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Post by tiger46 on Aug 26, 2016 11:58:35 GMT -6
They do what specific drills well? And, what methods/drills do you use to teach tackling progression?
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 26, 2016 11:30:59 GMT -6
As far as 'Bull in the Ring' goes, the youth league that my organization is a part of if the Commish catches you running 'Bull in the Ring' he will immediately make that coach stop and will probably fine him. If a coach in our organization were to get caught by the Org. Pres or Vice Pres running a 'Bull in the Ring' drill his next drill will be 'A$$ Out the Gate'. And, I'd suggest that coach RUN it real fast, too!
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 26, 2016 11:17:53 GMT -6
LOL. We don't do drills you cannot see in the game. That's the thing. Besides the safety issue (NOT a small consideration) when do these guys find time for this stuff? Powerball is a game some youth coaches use to evaluate players early. There are variations of the game. However, I don't know of any version where the players are allowed to hit one another. Here's a version of it: Use about a 40 x 50 field. Doesn't have to be exact. Each end of the field has a trash can. Surround the trash cans with cones or tackle dummies to create a 'No Man's Land', Dead Zone or, whatever. Usually about 2 > 3yrds of space all around the can is sufficient. The idea is to make the teams have to toss the ball into the trash cans to score. No dunks. 5 > 6 players per team. Numbers can vary. Coach throws the ball in the air. Whichever team gets the ball advances it towards the other team's goal. The team advances the ball by passing. No player with the ball is allowed to run more than 3 steps before passing the ball off to a teammate. Doesn't matter which direction the pass/toss goes. The defenders are trying to touch the player with the ball. 2-hand at waist is the norm. The BC has to immediately stop and pass the ball if he's touched. The ball changes possession if the BC takes too many steps. The pass is incomplete. The pass is intercepted. The team with the ball scores. Once the kids get used to the rules it is a pretty fast-paced game with a lot of changes of possession. The game is supposed to help coaches identify: 1. Athletic Kids (Speed & agility) 2. Which kids can throw & catch (Coordination) 3. Which kids are leaders. 4. Team Work 5. Conditioning (Most players love the game and don't realize how much they're running around.) 6. Throw in whatever else the coach may think he wants to evaluate. I've heard of coaches that will let the players play the game while in helmets, shorts & shoulder pads so that kids can get used to throwing/catching passes while in their gear. I think mileage may vary on that one. The kids that are able to throw and catch well sans gear are still able to do so with gear on without any special breaking in period. There are versions where the players are allowed to run more. Coaches can see which kids have vision and moves. Usually called something like 'Hawaiian Football', 'American Ball', etc... I still don't know of any that let the players hit each other. It's always 2h touch at the waist.
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 17, 2016 3:30:55 GMT -6
While some of these factors may be true, what it comes down to is that the players in the XFL just weren't very good. Just go watch the games that are on YouTube. The football was bad. There weren't any superstars. There was nothing compelling about it. It wasn't exciting at all. And I was REALLY excited about it when the XFL season began. I wanted so much for the XFL to be good but I simply couldn't get past the fact that the players were just so...average. I think McMahon did everything he could to distract viewers from the lack of talent on the field...slick uniforms, slutty cheerleaders, in-your-face announcers with attitude, encouraging players to engage in kayfabe...but as the quality of play just didn't get any better, it became harder and harder to convince people to commit to watching bad and boring football for 3 hours. "Rudy" is a sweet story and a pretty good film. With that being said, do you really want to watch a professional football game in which every player is Rudy? That is essentially what the XFL was and not even a 21st Century PT Barnum like Vince McMahon could rescue it. **************************************************** That was my point. Don't try to compete against the NFL. Compete to get your players into the NFL. They certainly weren't NFL caliber players. He shouldn't even have tried to gloss over that fact. Get rid of most of that pro wrestling hype BS. McMahon should not have even let the XFL be compared to the NFL. He should have let the players openly say in interviews that they aspired to, one day, be in the NFL. "This is not the NFL! These are pretty good players with big dreams that play pro football that you can watch in a town near you!" Farm league football with players that earn enough to make a living* but, aren't particularly rich unless they win! You ask who would pay to go see that? Hell, I would. I only have wikipedia stats to work with. And, again, I don't anyone here really cares enough to confirm their accuracy. I certainly don't. But, at the end of the article it lists XFL players that made it to the NFL. