes daunting for the novice...and its the novice that needs the most help. Nuggets of info might be a better avenue. Plus with all of the different Youth League Formats out there....tough to design anything that is a "one size fits all". Impossible really. Good luck.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 20, 2015 10:44:41 GMT -6
As a Youth Coach I recruit kids and deal with this regularly. Convincing isn't going to happen. Selling works. I dont melt their brains with stats or articles and the like because if they are worried then that is natural and they are simply under educated. It was no different 20 years ago but now we have all this bad PR happening. I explain why this issue truly is an NFL issue. Speed of the game....atmosphere...equipment and that the NFL is diligently working to fix the problem. I explain the differences and sell them on the fact that this isn't the NFL....not even close. I go heavy into why playing the consummate team sport will help develop their Son and add to their own awesome Parenting skills to help their Son become a better Adult. I tell em that they wont ever realize this special opportunity in life if they never live it as a family. Football is unique and different...you have to live it. I sell them on the fact that not playing football now means that their Son might not ever get the opportunity to play in the future and that this might end up being a huge regret for their Son down the road. The reality is...the only reason you are having this conversation is that Junior is begging Mom or Dad to play and Mom or Dad is saying no. Walk away from this conversation with no regrets is what I pound into their heads. If you can do that....the kid will play. Maybe not right away but in time. You now have them thinking about their Son's future rather than their own current fears. Basically turn what they think is their own good Parenting against them. My take...sometimes it works....sometimes it wont.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 10, 2015 10:57:10 GMT -6
I guess I misunderstood the OP... of course the 1st thing they kids have to know is where to stand and what their "job" is. Most coaches don't need help with that because they tell the kids, "on Raider, you stand here and blitz the C-gap..." and go down the line. Making sure the kids can say "I blitz the C-gap coach"... Now... does the kid know how to blitz the C-gap. What he needs to do to avoid being mauled by the OL (some of those OL aren't going to be so stupid they let a blitzer run right thru the gap), or what to do when he gets through the hole? Those are the things that are covered during Indy time, in drills designed to teach "blitz technique". If all you do is stand and do team to work on responsibilities, then you will have kids going to the right place, but they will get out of position because they don't know how to get where they need to be efficiently and why they need to adjust as they move. I've never had a kid come to me at the HS level who doesn't know what a blitz is... very few come understanding how and why to blitz. Excellent points. At the youth level if you don't teach assignments and alignments and spacing and recognition and the like....a lot...and as a full unit...they will all blitz The simple task of teaching a WILL, for example how to play counter....man....it might take an entire season. You can cover it during Indy periods until you are blue in the face but he almost has to live and and get burned once or twice in order to even begin to fully understand it. As a long time youth coach I call this working the Recess out of them.... meaning....this aint the same game you all play at Recess.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 10, 2015 9:17:31 GMT -6
Here is a good example of what I am talking about. One practice plan really never fits all.
I am coaching a Tackle Spring Team this season. 5th Graders. We are in week 3 of the regular season. We have 21 players representing 7 different Fall Teams and one rookie. So the level of coaching these kids have received in the past varies. Our running game is outstanding. Our passing game is worse than a poorly built Yugo. The reason is no real training except in little bits and pieces during Indy periods.
So last night I installed my 5 wide pure passing package that is probably a bit over their heads. We may or may not ever run this in a game this season. We ran nothing but Group and Team from 5:15 to 6:55 running 3 plays over and over again with the position coaches doing individual training as we went along.
Lots of kids rotating and WR / DB and using half lines for the bigs so they got in some real work vs other starters.
It fixed the spacing, the route running, the tempo, the protection, the QB, the pass rush and the pass coverage all at the same time.
Sometimes you just have to send your precious practice plans right into the shredder and fix everything as a Group.
