This manual has been put together as an aid in getting organized and managing a smooth running flag football team. It is a compilation of methods and ideas from a number of former and current coaches. The type in bold are the questions we asked the coaches, followed by each of their responses. Their responses are separated by a dotted line. Use it as a guideline; you do not need to follow these recommendations to the letter. Feel free to modify them to fit your team as you wish. Please be aware that these suggestions can be invaluable and make for a hassle-free season. The methods you utilize can make for a positive atmosphere for you, the players and their parents. Please do not hesitate to contact any member of the flag football committee if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. The Name’s & Phone number’s of the committee members is on the last page of this booklet.
It is very important that you never leave practice until all of the kids are picked up. We recommend that you stress with the parents that they need to be on time to pick up their children.
Get
organized. Familiarize himself with the rules and have a summary of the rules
for the players/parents.
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1. Hold
informal coaches/parents/player meeting. Introduce parents & players to
coaching staff.
2. Stress
the League’s commitment to player safety including guidelines.
2. List
equipment that must be supplied by parent including helmet and non-metal
football shoes.
3. Provide
practice schedule.
4.Emphasize
the importance of attending practice, being on time. Notifying coaches if
player cannot attend practice.
5. Detail
what is expected of players during practice including attentiveness, respect
towards players and coaches.
6. Detail
code of conduct of players and parents during scrimmages and games.
7. Require
parents to provide coaching staff with any medical condition a player may have
that could impact his/her health. Require parents to provide emergency contacts
including telephone numbers, pagers/cell phone numbers.
8. And
don't forget the "treat list"!!!
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Attend a
required coaches meeting (great to get any issues/concerns addressed up front
and that there is mutual agreement). The coaches on a team should also discuss and
agree to a plan in running the team.
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Make up
schedules for games, practices, snacks, chain gang, and referees. Decide on
some plays that he/she would like to teach both passing and running.
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Meet with
the parents and go over the rules and expectations of the parents and kids.
Then set the best practice times and answer questions.
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Phone the
family, introduce themselves and let the parents know the specifics of the
practices.
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As soon as
the coach gets his roster, he should contact the parents of each player to set
up a time and place for the first practice.
If you are practicing at the park or at the high school tell the parents
how they can tell which team is yours in case another team is already using the
area that you planned to use when you arrive.
Print each players name on stickers that you can put on the
helmets. One on front and one on back
works best. If you do not have
stickers, tape that you can write on will also work. Put together a letter or list of rules that you expect the
players and parents on your team follow.
It is also a good idea to let the parents know what they can expect from
you and the other coaches. (Ex. How you will run practices, how you will
discipline the players for bad behavior, how you will choose what positions
kids get etc) Make sure that all of
your equipment is in your bag. Besides
the flags, belts, football, and kicking tee that are already in the bag, you
will need something to mark a field such as orange cones, or old rags. It doesn’t need to be fancy but it is
important for the players to get use to having sidelines and goal lines right
away. You will also be able to use this
for games and races during your practices.
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Make the
decision and commitment to never yell at a player for screwing up a play. These are young children, and will not
always perform as they have been taught.
Yelling at them will not help them.
Patiently explain to them what they did wrong and how to do it
better. This will get better results
than yelling. Save any yelling that may
need to be done for discipline problems.
Making that decision before the season starts will help during the entire
year.
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If you already
have assistant coaches, figure out where each coach’s strengths are and then
split up the responsibilities accordingly.
The head coach is not always the best at calling plays or even teaching
plays. A good leader will designate
responsibilities to those best to carry them out. If you do not have assistant coaches already in place, let the
parents know this when you call to notify them that their child is on your team
and ask for their help as an assistant coach.
If your knowledge of the game is limited, try to find a parent who has
more knowledge and look to them for guidance. There are always people who are
willing to help if you just ask.
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Meet with
all parents together and let them know what your goals are for the kids and
what is expected of the boys and parents as the season progresses. (Attendance,
cooperation - kids & Parents)
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Have
information ready to hand out to the parents explaining what is expected of
them and their children. Have nametags
ready for the kids to put on their helmets.
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Call the
kids, tell them what to bring, where they will practice, what to wear and the
coaches phone number.
