patscoach

I've been the circuit on software, from using something that someone gave me to using PowerPoint and Publisher and creating plays myself - even animated!!It's fun to do, but hugely time consuming. If time is the essence, I bet you can get something on a piece of paper faster this way:

Decide what offensive formations you want to use and create some "blanks" in PowerPoint or Publisher (or the old fashioned way - by hand) for photocopying or mass printing. Bring several to practice and sketch plays as needed against the typical defenses you may face. Our league mandates a 5-2 at that age, even easier!

If you're like me, you have a family, a job, and want to go fishing once in a while. Keep it simple, they're 3rd graders and would benefit more by seeing the play drawn out in front of them as opposed to looking at something already set up.

I also run the Double Wing and at that age limit the kids to 1 or 2 passes and 3 run plays with mirrors (wedge, off tackle and sweep). We say that each back gets to do the plays. This way the QB and FB get in on the action as well, keeping their interest up. Also simplify the terminology. I coach junior high kids. If i have a play called "split left red 99 power sweep" for my team, I ask the 6-7 coach to call it "split left sweep left".

At that age they need to have fundamentals more than playbooks.Good luck!

We dropped our stretches and went with something that incorporated "football movement" in our agilities. Kids that age don't have (for the most part) muscles enough to stretch, as puberty hasn't really gotten up to speed yet. You may evaluate your kids to see which boys are more muscle developed and dosomething with them prior to practice, but the dynamic movement theory works best.

At that age you should coach them as their 3rd and 4th grade teachers teach them - small amounts at a time, and be thorough. They're telling you to stick to 2 formations and 3 plays from each, which is about all they can handle. If you want, you can either add a play or two once they master the initial set, or exchange a couple to fit their abilities. If they're firing on all cylinders, the opponent won't be able to stop them even if they know what's coming. Chances are the 9-11 yr olds on defense you'll hbe up against aren't capable of "adjusting" to your formations all that successfully.

3 more weeks of All Stars Little League (off seacon coaching practice!) and you'll see more of us back. Thanks for fixing the site, it's one of the best, most active sites out there.

Dano
Thanks for your input. From the other responses I received and your appreciated input I think you"ll agree it's a big and common problem at this level of football. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any consensus as to a solution. My take home message from all the feed back I received is the head coach is in complete control. If the league governing body has compliants from parents that the coaches kids automatically get the skilled positions and the better players are delegated to block for them etc... the league should stay out of it , ban those who vent their frustration with verbal and now physical violence and replace the coach next season. There seemed to be a consensus that tryouts for postions shouldn't be allowed and won't work. We'll see what the league does with sign ups beginning next month and the season five months away. I suspect, based on what happened last season and this parent's legal problems still appearing in the local paper periodically, parents will cool it better this year but I still remain convinced that, as long as the head coaching positions are given to a select few in our community and tied to business and political issues associated with smaller communities, coaching dads and their kids playing positions that they did not have to win is only going to have this problem of violence on the ballfield rearing it's ugly head in the future. I'll keep you posted as to how the 2006 season concludes and I have decided, based on all the feedback, to stay out of it.

Our team is comprised of kids and parents from 8 different towns, grades 3-8. The program is an independent member of a 16 team league. Each town has a "town Rep" that serves on the local team board who comes from the parent pool (there are 8), as does the coaching staff. The closest high school's school board just passed approval for a varsity team and hired it's first coach last week. The team youth board has members that serve on both boards, HS and youth. The new coach has already expressed his desire to bring in his college comglomerate offensive playbook (replacing our Double Wing - sorry, Jack, we're trying!!) and feels he needs to be embedded in the youth program down to the flag level. Without a youth PD we coaches feel we're gonna get railroaded into a teaching style unsuitable for youth.

How common is it for area programs to be so heavily influenced by HS programs?