Posts in category Guest Blogs

Successful Youth Fundraising – Selling Candy Vs. Teamwear

Apr30
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Referee Steve Wells

Searching for youth football fundraising ideas is a challenge for any football organization. Everyone has something for you to sell.

youth sports fundraising at youth football online

Candy or Pizza Salesman

Fundraising for football programs has come a long way since I was playing. It used to be you sold candy or popcorn or pizza kits. People who knew you would buy them, because they felt like they had to. The organization would get a $1 or $2 per kit, but it was a lot of work and the return was maybe a few hundred dollars for the organization.

A youth football program fundraising in today’s marketplace is a challenge. Having a product to sell is often a burden for the parents, coaches and players. Coaches are great with the X’s and O’s , but not so much with food inventory.

Fundraising Shirts, Jackets, Bumper Stickers

Teamwear has long been a staple of youth football fundraising programs. Matching undershirts, performance shirts, jackets and polos for coaches are great way to build awareness for youth football programs. These can be an excellent source of revenue for youth football.

The key to using teamwear successful for youth football fundraising is planning and execution. Unlike other options, you may have to spend money up front to buy t-shirts and polos. Here are some tips for using teamwear as a youth football fundraiser:

Keep it simple – limit the products to ones everyone needs or has requested.
Keep the design clean – printing or embroidering simple designs is cheaper.
Use a pre-sale. Give your team parents a simple order form.
Plan for a second order – when people see others in teamwear, they will want it for themselves.
Shop around. Prices can vary widely between vendors. Get competitive bids.

See our article on 5 fun Youth Football Online Fundraising Ideas for the great tips on successful fundraising!

Posted in Fundraising

Parents’ Review Of The Junior Rank Academic All American Game

Jan05
2012 4 Comments Written by Guest

All-Star parents, Sandra and Arthur Araiza, reviewed their experience at the Junior Rank Academic All American game exclusively for us. Youth Football Online All-Star Isreal “Izzy” Araiza was the only 11 year old in the game so he was undersized, however he was able to hold his own and have success blocking for his QB. As you’ll learn from the review below, the Junior Rank game wasn’t just about an all-star football game. The winner or loser of the game didn’t matter. Emphasis at the event was centered around the importance of character building and academic excellence.

It was such an exciting atmosphere and a great honor to have been a part of youth football history as parents of a participating student athlete in the Junior Rank Academic All American Game, 13 and Under. The magnitude of this event was extraordinarily high. It was such a rewarding and yet humbling experience for these young men aspiring to do great things on and off of the field. The Junior Rank Academic All American game was a well organized event, and celebration of some of the top youth football players from across the country. Right off the bat, Mr. Berry made it clear how the boys should carry themselves and represent themselves for this magnificent event. High ranking officers in the United States Marine Corps. talked to these young men with words of wisdom, courage, and inspiration. It was so moving to see how motivating this was for these young men.

This was such a rewarding experience for our son to see how far all of his hard work in the classroom combined with talent on the football field can take him. This experience was a great opportunity to see where our son Isreal measured up with the best of the best. This event made it possible for us to see where he is at now and where he needs to develop to continue to play at a high level. This alone is PRICELESS. We could see the changes in Isreal’s play within days of working with these coaches. He is definitely returning home a more refined player.

The Game & Other Activities:

The Jerseys and helmets were one of a kind. The boys got to ride in travel buses wrapped with US Marines and Semper Fidelis Logos to and from practice, as well as special events such as the The Fiesta Bowl Parade and Arizona Cardinals Game. All of the Junior Rank & Semper Fidelis All American Players got to be a part of the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Each 14 and 13 & Under player was buddied up with a Semper Fidelis High School All American Player as a big brother. This game itself took youth football to another level. The coaching staff all around was made up of both former NFL, and College players as well as coaches. This was definitely football on a higher level. The talent of both the East and the West teams was nothing short of superb. The linemen were not only big, but strong and athletic. The Linebackers were fast, tall, and lights out hitters. Offensively, the talent in the skilled positions category was ridiculous. I had never seen a 13 year old run perfect routes and use double moves. The speed of the running backs was impressive. The defensive backs were very skilled.