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Call each
child to introduce him/herself and let them know they are looking forward to
coaching them
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Review the
rules thoroughly. Including the
goals/mission of the league.
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Get a team
roster together w/ practice & game schedule attached. Make copies of the rules. Distribute to the
parents at the first practice.
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Draw a few
plays up, and laminate them.
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Make sure
all the equipment is in the bag. Add a set
of at least 4 orange cones so a makeshift field can be used at practice.
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Call all members of the team and introduce themselves to
the players and the parents. Set up a practice schedule and make it fit the most amount of players. Tell what
is to be expected from the players as far as practice and games.
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1. Handout for parents
regarding coaching philosophy, game schedule, practices, snack schedule at
games, events, etc.
2. Have a written
plan on what will be worked on in the first practice(s). Be ORGANIZED!!!!
3. Make sure flags,
balls and equipment are in good shape.
Put cones for makeshift field in the team bag.
1. Rules
2. Basic Positions and Formations
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1. Conduct
player skills assessment, 40-yard dash, punting, passing, kicking. Identify
skill position players.
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#1)
Rules #2) The meaning of
"TEAM" #3) Fundamentals
(blocking, flag pulling, etc.)
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The
fundamentals, team concepts and good sportsmanship. Good sportsmanship for parents and kids alike.
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1. Tell all
of the players as a whole what you expect out of them in regards to behavior,
effort and attitude. Also let them know
what consequences there will be for bad behavior. (running a lap etc) Let the players know how you will be
selecting what positions each player gets and stress that this is a team sport
and that every single position is important.
(You must remember to always treat every position as important during
each practice and game. Many times
coaches only concentrate on the running backs and the quarterbacks.)
2. Get
kids out on the field with shirts tucked in, flag belts on properly, helmets on
and instruct the player to always have their mouth guards in so they get use to
them. (Flags should hang down at sides
not in the front or back. If the belt
that the player is using does not fit that way, have them wear a different
one.)
3. Run some races to find out who your speed
kids are. (See section on how to
determine what positions each player gets for help with picking your running backs)
4. Teach
the proper way to block and explain that every player must block no matter what
position he/she plays. (See section on
fundamentals)
5. Have
kids try out for center position. (See
section on how to determine what positions each player gets)
6. Look
for quarterback. (See section on how
to determine what positions each player gets)
7. Line the kids up on the line of scrimmage
and teach them a few basic plays. (See
section on offensive plays) Get some parents
out on the field as a defensive line so the lineman can practice their blocking
and stack the kids that are not on offense on the side that you are running to,
even if they are not in a proper defensive position. This will give them practice at pulling flags and will give the
running backs and wide receivers practice at blocking. This will also give the ball carrier better
practice at running around defensive players.
Make sure that the parents who are rushing are aware of how the kids are
suppose to block so they can help the blockers with their technique during
these plays.
8. Do some drills or games to help with the
flag pulling. (See section on drills)
9. Line up a full defense and teach the kids
the responsibilities of each position. Ask
for parent help again to put together an offense. Have the kids that are not on defense run with the ball and have
parents do the blocking. This will give
the defense a better game type situation in which to practice.
10. Sometime before the first game find someone
who can kick and punt and teach the kids what to do on kick-offs and punts from
both sides of the ball. When kicking or
punting it is wise to keep one or two kids back in case the ball carrier gets
past the rest of the team.
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1. Fair
clean play - cover sportsmanship rules
2. Offense and defense line-ups
3. Run through fund. to get a feel for the kids level of skill 4. Blocking a tackling drills 5. Keep kids focused - change drills 3-4
times to keep interest.
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1) Proper
clothing and equipment that they should wear
2) Proper 3 point stance 3) Go
over the rules of the game i.e. off sides, holding, etc. 4) Proper positioning of defensive player
for pulling flags.
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This is
for fun. A lot of hard work goes into the program by coaches, parents and
players. Work hard, listen, and do your best - but remember that this is for
fun.
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Evaluation of skills- speed/running, kicking,
punting, receiving, and passing. Choose
quarterback and assign likely offensive positions. Then, begin putting in basic offensive plays/formations. Assign defensive positions based on size and
speed.