They did so well we just might have to use this package in a game.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 10, 2015 8:57:04 GMT -6
Coach Mahonz, I think your missing one important thing. Individual work is HUGE... I got what your saying about attention span. I deal with it at the HS level as well. When you talk about a 15-20 min INDY period you should not be doing the same drill for that entire time. I break up my INDY period 20 mins usually. We rep the same 4-5 drills daily in 5 min increments. Since we are doing the same drills there is NO need to waste time setting up and explaining it to them. Those drills play a key role in what we do in our TEAM periods. I just don't see a need for 75 mins of TEAM. I would think your losing kids attention there just as quickly.... I hope this helps...BTW I am still making mistakes 25 plus years in...just not as many and as big...hahahaha Hammer I am completely with you. What I discovered and it was a mistake and mostly true with the Defense is that if I spent a good amount of time teaching the littlest guys how to tackle....which is important because they really know nothing....then they were pretty useless in the games because they were out of position a lot. So Group and Team exercises became the most important early on. Then as they became comfortable with their assignments....much less Group and Team stuff and back to heavy fundamental periods. The point I was making was that one practice plan does not fit all. The littlest guys really need to know when to be where and why over learning to block and tackle...initially. Eventually...say mid season....this is a non issue. As they get older....non issue altogether. Fundementals are the most important because the players understand the game much better. Its a balancing act. A rather poor tackler that is in the right place at the right time is actually a pretty good tackler. A rather poor blocker that knows his assignments like the back of his hand is actually a pretty good blocker...if that makes sense.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 7, 2015 12:05:36 GMT -6
That would seem to have predicted the team I coached on last season would've done better, because we were 7-10 YOs (almost all 8s & 9s as of the preceding April 30) and the HC, whom you may recall I complained about quite a bit at DumCoach, leaned heavily toward team practice, & away from individual skills. However, we did not have the numbers for a decent scout team, since we totaled 16. Fortunately practice attendance was very good, but that still meant 11-on-5/5-on-11 full contact reps w either a full offense or a full defense, and that lack of balance may have made the difference. I wanted us to run half lines, but the HC emphasized formations & the positions the kids would play in in games, & so he didn't go for half lines, even though we could see some of our opponents (and in some cases, teams in the older division) practicing half-line.
Were it me, I'd've used just 1 formation on offense & 2 fronts on defense so as to need less time on that stuff, and invested the time more in drilling individual skills in groups -- that is, matching up players so that several are repping at a time (rather than mostly waiting in line) but repping individual skills, like whole OL vs. whole DL.
I think now though we would be talking about the nuances of youth coaching. I don't think the OP's presentation would, should or could cover those details. That's where the coaches he's speaking to will have to get out there and familiarize themselves with the material they're teaching, touch bases with their resources and gain experience. Right now, with the suggestions that have been posted here and what was posted in the 'general section' where the OP repeated this question to HS coaches, I think he'd have enough information to make a new youth coach's head explode or, at least, make the coach start wondering 'wtf have I gotten myself into?'. Delving too deep into the everyday finer details of coaching in addition to all of the framework may give some coaches in his audience misgivings about coaching, at all. That's something the OP wouldn't want. Although, those sorts of details could be covered in a Q&A session afterwards. Maybe Emptybackfield can name his Presentation - A Swift Kick in the Rear. That's all any youth coach really needs going in. Best to know what's up going in over figuring it out 4 weeks in...if at all. Im coaching Tackle Spring Ball right now. We have 21 players representing 7 Fall Teams and one Rookie. These are 5th graders that have been playing a few years and you'd think since they signed up to play Tackle Football in the off season....they would be football geeks. Lordi....some of the basic things they dont know yet....blows my mind. They are geeks but football escapes some of them. Oh well....Spring Ball....its casual. Better than doing nothing I suppose. Im having fun so that's cool. Teaching the kids is something I truly enjoy. If I had a mentor in the early days warning me about stuff I would have been much better off. I think I have made every mistake known to coaching at least once.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 6, 2015 12:39:06 GMT -6
Do group drills bore them even if they're done scrimmage style, like for instance 4-on-4 Oklahomas? I think a lot of kids like those even better than games, because you can rotate positions, make better matchups, and keep up a faster pace than in a game.
My problem has been more of keeping the kids serious in some of the fun small-group drills. For instance, I'd like to practice 2-on-1 drive blocking with them by relays where 2 of them pick up another & carry him a distance before putting him down on his feet, but I've never gotten any group to do that without abusing the human dummy and/or breaking up into giggles.
