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Post by mahonz on Mar 18, 2015 12:49:52 GMT -6
I did attempt. My first two years here I had clinics, I offered for them to come to my practices, I held JFL camps, I did the whole deal. 5 people in 2 years came to the clinics. My first 2 years our varsity ran Double Wing. The JFL ran I. We switched to the I half way through my 2nd year. The past 3 years the JFL has ran Double Wing. My last year of JFL camp I had 12 kids. No coach ever came to one of our camps or practices. I attempted. They're purposefully antagonistic and have no interest in change. So, I stay away. Far, far away. But my personal relationship with our JFL doesn't really effect my overall attitudes toward youth sports. Did you provide food at your Clinics? That is a must for a good turnout. Seriously....food works.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 18, 2015 9:14:13 GMT -6
The Youth Football Programs do battle endlessly with Baseball, Basketball, LAX and Soccer for Registrants. The reason youth sports is growing exponentially is all Sports are now ignoring traditional Seasons...including Football to some degree. That is why HS FB numbers are steadily shrinking. Has NOTHING to do with Youth Football per say....it has everything to do with kids getting sucked into a year round Sport. Youth Sports is also a cash cow but only if run year round. HUGE problem for the HS Programs. A 10 year old kid can play Baseball year round and never play in one single League Game. They are Tournament Teams. They play 60 games in the Spring and 30 in the Fall and practice all winter in the Cage with a Trainer. Same thing with Soccer and LAX and now Basketball....while Football becomes less important because its....dangerous and more expensive to manage. That is the reality at the youth levels....its not Coaching or FNT's or burnout or whatever other reason you might come up with that makes sense. Its money and the ability other Sports have over Football when it comes to training the young....physically, technically, mentally and emotionally 365 days per year. A kid that plays Tournament Baseball for 3 or 4 years, for example isn't even going to give Football a second thought once he hits the 9th grade. That has been going on in my town since my kids played youth Baseball 20 years ago. And since these Tournament Teams travel to other States or host Teams from other States....its going on there too. So...if you kill off youth football....you eventually kill of football as you know it. In my area, we do not battle year round youth anything. Our program may be the only program in the world that does this, but for the past 5 years we've had more senior football players than we had when that class was freshmen. Our freshmen numbers are generally terrible. Last year we had 4 kids. From 3 schools? Why? JFL. It's robbing kids of any joy in playing the sport. That's what they tell me when I ask them as Srs why they didn't play earlier in their careers. It has nothing whatsoever to do with playing a year round sport in any other youth league. This is why, for my tastes, I would like youth football to go away. Personally, I think we'd all be better off if we all tried to fix ourselves instead of live our fantasies through Billy's 3rd grade state championship soccer team. I would love all organized youth sports to die a quick death. That is a real testament to your Program. If there weren't any youth Sports then the HS Programs would have no issues. That is what I hear from the local HS coaches. They have a tough time recruiting their halls because the kids have been pre programmed to play one sport. Soccer actually has a 3 year old division. That is pretty insane. I do agree that a poor coach will rob the kids of any joy for the Sport...any Sport. As a long time youth coach my only job is to teach the kids how to love the game of football. Im a realist too. Half the kids I coach will never play HS ball so its good that they can at least experience the game while they are young. The other half...if I do my job well....will be checking in with coaches like yourself in the near future. I don't believe eliminating youth sports would be all that wise. With both Parents working now a day....eventually you will experience the idle hands problems. Youth sports has become the after school babysitting service.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 17, 2015 21:40:29 GMT -6
I am so sad for this country and world that football will be dead in 10/15 years because of this sort of thing The slide into the idiocracy will happen faster due to it. I hope Im dead when that happens.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 17, 2015 21:38:34 GMT -6
I personally believe with no evidence at all whatsoever, I acknowledge this, just a gut feeling, like Huey says, just pissing in the wind, that concussions has been an EASY WAY OUT for what I like to call the "fence riders" of our sport. Any kid who could take it or leave it, maybe took it in the past b/c his buddies wanted him to play or dad did. Now those guys have the excuse. I also believe, with no evidence at all whatsoever, that some NFL players who are a little burnt & have some $$ in the bank now have a great excuse to walk away w/o being called nuts like Ricky Williams was years ago. Again, it's an easy out. I don't think that will change anytime soon b/c it's an out some of these guys always wanted & now they have it. Again, JMO. I agree. Football is hard work and not for everyone. I see this at the youth level. Kids are lazy and dont want to put in the work. I hear it all the time.....playing baseball is fun because its all games with less practice sessions....football is the polar opposite.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 17, 2015 21:20:25 GMT -6