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We did a lot of skill testing to find out who could
handle what on the field. We asked what position they wanted to play and why
they felt it would help the team for them to play there. We ended every
practice with a flag pulling game.
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1.
Emphasize attentiveness. 2. Describe the term "offense" and
"defense". 3. Describe special teams. 4. How points are scored. 5.
Mouth guards required! Helmets snapped during practice. 6. Passing, catching
and hand off drills. 7. 3 point stance. 8. Blocking technique. 9. 45 second
play clock. 10. "The huddle".
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Get to
know the kid's names and let them get to know the coach. Run some drills to see
where the kids' strengths are (i.e.: running, passing, kicking, catching, etc).
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Same
because you need to make sure the kids are "all on the same page"
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Good
sportsmanship, introductions to the basic football drills, and getting a feel
for the player’s skill level
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Running, stretching,
catching, blocking, listening
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Get them
to understand "right" and "left" for offense & defense.
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Have a
mini- run, pass, & kick contest.
Give each child a chance to compete.
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Break down
into small groups of 2-3 players each.
Work on various aspects of the game, most importantly the 3-point
stance, snapping the ball, blocking, passing, running pass patterns, and
kicking.
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End each
practice with a couple of games of Pom-pom.
This is a big hit with the players!
They learn, through play, how to pursue, run, and grab flags, and
understand the field boundaries.
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1. Rules 2.
Basic Positions and Formations 3. Techniques for tackling, handing off,
passing, pass coverage, 4. Responsibilities of each player - for example if the
defensive end is supposed to contain he should be instructed that's what is
expected of him.
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Run
drills, find out talent
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It is
important that the players are taught what they are expected to do and told how
to do it. For example, often a player is just told to cover the receiver but
not told how he is supposed to do it.
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Passing
Drill. QB's throw ball 10 yards while on knees. Rotate hips, bring ball up to
ear, pass ball while rotating hips forward. Follow through bringing throwing
arm across chest. Linemen. 3-point stance. Stress balanced position, feet
shoulder width apart. If hand is knocked out, player should not fall forward.
Receivers. Look ball into hands. Do not turn and run until solid catch is made.
Running backs. Balanced stance. Look straight ahead. Take handoff and
accelerate towards hole.
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#1) Flag
pulling - we do a flag pulling game at the end of each practice #2) Blocking /
Rushing - we do a game to see who is the 1st to get to the QB or if they can
protect the QB for "x" seconds
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Playing as
a team. Cheering each other on. Grabbing the flags. Getting to know their
"job" or position in a play. Learn the basics of flag football. Have
fun.
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Knowing
what all the different positions are and their responsibilities. This is to
help reinforce the team concept and to show how important everyone’s position
is. Teach the kids the importance of good sportsmanship and respect. Also basic
blocking and proper flag pulling.
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Blocking,
although not the most glamorous job, is the most important job on offense. If you teach proper blocking, and the
players execute the blocks well, almost anyone can run the ball. Stress that this is a team effort and that
the plays can only work if everyone does his/her job. Explain what will happen if no one blocks. Keep in mind that in flag, the blockers can
cross the line of scrimmage even on a passing play. Proper blocking technique includes
a. On the
line ?
Teach your
lineman to line up so that there is about an inch between their foot and the
foot of the lineman next to them. This
will eliminate them tripping each other and at the same time will keep the gaps
small.
Bending
the knees (not the back) so that the blocker has a low center of gravity,
Keeping
the hips square to the person being blocked (many kids tend to twist their
bodies),
Using
small steps to get more power,
Keep their
knees bent and stay on the balls of their feet so they can easily move to the
side to close the gaps that the defense will try to rush through.
Getting
their body in between the rusher and the ball carrier and have them push the
opposite way the play is going,
Never
blocking in the back and not getting his/her arms up near the neck or head of
the opponent.
b.
Blocking while running in open field ?
Just
before contacting the opponent, bend the knees a little, make contact with the
opponent at the chest level and then push with a little bit of upward pressure
to take away the opponents center of gravity (make sure that they do not push
their arms up to the throat as this is dangerous and illegal)
Position your
body so it is between the ball carriers route and the opponent.
