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Post by rleboeuf on Feb 5, 2007 14:07:12 GMT -6
Coaches of Spread Offense:
Do you have youth football in your community? If so, do you ask them to use some of the same concepts that you do in high school? I would think that they can start some of the base in 7th and 8th, but be very general and let them focus on fundamentals and let them run whatever they are comfortable coaching in 5th and 6th. Thoughts?
Rob
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Post by dacoachmo on Feb 5, 2007 14:57:21 GMT -6
Don't be afraid to throw the football...too many "get my fastest player the ball on a sweep offenses down there"...
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Post by brophy on Feb 5, 2007 15:10:55 GMT -6
Premiere program in the state (here) runs DW at the youth level and spread at the Jr High and Varsity level.
They are REALLY GOOD at the spread, btw.
As I understand, there are a ton of 8 - 12 year old teams in the DFW area running serious passing spread offenses.
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Post by jhanawa on Feb 5, 2007 15:28:53 GMT -6
I've coached youth, JV and Varsity, IMO 7/8th grade kids can handle almost anything that high school kids can. Depth on routes are reduced a bit if the QB's arm isn't up to it, but today's kids are smart, smarter than I was when I was a kid for sure  . All of my kids last year took our offense home, programmed it into their NCAA 06 video games and played it daily. Don't know if you consider that practice or not, but they knew the offense inside and out and we were very Multiple. |
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Post by coachveer on Feb 5, 2007 15:47:12 GMT -6
As long as the QB kind hit an uncovered receiver you should be OK.
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Post by rleboeuf on Feb 11, 2007 12:20:49 GMT -6
thank you for sharing your thoughts
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Post by MalcolmRobinson on Feb 12, 2007 2:01:53 GMT -6
relboeuf:
I agree with jhanawa. Kids can do most anything the bigger kids can do. Obvioulsy, its relative to their age and physical development. But, as Brophy said, there are youth teams all over the country throwing the football around and running spread offenses.
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Post by bulldog on Feb 12, 2007 11:17:19 GMT -6
I don't see how youth can have as much offense - techniques, scheme - as HS kids. A couple of issues - the sheer amount of practice time, the maturity and dedication, and the base of knowledge and experience on which to build. There is no way that a youth team could run our exact offense. It's just too complex. We don't even give our JV and Freshman teams the same depth. They have the basics, but not all of the details. Likewise, our HS kids could not run the same scheme as a college.
A youth team could run the spread offense. They would have to be able to throw the ball and passing concepts would have to be adapted to their ability . . . but, there is no reason not to run it.
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Post by middlec on Feb 12, 2007 13:52:43 GMT -6
Maybe I've not run up against a well coached middle school team that runs the spread, but I've never had a problem stopping one either. I just don't feel that the spread works well at the 7th and 8th grade level. Every year we run into one or two teams who try it and every year we beat the snot out of them. It's not so much that the kids can't "handle it" as it is a matter of execution. I have yet to meet an 8th grade team that executes the spread well enough to beat a well coached defense (might beat a poor defense). Usually when I see an O come out in s spread I start smiling. I hope every opponent I play comes out in a spread. Bring it on.
It's not that they can't run it. It's just that they can't run it well. The reason they can't run it well is because there isn't enough time to teach it well. We have to teach kids how to block, how to tackle, how to throw, how to catch, how to put the pads in their pants, how to take/give a handoff... (I know some of you HS coaches will say you have to teach the same things. If you do, then you need to get a new coach at your feeder school).
HSs that run the spread well are able to do it because the MS behind them has taught the basics of the game so well that they can spend a lot of time teaching timing routes, QB reads, multiple formations, complicated blocking schemes...
Btw, our HS runs the spread very well. (And we send them kids that can put their own pants on, as well as block, tackle...)
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Post by CVBears on Feb 12, 2007 14:58:37 GMT -6
Our frosh team ran spread VERY WELL last year and all of our feeder programs run wing T. It is not a matter of "is there enough time to coach it?" but rather "can you coach it well?" Obviously time comes into consideration when the question of "how much" of the offense to put it. But at the end of the day, the spread has fundamentals that can be coached and executed well just like any other offense.
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50Murf
Sophomore Member
Posts: 212
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Post by 50Murf on Feb 12, 2007 16:16:15 GMT -6
I coached it, my kids picked it up, and I thought we did very well with it.
I did not have the best kids in the league, nor the biggest or the fastest, but it allowed me to win 5 out of 7 games. We gave the league champs all they could handle and lost in overtime.
I think we coached it well, we are going to clinics to learn how to coach it better, but I think it works well.
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Post by jhanawa on Feb 13, 2007 11:34:54 GMT -6
It's not that they can't run it. It's just that they can't run it well.
I'd have to respectfully disagree with you. I understand where your coming from, but the fact is that jr high age kids can and do execute this offense very well. The problem isn't the kids ability to learn or execute, its the coaches lack of ability to teach the offense in a manner that the kids can understand and execute it. Poor coaching in any system will be a train wreck.
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Post by middlec on Feb 13, 2007 20:40:23 GMT -6
Maybe you're right. As I said, it may well be that I haven't run into a well coached MS spread. The HS coach across the street coaches it well and is very sucessfull. He and I talk often and he agrees that my kids aren't ready for it. (Either that or he thinks I'm too dumb to coach it, and that too may be right.) When I run up against a MS Spread that I can't defend then maybe I'll have more respect for it. So far I haven't seen one. And I've been coaching MS for about 20 years. I see at least 2 teams a year that try to run it. So far I'm not impressed.  |
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Post by coachgregory on Feb 13, 2007 21:27:56 GMT -6
I coached spring club team last year and we ran the spread. We kept our concepts simple - trap read and zone read was our base running game and we used a very simple passing game that concentrated on throwing to the uncovered receiver and using screens. Used only two formations 2x2 gun and 3x1 gun.
They can do it as long as you put the effort into coaching the techniques and keeping the concepts simple.
Jack
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Post by sls on Feb 13, 2007 22:25:54 GMT -6
We run it at the mddle school level and have had decent success. We stress throwing bubble and uncovered with the middle school team. They will still pound the ball some, but they are learning the basics and that is what I have wanted.
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Post by jhanawa on Feb 14, 2007 11:17:44 GMT -6
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