Just curious as to how many guys on here have actually coached youth football or pop warner? My experience helping out a youth football team (and I am not in texas or in a football crazy area) was very close to Friday Night Tykes minus all the glitz and glamor. In fact we did the exact same drills that I see them doing - especially the two lines creating a tunnel to hit from a 10 yard head start. Why would anyone want the least educated and least experienced coaches coaching our most vulnerable football players is beyond me. Why do we have contact rules and time limits for adults and we don't for youth football? I am a DC in HS and we hit WAY less than what I saw in pop warner. I never once saw tackling of bags, form tackling progressions, or thud. If you don't think that Friday Night Tykes is representative, ask your self this: If the cameras weren't around what would be going on? My guess is much worse. Good points. Its all about the Youth Football Organization itself and how they are structured. As far as FNT's...in 30 years of coaching youth football I have never not once been part of a Staff that acts or coaches as poorly as some of those guys. Ask yourself this: if a Camera Crew and a Producer followed you around all season long and then edited for ratings...how would you look at the end of the day? My guess is much worse than you'd like to think. Its all hyperbole designed to put more seats in the seats.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 17, 2015 16:08:07 GMT -6
I point out that this is an NFL thing, not a football thing. I'm 61 and played HS, college, and semi-pro football. I'm OK and so are my former teammates. My former coaches, a generation older than me, are OK too. This, of course, is minus the guys who had substance issues or who weren't right before they ever played a football game (and every team I was on had a couple of each). So, point out examples of people that the kids know-coaches, grandfathers, uncles, etc.- who played football and didn't end up drooling idiots. And if I am a parent making an informed decision, I would point out that I can probably provide just as many anecdotal examples as you are. This isn't a very good counter point, in my opinion, to answer a parents concerns. I still contend that at some point the research needs to be done that lays out what position players get the most head injuries, when they happen and during what activity. For instance, if we know that most concussions happen to LBrs, during practice, during inside run, now we have something to address and lessen the chance of injury. I really tried to research this a year or so ago and could find no such information. So take this a step further, a parent comes to me and says what are you doing about my sons safety. I can answer with, well we have found that most brain injuries occur doing _______, and they happen at _____ time. So we have taken steps to alleviate that high risk. Now there will always be a risk/reward decision to be made, but why not have hard numbers at our disposal to use to make our argument FOR football and everyhting great that goes with it, as well as making things safer as we go. I do agree with the NFL angle on this subject to a certain degree. In the NFL... Players are paid to preform...so preform or get replaced. No hard cup chinstraps as the norm...but this is changing. No molded mouthpieces...but you are seeing them more and more. Undersized helmets, shoulder pads and pants. And above all else...speed of the game. These are the items I bring up with pre HS Parents. That helps but only if their Son's have played before. If I am recruiting rookies and have to address this issue...I have already lost them more times than not. They are not all that interested in the facts or data or even how we are all working to become better coaches by doing this and that. They just see articles like this one and have made up their minds....as Jr begs them too play.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 17, 2015 13:12:21 GMT -6
Your statement only adds to the current problem with Football in general....whether you realize this or not....Im thinking not. How does it do that? I think eliminating a focus on football at an age where kids are physically unable to play it would eliminate a lot of burn out in the sport and numbers at the HS level would increase instead of continuing to decline as they have for the past 2 decades plus. I don't think it's a coincidence that numbers have decreased in High Schools as youth programs have become more prevalent. The Youth Football Programs do battle endlessly with Baseball, Basketball, LAX and Soccer for Registrants. The reason youth sports is growing exponentially is all Sports are now ignoring traditional Seasons...including Football to some degree. That is why HS FB numbers are steadily shrinking. Has NOTHING to do with Youth Football per say....it has everything to do with kids getting sucked into a year round Sport. Youth Sports is also a cash cow but only if run year round. HUGE problem for the HS Programs. A 10 year old kid can play Baseball year round and never play in one single League Game. They are Tournament Teams. They play 60 games in the Spring and 30 in the Fall and practice all winter in the Cage with a Trainer. Same thing with Soccer and LAX and now Basketball....while Football becomes less important because its....dangerous and more expensive to manage. That is the reality at the youth levels....its not Coaching or FNT's or burnout or whatever other reason you might come up with that makes sense. Its money and the ability other Sports have over Football when it comes to training the young....physically, technically, mentally and emotionally 365 days per year. A kid that plays Tournament Baseball for 3 or 4 years, for example isn't even going to give Football a second thought once he hits the 9th grade. That has been going on in my town since my kids played youth Baseball 20 years ago. And since these Tournament Teams travel to other States or host Teams from other States....its going on there too. So...if you kill off youth football....you eventually kill of football as you know it.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 17, 2015 12:42:49 GMT -6
Honestly, and it will be a highly unpopular opinion, I would like it if pre HS football were to go away. Your statement only adds to the current problem with Football in general....whether you realize this or not....Im thinking not.