B Talking littlest dudes here.... For me Group is teaching the O and D rules of alignments / recognition / formations / bird dogging etc so the pace is naturally much slower because the players are learning as a Group. For the little dudes hard to keep them focused for more that 10 minutes or so. Indy's become a grind because its repetitious regardless of pace so the little dudes start to drift away after about 10 minutes. The bigger dudes...not really an issue at all. They get it due to experience. What is tough is when coaching the littlest dudes... Group periods are FAR more important than Indy periods. Doesn't matter how well you block or tackle if you are out of position all the time. Team periods simply release all the mayhem so they can get used to the speed of the game which is important too but only if you have the players to show both side of the football a good look....meaning can you run a decent Scout Team. Typically a good youth Staff that understands the value of a good Scout Team will learn to master half line stuff since most youth teams lack numbers. But half line stuff has its limitations as well. This balancing act between Indy / Group and Team does not exist once the kids get some experience under their belts....then Indy time is King again.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 5, 2015 9:40:28 GMT -6
To fight the problem of short attention spans I'd sometimes do a "double" practice, so we'd do Indy, Group, Team, and then go back to Indy, Group, Team. Great point. This works VERY WELL especially of you do O and D on the same days. Keeps things fresh and moving along nicely. Whatever it takes to teach them to first love the game outside of the playground is all I really care about. Indy's and Group can become a bore for them so its best to balance things out until they understand how important the boring stuff really is.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 5, 2015 9:03:20 GMT -6
INDY INDY INDY INDY INDY INDY INDY INDY INDY Teach them how to play football, not run football plays. So many LL guys I have encountered spend about 90% of time with kids doing install or team things, while not actually teaching tackle HOW to down-block on a 3-technique. I know I have also been accused of spending too much time in indy or small group (3vs3 or 4vs4) drills and not spending almost any time on full-team, but I am a firm believer in the skills kids have winning games, not how many plays I can call. Agreed but this is not fully applicable when coaching the younger kids that have little to no experience. You can teach a kid to tackle really well or block really well but if he doesn't first learn where those skills fit into a particular System, they cant put those skills to good use. Its critical to first organize the mayhem for them. Being in the right place at the right time on both Offense and Defense trumps technique initially. Fundamentals become very important eventually but more so after they learn how the game is played and how all the pieces parts fit together. If you did a Clinic for youth coaches and overly stress Indy Periods...good of the 5th/6th graders...bad for the 2nd /3rd graders. When coaching the littlest dudes...Indy's for 15 minutes because they cant pay attention longer than that then go Team for 75 minutes while you continue teaching the fundamentals. As the season progresses then it gets closer to 50/50. Towards the end of the season... far less Team....much more Indy's. If you are teaching a young kid fundamentals...they will do MUCH better if they actually know when / how / why / where these skill sets applies. If you overspend your time teaching fundamentals you will begin to lose them mentally. The younger kids dont sign up to learn how to block and tackle....they sign up to run around and play football like they do at recess...so you have to balance things out and give them a little.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Apr 1, 2015 14:02:29 GMT -6
There are some bad football coaches out there, man. Especially ones that don't do it for a living. I don't think this is something you should just assume is done at the youth football or middle school level. Actually I assumed practically everybody teaches any subject, not just sports, to anyone. I'd expect that people who don't do so as a matter of course are so disorganized one might as well ignore them.
Can you give an example of someone not doing so who wasn't just scatterbrained, or who didn't have some very narrow reason for deviating from that practice in a particular situation? What did they do instead?
I can give one example of how I sometimes deviate from that general method, teaching any of various subjects, including football: I may at the beginning of teaching something give a brief overview, saying this is where we expect to get to. The intention there is to give the student to understand why they need to learn the steps leading up to that point, as well as to satisfy them that I do have a plan in mind.
Meanwhie, Fantom, why would you bother to post to say you're not the person to discuss this subject with? I could understand if someone had previously posted, "Let's ask Fantom about this." I see other people posting stuff like that too; on DumCoach someone asked as the start a thread, those of you who do X, what do you think, etc., & someone posted in that thread just to say, I don't do X.