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XFLAlso, I'm sure most coaches here are already aware of the odds against any D1 NCAA player making it to the NFL. www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/estimated-probability-competing-professional-athleticswww.thepostgame.com/blog/mvt-most-valuable-tweeters/201509/ncaa-football-high-school-odds-making-nfl-tweetbleacherreport.com/articles/1641528-where-does-nfl-talent-come-fromSo, by looking at the percentages, ~12% of the XFL players made it to the NFL after only one season with the XFL. As compared to 1.6% of the total number of NCAA players? By those terms, the XFL kicked the crap out of the NCAA in terms of producing NFL talent. Even using the 'nice numbers': 6,500 NCAA players scouted by the NFL. 300 making a team. 300= 256 (drafted) + 44 (walk on's, I guess?), you're still only at 4.6% of the NCAA players making it to the NFL. Obviously, the XFL would have had to have built to something around 60+ teams with 38 man rosters to equal the total number of players that the NCAA sent to the NFL in a season. I certainly don't know if that was viable. But, it is still less teams and players than the NCAA. And, there are ready made platforms to take over. Ex: www.semiprofootball.org/From that website: "There are over one-thousand football teams in the United States that refer to themselves as semi-pro, minor league, professional development, senior amateur, or adult amateur in over sixty different leagues. These football players usually have played high-school or college ball, and they want to continue competing after their eligibility has been exhausted. The vast majority of these players do not get paid to play ... " There's Arena Football, over seas market... All able to get a seat at the table and then, take all the food and the table, too. I don't know about the Canadian market. XFL was putting about 30k butts in the seats at their games? Find the amateur leagues with the greater market shares. Take them over and start injecting the upgrades in coaching, players, pay, television exposure, etc... And, who knows? McMahan may have had a shot at building something to compete against the football factory JUCO's and, maybe eventually, the NCAA in feeding talent up to the CFL and NFL. It would probably have to be a Vince McMahon/Ted Turner joint venture. Currently, I don't know of anyone else that would have a legitimate shot at breaking the NCAA's dominance at being 'the source' for providing pro football talent. Of course, nothing that i'm talking about actually addresses the original question, anyway. But, I can't think of a viable way to go straight from HS to the NFL without it involving hitting the super jackpot genes lottery, super-human abilities gained from a bite from a radioactive spider at a science fair, or something like. But, I'm sure the superlative 'super' would have to be involved in some way. Maybe leave the smaller market amateur teams in tact for those HS players to develop themselves. * XFL annual salary range: $35,000 (kicker on a winless crappy team) to $107,500 (QB on an undefeated Championship team)? I don't know what the coaches got paid or, their experience levels. But, if it was even $45,000 per year, you could probably find some fed up with the system JUCO, HS coaches and college GA's that would take that kind of scratch.
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 16, 2016 18:22:22 GMT -6
Okay. Long post but, not meant as a rant. I'm not that emotionally involved. Hehe.
Obviously, I don't have any of the answers. This just my off the cuff opinion. Part of the problem is that the issue is always approached bass-ackwards. Why doesn't the NFL establish (spend a few millions on) a minor league? Well, I think several coaches have already answered that question. There's no incentive for them to do so.
Another bass-ackwards approach was the Vince McMahon attempt. Same with the USFL. ******************************************************* 19Delta got this mostly right. And other professional football leagues haven't been able to find an audience and make money. Remember the XFL? Vince McMahon is one of the greatest showmen in history yet even his considerable promotional and marketing acumen could not overcome the simple fact that the players in the XFL just weren't very good and the result was boring and ultimately bad football that no one wanted to watch. *******************************************************
McMahon's ego got to him. He wasn't dumb enough to try to compete with the NFL's schedule. But, why be dumb enough to try to compete against the NFL's reputation and market revenue when you could have been in a position to compete to increase the NFL's market share? Does anyone think the NFL really gives a flying F where their players come from as long as they're ready- or, as close to being ready to play NFL level football? If that were true, there would have been no recruiting trips to get Black players(In the past), Pacific Islanders, Aussie punters, etc...
Don't get me wrong, the target McMahon would have had to go after is an 800lb gorilla in and of itself- the NCAA. And, taking them on would be David vs. Goliath with no devine assist from the heavens. But, that's better than David vs. King Kong; a considerably larger gorilla. Vince needed to start behind the scenes in finding discarded D1 players, passed over HBC and D2 players, providing sport training facilities, trainers, ex-NFL, ex collegiate, and HS coaches, boosting the amatuer(semi-pro), arena league talent and crowd exposure. Hell, flat out paying local HS's and small colleges to use their fields. Any number of things that he could have done to get a slice of that pie. Actually, he did do some of those things. But, he added way too much Pro Wrestling flair to the marketing strategy. IMO, McMahon let the glitz and glamour of TV revenue dazzle him without really knowing a damned thing about what he was really up against and without any real long term strategy for actually building up a realistic competitive business that people would want to pay to be a part of and view. He needed to have thought out much more solid player, franchise and league marketing strategies, building up from year to year. How could a media mogul make that kind of mistake? That's like Donald Trump buying ocean front property in Arizona. Please don't turn this thread into a Presidential Debate. NBC was a major network without NFL broadcasting rights at the time, I believe. I don't think NBC cared about anything besides gambling that the XFL might have been an instant succes like some new sitcom. When it wasn't, they pulled out as quickly as possible. But, I understand television is where the big bucks are.