The entire time the Junior Rank Staff and Speakers put a heavy emphasis on Character, and Academics, stressing that without these two characteristics, talent alone is not enough to receive a college scholarship offer. The game itself was exciting as the young men warmed up like pros getting a sneak preview of what the future holds for some of these players. It was simply put, ” A World Class Experience”. The game was a big deal, Junior Rank is a big deal. I would love for my son to be so fortunate as to be selected next year. This was a phenomenal experience, and a memory that will last a lifetime.

Posted in On The Road, Youth Football Benefits - Tagged academic all american game, Isreal Araiza, junior rank, youth football

Youth Football Referee Steve Wells Gives An Inside Look At Officiating

Dec12
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Vin

We’re happy to feature youth football referee Steve Wells as a guest contributor. He’ll answer questions you may have regarding youth football officiating and give you a glimpse of what it’s like to be a ref. Here’s Steve first post-

I am 23 years old. I just worked my first Varsity football game. As luck would have it, it
was a rivalry game. The football gods can be cruel to young officials.

The call was an Unsportsmanlike. A cornerback and wide receiver were trash-talking and
one decided to use a word that should get you flagged. In NC today, using this particular
term will get you ejected. However, with a 14-0 score and the losing side lining up for 3rd
and long this might have not have been the time to flag that.
The result was the losing team getting a first down and driving down the field to make
the game 14-6. That was the final score.

There was no judgment in the Crew Chief’s voice. He was just making a point – a point that I would remember for the rest of my life.

Depending on who you talk to today, you will get varying opinions of whether I was right
or wrong. Technically, I was right. I could have held my flag and penalized it during the
down. I could have spoken to the player. Any of these actions would have been correct.

Personally, I don’t know that I would have done anything differently. I think there is a
difference between words and actions. Guys say a lot of stuff, especially teenagers whose
brains aren’t fully formed that if they really thought about it, they wouldn’t.

In many ways a young official, the guys working your youth football games, are learning
the game the same as your players. Judgment isn’t something that comes overnight.

Flash forward to a 4th and inches QB Sneak a year later. The QB dives over the line. The
Wingmen rush into their spots. The QB looks at the spot and says “What the F…” Then
sees me and says: “Sorry Ref, I didn’t mean that.”

I grabbed the ball, spotted it. Looked the player in the eye and said: “Said What?”
paused “But don’t say it again. Okay?” He smiled, nodded and went back to his huddle.

I would like to this opportunity to share some of what it is like from inside the lines. Feel free to ask questions via the youth football online Facebook page or on twitter @Youth_Football.

Posted in Referees - Tagged officiating, youth football, youth football referee

How Youth Football Coach Ken Sloan Won His State Championship

Oct21
2011 1 Comment Written by Youth Football Online

Coach Jeff interviewed city and state youth football championship winner Coach Ken Sloan about his season. Coach Sloan used the Youth Football Online Wing T Jet Series playbook masterfully, congratulations Coach!

Name: Coach Ken Sloan

League/ team name: U-11 BGC/ Clark Falcons

Age Level: 9-10 year old

Location: Anchorage, AK

Coach Jeff: How many years have you been coaching youth football?

Coach Ken: 7 years

Coach Jeff: What is your favorite aspect of youth football?

Coach Ken: Competition. Watching them grow week to week in this contact sport is amazing.

Coach Jeff: You won your city championship, tell us little bit about the journey to the championship.

Coach Ken: When we first started we only had 7 kids on the team. One full week later we were up to 22. We continued to work hard each and every day implementing our motto “hard work and dedication” to our practices and game day play. Growing week after week with our fundamentals and techniques at each position on the field was key in this run. Being able to share this championship with these players was amazing.

Coach Jeff: Your team is running Youth Football Online Youth Football Wing T Jet Series Playbook, what is your favorite aspect of the Wing T?

Coach Ken: The fake and responsibility. The Jet Series gives all 11 players a responsibility. If you aren’t blocking, you’re selling a fake. My kids loved being tackled without having the ball. My lineman loved pull blocking. This offense is amazing. I’m glad I switched to it. I can’t wait to get back to it next year.

Coach Jeff: What youth football defense does your team run?

Coach Ken: We ran a combination of the 5-3 and 4-4. In the championship game we ran the 5-3 exclusively. We had to have one of the best D-Lines in the state this year.