Bob I think the point is....some people are really bad Teachers. Starting with A and ending with Z will make you a better Teacher. Many youth coaches would be a whole lot better off knowing this going in. Too many reverse engineer off what they see on TV. Reverse engineering requires experience but still difficult to pull off.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 31, 2015 10:24:48 GMT -6
3) Scaffolding Practice- individual, group, team- each periods piggybacks off of the previous one I'd better get to that clinic, because I don't know what scaffolding or piggybacking means in this context, though apparently Mahonz does. Bob Oh I had to do a double take when I read Scaffolding Practice. I had visions of the HC atop a platform yelling at everyone thru his megaphone. But I learned a new term...."scaffold" your practice meaning build from the bottom up and piggyback meaning each session builds to the next.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 30, 2015 11:49:24 GMT -6
Drills that actually marry up with their systems. Most youth Staff's struggle with proper drilling because they rely on youtube or even making stuff up. I know there are Sites out there with a lot of Drills ready for download and or viewing. Directing them to these Sites would be helpful.
How to piggyback your practices is an excellent topic. Most youth Staffs have the bodies to do this but don't properly train up the bodies to do this. Your google docs idea would be very helpful. Really stress pace and organization....a regiment if you will. I create a regiment that will last the entire season. Really helps the coaches and the players. They always know whats next so naturally things will move along well.
Working Fundementals over Systems is a ying yang kind of thing at the youth levels. The curve for both need to cross at the proper time. This is VERY age specific. For the younger kids learning systems is truly more important than fundamentals early in the season. Being in the right place at the right time trumps technique. Then as the season progresses the curves cross and go in opposing directions where you are now heavy into fundamentals since they have now learned how to be in the right place at the right time....if that makes sense. As the kids get older.... fundamentals are always the most important thing right out of the gate because thru experience they have learned how to generalize systems...a LB'r does this...a Wing Back does that and so on.
So practice organization isn't a one size fits all. It has to be age specific.
I would also stress on any player placement ideas you might have. What are the benchmarks you look for each position? This may seem elementary but most youth coaches are all about judging a book by its cover physically without considering anything else. Player placement is probably the biggest swing and a miss the average youth Staff will suffer thru. Since teams are not very deep and time is at a premium...best to try to get things right the first time rather than shuffling all season.
THIS ....would be an excellent Clinic IMHO. Anything to help them get out of the gate clean in preseason is a HUGE positive.
Good luck and thanks for doing this for this Program.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 26, 2015 12:30:47 GMT -6
How many coaches on this Forum have actually coached youth Flag?
I have...at many levels... and its far more dangerous than tackle when it comes to all injuries. I have never not once called 911 coaching youth tackle football for a player during a game. I have for an Official that has a seizure during a game. I have called 911 at least dozen times coaching youth Flag during a game. A few of those injuries were just plain awful.
Fellas....Flag is NOT the answer. Its not even a good way to "introduce" the game. I have rookies that join my veteran youth teams all the time with Flag experience. Means nothing. Actually hinders them IMHO.
