WVYOUTHCOACH

Coach Gregory: They have 4 down lineman. 2 in a 1 tech. and 2 in a 4 tech. The ends appear to be in a 9. The LB's are in a 40. The deep corners were covering the ends on pass plays. Thought about splitting an end out and have him run a flag, then come underneath with the wingback on a delay. I think it could get some possitive yards. The kids are doing a good job with SAB. We still need some work on the wedge though. Do you think trapping the end with a guard and having the wing hit 2nd level would work? My FB does a great job faking, if we could get their lb to freeze for a second then the wing should have an easy block. I'll work on the inside trap tonight. We call it an X block with the center and guard. Thanks for your help and also the DW DVD's. Jeff

Thanks to the Double Wing and the 46-Gambler Def. we are now 2 and 0. This week we face a team that we have never defeated. On film this week they run a 6-2-3 def. It's like 3 safties that are 10 yards off the los. I'm thinking of ball control and eating up the clock as the DW is supposed to do. Just wondering if anyone else had faced this situation and how they handled it?? I coach 10-11 year olds. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks Jeff

It will be interesting what feedback you get from this question!! It's sad that we as volunteers need to worry about this but we do. I document EVERY injury. What happened and what steps were taken afterwards. Our league was sued last year over a kid playing hurt. So now the league requires a trained nurse or Dr. check out each injury and decide what the next step needs to be. A player was injured so a coach sat him out. The Dad came over and gave his injured son an ear-full and called him a cry baby. The dad persuaded the coach to put his son back into the game.. The player ended up with a broken back so now our league is being sued for allowing the kid to play injured. Good Luck Jeff

I Think what coachbreck mean't was "Butt Kickers" You do your HIGH KNEES then do the opposite, when they run they try to make their heels hit their butts. I have my kids do this. A very important part I'd like to add is to tell the kids that this is NOT a race. Form is everything!!! Anyone who goes through the motion but doesn't give their best effort then the whole group in their line does it again and again until they ALL do their best. Peer pressure even at this age can do wonders!! L.O.L. Jeff

I did get the powerpoint!! AWESOME INFO I'm going to your site now to check on the DVD's Thanks Jeff

I think you'd be better off searching the internet!! It offers a bunch of info that is free. I purchased the "Football Drill Book" by Doug Mallory. It had some good ideas in it which I was able to use for my 9-10 year-olds. Some of the info was more for older players but I still was able to get some useful info.for my age group. This forum has some GREAT coaches on it. I'm sure they can be more helpful than I. This is my 2nd year as H.C. but I've learned a bunch from these guys. Good Luck Jeff

Thanks!! Thats what I thought I should do but as a 2nd year H.C. I was hoping for some thoughts from other coaches with more experience than I. I really appreciate your feedback!! Jeff

Thanks Coach!! I've been able to get information about your 46-gambler from your forum!! Is their anyway I could get more!! We are a small team (15 to 18 players) so if I have the bodies I need then I plan on using your Def. Thanks again Jeff

Just had a 9 year-old sign up who has had a hip re-placement and still has a bad limp. I feel as a coach I need to "challenge" him to want to be equal to everyone else however I don't want to go to far and break his spirit either!! Does any one have any advise ?? Have any of you had a similar experience?? I've had kids who are A.D.D and A.D.H.D. but never this. Thanks Jeff

We were told not to paint the helmets. Adding paint makes it weaker and it could crack. If painted the warranty is void also. That opens up the door for liability problems. In our league if a Ref. can see that a helmet has been repainted that player is out of the game. Some teams send their helmets back to the manufacturer to be re-conditioned but that can take some time and money. Good luck Jeff

What is a good age for kids to be taught "reads" especially lb's At this time my kids have only been taught gap assignments. We've moved up to another level this year 9-10-11 year olds so I wonder if any of you have had success with reads at this level or is it still to young!! Thanks Jeff

I agree with some things you said but I wanted to make sure you understood what I mean't about "taking stars away" They lost 5 if they were bragging to others about the number of stars they had.. This WAS done in private and they were reminded of the rules. A personal foul penalty called lost 5 and one seen on film although it was not called but seen while grading lost 2. A big hit is just that. Cheap shots will not be coached or tolerated. If a good hit is used where as the player used proper technique and if the other player got the wind knocked out then thats football!! This is a contact sport and sometimes things happen. I don't want ANYONE to get hurt but I don't want my guy to change the way he blocks and tackles. If my guy is afraid to hurt someone then he'll probably use a bad technique and get hurt himself. I like to use the old phrase" Be the hammer and not the nail" Do the hitting instead of getting hit. If my corner takes on the lead block and still comes upfield to make the tackle then I feel he should be rewarded. Technique and motivation are key. I don't pick them up and celebrate when of if they knock the wind out of another player. And I don't want them to play TAG either!! Perhaps it is a fine line on wheather to reward or disipline hits, but so far I have not had any problem with the other teams or their parents and coaches !! Jeff I agree with some things you said but I wanted to make sure you understood what I mean't about "taking stars away" They lost 5 if they were bragging to others about the number of stars they had.. This WAS done in private and they were reminded of the rules. A personal foul penalty called lost 5 and one seen on film although it was not called but seen while grading lost 3. A big hit is just that. Cheap shots will not be coached or tolerated. If a good hit is used where as the player used proper technique and if the other player got the wind knocked out then thats football!! This is a contact sport and sometimes things happen. I don't want ANYONE to get hurt but I don't want my guy to change the way he blocks and tackles. If my guy is afraid to hurt someone then he'll probably use a bad technique and get hurt himself. I like to use the old phrase" Be the hammer and not the nail" Do the hitting instead of getting hit. If my corner takes on the lead block and still comes upfield to make the tackle then I feel he should be rewarded. Technique and motivation are key. I don't pick them up and celebrate when of if they knock the wind out of another player. And I don't want them to play TAG either!! Perhaps it is a fine line on wheather to reward or disipline hits, but so far I have not had any problem with the other teams or their parents and coaches !! Jeff

I only used "stars" last year and it seemed to work well. I rewarded everyone with a touchdown, extra point and a shut out. Players that had tackles behind L.O.S,Big Hits, Passes caught and touchdowns scored recieved an extra one. I thought the skull and crossbone would be a nice change this year for Big Hit. Thanks for your thoughts!! Jeff

Thanks Jeff

Last year we used "Helment Stars" to help motivate our kids. We have less than 20 players,so this really helped. Has anyone else done this and if so what were the good points and bad about about it?? (I took 5 away from anyone bragging) Thought of using a Scull-and-Crossbone for big hits this year. Any thoughts?? If anyone has used Skull for helments where did you get the ones that fit "Football" helments?? I can only find the bigger ones that fit motorcycle helments. Thanks Jeff