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Post by coachbdud on May 12, 2008 23:39:21 GMT -6
ok so im sure we have all seen the special teams mats that have all 11 positions on it, so they can be set up on the sideline prior to special teams plays so you know you have all 11 out there.
i think it is very useful on gamenight, but i dont wanna drop 400+ dollars on it
Has anyone every built there own ??
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trojan
Junior Member
[F4:wingtcoach.com] [F4:wingtcoachdon]
Posts: 494
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Post by trojan on May 13, 2008 6:11:02 GMT -6
I'd never heard of it, but that is the simplest/most brilliant thing I've heard of for organizing those guys. In middle school, we often try to get those players with less playing time on special teams, but those guys aren't always as "focused" on the game as we'd like them to be.
I hope you get your answer.
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Post by fbdoc on May 13, 2008 6:28:06 GMT -6
The mats are nice but we just use 4 orange cones and have a coach get the players in the cone-zone to make sure we have everyone. Of course at a smaller school, a lot of the special team players are already on the field with an offensive or defensive team so the cones-mats can appear empty...
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Post by phantom on May 13, 2008 6:32:31 GMT -6
The mats are nice but we just use 4 orange cones and have a coach get the players in the cone-zone to make sure we have everyone. Of course at a smaller school, a lot of the special team players are already on the field with an offensive or defensive team so the cones-mats can appear empty... We also use cones and have a coach in charge of checking if everybody's there. We also have a lot of 2-way players so a lot of them are already in the game. If somebody really wanted a mat but didn't want to play a lot I guess they could buy a big tarp for a few bucks and spray paint dots on it. |
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frog
Freshmen Member
Posts: 16
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Post by frog on May 13, 2008 6:58:32 GMT -6
How about using those flat cones they use in the gym. Lay em out prior to the game...
Also, make a point to call out each special teams unit at some point before the game starts to reming them (esp if your team is freshman or below...)
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Post by coachwoodall on May 13, 2008 7:07:05 GMT -6
something i have seen at the lower levels:
Have each special team assigned a color: IE Punt is red, KO is purple, etc....
Take a piece of colored electrical tape and put a piece on the face mask of the kid's face mask that corresponds to the special team their are on. IE red tape for punt team, etc....
When you need that team call out the color and all a kid has to do is look at their face mask and see if they have that color on their face mask.
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Post by brophy on May 13, 2008 7:10:16 GMT -6
the idea sounds retarded.....but we did this years ago and it was a God-send.
We ended up making them ourselves as I recall. Just a vinyl tarp-like sheet with circles painted on it. We were gonna spend the money on it, but the HC found a way to get it made for about $100.
THEY WORK!
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Post by justwingit on May 13, 2008 9:01:09 GMT -6
My student teacher called them poly dots>!?!?!? They are used in gym class for bases - small round rubber mats - we just took out eleven of them. We only used them on kickoff and kickoff return but it was an easy way to make sure you had eleven going out there. Didn't use them on punt punt defense because most of the guys were already playing---
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Post by airman on May 13, 2008 14:24:55 GMT -6
this is interesting. I just have a coach who is responsible for getting the kids out there. he has a list of all the special teams and he is in charge of getting them ready.
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Post by coachd5085 on May 13, 2008 18:51:34 GMT -6
If you need land markers...the polyspots are a cheap alternative. However, at the HS level, you probably don't need land markers. Just set up and PRACTICE special teams sideline huddles. Have them align the same way ever time, just like you have an offense huddle (Choir Huddles probably work best... row of 5, row of 5, Kicker/Primary returner) then on the special teams coordinator (or sideline coordinator, or whatever coach can best be used to ensure the right team is out...) game plan/call sheet... HAVE the team listed IN the huddle shape. Starters on top, backups on bottom:
-------R1----------------------R2---------------------R3--------------------------R4--------------------R5-----------
----KOTTER----------------BARBARINO-------------EPSTEIN-------------HORSHACK----------WASHINGTON-----------
----happy------------------sleepy------------------grumpy-------------------grumpy-------------doc------------
------L1----------------------L2----------------------L3-------------------------L4----------------------L5-----------
----WAR-------------------FAMINE---------------DEATH--------------------PESTILENCE--------APOCALYPSE-----
----brainy-----------------jokey------------------handy-----------------------smurfette----------papa-----
---------------------------------------------------K--------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------ATHOS--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------porthos-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------aramis------------------------------------
So just practice these huddles on the sideline, PRACTICE leaving open spaces for those who might be on the field... and PRACTICE communicating injuries to the person in charge.
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Post by phantom on May 13, 2008 18:58:36 GMT -6
If you need land markers...the polyspots are a cheap alternative. However, at the HS level, you probably don't need land markers. Just set up and PRACTICE special teams sideline huddles. Have them align the same way ever time, just like you have an offense huddle (Choir Huddles probably work best... row of 5, row of 5, Kicker/Primary returner) then on the special teams coordinator (or sideline coordinator, or whatever coach can best be used to ensure the right team is out...) game plan/call sheet... HAVE the team listed IN the huddle shape. Starters on top, backups on bottom: -------R1----------------------R2---------------------R3--------------------------R4--------------------R5----------- ----KOTTER----------------BARBARINO-------------EPSTEIN-------------HORSHACK----------WASHINGTON----------- ----happy------------------sleepy------------------grumpy-------------------grumpy-------------doc------------ ------L1----------------------L2----------------------L3-------------------------L4----------------------L5----------- ----WAR-------------------FAMINE---------------DEATH--------------------PESTILENCE--------APOCALYPSE----- ----brainy-----------------jokey------------------handy-----------------------smurfette----------papa----- ---------------------------------------------------K-------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------ATHOS-------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------porthos------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------aramis------------------------------------ So just practice these huddles on the sideline, PRACTICE leaving open spaces for those who might be on the field... and PRACTICE communicating injuries to the person in charge. Love the names. |
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Post by davecisar on May 14, 2008 6:48:45 GMT -6
Maybe these HS kids have too much on their minds.
For my youth teams all the way down to age 7-9 we just practice coming on and off the field a bunch with each squad. never has been a problem for us at all.
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Post by fbdoc on May 14, 2008 7:13:58 GMT -6
Dave makes a good point. I think the drilling of it is as important as keeping the kids (and the coach!) heads in the game. We went to a cone zone several years ago because I needed a way to keep a young TOO EAGER coach occupied on the sideline. He was all over the place so this gave him a defined responsibility that he actually excelled at. We still practice calling the teams out, and we still occasionally get a kid who is lost, daydreaming, or injured but I think this is one of those things that IF it works for you and your team, then it is worth it.
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Post by brophy on May 14, 2008 7:22:30 GMT -6
the issue becomes not "WHO is on the Kickoff team", but managing subs & injuries.
Rather than yelling, "Punt Team!!!" and hoping everyone gets there, and trying to not count guys twice, factor in who is already on the field......you already have a rally point to stage the next group.
You want to go over strategy or situational issues with the group you have? Everyone is at the rally point - you can get it done, without having to do extra thinking (who are we missing, where is he at, who is his backup?).
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