The NCAA sank its hooks and fangs into pro football (and other sports) well before there ever was an NFL. And, it makes sure it gets its portion of the pie ever since. What kind of fool wouldn't have?
I like D1 football and basketball. I don't particularly care for how the players are treated. They generate a tremendous amount of revenue for those schools' academic and other sports programs. But, many of them are they're treated like little children and fools.
And, there's an even larger group that missed the boat way worse than McMahon. But, I won't get into that. It's a whole other can of worms and has potential to even cause a thread lock. Lol!
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 16, 2016 17:27:09 GMT -6
Screw it. Too long and read like a rant. Which I didn't intend it to be. Lol!
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 16, 2016 12:22:01 GMT -6
Yep. You're going to need a 501c for a non-profit and some other stuff. Dave Cisar, Mahonz, CoachDP as well as some others are definitely the kind of coaches you would want to contact to pick their brains. As mentioned previously, Dave has published material on the subject. I think he still makes it available for free.
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Post by tiger46 on Aug 9, 2016 16:25:16 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!
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Post by tiger46 on Jul 26, 2016 10:06:23 GMT -6
Oops! Forgot to add this thread. There is a camp format from a HS coach that was learning by doing... coachhuey.com/thread/59206/format-youth-campI don't know how deep, involved, or your goals, etc... you have for your camp. But, if your goals are more than just 'putting on a youth camp' this is an entertaining thread to read, also. It had drama, insults, egos and all that "hand me some popcorn and a beer" stuff. But, in the end, some really good back and forth between HS and youth coaches. coachhuey.com/thread/57257/reaching-out-youth-programs
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Post by tiger46 on Jul 25, 2016 11:20:03 GMT -6
Good coachhuey.proboards.com/thread/74083/best-youth-camp-ideasOr, do like coach s73 did and just ask youth coaches how to run youth programs/camps. Better/best coachhuey.com/thread/72442/starting-youth-feeder-programI hope I don't sound like an a-hole because I'm certainly not trying to be one. But, the youth coaches that post at Huey's and on dumcoach aren't everyday "daddy-ball" coaches. Quite a lot of them really know their ch1t when it comes to youth football. Some also coach older levels, as well as youth. Lots of good ideas floating around out there. GL, coach!
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Post by tiger46 on Jun 27, 2016 9:59:54 GMT -6
Remember, 33coach posted ACTIVE, FAST AND FUN! That means don't extend anything over 10 mins. At that age group don't even make it last 10mins if possible. Their attention spans just aren't able to cope with anything that lasts longer. So, you don't want 'more time' to do anything. Either find a new drill/activity for them to participate in or, end practice once you've covered what is needed. Also, avoid them standing around in lines 'waiting on their turn' as much as possible. Use more coaches to break them down in smaller groups (depending on numbers) or, figure out a way to get more players involved in an activity.
Don't try to take on more players in a drill than you can handle. But, it's nothing to sweat over. You'll find your balance as you get more experienced with dealing with practices.
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Post by tiger46 on Jun 27, 2016 9:50:29 GMT -6
at that age, practice has to be ACTIVE, FAST, AND FUN. 1) DONT STRETCH! - the kids are warm when they get to practice, dont waste time stretching 2) DONT RUN LAPS! - laps arnt fun, they also do NOTHING for football conditioning. at that age, this is how my practice would go (similar to our practice) 1) Team Blocking - Drive, Reach, and Double Team 2) Team Tackling - Circuit - Head up tackle, Angle Tackle, Perimeter tackle 3) Special Teams (assuming 3 practices a week...) ----> KO / KOR first practice ----> P / PR second practice ----> QUick Review - third practice 4) Defense ----> Indies ----> Team or Half lines (depends on numbers) 5) Offense ----> Indies ----> Team this plan should take you no more then 2 hours I'll remember this in the fall myself. But we don't have kickoffs, so just more time for form drills though.
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Post by tiger46 on Jun 24, 2016 17:54:14 GMT -6
At that level, O playbook isn't much more sophisticated than sweep right/left, QB boot right/left and, maybe wedge, depending on league's rules concerning blocking, etc.. Teach your players to look at the RB's waist during pursuit drills. Watching the runner's waist helps keep them from being beat on cut-backs. Force players will really need to be trained to take an angle to be able to pull the outside flag closest to the sideline with their inside arm to cause the aforementioned cut-backs into the teeth of your defense. It will also often impedes the runner's upfield progress. As for rewards, lollipops (actually, just a big bag cheap, small suckers) work wonders. Announce to the whole team why the player(s) is receiving the lollipop(s). I used to use them in practice and in games. Some of those bobble-heads acted as if they were getting a bronze star pinned on their chests.