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Post by mahonz on Mar 17, 2015 10:05:42 GMT -6
Just one more punch in the gut for our Sport.
If a Parent has to ask any of us about safety...we most likely have already lost them.
Football is under siege...at every level.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 22, 2015 23:27:49 GMT -6
When the research finally says....yes CTE as it relates to football is a serious issue and no one should be playing without a Warning Label or nope....football is just fine so carry on....I will do my best in my little World to try and do the right thing hoping that our game doesn't die off in the meantime. The problem mahonz is that research and science never works like that. It will always be "may, might" etc. I will say this though, and it may be sacrilegious but, I think deep down we ALL know that repeated collisions with other objects is going to be detrimental to the brain. Now, maybe some come through unaffected, like some smokers never develop cancer. Keep in mind though, there is a risk to everything. We have a daily risk in driving, a daily risk crossing the street, etc. I have seen just as many kids never play youth ball and DOMINATE HS games as freshman. I believe you play youth football because you want to play youth football--not as a prep for HS. Good points. Question. Isn't this NFL Lawsuit that is stuck in limbo tagged for some research along with former player needs? If the general feeling is tipping towards football indeed being bad for your health over the long term beyond blown knees and the like...it would be good to get some big dollars going towards the research at least. Currently it all strikes me as speculation. It would be very proactive to see the NFL cut BU a big fat check. When Im coaching 2nd graders....its all about the simple things....like post game snackage. But as they progress it does become about playing at the HS level. I coach under a very unique format. If I take on a team of 2nd graders I can stay with that team all the way thru the 8th grade. So I can coach the same core of kids longer than some NFL coaches coach their core. We are single grade based so the Staffs all stay together as well for the most part. Here is something I find interesting. The League I coach in just celebrated its 75th Season. It is an Independent League meaning unlimited weight with no National alliances like Pop Warner. There are roughly 5K that play in the League currently. When the Jake Snakenberger Act went into Law...number grew. The great recession hits...number grew as did scholarship requests. Junior Seau commits suicide...number grew. Frontline runs an expose on the NFL and Concussions...number grew. Former NFL greats come out and say they would not let their kids play football until HS if at all....number grew. Then we align with USA Football a year ago and numbers drop a full 12% across the League. That is 5-600 kids from just one League all in one fell swoop. Coincidence? I dont think so. By aligning with USA Football we simply admitted that something might be wrong with our Sport but look here...by golly we are doing something about it. One in 10 Parents then decide that they would take a wait and see attitude and opt out of tackle football altogether. Do any of us really think they will change their minds when it comes time to play HS ball?