Coach Jeff: Are there any areas of youth football coaching that you feel has room for improvement? What areas of coaching do you feel you are strongest?

Coach Ken: I think offensively we could’ve had better timing and blocking. Every play wasn’t crisp, but it was our first year running the Wing T Jet Set. Next year I plan to drill selling that fake more and emphasize pull blocking more. As a coach I want to improve on my teaching of blocking and situational play calling. I felt strong at teaching skill positions techniques throughout the season.

Coach Jeff: What is the most challenging part of coaching youth football? For me it is dealing with disgruntled parents..

Coach Ken: This year I felt the most challenging was making sure that players got their snaps in practice and in games. I hate having a kid not be able to play due to the coaches forgetting about them.

Coach Jeff: What are some of your most effective youth football drills?

Coach Ken: Oklahoma’s, angle tackling, W drill, scramble and throw, and 7 on 7.

Coach Jeff: Physical education is crucial for kids; conditioning is a main focus while practicing. How do you promote physical education?

Coach Ken: We warm up with many stretching exercises and then get a light run in. At the end of practice we run snakes or 6 100-yards. I love hearing the players gut it out during the 100s. At the end they feel great. We really focus hard on conditioning on Mondays. We nicknamed Monday “C-Day” for conditioning Monday. We also let the kids know that the game is won in 4 quarters and those that tire can’t hang 4 quarters—“Hard work—Dedication”

Clark Falcons 2011 Alaska State Champions

Posted in Coaching tips, Wing T - Tagged coach ken sloan, Wing T, youth football

Strategy for Coaching Youth Football Kickers

Aug05
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Guest

An expert from Kicking World has written an article for us to assist with youth football special teams (kicking) tips. Make sure to view the video below as it is very helpful.

Coaching Youth Football students is a completely different ball game versus say coaching High School, College or Professional athletes. I’m going to discuss with you specifically the strategy that I employ when coaching my youth football kicking and punting students ages 9-12.

The number one theme to remember when coaching youth kickers and punters, and this applies to ANY sport or position, is to focus on FUN and Learning! If you can keep just those two points in mind at all times, you are on the right track. Parents send their youth students to coaches to learn how to improve in their specific skill but more importantly to enjoy what they are doing, have fun and constantly learn new things. Yes sure, some parents are over the top and expect their son to be a professional athlete in every sport he or she takes on; but that’s just not realistic. Instead of expecting your student to be the next start athlete, I suggest to start small and work on basic skills development and learning through simple and fun drills.

A critical point to remember is to focus on teaching the entire process through smaller segments. What I mean is, if you try to teach a youth kicker or punter the entire process of a field goal: steps, alignment, approach, foot to ball contact, impact position, follow-through, the mental game, etc. all in one shot; they are most likely going to become overwhelmed. Instead, if you can teach them one or two key points in each lesson and only work on 1 or 2 points at a time, they will learn the process much more quickly in a manageable format. So a good idea would be to spend the first session focusing on the steps of the kick for alignment and the approach steps and maybe even foot to ball contact. Save more advanced segments for their next session. You also have to know how to improvise and go with the flow because some students may be further along and they might very well pick up everything in one day. And if you only give them one step to constantly practice and if they are ready for more, they may become bored and lose interest quickly.

Likewise, some students may learn slower at their new technique of kicking or punting and you may have to repeat the first step several times before they ‘get it.’ If you try to throw everything at the student who is learning slowly all at once, they will become overwhelmed and be frustrated and could lose confidence and lack the desire to continue practicing and give up all together. It’s a balancing act that any good coach or teacher knows how to gauge.

Important Elements of Coaching Youth Football:

1. Make FUN and LEARNING the main objective!

2. Keep Drills fresh so the student stays interested & focused.

3. Reinforce key points by demonstrating and repeating several times.

4. Teach the entire process in smaller segments.

5. Have a steady plan but improvise with each student’s skill level.

6. Seek to achieve noticeable results!

Remember, you are coaching very new athletes, many times beginners in their specific sport and skill of choice; so be patient with them! You cannot expect your son or student to turn into an all-star overnight. It takes a lot of commitment and practice with good training from both the coach, student and parent. Get everyone working together and focused on the overall goal of fun, learning and results! Best wishes for a very successful football season! Take a look at the video below of me coaching a youth punter and at the end explaining my overall philosophy of coaching youth kickers and punters.

