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Post by mykidlovescoaching on Jul 20, 2024 10:06:38 GMT -6
My tiny 10 year old is **really** into football: stats, detailed info on players, memorizing games, plays, etc… His goal is to be a defensive coordinator for a pro team. He has no hope of playing football as he is a very small kid and not super healthy. But he has deep passion for football and he is profoundly gifted in math.
Are there any camps out there, or opportunities to work with great teams where he could actually get some insight into the real work and strategies? He is really craving some high level learning. Being a “helper coach” at a local camp would not be enough learning for him, unless it was a very high performing program with a really talented coach. I’m at a loss for what camps might be a great fit. Anyone have any leads? Thanks!
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 20, 2024 10:31:54 GMT -6
My tiny 10 year old is **really** into football: stats, detailed info on players, memorizing games, plays, etc… His goal is to be a defensive coordinator for a pro team. He has no hope of playing football as he is a very small kid and not super healthy. But he has deep passion for football and he is profoundly gifted in math. Are there any camps out there, or opportunities to work with great teams where he could actually get some insight into the real work and strategies? He is really craving some high level learning. Being a “helper coach” at a local camp would not be enough learning for him, unless it was a very high performing program with a really talented coach. I’m at a loss for what camps might be a great fit. Anyone have any leads? Thanks! Trying to put this a bit gently: paying dues IS "the real work". A huge part of it. So establishing that a 10 year old will only benefit from work with high performing programs and working with really talented coaches probably is not the best starting point. As far as your son's limitations, when you describe his physical nature, and then say "profoundly gifted in math", as an educator it sounds like he may fall on "the spectrum" as it is called now. When you say he has no hope of playing football, do you mean VArsity and above? Because he absolutely could play youth- ESPECIALLY now that flag football is surging in popularity. If the spectrum aspect is accurate then one of his biggest challenges to COACHING is that coaching is all about relationships. I would argue that playing football will help develop relationship building skills more than trying to start a coaching career at the age of 10. It will also help him appreciate the actual skills required. In the coaching profession, it is quite commonly stated that coaching the position you played is a net negative. Coaching a new position forces one to really improve as a coach in many facets of the profession. HOWEVER-- I will say that I do find one aspect of this practice to be challenging-- understanding what you are asking the players to do and the difficulties they incur while doing it. It is one thing to bark at your ILB that they need to key the near back through the guard, not false stepping, and making the appropriate decision and reaction based on that read while being able to shed downblocks from OTs/TEs etc. It is another to actually experience all the sensory input all that is required to be instantly processed. Your boy playing ball might help with that. EDITED IN- Also, keep in mind that player development is far more important to almost every coaching situation than the schemes or "strategies" All of the iceberg memes on the internet highlighting how much bigger the part you don't see is absolutely applies to coaching. People see a play on tv not work and just assume that the coach chose the wrong # off of his giant double sided color coded laminated play sheet. That is a minute aspect of the job. Now as he progresses into the future, his aptitude with math could be leveraged with coding/data science etc. to work into an analyst role. That seems to be the rage now...if it still holds weight in the future that could be his in.
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Post by carookie on Jul 20, 2024 11:52:08 GMT -6
My tiny 10 year old is **really** into football: stats, detailed info on players, memorizing games, plays, etc… His goal is to be a defensive coordinator for a pro team. He has no hope of playing football as he is a very small kid and not super healthy. But he has deep passion for football and he is profoundly gifted in math. Are there any camps out there, or opportunities to work with great teams where he could actually get some insight into the real work and strategies? He is really craving some high level learning. Being a “helper coach” at a local camp would not be enough learning for him, unless it was a very high performing program with a really talented coach. I’m at a loss for what camps might be a great fit. Anyone have any leads? Thanks! Coach5085 made some very good points, and I think a lot of them point to a mistake that many people make in assuming what many coaches and teams do. The job for most coaches on a football team is to teach technique and fundamentals utilized to be successful with in the game and improve athletic skillsets. This is the real work for many teams, great and or otherwise. The work that a position coach for the Kansas City Chiefs does isn't all that different than what most decent high school coaches do. I point that out, so you understand that football is played by players who utilize technique; and technique is what drives those Xs & Os of the strategies that you seem to be alluding to. I know a lot of people have this misconception of the 'genius' coordinator who draws up these schematically brilliant plays or defenses. But all of this is grounded in technique, you can't by pass that. As to the goal of being a defensive coordinator for a pro team, that is not a path that you can just work your way into. Being a really good coach at the lower levels doesn't mean you get to work your way up to the pros. The way you get into coaching at that level is either playing at that level (making contacts) or knowing coaches at that level (contacts). This coming from someone who knows a lot of former NFL players, coaches, and front office people. That being written, for many, the path to these connections often is serving as a GA or assistant for a college team; but your son is still many years away from that option. Based on what you wrote earlier, I think you may be wanting for your son is to work in analytics (which is a growing field in regards to its impact in on the field decision making). You may benefit from researching game theory, analytics, and economics (yes its not just about money) type camps that may benefit your son and his interests. Or if you are dead set on being with a football team, I bet if you politely ask a nearby college (it doesn't need to be FBS) they may let your son shadow for a short period of time to see the actual work that is done.