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Post by mahonz on Feb 22, 2015 15:57:49 GMT -6
Chuck, one of the best things that happened to me, I think, is that we didn't have organized youth football when I was a kid. We played every day but the point was that we PLAYED. We didn't do up-downs, we didn't run gassers. We played. We had to figure it out ourselves: the rules for three on three, or two on two, or what if you had an odd number of kids; the ground rules, like what to do about that big rock in the middle of the field. We played what we wanted to. Some days football, maybe whiffle ball or baseball (Horrors! No helmets), maybe basketball (Do you guys still have outdoor basketball courts? I can't think of one near here.). We just had fun. Maybe that's why I still love football. We are about the same age and I remember doing all that stuff as well. Good times for sure. Unfortunately those days are long gone. No stay at home Moms means the last two generations are now "latch key" kids. Plus the age of instant info and ratings sensationalism in the news has scared the bejezus out of the Parents now a day. Kids RARELY get to do anything outdoors that isn't supervised unless you live in Small Town America. Really sad.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 22, 2015 15:48:27 GMT -6
espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/12243012/ex-nfl-players-played-tackle-football-youth-more-likely-thinking-memory-problemsFormer NFL players who played tackle football as young children were more likely to have thinking and memory problems as adults, a Boston University study published Wednesday in a medical journal found. Researchers tested 42 retired players between the ages of 40 and 69 and found that those who started playing football prior to age 12 performed "significantly worse" on three measures: estimated verbal IQ; executive function, which includes reasoning and planning; and memory impairment. The study is published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers tested 42 retired players between the ages of 40 and 69 and found that those who started playing football prior to age 12 performed "significantly worse" on three cognitive measures. "They were worse on all the tests we looked at," said Dr. Robert Stern, lead author and a professor of neurology and neurosurgery. "They had problems learning and remembering lists of words. They had problems with being flexible in their decision-making and problem-solving." The authors concluded that incurring repeated head impacts in football between the ages of 10 and 12, a critical and sensitive window for brain development, may increase the risk of later-life cognitive impairment. During those early years, the brain is rapidly building connections between neurons. Research is very important so that they can start deleting keywords such a likely /might and may. That might require another 10-20 years so that they can compare more modern day football applications to old school applications....namely....you play or get replaced. Also....where is the comparative research on those from 40-69 that never played in the NFL? Another irresponsible article from a Company they relies heavily on....football. I don't get this research coming out right now because I don't know what / who to trust. I do applaud BU for at least drilling into this. What I am trying to do at the youth levels...and I might fail....is attaching a hit count to players much like a pitch count in Baseball. I think about my oldest Grandson who plays FB and MLB. Two high impact potions. So how do I get his hit count down? Easy. Dont pay him full time and full two platoon the entire team. Yet...when you mention a full two platoon to a room full of youth coaches they act like you just ran over their dog. The reason....they all think they should roll with 18-20 players and play their best 14 because they are inexperienced and not sure they can handle more players. At the youth level you could full two platoon with 28 players and do just fine. The NFL is full two platoon....big time college....many HS programs....yet at the youth level its always play your best both ways. Its a fairly irresponsible format that has been going on since the beginning of football time. Change that and everyone's hit count goes down. Some of the most successful youth football teams I have coached were minimum 80% two platoon. I also do not agree with changing how we all practice while game day stays the same. We can all control the hitting during practice without mandates but the game is still lights out. Why not shorten the games? So....there are quite a few things we can all do to become more responsible coaches...at all levels. When the research finally says....yes CTE as it relates to football is a serious issue and no one should be playing without a Warning Label or nope....football is just fine so carry on....I will do my best in my little World to try and do the right thing hoping that our game doesn't die off in the meantime. The next study ESPN picks up might just include HS level kids that played football back in the day. We are all under siege. Sorry for the rant. I read everything I can get my hands on when it comes to brains and football. I have 3 Grandsons and one Grand Daughter playing youth tackle football right now. And my Grand Daughter kicks b u t t. I do wonder at times if they should be playing but I saw what happened to my own Nephew. He never played youth or MS ball. Started as a Freshman in HS and got ROCKED ! He had all the tools size and speed wise and is a Black Belt in Karate but got WORKED....and quit...after 2 concussions and a broken ankle. He could not handle the speed of the game. He needed youth football as a precursor because he was going up against experienced football players even at the Freshman level.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 21, 2015 23:26:32 GMT -6