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Post by tiger46 on Feb 3, 2016 14:37:34 GMT -6
I am curious for the youth coaches how much you stress playing time. Meaning, do you make sure every kid gets in the game, no exceptions, or do you play your best. If you play all kids, do you make sure they all play in both halves of the game? Do you make sure each kid is in the game at a critical point? I coach Varsity, but also coach at JV games. I ask because on JV I make sure very kid plays in each half for us. Curious what you guys think in this regard. If there is a youth coach out there that doesn't know how to keep up with mmp(minimum must play) players, he won't be a coach for long. The board and the player agents(parents) will eat him alive. There aren't too many leagues that don't, in some way, enforce mmp rules. Everybody plays. And, they get a certain number of plays. I actually coach in a league with no mmp rules. But, that doesn't let me completely off the hook. I'm a youth coach, if that isn't obvious by now. When it is suggested that a program be built bottom-top instead of top-down, it'd be very hard for me as a HS coaach to trust my job security to what I learned by watching a youth program. I readily admit that. But, it is an idea that crosses a youth coach's mind every once in awhile. Diving into the hypothetical; let's say a first-time HS HC(not the same as a 1st year coach) takes over a traditionally losing Wing-T program in a town that has a long-time successful youth program. The HC is a DW guy. But, the youth program is Spread. As an experienced HS coach, would it be so inconceivable to adapt to and learn Spread? The youth coaches could get you started with the basics. HS programs have more resources and better coaches, generally speaking. It may not be outlandish to attend clinics, buy materials, talk to youth coaches, MS and HS coaches, alike, to prepare your staff to implement that system to which your players (current and future) already know the basics. You will be ramping the players and concepts from youth level up to HS level. Why take an excellent route running WR and turn him into a wingback? What about defensively? What if the players have ran a 4-3 since they were 8yr olds? Would you force them to run a Split 4-4 or 3-4 defense? Or, would you bring their 4-3 up to HS level by teaching them additional coverages, stunts, blitzes, or whatever? Every coach has to find something he hangs his hat on. But, how many HS coaches have never ran anything but one offense and one defense their entire careers? How many HS coaches have only faced one offense or defense their entire careers? How many have only been part of one staff their entire careers? Adaptability and flexibility seem to be strong-suits of HS coaches. Genuine question here: As a HS coach, is it better to trust your career to your gut (run what I know) than to trust it to your intellect (I am a good, experienced coach. I can adapt, learn and implement this new system and be sucessful.)? Contrary to the consensus here, youth coaches indeed do get fired. I've sent a few 'coaches' down the road, kicking rocks. Heck, I've fired an entire staff. But, I do understand what HS coaches mean by stating that I don't lose my lively-hood if I were fired from my youth organization. I would only lose my opportunities of staring at single football moms up close. Of course, I'd also lose my reason for spending too much time and money on football. And, I'd lose my reason for not ever getting enough sleep. So, the trade-offs may not be too bad. Lol.
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Post by tiger46 on Feb 2, 2016 20:02:14 GMT -6
We used to do some mini clinic sessions with our lower level HS coaches about once every 2 weeks in the off season to go through our scheme and put out an open invitation to all our youth coaches (we have no authority over their teams but the way it's set up the vast majority of them will become our HS players if they keep playing.) We actually got a great turnout from them and opened up for their questions, etc at the end and it seemed like it went fine. All that said, I coached youth for the first time last season (10-11 YO) and from my experience the thing that would help your average youth coach much much more than getting them to run your scheme would be a clinic on practice planning, individual position time, installation schedules, and scripting. Show them how you run an organized practice and how you turn parts into wholes, that is something they can get a lot out of regardless of scheme. As a youth coach I'd like to say- no, scream at the top of my lungs with a bullhorn, "DING! DING! DING! FOLKS, WE HAVE A WINNER!!!" Those are the things that really transforms a youth organization into a winning program. And, if the HS staff is around long enough, the HS staff will also reap the rewards. Our youth organization players (6yr -> 12yr) mainly feed into two HS's. However, our organization is in no way affiliated with either HS. I don't even know what those coaches look like up close. One program is a perennial loser. The other HS program isn't exactly a powerhouse. But, I would definitely describe them as successful. Many of our players are starters at both programs. Those two HS teams play each other once every season. We like to take our youth players to the games that week (frosh, JV & varsity). It's great to see their little faces light up when players from both teams come over and say, 'Hey, coach". Or, even better, ask the little ones how they're doing, what positions they play, ask about their grades, etc.. There also parents in the stands that speak to our current players because they remember when we coached their kids. But, still the biggest thrill for our boys is when the HS players come over shake their hands, and talk to them.
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Post by tiger46 on Jan 25, 2016 14:29:16 GMT -6
Examples of things that can make a youth coach's life easier. Use some. Use none. Your mileage may vary.