Coach Brent Grablachoff is a widely acclaimed professional kicking coach and heads up ‘Kicking World’ based out of San Diego, CA. He trains youth, high school, college and professional kickers and punters year-round in Southern California and offers national kicking camps across the country. For more information about Coach Brent and Kicking World please visit www.kickingworld.com.

Posted in Coaching tips, Special Teams, Videos - Tagged instruction, punters, tips, yount football kickers, youth football special teams

Five Mistakes For Youth Football Coaches To Avoid

Aug03
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Vin

Our friends at My Sports Dreams have written a guest article for us on 5 common mistakes that youth football coaches should avoid:

Every football coach dreams of being Bill Belichick or Don Shula, getting the Gatorade bath and celebrating on a podium with the Lombardi Trophy.
But when it comes to coaching youth football, success is almost secondary to making sure that kids learn, develop, and have fun.
However, coaches sometimes make major mistakes that can turn a fun activity into a dreaded one. By avoiding these five mistakes, coaches can instead make football an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Mistake No. 1: Channeling Rex Ryan

It’s fun to watch coaches get all worked up and yell at officials, right? Of course it is, but in the NFL, coaches and players are making millions of dollars and a blown call can change a season.
At the youth level, you have to remember that your biggest indicator of success is whether the kids learn something…and believe me, they can learn bad habits even more easily than they’ll learn good ones.
Yelling at referees is unethical and counterproductive to your teaching role as a coach. If you have a legitimate complaint about an official (whether it be bias, irresponsibility, lack of knowledge, whatever), wait until afterwards to discuss them. You can also call the league office or talk to directors about it.
Some refs just have bad days, but some leagues have bad refs – and your job is to not only know the difference, but also how to handle it.

Mistake No. 2: Forgetting That YOU are the Coach

Youth football is perhaps more competitive today than it has ever have been, and that means that parents are often more competitive than ever. All parents naturally think their child is the next Tom Brady, even if he can’t tie his own shoelaces.

So what’s the best way to deal with overzealous parents? Ask a handful of experienced coaches, and they’ll tell you that it’s best to sit down with them before the season and explain your philosophy or team plan before they have a chance to be unruly.

Also, it’s best to make them remember that THEY shouldn’t channel Rex Ryan; tell then that any comments they make should be positive and that it is not acceptable to yell at the referees, opposing team, or youth football coaches.

Mistake No. 3: Raising the Bar Too High

As I said, every parent thinks their child is a supreme talent. That’s understandable, as is a coach believing that some players are better than others. It’s nature.
However, placing lofty tags or expectations on certain kids can have an adverse effect. Even worse, saying things you think are supportive – things like “you guys should shred this defense today” – can be construed as expectations.
Studies have shown that in situations like that one, athletes often think they have to be perfect, and are letting you down if they aren’t. Overly high expectations can cause athletes of any age to focus too much on the results, and that often leads to easy frustration.
While you can’t control a parent’s expectations, you can remind your players that if they’re doing the best that they can, no one can ask for more.

Mistake No. 4: Winning At All Costs

Again, everyone wants to win, but trust me – more players will remember that you gave them skills for the future than any single victory they have.
So, instead of making winning the primary goal, focus on more manageable objectives that help kids focus on development.
For example, instead of asking your players to score on every drive, urge them to look for the other team’s tendencies, identify formations, etc. Learning “on the job” is sometimes the most effective way to build skills for the future.
And, most importantly above all, remind players to let go of mistakes quickly. There has to be a winner and a loser on every play even – and no one in history has ever been perfect.

Mistake No.5: Thinking You Know It All

Just like your youth football players, you’re bound to make mistakes. It’s part of life. But, in your duty as a coach, you can do things to help your own development as well.
Even if you have in the past, watch or play the sport you’re coaching. Sometimes, people (usually parents) get thrown into coaching sports they’ve never really played. Sure, you might know the basics, but very quickly, you can realize that you know very little about the dynamics of the sport.

But if you can’t or haven’t played football, spend as much time as you can watching high school, college or pro teams and focus on the coaches. If necessary, put yourself in their position and think of the game as if you were coaching. You’ll gain from the experience.