Curious. How do you have 3 State Champions from one League? Is this one of those regional Bowl Games deal like they do in California? And I do agree with your thoughts but firmly believe that youth programs do help with numbers for the HS Programs for any Sport. Do these communities have MS Sports? We do not have any MS Sports here and haven't for over 20 years so when I say "youth" that is thru the 8th grade. No, it is state champion...Ohio. The league has 10 teams but they span 3 divisions/classifications. Before the state split to 7 divisions and was 6 they still had 2 teams regularly in the hunt. Yes there are MS sports, 7th and 8th grade are the only years organized tackle football is offered. There are 2 or 3 schools with youth football but they have never really been a factor, 1 that will make the playoffs here or there the other two are real bad (not saying that is the reason why but interesting nonetheless). A helping factor is that there isn't soccer at the high school level but the retention rate of MS to HS is much higher than most places with youth football. There are some unique factors in the area but it's still an interesting sample that goes contrary to many beliefs that youth football is integral to a successful HS program. Interesting. There exists a distinct conduit from the youth sports programs into HS here in Denver. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that MS Sports has been getting dropped District by District since the late 80's. I actively recruit kids to play youth football every off season. And it gets little bit more difficult with each passing season. It doesn't help that Football is the last Sport that pretty much respects a traditional season. The better HS FB Programs maintain an excellent working relationship with the local youth FB Programs. Its a two way street....as it should be. Same deal when I lived in Phoenix but Sokker is certainly king there with the deep Mexican heritage that exists.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 21, 2015 20:46:18 GMT -6
Interesting Thread. I have been coaching football forever. Mostly youth...sat on a number of Youth Boards...I even owned a Semi Pro team for a few years...coached at the HS level as a Gopher for a few years...coached flag from Kindergarten to Adult level...created a league or two...Camps...Jamborees...and a few other things I cant remember. I am absolutely convinced that in today's "Market" if youth tackle football didn't exist then neither would HS tackle football. Why? Your players would begin to care more about World Cup stuff than the Super Bowl. You are living in a Fantasy World to think otherwise and the Parents are going to sign their kids up to play something because they need a free babysitting service since most households require two incomes to survive anymore. That is just the way it is so why not pick youth football? Also Flag is 10 times more dangerous than Tackle at any level. You cant curb aggression so its best to put the pads on the kids and allow it. So...love it or hate it...HS Coaches NEED youth football. Here is an interesting stat since I started keeping track 20 years ago. Of the youth players I have coached, roughly 60% have started on their HS Varsity Teams and roughly 15% have / are played College ball. The last Class of 8th graders I coached are now Sophomores in College as far as age goes. I'd like to think I had a little something to do with that. All I care about is that I teach them how to love the game even when there is no way they are good / mature enough to even be playing the game. If they at least love the game, then when they show up to play HS ball they are fully committed to put in the work. And I hope to accomplish this love before the Sokker people get their fangs in them. You all have no clue how hard that is to do anymore.....and Lacrosse aint too far behind either. Fortunately that Sport is too hard to play when you are 4 years old ! Sokker is...easy to play for kids that young and Parents like easy. I love this Forum but its odd that so many here think youth football is a bad thing. Most of what I read that is negative is pure speculation and pretty far off base. My take. Devil's advocate...our league had 3 state champions this year, 2 the previous year, regularly competes in at least 2 championship games...none of those communities have youth ball. If you have youth ball work with them and try and make it a positive experience just like any football experience should be, if you don't have it it is not the end of the world. Curious. How do you have 3 State Champions from one League? Is this one of those regional Bowl Games deal like they do in California? And I do agree with your thoughts but firmly believe that youth programs do help with numbers for the HS Programs for any Sport. Do these communities have MS Sports? We do not have any MS Sports here and haven't for over 20 years so when I say "youth" that is thru the 8th grade.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 21, 2015 17:20:38 GMT -6
I know we've lost a lot of kids b/c of youth football, and it isn't always because of coaching. I'm sure other leagues have something similar but if a player weighs too much, they can't play a skill position. Sometimes that's enough for them to go do something else. Capping weights actually promotes growth. True unlimited weight formats tend to scare the under-educated which is most every Parent that signs their kids up to play for the first time. I have always coached under an unlimited weight format that has caps for certain positions up to a certain level of play. Organizations that cap weights for all positions like Pop Warner lend themselves well to the smaller areas that cant field individual teams by grade. But that is a whole other discussion. BTW...unlimited weight formats with caps on certain positions are now outpacing limited weight formats but it is rare to see true unlimited weight formats. If a kid is disappointed that he must play OL or DL I simply remind him of how the NFL Draft goes now a day...and throw em a few footballs from the TE position. I also remind them what happens when they show up day one to play Freshman HS ball when there are 40 skill players competing for 13 positions and 15 Lineman competing for 9 positions. The odds of playing as a Linemen right away are far better because Linemen are like gold and pretty boys are a dime a dozen. I will also hand them a Ryan Clady poster to cover up their Peyton Manning poster at home.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 21, 2015 15:54:22 GMT -6
All coaches have to start somewhere. I started 5 years ago in youth ball. Didn't know much. I was asked to be DC of that youth team. Loved the 85 Bear defense, so found what I could and installed it to the best of my ability at that time. Following year I became HC of the jv youth team. Kept studying. Had lots more to learn, but I jumped in with a little more knowledge than I had the year before. Kept asking questions on forums like this. Mahonz has answered hundreds of my questions. This past season, I coached JV at the HS level. I'm still learning. I still have a long way to go. One day, I do want to be HC at a HS. I do something to study football EVERY day. Whether it's xs and os, looking at drills that I can use, making practice plans, borrowing books from the library. I do it because I love the game and I love working with the kids. I love that I can do something that can help a kid become a better person. Vince I think you will find what you are looking for in the near future. You work really hard at this coaching thing IMHO.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 21, 2015 14:35:49 GMT -6
Interesting Thread.