Garden hose(fire hose is even better)- Make it 10yrds long. Mark it with tape at 3yrds and 5yrds. Why? Kids at that age don't know how far 10inches or even 10ft are; let alone 10yrds. They won't understand the actual distance a RB has to travel from behind the LOS just to get to 3yrds. Punts are rare- to unheard of- in youth football. You use all 4 plays. 4 x 3 = 1st down. You keep the ball. 4 x 2 = 8yrds. Turn the ball over. Your players will need to see and understand that. BTW, sustained drives are rare in youth football, also. The very upper tier teams can usually get off about 13 consecutive plays, according to an extremely knowledgeable youth coach(Dumcoach). Be prepared to never actually achieving that.
Wrist-coaches- Very important to youth ball, also- and, not just to the offense. Get your players used to them.
Video- Taping your practices really shows you a lot. No need to break down film like you would a HS team. But, we got a lot of mileage out of showing our players what they were doing wrong; even when they thought they were doing it right.
Clock management- Youth games go by fast. Keep track of mmp(minimum must play)players. Make your practice tempo echo that fact, also. I once had an OC that probably wanted to knife me in the face because at the end of 1hr, offense practice was over. And, I didn't care what he still wanted to install, or whatever. He learned to keep up.
Terms or devices that youth players can relate to- Youth O-line may have trouble remembering to take 6in steps. But, they do know what money is. Lay a dollar bill- which is exactly 6in long- between their feet, lined up with their toes. Have them take steps to where their heel lands at the far tip of the dollar and no farther. Now, you can just refer to them as "money steps". You can have them practice that without the need of dollars in later practices. They can even practice that at home. You can also use discs, instead. They're now called "disc steps".
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Post by tiger46 on Jan 25, 2016 13:06:56 GMT -6
Along with absolutely everything Coachrobpsl mentioned, you have to be very aware of the learning environment that you are providing for your players. There is a world of difference between a 12yr old player and a 6yr old. However, some things can still be taught together. It really depends a lot on your practice setup. But, with the 8u players you really want to stress teaching them how to be receptive to being taught. This is the true first fundamental! Teaching a player a position or, even how to block and tackle before teaching them how to respond and execute to your instructions- any instructions- is like trying to teach a student algebra before teaching basic addition and subtraction. It has to be a fun environment. But, it also has to be strict, no nonsense. If you're a good youth coach you'll be surprised at how much practice time is lost due to your inability to herd kittens. If you're a bad youth coach you won't be surprised by it. In fact, you won't even notice it, meanwhile your winless team is down 35-0 and on a running clock or, just got mercy-ruled... again. Make sure that your coaches know how to keep the players' attention and how to herd kittens from drill to drill. Keep practice upbeat and uptempo as much as possible. Oh, yeah. Learn to speak and translate bobblehead.
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Post by tiger46 on Dec 1, 2015 5:09:12 GMT -6
This type of thread crops up every so often- so much so that sometimes I think they should have their own section. At least this thread doesn't seem to be as hostile and divisive between HS coaches and Youth coaches as some of the other threads were.
I think this thread is a little off track, though. The question is when do you, as a parent, let yourchild play football? I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to that question. It's your child. You know best when you'd feel comfortable about them putting on the pads for the first time.
As to the positive and/or negative effects that youth football has on HS players and programs, I can only speak as a youth coach. And, I say that I could care less; which is not to say that I don't care, at all. But, a former player's on-field success rate in HS football is not the reason why I started coaching youth football. I can not judge my worth as a youth coach by how successful my players go on to be at the next levels.
I coach what a lot of people would deem as 'disadvantaged' youth. My goals are to instill pride in themselves, self worth, a sense of purpose, academic achievement and responsibility, good work ethics, etc... Youth football just happens to be the platform that I choose to try to teach these qualities. It could just as easily have been some other activity. i.e... My brother volunteers as a youth basketball coach. My ex-wife's brother is a professional racehorse trainer. Both of whom work with kids in their respective capacities and areas of interest. I also have other areas of interest besides youth football. I've often said that I'd rather my players get an 'A' in the classroom than a 'TD' on the football field.
In the 10yrs that I've coached youth football, I've had my players run the full gamut at the next levels- pluggers, bench huggers, burn-outs, stand outs, duds, studs and about anything else a coach could imagine. So what? What does that really say about our program as a youth organization or, me as a coach?
There's a middling 1A HS football program. One of my players attends the school. He played in my youth program from 8yrs old to 12yrs old. He breaks all school records and goes on to lead the team to a championship. That player is monumental part of the reason why the 1A HC is offered a better paying dream job at a powerhouse 6A school. The player goes on to pi$$ away a college scholarship and gets arrested for robbing a liquor store.
Another one of my players joins a HS program. He played in my youth program from 8yrs old to 12yrs old. For whatever reasons, he becomes not much more than a steak-eater. But, he earns an academic scholarship to an Ivy League school.