Article written by My Sports Dreams – Nations Leading Sports Fundraiser. Our preferred website for youth football fundraising.

Posted in Coaching tips - Tagged youth football, youth football coaching, youth football parents

LeagueAthletics.Com- Providing Websites and Hosting For Sports Organizations

Jul07
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Coach Jeff

A guest blog by Mark K., LeagueAthletics.com

How are you managing your football organization? Still using paper forms? Maybe you’ve made the switch to online registration, but you have four different contracts with four different service providers. Website, email, online registration, scheduling, etc.

When you’re running a football program you should be focusing on your players, not managing spreadsheets. Finally, there’s a solution for football commissioners everywhere, LeagueAthletics.com. It’s the best, and easiest way to manage your football program online. We integrate your website, online registrations, communication, team management, and scheduling.

With LeagueAthletics.com you can create a custom football website and collect online registrations. The best part is, we don’t charge any additional fees for online registration. You can do as many or as few as you want. As a registrar you can also collect birth certificates and player photos during the registration process. Once your players are registered, add them to team rosters and start communicating via email and text message directly from your site. Each team gets their own team page so coaches can login, print their roster, and communicate with parents and players. We even include a Game RSVP function that allows coaches to email parents and players to see if they’ll be at the next team event. Coaches can login and view replies so they know who will be in attendance. Optionally, add game scores and player statistics that you can download into excel documents later.

We also provide document storage and picture upload space! LeagueAthletics.com is the complete online management solution for your football organization. From local clubs, to regional footballleagues and conferences, LeagueAthletics.com is the best way to manage your football program online.

Start your FREE 30 day at Free Trail-30 Day free Trail

Posted in Coaching tips - Tagged league athletics, sports website and hosting, youth football

Youth Football Online Q&A with Houston Texans Safety Dominique Barber

Mar16
2011 4 Comments Written by Youth Football Online

NFL Player: Dominique Barber – Team: Houston Texans – Position: Safety

Youth Football Online interviews NFL Safety Dominique Barber. Dom graduated Wayzata High School in Minnesota; during his senior year he was All-Conference/All-State as a defensive back. His athletic abilities weren’t limited to just football- he lettered twice in hockey and once in baseball. In college, Dom was a second team All-Big Ten selection. The Houston Texans selected Dom Barber in the 6th round of the 2008 draft. Dominique comes from a well respected football family- his dad Marion Barber played for the N.Y Jets and his brother Marion Barber III currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s our in-depth rousing interview with Dom.

Coach Jeff: How has being from a tight knit football family molded you into the person you are today ?
Dom Barber: Family is so important to me; my parents raised us the right way.
Enjoy life, live to the fullest and always put God first. So that’s what I try to do, God
comes first in everything I do, I give him praise for my family, my success, who I
am, it all goes to him. Growing up in my household the love that my family has for
each other is unconditional, and it goes a long way with my everyday life. My Faith,
Family, Football, everything I do I try to do it with unconditional love, everyday in
every way.

Coach Jeff: There are countless benefits of playing youth football, what do you
believe is the top benefit?
Dom Barber: Man, youth football was absolutely the best. It’s so important, you
learn how to play football, develop your skills at a young age. You learn how to
throw, how tackle, (as my dad always says, “Below the shoulders and above the knee
and you should have a good tackle”). The list goes on, and it’s up to you as a youth player to understand what your coaches are trying to teach you. Develop your football mind, as you would do in school.

Coach Jeff: As a student athlete, how important is it to excel in the classroom?
Dom Barber: Football isn’t going to last forever, so you always have to have a
plan. Every kid who plays football grows up wanting to be an NFL football player.
Everyone has their favorite player or that person they want to be able to compare
their game too. But it starts in the classroom and getting your degree. Because I’ll
say it again, we all think we can play this game forever but the reality is you can’t.
Football can be taken away from you at any point in your life, but your college
degree can’t be taken away.