I have been coaching football forever. Mostly youth...sat on a number of Youth Boards...I even owned a Semi Pro team for a few years...coached at the HS level as a Gopher for a few years...coached flag from Kindergarten to Adult level...created a league or two...Camps...Jamborees...and a few other things I cant remember.
I am absolutely convinced that in today's "Market" if youth tackle football didn't exist then neither would HS tackle football. Why? Your players would begin to care more about World Cup stuff than the Super Bowl.
You are living in a Fantasy World to think otherwise and the Parents are going to sign their kids up to play something because they need a free babysitting service since most households require two incomes to survive anymore. That is just the way it is so why not pick youth football?
Also Flag is 10 times more dangerous than Tackle at any level. You cant curb aggression so its best to put the pads on the kids and allow it.
So...love it or hate it...HS Coaches NEED youth football.
Here is an interesting stat since I started keeping track 20 years ago. Of the youth players I have coached, roughly 60% have started on their HS Varsity Teams and roughly 15% have / are played College ball. The last Class of 8th graders I coached are now Sophomores in College as far as age goes. I'd like to think I had a little something to do with that. All I care about is that I teach them how to love the game even when there is no way they are good / mature enough to even be playing the game. If they at least love the game, then when they show up to play HS ball they are fully committed to put in the work. And I hope to accomplish this love before the Sokker people get their fangs in them. You all have no clue how hard that is to do anymore.....and Lacrosse aint too far behind either. Fortunately that Sport is too hard to play when you are 4 years old ! Sokker is...easy to play for kids that young and Parents like easy.
I love this Forum but its odd that so many here think youth football is a bad thing. Most of what I read that is negative is pure speculation and pretty far off base.
My take.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 21, 2015 12:04:54 GMT -6
And for those of you that poo-poo this line of thinking here's how it goes- Team A's coach starts promoting this kind of stuff and Team B's fans think that that is what football coaching is about. They pressure Team B's coach to do it, he caves in, or goes to some clinic and sees it and think that's what you need to do to "provide fan's enjoyment". Now Team C's fans see it and the cycle repeats itself until it's just another worthless thing added onto what it is supposed to mean to be a football "coach". I agree. I think the problem is that youth programs do it because they want to make it like a college experience. When the HS doesn't than it must not be a very good program. Kids and parents get a warped sense of the what the game is. Again with the youth program disrespect? In 30 years coaching youth ball....I have never seen Evil Knievel jump thru a ring of fire at halftime.
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Post by mahonz on Feb 2, 2015 16:55:43 GMT -6
Yes we have used the 2 point stance for 5 seasons now.
Initially we went this route out of necessity. Coaching first graders how to play football....getting them into 3 point stances and maintaining a good alignment across the OL...well....Im not a drinker but during this time I could have easily become an alcoholic. The 2 point fixed everything so we could move on to all of the other things that needed to be addressed.
5 years later we are still at it. Our team will be 6th graders this Fall with no plans on going back to a 3 point stance.
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Post by mahonz on Jan 1, 2015 11:59:32 GMT -6
Long time Youth Coach here. I found this Site about a month after launch. I like to dabble in different things so I am forever grateful to all of the upper level coaches on this Site that have taken the time to help me dumb things down and figure stuff out...even on the phone.