A third player 'burns out' and hangs up his football cleats for baseball cleats. He played in my youth program from 8yrs old to 12yrs old. He could have been a serious asset to the football program. He isn't nearly as much of a stud in baseball as he was in football. But, he discovers that he really loves baseball. He becomes a student of the game, never gives his baseball coaches a problem, always gives his coaches 100% effort and is one of the players that can be pointed to as to why the baseball program, as a whole, has success.
I made all of that stuff up. But, in which scenario(s) did I achieve success as a youth coach? In which one(s) did I fail as those players' youth coach? There are just way more important things for a youth coach to focus on than how his players go on to perform at the HS level.
BTW, I've never achieved a 100% success rate at any of my goals that I can think of as a youth coach. Well, in my first season as a youth football coach, we lost 100% of our games. But, that definitely wasn't one of my goals. So, I damned sure don't have all the answers.
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Post by tiger46 on Sept 16, 2015 14:47:31 GMT -6
I don't agree, or disagree, with the OP or any other poster. I don't even, necessarily, disagree with the HC the OP mentioned. I'm not there. I've been on both sides of the issue.
The problem is with accurately assessing the situation. As far as 'Who cares?'because they're only 5th graders; the player cares- and, that matters. I don't give a crap what any coach on any level says. It doesn't make the player right. But, he's going to want to know why he isn't allowed to do what he does best. It's not about football, team, etc... to the player. If you take a group of kids and put them in a rock throwing competition, the kid that throws rocks the best is going to want to be the team's rock-thrower. It's as simple as that.
"There was a competition. I'm the best. Why do I not get my reward?". That's the kid's attitude. That's anyone else's attitude, also, if we're being fair about it. So, what is a coach to do? Coaches have to determine what gives the team the best chance of winning. We all know that, too. A great O-line can make a good RB look great. But, a great RB can make a mediocre O-line, well.... 'good enough'. Now, which situation delivers this particular team more wins?
If I am to be honest, at the youth level, a kid that can deliver 46yrd TD's isn't someone that I'd lightly put on the O-line- especially, not with the typical youth passing game. Get behind in scores in a youth football game and think you're going to pass your way down the field for the quick score. ROFlMAO! There are some good youth teams that can do that. But, I bet this isn't one of them. Or, watch what typically constitutes a youth scoring drive. Count the average number of plays before any youth offense scores or turns the ball over. Also, take into account a shorter clock, etc... You may start to rethink putting little Bo Jackson over there, on the O-line to block for little Middle of the Road.
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Post by tiger46 on May 1, 2015 0:37:27 GMT -6
I use handshields, also. Since I coach o-line for different age groups, I use the large towels in place of chutes. The towels are laid on the ground and folded to different widths to accommodate the different player sizes & age groups. The towels keep the players' feet wide and they learn to chop & drive with small steps.
We are a hands blocking team. Our EDD's consist of what we call 'Perfection Drills'. We perfect their stances, getting those first two 6-inch steps off, staying low, exploding into the shield/dummy and driving their feet. They have to be perfect as a unit, also. If anyone is in an incorrect stance we all start over before taking that first step. If anyone is off on the first step, we all start over before progressing to the second step, etc...
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Post by tiger46 on Apr 15, 2015 14:54:25 GMT -6
I use a fat a$$ coach (me), towels and a tackling dummy. Seems to work out okay for us.
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Post by tiger46 on Apr 7, 2015 12:40:07 GMT -6
Coach Mahonz,
Lol! I would definitely recommend and attend that clinic presentation. I was a certified disaster my first year as a youth coach. Luckily, I found this site and others after that first season. More importantly, I got to learn from the more experienced coaches such as yourself on things not to do. Of course, being a stubborn idiot, I still managed to do some of those things anyway- much to my sorrow and dismay.
I like to think that over the years that I've improved as a coach in spite of sometimes getting in my own way.
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Post by tiger46 on Apr 7, 2015 6:16:06 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.
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Post by tiger46 on Apr 4, 2015 5:39:38 GMT -6
Severely disappointed in the uniforms of the Brazilian Beach Football League. I don't know. Take another good look at #77 and it'll remove a lot of the disappointment about their uniforms. In any case, I think the mom of one of my players from a few years back played for this team, or another.: www.austinoutlaws.com/
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Post by tiger46 on Apr 1, 2015 9:54:27 GMT -6
Also, I should add one more thing. Materials & Resources: Too many youth coaches try to re-invent the wheel. They don't need to. There are great material and resources on many youth offenses and defenses. They should know what resources are available to them on-line and otherwise, also. This site is a great one, of course. Another great site for youth coaches is www.dumcoach.com. They should also seek out any scheme specific sites like www.bucksweep.com, etc... Email coaches that are willing to help them out with questions. Lastly, if there is such a thing, they must know how to translate all these things into bobble-head speech. Doesn't matter what a youth coach knows if he doesn't know how get the kids to understand it. Communication is key.