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Post by bobgoodman on Jul 20, 2024 12:32:29 GMT -6
He is really craving some high level learning. Being a “helper coach” at a local camp would not be enough learning for him, unless it was a very high performing program with a really talented coach. It may be enough learning for him now. Coaching with a club of players about his age could be exactly the experience he needs to start off with. He may find it more sophisticated than he thinks, just because it's not the pros. It would probably be hard for him to coach formally, as the clubs have age requirements for insurance reasons, but there are many opportunities to sneak helpers onto the field informally, especially since to all appearances he could just be one of the players -- and that's if he doesn't want to play or is medically unsuitable. As to the suggestion of analytics, that could be a very good idea at the right time. Handicappers can make a lot of money, and so can the people who do research for them.
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Post by mattharris75 on Jul 20, 2024 13:16:27 GMT -6
I agree with what's been said previously. And I'd emphasize that playing the game, while not absolutely necessary, is very beneficial in a variety of ways. You say that your son will never be able to play football, but I'd say that unless he has some very profound health issues, I wouldn't rule it out. We had a kid on our team who just graduated this year, he was small and unathletic, but brilliant (national merit scholar). He played purely because he wanted to be a coach in the future. Even though he only ever got in the game in garbage time I believe the time he spent on the team, going through practices, the off-season program, and being otherwise involved with his teammates, was invaluable for him. In addition we as coaches loved having him, he was a great locker room guy who was bought in to the program. I'd keep that in mind, particularly as he's only 10, he'll change tremendously over the next few years.
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Post by CS on Jul 20, 2024 13:31:33 GMT -6
Have him volunteer to be a manager for his high school Or junior high teams. He will learn a lot just being around coaches and being able to ask questions
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 20, 2024 13:47:04 GMT -6
Also just wanted to mention that most of the guys here were “really into football”.
A personal anecdote- I invented the 7 diamond mirror defense to stop the wishbone offense as an 8 year old. I also invented multiple angle filming of games when I was in HS I was a football genius. - in case anyone gets confused, I am not actually claiming the invention of those things, but with 100% sincerity, as an 8 year old devised a 7 diamond “mirror” defense to react to and neutralize the wishbone offense. Did it with action figures and other toys.
In HS I thought “ instead of this television looking angle that we’re filming, why aren’t we filming one wide shot with all 22 players and then another tight shot just to see lineman”. I had never been exposed to all 22 or endzone film before- so even though such techniques have been around for decades prior to my birth much less playing days, i independently thought of the idea.
I grew up to be a football coach and guess what- I grew bored of it. I was coaching Div 1 college football and left because quite frankly I was bored. Now my brain struggles with simple football concepts sometjmes ( Hi again thank all of you guys have been patient with me as I return to the field a weaker coach lol)
So lets not pigeon hole the 10 year old just yet lol.
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Post by larrymoe on Jul 20, 2024 17:03:31 GMT -6
At 10 years old I was going to play for St Louis Cardinals. It would be another 4 years before I had any interest in coaching or playing football. I'd never even watched a football game on TV until the 85 Bears.
Point being, he's 10. Let him explore, but let's not also forget he may want to do something entirely different when he's 10 1/2.
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Post by coachkylejoe on Jul 26, 2024 10:04:03 GMT -6
My tiny 10 year old is **really** into football: stats, detailed info on players, memorizing games, plays, etc… His goal is to be a defensive coordinator for a pro team. He has no hope of playing football as he is a very small kid and not super healthy. But he has deep passion for football and he is profoundly gifted in math. Are there any camps out there, or opportunities to work with great teams where he could actually get some insight into the real work and strategies? He is really craving some high level learning. Being a “helper coach” at a local camp would not be enough learning for him, unless it was a very high performing program with a really talented coach. I’m at a loss for what camps might be a great fit. Anyone have any leads? Thanks! I don't know the situation when you say he's not "super healthy", but I would encourage you to push him into being an active kid regardless of his health. If he really wants to learn football, a good place to start is searching "football clinics" on youtube. Maybe start with Coach McKie. His stuff is a little bit more entertainment. Sort of like infotainment. He's more of an offense guy, but you have to know what the offense wants to do in order to be able to defend.
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Post by brophy on Aug 1, 2024 5:52:31 GMT -6
get some insight into the real work and strategies? He is really craving some high level learning. have him read this book. First 2 chapters regale the reader in the glorious details of 18 hour days just drawing play cards for 2 years However, at ten years old... c'mon - he doesn't KNOW anything to TEACH anyone. The sport of competing in football is WAY more than pieces on the chess board. We're talking people skills, kinesthesiology, physics, and VIOLENCE How about attempting to PLAY and COMPETE at a sport first? He hasn't even hit puberty, yet. That's like saying I want to be George Patton, but don't think Boot Camp is for me. ![](https://i.ibb.co/2nV6dGS/Screen-Shot-08-01-24-at-06-51-AM.png) Have him volunteer to be a manager for his high school even Friday Night Ball Ball with the chain gang would do the trick
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