Gatman

We try to run a pretty tight ship with 9-10's. I am stern and will yell when necessary. Evidently, I am not too intimidating because they still jack around and talk when coaches are talking. I don't smile that much but they seem to know I am there for the right reasons. I come down on them when they do not put out a good effort or they need a jolt to their concentration level. I lift them up when they do well. I don't exaggerate or do the opposite. The kids seem to respond. They don't seem to be tentative and we haven't lost a kid yet but we are 3-0. If I feel like I was hard on somebody in practice, I will take them aside after and pump them up and explain I just want them to be a better football player. Again, they seem to respond.

We just keep playing no matter what the score. We only have 18 kids so our backups are in and out the whole game. The play calling does get more conservative and we would never call a timeout with the lead. It is tempting just to practice the 2 minute drill but we don't. Our kids (9-10s) may look at the scoreboard right after the game but within 5 minutes they are more concerned with goofing off. Last week, we beat a team 31-6 and after the game they hooped and hollered and their parents created a tunnel for them to give high fives. One would have assumed that they won. Our kids seem to understand a physical beating from the other team a lot more than a scoreboard beating. The parents and coaches are the ones focused on the score.

What coachbreck said!!!!