Never
blocking in the back, (you can only block in the front or side of opponent)
Not
getting his/her arms up near the neck or head of the opponent
On defense
shedding a block and going around blockers is a big key. One of the first things that the kids need
to be taught is that they do not have to come in contact with a blocker if
there is a quick way around them. Many
kids have a tendency to want to block the offensive player. Let them know that their goal is to be on
the other side of the blocker so they can pursue the ball carrier. If they cannot get around the blocker
quickly, then they need to go through him/her.
When
rushing from the line of scrimmage, teach them to go between the blockers if
possible.
Remind
them often that they can use their hands as long as they are not holding on to
the opponent. Teach them to have their
arms extended out with their elbows bent some when they come into contact with
the blocker. This way they can keep the
blocker from pushing them with their arms and will still be able to push away
or to the side because their arms are not straight. Show them that by moving a little to the side while pushing the
blocker in the same general direction as the blocker is going they can often
use the blockers momentum against them.
Also let them know that sometimes pushing the blocker into the path of
the ball carrier will make the ball carrier change directions and make it
possible for a teammate to grab the flag.
Tell them the importance of always looking for who has the ball so they
know where they want to be on the field.
When being
blocked while running in the open field, it is important to keep the blocker as
far away from their body as possible using their hands outstretched if front of
them. Remind them that their goal is to
get past the blocker and to the ball carrier.
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1. Blocking - work with 1 on 1 drills and use
parents as defense when running full offense
2. Center
to qb exchange - most critical at all ages have more than one qb and center
work each practice
3 flag
drills on defense using
4 corner
drill and return drills.
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I stress
defense so I try to impress upon the kids to position themselves and get in
front of the ball carrier so they make the runner have to slow down and also
that gives them the option to pull either flag.
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Blocking,
stance - By practicing them a lot
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Good
sportsmanship Playing fair and listening - Respect for coaches, refs, parents
and towards ALL other players
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Blocking. We tried to do a lot of 1 on 1 and 2 on 2
blocking drills to teach the kids to take the person you are trying to block in
the direction you wanted him or her to go. Flag Pulling. We tried to teach them
to slow the runner down and turn them inside to get some help instead of trying
to pull the flag from the side.
Catching a Pass. Tried to teach thumbs together if the pass is high and pinkies
together if the pass is low.
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1.
Blocking, blocking, blocking!!!!! We use one on one drills of players
similar size. Teach each player
technique for blocking. Then, put it
together in a line. Also, cannot forget
to teach QB and RB to block as they are often lead blockers coming around an
end.
2. Flag pulling- we
did a game at each practice where we set up a small area using cones about 4
yards by 8 yards (to begin with). One
player carries the ball and the other tries to come forward and pull the flag
(ie. one-on-one). We then expand this
to 2 on 2, 2 on 3 and 3 on 3, making
the width of the field slightly larger with more players. This way, there is also a lead blocker for
the runner, so blocking is refined as is flag-pulling.
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Passing
plays, if the receiver can catch. Hands off the ball more than once during a
play. Go around the sidelines vs. straight down the middle of the field.
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Stance -
step by step
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The most important
thing to point out is the team concept.
Pointing out to them why a practice place succeeds. Compliment the players often, especially the
offensive line.
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QB Run
Right/Left and RB Run Right/Left
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Basic
plays from the pro-set formations. If everyone started with the same basic
formations as a foundation to their plays then the kids could be more prepared
for learning additional plays every year instead of starting from scratch every
year. The most successful plays seemed to be the misdirection plays.
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Running
around the end is one of the more popular plays and can be very effective if
the blocking is done well. You may want
to line up two or three wide receivers to the side you are running for
additional blocking. By doing this
several times, you can also set the defense up to expect the run to go that way
every time you line up that way. This
can make a bootleg, reverse or pass back across the backfield a very effective
play because the defense will be cheating to the strong side.
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Another
good play is a short pass to a lineman in the defensive backfield. A fake run to the outside before the pass is
very helpful on this type of play. Passing
to the lineman is also a great way to give them a chance to carry the
ball. This type of play works
especially well when you only need a few yards.