Coach Jeff: What does it take to become a successful college and NFL football player?
Dom Barber: You have to put God first, because he is the one that is going to direct
you in the correct path. Family, you should always be able to look to your family for
guidance, help or anything you may need. Family should be there to help you find the
answer. Youth coaches, I still have contact with some of my youth coaches because it
means a lot to me. What they have taught me has helped my development not only as a player but also as a man. My high school Defensive Coordinator is now the Head Coach at Maple Grove High school. I still chat with him all the time about football and about life. It’s always nice to know that I have so many people in my corner and people I can trust
and enjoy my playing career with. But you have to be disciplined, no one can make
you go to class, or go to study hall it’s up to you. You have to find out how to balance
your school, football, and social life without trying to be too overwhelmed. Sit back
sometimes- think about everything, enjoy the moment, and think that “hey it could be
worse”. I just try to enjoy life as it is; I’ve been like that for years now and it has
helped me become who I am today.

Coach Jeff: What is the most challenging aspect of playing strong safety? What traits
do you need to be a solid safety at any competitive level of football?
Dom Barber: It’s almost like you’re the QB of the Defense. Usually the Mike Line
Backer will get the fronts set (D Line set) and as a Safety you have to make call, adjustments, and you have to do that on the fly. So you have to be a student of the game, you have to understand what are the possible plays out of this formation, what could happen if there were motions, unbalanced line, all plays when you play safety. Can’t have cold feet out there as you are the last line of defense, have to be able to tackle and you have to be able to cover a tight end and a receiver at times. You need to know the playbook as if you were a QB or even a D Coordinator because all that’s going to do is help you, then you are able to go out there and just play and not have to think.

Coach Jeff: How does having a solid week of practice translate into success on game
day?
Dom Barber: I’ll use a typical work week for us. Games are usually played on Sundays
so the workweek starts Monday. Watching film, looking for the opposing teams
tendencies, adjustments, personnel, all comes into play on Monday and you carry that
out through the week. And you have to practice hard, because you as a player have
to show your teammates and coaches that you are ready to play- ready for anything.
When you have a good week of practice you just know as a player that you are ready
and you can go out there and just ball. Can’t wait until Saturday night meetings to
think that you can go out there and play. Yes you can do it, but are you going to
be able to play as well as you would be able to play had you did your homework
earlier in the week.

Coach Jeff: What defensive back drill do you feel is best for the youth level?
Dom Barber: Back Pedal. We back pedal everyday in practice. You have to train your
legs early, it gets tiring at times but you have to be able to back pedal as a Defensive Back just as you would be able to run as a wide receiver. Yes, you’re not going to be able to run like you can forward, but the point is to be comfortable. Be able to back pedal all day long
because, as a safety, that’s what your going to be doing most of the game.

Coach Jeff: Nutrition and hydration are commonly overlooked in youth football, how
important is diet and hydration for your body to perform in practice, workouts and games?
Dom Barber: Man I can’t tell you enough how important it is to be hydrated as a
player. Again it starts on Monday, you have to train your body early. Football is a
tough sport already and it’s mentally draining. But when you’re hydrating your body you’ll take away the little man in your head that’s asking for water on game day. You have to hydrate yourself as if you were studying film. Goes a long way when you’re out there playing the game- you’ll just feel better. I’m from Minnesota and now live in Houston, so I’ve had to make major adjustments to the summer weathers. More and more fluids are needed because heat is an unbelievable thing in Houston (laugh). But it’s an adjustment
you have to make and if you want to play it’s important to stay hydrated and eat
correctly. Can’t always have fast food, you have to put things in your body that will
take care of you not worsen what you have started early in the week.

Coach Jeff: Tells us about the Barber Foundation Youth Football Camp that your
family runs..
Dom Barber: Our foundation is toward inner city youth kids. We do a camp in
Minneapolis every year and it’s for the kids. Its an all day camp where we have some
of our teammates, and other players come out to interact with the kids. We’ll show them
somethings that we do to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season. All we want to do
is give back, and the Lord has blessed us to do just that. Some kids are less fortunate
than others, and it goes a long way when these kids see professional athletes trying
to help them with their game. I love it! I love giving back and every year I get so
excited about the camp back home because I know the smiles I see, the laughter I hear,
are extra bonuses to me and to us- our foundation. It’s a wonderful thing to be able
to do that and feel the love that these kids bring.

We would like to thank Dom Barber for sitting with us for this authentic interview. Follow Dom on twitter @34DomBarber. Visit Dom’s website at DomBarber.com.