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Post by tiger46 on Apr 1, 2015 9:08:23 GMT -6
Time Mgmt: Which is what Practice Organization is all about.
Warm-ups: Keep them short & dynamic. You don't know how many youth coaches I've seen that thought running & exercising 9yr olds to muscle failure was a great time investment and coaching strategy.
MPP's/MMP's: Many youth football coaches have to know how to deal with MPP's- not only when to play them but also, how to play them. I've learned that it is possible to get productivity out of some MPP's. That doesn't mean they become studs. But, if they can crack block on offense or bearcrawl into gaps on defense, train them.
Coach their Coaches: AC's, Right Hand Man, Get Back Coach, Bag Holders, whatever... Get them organized and functioning as a staff.
Coachability: How to get their players' attention immediately on day one- especially the younger ones. Too much practice time is lost on coaches having to repeat themselves, herding cats, etc... Teach them how to receive instructions and carry them out. How & when to ask a coach a question. Players that haven't been taught how to listen waste practice time.
Problem Players: This ties into the coachability above. Football isn't for everyone. They'll need to know how to discipline their players quickly and effectively. They may even need to know when to cut a player loose.
Game Day Organization: Pre-Game duties and activities, Sideline count, Tracking MPP's, Time Outs, Clock Mgmt. Half-time adjustments. "Block Somebody!", Who wants it more." and, "Get after them!" are not effective adjustments. Time management is very important here, also- especially in the pre-game.
Team Mom's/Team Mgmnt: What coaches and administrative assistants, from the HC on down, should be doing to help create a productive season.
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Post by tiger46 on Mar 24, 2015 9:56:07 GMT -6
Coachrobpsl pretty much just posted some youth gospel. So, if you can't find a good youth practice plan you can always create your own just by following his tips. There are no off-season programs, boosters, weight training, etc... In youth football you are sprinting. You have very little time to accomplish quite a lot.
If you are the HC, coach the O-line! I can't stress that enough. Make sure that they have EDD throughout the season.
Break the backyard football mentality of your players. Grabbing a kid's shirt is great for backyard football. He'll stop running. That kid knows if he comes home with a ripped school shirt, he's going to get ripped. Doesn't work so much in pads with jerseys.
Break the X-Box mentality, also. Tackling, throwing and running a football is very easy under the A/C with a game controller. It's not so easy under the hot Texas sun with an opposing player determined to keep you from accomplishing any one of those goals.
Be prepared for MPP rules. Do not ever let your MPP's believe that they are MPP's. Be realistic with them. Don't coddle them. But, don't belittle them or ignore them, either. Find something productive that they can do and get them do it.
Make everyone hustle. It takes absolutely no talent to hustle. Your players will be surprised at how many plays that they make just through hustling through to the whistle. Our players got to participate in a practice clinic put on by the U of Tx. coaching staff this past summer. It lasted 4hrs. It cost $400.00 per player. One thing that I noticed; those UT coaches were almost as no-nonsense with youth players as they were with their own players. They let them know that attitude mattered. More than one spoiled kid got his butt sent to the stands with his mother or coach. I think those kids thought it was going to be a lark and a photo-op with the UT coaches and players. Lol....nope! They got put to work or they got put in the stands.
Organize your coaches. Don't let them just stand around being spectators. You may just have to deal with having a 'get back' coach on your staff. That's a guy who is mostly useless. Be prepared. We turned our 'get back' coach into an expert at keeping up with the water. Our HC refers to him as Coach H20. We led the league in hydration.
You have to be aware of youth players' attention spans. Generally speaking, keep your drills to about 10mins, or less. If you have a position coach that keeps telling you that he needs more time, you have to tell him that there is no more time. He has to learn to keep up. You will need to help out with that or replace him.
I don't want to see this thread locked as the last one was. I have to take some of the responsibility about getting that thread locked. It was not my intent to attack HS coaches. Honestly, I think it's great when HS coaches want to become involved with youth sports. However, I think bad blood can be created when HS coaches think that they are always bringing the light to the unwashed masses that are all youth coaches. Another reason is that many youth coaches are stubborn, stupid and just refuse to listen when they are in serious need of help. They find out that this sh1t ain't as easy as it looks from the bleachers.
Experienced HS coaches are a wealth of information. I have no doubts that the good ones have forgotten more football than I'll ever know. But, youth football and HS football aren't the same animal. Many youth coaches would have absolutely no fear of a typical experienced HS coach fielding a youth team for the first time anymore than a HS coach would feel concern about a typically experienced YC fielding a HS team for the first time.