To insert Flag into the discussion is knee jerk. Its good for the really young to learn how to become part of a team or for the Adults that need some exercise....and more beer.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 25, 2015 14:03:04 GMT -6
I also believe this to be an NFL problem exclusively...but lately that belief is wavering somewhat. I disagree completely. It's not an NFL problem. at the end of the day we have to get out of coach mode and understand that the problems these people are having are because of the game we love, and the problem is not like global warming... it's actually a real thing. I'm a huge believer in implied risk. It just shouldn't come as a shock to anyone that a game that involves using the head as a weapon will have its share of concussion issues. The reason people see it as something that started in the NFL is there's enough money in the right hands to study NFL players, and it's a concentrated issue unlike HS ball which is spread across the nation. Don't forget that the NFL players that have these issues (which admittedly are when they are the most severe) have made a life out of playing a really violent game, and have at that point done it for over a decade. Make no mistake, this process that culminates later in life begins at the youth label. Again, I'll fight for this sport until I'm dead, but to say it's not a problem is just plain stupid, and is more dangerous to our sport than anything else. When the sky first began to fall I thought...OK the NFL is play at all cost or lose your job so...play hurt. They do not wear proper fitting helmets with hard cup chinstraps and a molded mouth piece. Some didn't even wear pads in their pants. Add in the speed of the game and the atmosphere some fall under of keeping their job...steroids and the like....and the fact they have the money to party....OK....that is not my World. Now...after a few more years of paying attention....Im with you! There is more too it. Like I said....my beliefs are now wavering. Plus I want to do right by the kids. I am coaching other peoples kids. So...Im paying even more attention to all this business now.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 25, 2015 13:40:51 GMT -6
A thought just hit me about platooning. The concussion problems started in the NFL and that's where they're most serious. They platoon, don't they? I also believe this to be an NFL problem exclusively...but lately that belief is wavering somewhat.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 25, 2015 13:31:10 GMT -6
well... that's partially true. the UIL will protect the moneymaker at all costs, and they know the mutiny that would ensue in this state if they step over the line. another point to consider here... if this becomes commonplace we will be forced to combine every team we have into one varsity team (at the small school level anyway) which would mean freshmen competing with seniors and so forth. are we saying that's safer than not two platooning? I don't see it that way. Pop Warner and its biggest competitor American Youth Football have about a million participants combined. They field Teams with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders plying together, for example so its been done for many years already. Thing is they have a weight matrix that pretty much says....the really big and the really small cant play. Could happen to you at the HS level. Like I said...nothing would surprise me right now. Do I believe playing kids on the same team with such big age swings to be safe? Absolutely not. I completely agree with your concerns and why I hope situations like yours ends up as the road block for this kind of stuff. Two platooning makes perfect sense from a safety POV...BUT only if the schools have the numbers to do it. Translation - leave it as an option not the Rule.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 25, 2015 13:20:46 GMT -6
If baseball Pitchers have pitch counts....then why shouldn't football players have hit counts? Makes perfect sense too me. If you cant two platoon in 11 man ball....play 8 man. Cant do it in 8 man...play 6 man. Its still football. How does that solve anything? I don't even know what 8 or 6 man football is to be honest or how you could even enforce that. What if a kid got hurt and you couldn't two platoon? Cancel the season? The bottom line is that we as coaches seem to have no voice on this subject. You never see anyone, just as an example don't want anyone getting their panties in a bunch, like the NRA when gun rights come up advocating for football. It just seems we sit back and take whatever lies the media puts out there about our sport. The AFCA NFL Pop Warner D1 coaches who ever need to start standing up for the game. Or we are done. Big City Leagues that 100% two platoon would be able to play 11 man with their 50 man rosters Medium City Leagues = 8 man with their 35 man rosters Small Town Leagues = 6 man with their 20 man rosters. For example. If mandated...what choice would you have? Just the fact that this is being suggested means its on somebody's desk for review. They are already mandating how you practice....why would format be off limits? This is a pretty good idea from an administration POV. No added training required and very little policing required. That is the reality IMHO. Its an Easy Button.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 25, 2015 13:10:56 GMT -6
Better than flag or 7 on 7 Nintendo ball. Have you seen a 6 man game? It's pretty much 7 on 7. and the score is like a madden score. Yes...and I agree its pretty crazy but its still blocking and tackling. I think they even play on a smaller field so there is less space. Its only an answer for the smaller areas after the Pundits that are attacking our sport mandate 100% two platooning. Currently IMHO...nothing would shock me anymore. We might have to do what we have to do just to survive. I really hope not but right now today....Im not so sure anymore. Im a youth coach that coaches in a HUGE league that has been in business for 70 years. There are some things I see happening that are really quite scary. I started coaching in this League in 1983. If its happening in my World then its happening in yours as well.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 24, 2015 15:12:50 GMT -6
lets be honest... it's barely football. Better than flag or 7 on 7 Nintendo ball.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 24, 2015 14:24:51 GMT -6
If baseball Pitchers have pitch counts....then why shouldn't football players have hit counts?
Makes perfect sense too me. If you cant two platoon in 11 man ball....play 8 man. Cant do it in 8 man...play 6 man.
Its still football.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 19, 2015 9:41:05 GMT -6
Here is my short take on the whole issue. First, we are now educated about it. This is the most important thing. We know there are issues and treat it like any other injury. Second, any hint of brain injury, the kid comes out and is evaluated by medical professional who is also now more educated. Third, our helmets are incredibly better than in the past. Fourth, we now teach better tackling techniques. Fifth, we have rules in place to help. Sixth, we continue to improve safety every year through all kinds of methods. We are starting to find out that shrugs and necks exercises might help. Less contact in practices. Etc. All this adds up to making football tremendously safer than when our dads played. And I also think only a very tiny tiny minority had issues from my when my dad played football. That percentage greatly decreases from the NFL, to college, to high school. The issue is real, but it has also been a blown out of proportion "the sky is falling" media driven issue. I think for the most part we have drastically reduced the problem already. Now we just have to win the media battle. So you have a great answer for parents/administrators when they ask you about what you are doing to address the issue. This is what i was saying we as coaches need to do. As far as the"sky is falling" media coverage, this is where some national organization HAS got to get involved and start giving information that is showing coaches and programs, at least the good ones, are doing exactly as you say your are doing. USA Football is trying. The Youth League I coach in is huge. An Independent meaning no National affiliation like Pop Warner. Started in 1944. We survived the Jake Snakenberger Law...the Great Recession....Junior Seau...Frontline....ESPN....Madden....HS Programs getting sued...local exposure on TV....etc. Numbers always grew. Then the moment we aligned with USA Football where Parents could now go look for themselves numbers immediately dropped 12% League wide. That is 500-600 kids in one League all in one season. Coincidence? Hardly. All that did was admit there might be a problem with our Sport and that we are all working hard to fix a problem that might exist. It blew up in our faces. I used to think this whole thing would run its course and rectify itself. Now I don't. I believe before its all said and done our Sport will be very different. That might take 10-15 years but its going to happen. Kinda like what Teddy Roosevelt did for the NCAA back in the day....I hope. He saved our Sport.
|
|
|
Post by mahonz on Mar 18, 2015 12:59:10 GMT -6
This is why, for my tastes, I would like youth football to go away. I would love all organized youth sports to die a quick death. Opinions like this are widespread amongst a lot of HS coaches I have talked to, but the thinig is I don't see many of those same individuals having any other contact with said youth programs, unless it was their experience as a youth player. Instead of complaining about "youth" sports, why not get involved and try to change the direction of the programs in your area. I coached pee-wee football for years, and I will gaurantee that 90% of the kids who played for me will tell you it was some of the most fun they ever had playing a sport. I have also coached youth/rec baseball, 14U girls softball, ain other words a wide variety of "youth" sports. I didn't feel that the coaches who would be coaching my kids were doing things the way I thought they should be done, so I stepped in and took over. Having said that, I have visited some practices and cringe when I see 3rd and 4th graders doing bull in the ring. My point is, instead of being "above" youth sports, get involved and try to facilitate change. If we disregard or shrug off the youth sports, escpecially football, it isn't a far stretch to see something taking the place of football in that kids life and we have lost them as a potential player. Back to my OP. I still think as coaches, we had better come up with some solid answers and counter points to the anti-football talk to hang on to the kids who want to play, but may have parents telling them no. I know the biggest problem youth coaches have is they dont realize the commitment required to run a team and they get in over their heads. That is 100% on the Org. Too many times the Org just needs bodies and hands anyone a clipboard and a whistle with no support whatsoever. Then said coach proceeds to install Oregon's Offense and Saban's Defense because he saw it on TV and found a website thinking all that stuff would apply to his 10 year olds. Youth coaches first need to understand that running a successful team really has nothing to do with X's and O's. It has everything to do with everything else. But you cant convince them of that until they actually get in over their heads. I will say this...I started coaching youth football in 1983...and can say with certainty that the Internet has really helped things out tremendously at the youth levels. Coaches now have a ton of info at their fingertips if they try. Getting them to try is another matter.
|
|