Posted in Coaching tips, From the Gut, Youth Football Benefits, Youth Football Camps, Youth Football Drills - Tagged barber foundation, dom barber, hydration, marion barber, youth football, youth football drills, youth football tips

Youth Football Online Coach Interview- Roderick Brown

Feb24
2011 3 Comments Written by Youth Football Online

Youth Football Coach: Roderick Brown

Organization name: Waccamaw Youth Football Georgetown County

Location: Pawleys Island, South Carolina

Coaching position: Head Coach, Offensive coordinator

Coach Jeff: What age level do you coach?

Coach Roderick: 9-10

Coach Jeff: How many seasons have you been coaching youth football?

Coach Roderick: 7

Coach Jeff: I feel every coach has room for improvement. After every season I sit down with my assistant coaches and go through thorough analysis of the season. We figure out what we did well and what we could have done better. Are there any areas of youth football coaching that you feel has room for improvement? What areas of coaching do you feel you are real strong at?

Coach Roderick: We are always looking for areas to get better. I think I need to do a better job of installing plays that will work with our talent. This past year I needed to have more of a power running game to expose some weaknesses on the other side. We were too focused on off tackle and outside running. I also need to work on play calling in critical moments.

I think our strength is making our kids know we believe in them and that it is ok for them to trust us. That has to be earned and I believe we do that well.

Coach Jeff: What are your goals for the upcoming youth football season?

Coach Roderick: Our main goal every year is to have fun! Then we start breaking down our team goals and that is to make the playoffs– That all takes care of itself when we do things the right way and that starts in August.

Coach Jeff: What is your favorite aspect of coaching youth football?

Coach Roderick: Without a doubt it is the kids……I love to take a kid and work with them not only to teach them about the game of football but share with them things that help them with life. The number one things a lot of kids suffer from is non –confidence; so if I can give them confidence and make them believe in themselves then I have done my job.

Coach Jeff: What offense are you thinking about running this season? Why?

Coach Roderick: We try and keep it simple and run base plays out of the I formation but it depends on your talent and we adapt our offense around the kids at this level.

Coach Jeff: What defense are you thinking about running this season? Why?

Coach Roderick: That could be difficult to put in a category but some version of a 5-3 but we bring guys off the end and set guys up in spots to make plays to stop the outside game. That is mostly what we see in our league at this age is sweeps.

Coach Jeff: What is the most challenging part of coaching youth football? For me it is dealing with disgruntled parents, once in a while I get a few crazy ones.

Coach Roderick: For me it is not knowing enough x and o’s. I am very blessed with parents and the key to that is tell them up front in team meetings what to expect and get them involved. Youth football, more than any other sport has to have parents involved.

Coach Jeff: I put a decent amount of time into special teams, I feel many coaches spend little to no practice time on special teams. Do you feel special teams tends to get overlooked by many coaches?

Coach Roderick: I think the less experienced coaches drop the ball there but in our league we don’t punt so we spend time each week on kick off-and return and we haven’t any issues there.

Coach Jeff: I feel physical education is crucial for kids; conditioning is a main focus of mine in practice. How do you promote physical education?

Coach Roderick: We do conditioning but we do it in a variety of ways to get it in….maybe I am soft but I don’t think real conditioning happens until 6^th or 7^th grade where their bodies can handle it more effectively.

Coach Jeff: What are some of your most effective drills?

Coach Roderick: Tackling drills, blocking drills ..If you block and tackle well you will win games.

Coach Jeff: Do you think making youth football free for kids in town (budgeted by the municipalities) will keep kids busy, while teaching them about physical education? Do you feel this will deter kids from getting into trouble?

Coach Roderick: Here we pay $3 , it can’t get cheaper than that…….yes I think it keeps them out of trouble and can be the key to some childrens escape from lots of trouble.

I would like to take the time to thank Roderick Brown for taking time from his day to do this interview. He is a great coach that is there for the right reasons. Roderick loves his players and he teaches them much more than just football. I look forward to following him and his team this season. It was a pleasure to meet you coach.

-Coach Jeff

If you are interested in doing an interview please contact us, parents and coaches welcomed.

Tagged youth coaching interviews, youth football, youth football defense, youth football offense, youth football special teams

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »