OT: 1st time youth football coach

[gtowndawg]

Seems to be many on here have coaching experience. I'm coaching my son's 7 and 8 year old tackle team this year. I've never coached. As we all know, there is a TON to teach, but what is your best advice for coaching kids that have never played tackle before?

What specifically is worth teaching at this age and what is worth skipping until they are older?

The heads up tackling videos are good by USA football (for safety), but is that what you teach? Or do you teach hawk tackling (I kid - sort of)?

[blacklistedbully]

Won't offer technique advice, but will offer this:

1. Stay patient
2. Keep it fun - If you don't, they could burn out and lose the desire to play later
3. Hard nose coaching should come much later - see #2

[Big4Dawg]

I think Hevesy has a book out there somewhere. Check amazon.

[LockeDawg]

Seems to be many on here have coaching experience. I'm coaching my son's 7 and 8 year old tackle team this year. I've never coached. As we all know, there is a TON to teach, but what is your best advice for coaching kids that have never played tackle before?

What specifically is worth teaching at this age and what is worth skipping until they are older?

The heads up tackling videos are good by USA football (for safety), but is that what you teach? Or do you teach hawk tackling (I kid - sort of)?

At that age, it's all about suiting up in full pads, helmets, cleats, mouth piece.....that is FUN to kids that age. Keep it FUN no matter what, let every kid get some PT and encourage them with positive motivation. It's ok to blow the whistle, yell at 'em and push 'em to give their best. But understand that they are "little" kids (we call it the termite league here) and you want keep everything simple.

Enjoy it yourself, because those boys grow up so fast and high school ball is here before you know it.

[gtowndawg]

Won't offer technique advice, but will offer this:

1. Stay patient
2. Keep it fun - If you don't, they could burn out and lose the desire to play later
3. Hard nose coaching should come much later - see #2

Completely agree about fun. I've read Changing The Game and I will tell you I was convicted as a Dad.

https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game-Parents-Performing-Athletes/dp/1614486468

[Bass Chaser]

Hope you have help. I agree with bully just keep it fun. Stick to the basics. Their attention span won't be very long.

I like hawk tackling.

[gtowndawg]

Hope you have help. I agree with bully just keep it fun. Stick to the basics. Their attention span won't be very long.

I like hawk tackling.

4 coaches total - thank goodness. Interesting that you like hawk tackling. I really have the debate in my own mind. I know supposedly State taught hawk tackling but I've not seen any consensus if it should be taught at younger levels.

[Bass Chaser]

State taught it but I rarely saw it done correctly. It's the same as rugby tackling.

I always thought we tried to tackle too high and didn't wrap up.

[WinningIsRelentless]

Proper tackling
Rtgdf if you throw a pass you should be fired
Hat on hat
Keep your hands inside when blocking and to move your feet when blocking

[Johnson85]

Three words: Oopty Oop offense.

If it's good enough Mox it should be good enough for 7 and 8 year olds.

[I seen it dawg]

Keep it simple

[bulldawg28]

1. Keep it fun
2. Don't make it a physical practice every practice.
3. Teach more than hitting
4. Teach the holes-2,4,6,8- 1,3,5,7
5. When in doubt run a toss sweep with your fastest kid.

[LandDawg]

Oklahoma and Bull in the ring 1st practice...weed out the fakers**

But for real though...teach lineman good form...pad level low, feet just a little wider than shoulder width and continue driving until whistle blows. Show them example of what happens when 1 lineman stands up while his counterpart keeps low, flat back.

teach everyone to keep feet moving and play until whistle

[tireddawg]

Teach them proper tackling. I've coached youth football for 10 years.
At that age they need to learn & soak up some knowledge. And defense is what they need to learn first & more of because it's easier for them to retain. In my experience most coaches stress offense but if the other team can't score they can't beat you.

Don't get to complex with the offensive plays but teach the line proper blocking technique. Have a few plays that work well & practice the hell out of them. Perfecting a few plays rather than getting "cute" with a lot of plays always works better.

Even at this age group it's best to have 1 qb & roll with him. It doesn't always work out that way, but it just cuts down on the confusion. Its fine to play someone else some & let him get experience.

Let them compete. Make them earn their positions & let them know that they've got to. If you have 2 players, 1 more talented, but the other works harder, play him more, he's earned it.