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1. Outside
sweeps 2. Mis-direction 3. Rollout
passes
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Mis-direction
- It seems that most kids on defense will flow in the direction that the ball
carrier has initially gone - so when the ball is reversed it catches them off
guard
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We actually had success by "mixing up" our offensive
plays. We used misdirection (reverses
and fake handoffs), runs up the middle, and the common runs around the
end. These were done by RBs and the QB
(reverses by WRs). Then, we would do
some basic pass plays- screens, down-and-outs, and crosses.
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Sweeps and short passes. Also worked alot with motion on the skill
players.
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Misdirection,
reverse.
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Running
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1. Simple sweeps to the left & right. The team worked out of the shotgun
formation. This worked well, as it
neutralized the other team's big defensive playmakers if they lined up over the
center. It was very effective. We had
fewer bad snaps than the teams that took the snap under center.
2. Reverses - a favorite with the players -
very exciting play
3. Simple 3-5 step roll outs, then pass to a receiver running a buttonhook to the same side of the field. Surprisingly high percentage of completions. We were frustrated by other pass routes which were difficult at times to execute.
Running
and passing
Man-to-man
at cornerback / (3) Linebackers / everyone else on the line
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A 5-3-3 or
a 6-2-2
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Stress
that it is a team effort just like offense and that every job is
important. It is a natural instinct in
the kids to go towards the ball. It is
very important to have some players stay to the opposite side of the field as
the play is going to protect against reverses and such. Your challenge will be to find the players
who have enough discipline and patient to play in those spots. (Usually a defensive end or the corner
back) Be sure to praise them during the
game every time that a reverse is run and they were still in their
position. It will help them with the
discipline necessary to do their job.
It is
important to have a player responsible to turn any outside runs back to the
middle of the field. Like the player
that will stay home to guard against reverses, this takes patience and
discipline. The best way that I found
to teach the kids the importance of this is to line them up in their position
and have them look toward the sideline.
Ask them how many teammates they see.
Then have them look toward the middle of the field. Ask how many teammates they see now. Then explain that the most important part of
their job is to turn the play into the rest of their team so that if they miss
the flag, someone else can pull it. Let
them know that even if they get blocked, if they were able to turn the play in,
they did their job GREAT. Be sure to
praise them during the game for doing that.
It will help them with the discipline necessary to do their job
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1.
Aggressive rush by front line 2. Strong
players on ends or corners 3. Fast
players as safety
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We played alot of standard defense without a whole
lot of blitzes. We had 10 on the field at a time so we had 3 on the line with 4
linebackers 2 corners and a safety. We used the outside linebackers to contain
and the inside to cover or run down the backs.
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Basic formation of four defensive lineman, two
cornerbacks to contain, two outside linebackers who usually blitzed from the
end at the snap, two middle linebackers, and one safety.
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5-2 with 2 defensive backs. Although during a game situation it
seems you are placing players towards the strength of the offense covering
holes from the success of the previous play.
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Block your
man. Watch where the ball is going or which team members move.
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All on
line except 3-4 players as linebackers
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5 X 2 zone
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We played
basically a zone defense. The players
have a tendency to chase all over the field, and on cutback plays, the other
team would get a huge gain or a touchdown.
With the players generally responsible for an area of the field, we were
more organized on defense. Also, it
always kept a defensive player in the area of where a pass may be thrown, so we
always had a chance to defend them.
We played 3 down linemen, 3 linebackers, 2 cornerbacks, 2 safeties.
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1. 7-8 man
all out rush - create confusion in backfield
2. Corners stay home - linebackers contain sweeps 3. 1 man safety - usually fastest player on
team
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4 X 4 man
on man
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Based on
the first couple of practices, a players skills must fit the position he's put
into.
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First 1 or
2 practices are 'secretly' run as try-outs to determine which positions each
individual excels at. I also make a point to know what each players "wish"
is and I make sure that they get to play that position at some point in the
season (for example, play QB at the end of a game if we're winning).
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Determine
speed and agility, ability to throw, catch or kick during first couple of
practices.
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I ask what
position they played last, which position they would like to play and then
evaluate all the players. All the kids have a primary position on offense and
defense. When they learn their primary position the they earn more playing time
at their secondary position (which is usually a position they want to try).
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