I also really enjoy the Blogs that some of the Members have maintained all these years.
Thank you !
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Post by mahonz on Nov 5, 2014 10:51:17 GMT -6
I feel like i just got punched in the gut....then kneed in the nuts. We did everything we could to spread factual information, but too many voters were uninformed. We gave it our all, spent countless hours writing letters to the editor, emails, research, etc....The 10 year bond would have cost the average tax payer $5.80 a YEAR...actually $2.80 a year since you would be subtracting the current field maintainance cost. O well we must move on with our pot holed, divot filled, uneven field that has drainage problems. A sad day in a town that use to love it's sports and student athletes. Has anyone on here been involved in getting field turf through a bond referendum? If so, how did you fair? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using proboards Sell your facility to the P&R District with first rights to usage going to the HS Programs. Voters are not interested in more taxes especially since most incomes have leveled off since the recession. It may take another 10 years before voters will even listen to you again. Its not that they dont care....they just dont care right now. My local HS has beautiful on site facilities now. Was a complete dump 10 years ago. The School District no longer "owns" the facilities outright. The P&R and School District split all debt / credit. The School District has ZERO disposable income...the P&R has the cash and the manpower. Different tax base because things are more localized....sales tax...seat tax...licensing's etc. Worth looking into if that is something they do in your town. Kinda like K-Mart selling all the land underneath their stores to generate cash for improvements and then leasing it back from the Investors for 30 years. Very common now a day with no new debt on the books. More tax=new debt for the People.
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Post by mahonz on Oct 22, 2014 13:07:16 GMT -6
Full disclosure, I have never coached below HS varsity level.
I am ambivalent about youth football.
When I was growing up and the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, we didn't start tackle football until 8th grade. There was no Pop Warner or other in our area until later. I would've killed to start playing earlier.
Some believe that if we don't get kids started playing at an early age, some never will give it a try, because Soccer in particular starts them so young.
I see communities where youth program is closely aligned with HS, and it benefits the latter tremendously.
And of course there are successful HS programs that have no connection to youth teams or vice-versa at all.
One thing that may affect continued participation in HS: By the time kids get to 9th grade, they have had nice unis with names on back, played on HS field with scoreboard, PA, cheerleaders, the whole bit. Some have played in championship games with trophies and medals.
There's no special allure to playing HS football. They've been there, done that. Only thing we can offer them that's different is starting practice three weeks before school and year-round conditioning.
I also cringe when I observe youth coaches who coach their teams like boot camps - spend more time on calisthenics and conditioning than fundamentals and learning how to play the game. That's when some kids will learn football is not much fun and stop playing.
Coach If / when you retire you should put coaching the youngest age group possible on your Bucket List. The youth Org would hire you on the spot and you will then be blown away what happens to you personally when you have 18 7/8 year olds fixated on you like you are some kinda Super Hero. That experience alone really puts things into perspective. Football truly is nothing more than a game.
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Post by mahonz on Oct 22, 2014 10:03:17 GMT -6
I coached a few seasons of 12/13 year old Winter Flag. I found it to be rather dangerous.
I have also coached a few seasons of 5/6 year old Spring Flag. I found it to be rather dangerous as well.
I have also coached numerous Adult Flag teams. Very aggressive in nature.
Im not sure everyone here fully appreciates the fact that "football" in all forms is a contact sport although I have never heard of padded flag. You'd almost have to coach Flag to appreciate the pitfalls...and the positives. Its most certainly not the answer some might think it is IMHO.
Plus Im not so sure the disdain some have for tackle football at the youth levels would be any different if it were flag, baseball, basketball or tiddly winks. Its still youth sports run by Volunteers. If the Volunteers don't "get it"....kids burn out...parents burn out. I have been a part of a few Orgs that were flat out pathetic....I have also been a part of a few Orgs that were absolute rock stars.
BTW...I dont coach kids with any hopes that they will play HS ball. I coach for the here and now. Half the kids I coach will most likely never be good enough to play at the next level so I give them all the best possible experience today. If they play on after Im done with them....great. If not...that's OK too. But all of them graduate up loving the game of football without question. We also do not have MS Sports here anymore...its youth straight into HS for all sports. Been that way for 20 years now.
Interesting Thread. Im curious what agenda the OP has? Create what is not there....kill off whats existing? Pipeline to the HS Program? His kids are old enough to play and are bugging him to death?