Always be positive

[hdc]

On defense, put your best athletes on the edges and at safety. Most big plays at that age are around the edges. You need a fast, smart and aggressive safety who understands that he is to stop all break away plays. You can actually put the kids with less talent and even the smaller ones on the internal line in the gaps. Tell them it is their job to shoot the gaps and if they do it fast enough, the offensive line will not have time to block them. This usually stops up the middle pretty good because there are very few offensive linemen at that age that can block. This in turn forces the plays to go around the edges where you will have your best athletes waiting to make the play. When I coached that age group, I had a first and second team defense. The first team defense consisted of 4 or 5 of my better athletes and the rest were the weaker ones. The weaker kids took pride in knowing they were on the "first" team defense. I told the first team defense that they would play every snap of the game provided the ball stayed between the 20 yard lines. If and when the ball got inside the 20, I put in the second team defense that consisted of the best 11 kids on my team. Teams rarely scored on my "second" team D. Some of the more athletic kids were on both first and second team D. It made substitutions easy because every kid knew that he was either on first team D, second team D, or both.

On offense, consistent with what others have said, have a small playbook and run those plays to perfection. Misdirection plays at that age are a must. NEVER pass unless you are so far ahead or behind that it doesn't matter. NEVER run a play that you have not practiced in advance of the game. It confuses the kids, makes you look like an idiot, and rarely ever works.

Have one coach that during game time has only one job and that is to manage the sidelines and to make sure every kid is getting his fair share of playing time. If you are on the field coaching, it is hard to keep track and you need to have someone reliable on the sidelines that can remind you if certain kids need to get in the game. This will minimize complaints from parents.

Reward stickers for the helmets are a big hit, but you have to come up with a system that allows all the kids to get some stickers for certain things and not just a few of the studs. We awarded stickers after the first post game practice each week.

While most will say this is over the top, it really helps if you can get someone (I got a parent to volunteer) to film your games so you can watch the film after the game. By doing this, you can see why things are and/or are not working, and it will allow you to know what you need to teach or work on in practice. Moreover, on a player by player basis you can go work with them individually on things that they did wrong to help them learn the right way to do it and to get better.

Finally, parents usually give you more problems than the kids. The easiest way to minimize parental problems is to win. If your team is winning, it is hard for them to claim that they know a better way. If you are losing, get ready because you are gonna get a bunch of bitching and complaining. Also, I emailed a long letter to all parents setting forth everything they needed to know about me, my coaching style and plans, and my expectations of both the kids and the parents. There was a bunch of info in that letter, but one of the most important things was my clear ban on parents talking to me during a game or immediately after a game. I told them I was happy to talk to them at any other time, just not then.

[fader2103]

Two words. Flea Flicker*

[starkvegasdawg]

Two more words. Triple option.

[gtowndawg]

Great info guys. Seriously, thanks to everyone. I took away several things that will be implemented for sure.

[fader2103]

Hey you could teach them the annexation of Puerto Rico. It worked for the little giants

[starkvegasdawg]

Do you have your network set up yet?

[Hunkaburningdawg]

I coached my son from 7 to 13. I miss those days. Some of the best moments of my life!

Have fun!
Teach them about brotherhood and taking care of each other.
Keep it simple, but have a few passing plays. Usually quick passes or sneaking the TE out. You don't have to complete them, but you have to throw them. Keeps the defense honest.
Start simple, but add a wrinkle or two each practice. Doing the same thing is boring.
My boy was a lineman, so no one complained of favoritism. Be careful with that.
Tell the kid's parents to stay positive and don't yell at their or anyone's kid. Just cheer. There is always one parent who thinks their son is the next Peyton Manning.
Sportsmanship!
Have fun.

[hdc]

Two more things.

Every practice is a full pad practice. Practice time is normally limited so you don't really have much time to work on a bunch of conditioning, nor time to waste practicing in something other than full pads.

Also, always take a spare mouthpiece or two with you to practice and to games. Sooner or later, one or more kids are going to show up without and/or lose a mouthpiece. I would not let a kid practice without one and in our league you couldn't play without one.

[bulldawg28]

$

[blacklistedbully]

Do you have your network set up yet?

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to starkvegasdawg again.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Hey you could teach them the annexation of Puerto Rico. It worked for the little giants

I was wondering how many posts this thread would get before someone mentioned that play.

[archdog]

Make it so difficult that you cannot use a RB or OL until they are in their Junior year.

[I seen it dawg]

Keep it simple