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Post by tiger46 on Mar 20, 2015 11:10:19 GMT -6
I wasn't going to post in this thread, again. I was hoping it would die. I get sort of sick of having to defnd youth sports. But, I just had to have this concussion discussion with a mom last night. She's a friend. She doesn't mind what sport her kids play. She just wants them to participate in something. However, her husband doesn't want their boys to play football due to concussions. So, his choice is to have them play hockey- like he did when he was a kid. He also has put them into some sort of youth MMA classes?! You don't know how long I laughed. Personally, I've never heard of such a thing as youth MMA classes. What would happen if youth coaches started recommending to parents that they not let their kids play HS football? Now, why would a youth coach do that? Let's put aside the whole concussion debate for a second. Personally, in a lot of HS football games that I go to watch, there are boys on the sidelines of both teams standing around on crutches, arms in slings, in street clothes due to some injury, etc... Don't see a lot of torn ACL's in youth football- not a lot of 'turf toe', sprained ankles or broken collar bones, either. My job does not rely on my season's W-L record. Little Johnny will participate and play in youth football. MMP rules require it. Can't say that about HS football. All that kid's hard work in practice; only to be denied the glory of the Friday Night Lights is a damned shame. Blah, blah, blah, etc, etc... I can come with a laundry list of reasons not to recommend HS football to any of my players' parents and to anyone else that will listen. Now, I wouldn't need any actual facts behind any of my data. All I'd have to do is inform parents of the dangers of HS football due to kid's larger sizes, heavier weights and increased athleticism. Also, I can point out all of the a-hole HS coaches and terrible programs in any given area. Again... no facts needed. All anecdotal evidence, at best. But, it will rub off on some parents. And, youth coaches only need to keep repeating it to parents and players, alike. Here's an interesting thread. But, one question... coachhuey.com/thread/68251/teaching-football-kids-xs-osIf HS football coaches aren't teaching football to kids, then wtf is the point of their jobs- or, even, their existence?
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Post by tiger46 on Mar 18, 2015 4:07:59 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. This attitude right there is what creates a separation between youth football coaches and HS football coaches. I think sooner, or later, the separation is going to contribute to killing the sport that we all like so much. You assume that since your were a crappy youth coach and part of an even crappier staff, that it is indicative of the majority of youth football organizations. That is not necessarily true. Youth coaches are the ones that foster the love of the game in kids. I also think the 'burnout' excuse is just that; an excuse. Or, for those coaches that believe the kid when he says he's burnt out on football because of his youth playing days; have you ever just considered that maybe that kid thinks you're an a$$hole and he just doesn't want to play for you? Or, maybe your program sucks and he doesn't want to be a part of it. He may be using the burn out excuse as a polite, acceptable way of saying no. Now, I'm certainly not calling anyone here an a-hole or, saying that their football program sucks. It's just that there's no telling what is really going through a teen-aged boy's mind sometimes. As anyone can tell you, football just isn't for all kids. That's true at youth level, also. My league limits practices to three days a week. Two hour practices. We can only hit in full pads two days out of the three days that we are allowed to practice. A rule that I don't necessarily agree with; but, I have to deal with it. We teach tackling progression, use tackle dummies, form tackle, etc... We've even been known to occasionally give the starting players a drink of water. Heck, if that ain't exemplary coaching in a top notch program, I don't know what is. As far as experience goes, I've been a youth coach for 9yrs. My HC has been a coach for 15yrs. I can always learn more. I can always increase my knowledge. I feel it is my responsibility to do so. That's why I frequent football sites and buy materials, etc... I freely admit that I have never watched an episode of FNT. Just from what I hear from other coaches, it would be too cringe-worthy for me to watch. I was a terrible coach my first season and even I would have never done some of the stupid things that I've been told that goes on in that show. It's my time and money. I like that I spend both working with kids. But, I am not a professional coach. Great job. But, I don't want it. I like that I am a volunteer. I can walk away anytime that I so please and not worry about my mortgage or car payment. I don't know how you guys manage to put up with the bureaucracy, administrators, the politics of HS football and not want to punch somebody's teeth out.
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Post by tiger46 on Feb 11, 2015 4:25:58 GMT -6
I grew up in a small town. There was no youth football. No one played football until 7th grade. I can honestly say there was nothing that I learned about tackling in the 7th grade that I couldn't have learned at a much earlier age. In fact, we were not well taught how to tackle at all. In our first game we had two neck/spinal injuries. One was sort of a fluke. Our RB lowered his head to spear a would-be tackler. The tackler hit him just above the ankles and flipped our RB onto his head. He was out of the game and out of football forever. It wasn't even half-time, yet.
The other player that suffered a neck injury was me. I was the smallest player on our team and I hit head-to-head with the other team's large, powerful RB. I was moving at full speed. Luckily for me he hadn't gotten up to full speed. The impact knocked both of us on our a$$es. I stayed in the game because I didn't know how severe a neck injury was. It hurt like he11 and continued to do so for about 2 weeks. I never even missed a practice because our coaches didn't know jack crap about spinal injuries, either. Had there been someone around to have taught us the correct way to tackle and make contact at an earlier age, I don't think either of us would have ever suffered a neck injury.
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