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Post by mahonz on Oct 21, 2014 13:20:41 GMT -6
Long time youth Coach here.
The Pros and Cons pretty much mirror themselves at all levels IMHO. I have coached youth, HS, semi pro and pro indoor arena with youth being by far my first preference.
The biggest Con has to be the Program itself. It all starts there. There are poor Programs at every level to include the NFL. There are really good ones as well but at the youth levels its more of a crap shoot when you consider its run by Volunteers.
The biggest Pro has to be that football is the ultimate Team sport so there are many life lessons there for the younger kids.
We start em at Kindergarten. Purely developmental when they are that young. Anything we can do to keep them away from the everyone's a winner mentality that is sokker is a good thing.
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Post by mahonz on Oct 14, 2014 13:10:21 GMT -6
It's extremely unsportsmanlike and not the least bit different than using steroids. For the guy that said it worked out for some child because he got a scholarship, what about the kid that played fair and actually deserved that scholarship?! Is it so great for him? Is it fair the other essentially cheated him out of what he deserved? In my town there's an 8th grader who has been held back twice in the name of sports. What's that teaching him and the other children? Cheating and using loopholes is all perfectly fine and great! Shoot up with some drug that will slip by the tests while you're at it! One post lurker digs up a post from 2009 and goes all irrational sour grapes on it... Really? Maybe the OP will let us know how it all worked out?
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Post by mahonz on Aug 24, 2014 21:54:07 GMT -6
Does your modified program feed directly into ONE HS program?
We feed multiple HS programs and the HS Staffs that have their house in order....win more than they lose.
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Post by mahonz on Aug 19, 2014 15:47:13 GMT -6
I agree with 33Coach.
Run your stuff...so you can troubleshoot if necessary. Better to know everything now rather than after these opponents beat you when it counts. Talent aside...are you as a Staff on point would be the real question. If not then you have time to smooth things out.
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Post by mahonz on Aug 11, 2014 12:58:48 GMT -6
Sorry the thread took a negative turn. Maybe my fault. I appreciate the time the coaches put in. I just wanted to know if football had any similar youth program developmental materials like USA Soccer. You are a long time HS level Coach....you have come to expect certain things and now that isn't happening. Try and appreciate what your sons Staff is all about...trying hard but getting beat up by the School of Hard Knocks. Most youth coaches never lack effort....just knowledge. It takes a few season to begin to figure out this coaching thing. Also don't let your disappointments carry over to your son. He is probably having a blast and doesn't see...what you see. Plus its hard to be a Coach and then a fan. My Grand-kids will play Basketball so I go watch...and I grumble...and I know NOTHING about how to teach the game of Basketball ! So this experience has to be 100 times worse for you.
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Post by mahonz on Aug 9, 2014 14:38:44 GMT -6
Unless I'm reading this wrong you may have 9 different trap plays but only two blocking schemes in each direction. That's right but the different words and numbers confuse them. How about wrist coaches for quick reference since you are in some kinda bizarro Encyclopedia Britannica System. In bold across the top left to right is the hole numbering for quick reference. Then in alphabetical order you give just the name they care about and a short descriptor so they aren't trying to read a book on the field.... Direct (wedge blocking) Dive (base blocking) Jet (rip and run scheme) Laser (reach block scheme) Quick Pitch (PSG pulls, everyone else reaches) Rocket (inside zone) Speed Option (veer scheme) Special (base blocking) Toss(BSG pulls, playside reaches) Then when your Header doubles the playbook without any forethought you can add more descriptors in an attempt to at least keep up. ...and by all means have them communicate with one another on and off the field. Like one Poster suggested...become a Team within the Team. Them against the World which in your case...applies by default regardless of the talent. And I'd demand more time for your Group and insist that you get to use that time however you want. That cant be that unreasonable of a request...can it?
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Post by mahonz on Aug 8, 2014 12:40:59 GMT -6
From all of my experiences it really boils down the the Youth Org as a whole.
Some are run VERY well and put a good product on the field...others will hand anyone that can pass a BG check a whistle and call it good.
I have noticed a drastic overall improvement the last 10-12 years. The Internet has really helped. Better info...better communication...better people....better product. Still its pretty much up to the Org and how much effort they put forth.
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