Wednesday, September 13, 2006

What is the best way to attack a 50 defense

Quoting Youth Football Coach
Love the site. Learned a lot on practice schedule. Here's my question. The top team in our league (8-9 yr olds) has two great DE, one great tackle and one great LB. Our league mandates a 5-2-2-2. Line must be heads up with DE on outside shoulder of the last man on the line. LB 3 yards deep, Corners 5, safeties 7. Offense can split out max 5 yards. What is the best way to attack that D?
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off tackle with x blocks and kick out blocks
then throw over the top pop passes
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I am on the right track. I figured you had to attack those big ends and go after them. I put in the Power I and the cross block with my coaches today. Man this is fun!
What pass plays do you like? I like the spread formation and maybe even take a FB over to the slot with my split and a WB (he is very fast and shifty) maybe a trip formation and just pop a hitch like the Panthers run with Steve Smith. The corners have to be 5-7 yards deep and the end is the only one that can play outside. This should work like crazy against the big teams inside. Do you agree?
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Usually what you do is attack the spot behind your run.
ie run off tackle off tackle off tackle then thro over the top of the
linebackers. Like a pop pass or maybe a back side end over the top down field.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

What is a Cherry Picker

Quoting "Youth Football Coach

Coach Majors,
What is the "cherry picker" you cite so often on your webpage?
Thanks,
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Squat down and touch hands to ground...
Leap up and thrust hands into air above head as high as one can at apex of jump.
back down to hands touching ground.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Coaching a flag football team for 3-5 year olds, positions, drills, etc at this age

Hi! Not sure if you can help me, but I thought I'd give it a try.

I'm going to be coaching a flag football team for 3-5 year olds in a few
weeks, and I was wondering if you had any advice/tips for me? I don't want to
bog them down with positions, drills, etc at this age. I just want to help
them get comfortable with the ball, and more importantly - to HAVE FUN. Are
there any game type exercises you can recommend I play with them?

Thank you so much for your time!
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Find someone who can deep snap first.....
Line up a back on each side of the qb...
Run qick underneath handoff sweeps with a blocker of course...
Run the same motion and have the qb keep and run the other way...
Drag a back side reciever on all the plays. Run quick hitch's with a blocker.
Try to get outside on these plays.
Work on quick automatic pass routes where the ball is thrown before the reciever turns....see who can make reliable catches.
Teach the recievers to catch with their hands not bodies. Teach look the ball in first. run second.
Teach the back proper handoff hand position. Inside hand up Outside down
Teach runners to smack at defenders hands when the defender reaches for flag
Teach blockers how to move constantly with the defenders and to keep their hands on the defender until to ball get by them....

How about that.....

Monday, July 31, 2006

Mom of an 11 year old, never played one minute of any organized sport, Reciever drills

Hi - I'm a mom of an 11 year old (almost 12) who will be playing his 2nd season of football this year. He came to our home last year the week before school started (his is a foster child) having never played one minute of any organized sport in his entire life. He was on the 9-10 year old team and he played "2nd defense". I think he only actually got put in about a dozen plays or so the whole season (when the team was well ahead in the game).
ANYWAY, over the past year he has grown and matured quite a bit. He is pretty tall compared to the other kids on his team, and he is about average as far as speed and strength go. He does seem to excel a little bit in catching the ball and I am hoping to possibly help him be able to catch the ball better - and to possibly be a receiver on the team. Yes, we do have a QB who can throw the ball fairly well! I saw your site online and I was wondering if you could tell me any drills or things that we could do at home that could help him to catch the ball better. I can throw a decent spiral and we play catch a lot, but is there more I can be doing to help him? What does he need to learn most that will give him a chance of doing more than just standing on the sidelines this season?
Thanks for any advice you can give.
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He is young and just needs to be a youngster first.
He also would like to play and I know and that hurts some children. I would be
very worried about putting too much pressure on him, and worried about him not
having fun on the sidelines.
It is football season now and probably too late to do any catch up. If
anything I would have catch balls over his shoulder running down field full
speed. Catching balls thrown to him beofre he turns to one side or the other.
cathing ball with one hand. Teach him to tuck each ball after the catch. Teach
him to catch and tuck first, run second. Teach him to catch with his thumbs
and index fingers touching and to not use his body to catch the ball while
practicing. That should be enough for now. More than anything he needs to
learn he can hit without getting hurt. I have had experience with children
from broken homes and many shy away from conflict and hitting as protection.
It is ok for children to do this, but many times a coach can not risk a child
that is affraid as it may hurt them more than help them to make them hit. So
reciever sounds like a good position if your child is having this problem.
Rememeber success is 80% just showing up and thats ok. He will have to work
out his own battles and someday he may come around.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

some drills for quickness agillity and speed

Quoting REAL PERSON
Can you email me and my son some drills for quickness agillity and speed. He is 7th grade, he is a wide receiver ,but he runs like a tight end . I need some drills and some advice so I can help him get better at the sport. He really needs to work on his quickness.
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I would jump rope 15 minute per day....
Do the 5 dot square drill...4 dots for corners and one in the middle..space
the outside corners about 3.5 feet apart...see how many he can do in a 60
second time frame......front outside corners to middle to back outside corners
and back...
Do some hop drills font and back and side to side...jumping over something
about 1.5 feet high and wide....

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Offensive Line

hi bo, i just ordered your book. i coach 11 and 12 yr old pop warner kids. my toughest task is o-line and the types of blocking that should be used. They just don't seem to be able to grasp much, is this normal? we had a talented qb and rb this past year, and just didn't have the time to do much as the line was so confused on who to block and how! i basically ran some easy dives, blasts and sweeps. for passing i used some slants, and out patterns, sound o.k. to you? on defense, i ran a 53 which seems to be what most teams around here run. how about you? thanks REAL PERSON
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Yea that all sounds good to me....
I found it easier to teach cross blocking off tackle
down blocking inside....with the lead back kicking out....
then some hook blocking on the outside......
these simple techniques seem to work for me....

teaching a player to actually do it is harder sometimes
i used the pash rush drill to tech blocking and holding the block.
i would line up my o line and call defensive stunts to see how the oline was
blocking.....

those are the best ways to teach blocking i know


on defense...make sure you mix up the line of scrimmage....
if you have a hard time teaching who to block....

so does everyone else....so make it hard by mixing up the fronts...

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

coach special teams on a adult city league

Hey coach I have a question for you. On punt as far as the line goes they will block the inside gap but I for got how that looks exactly is it the same as field goal blocking
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the up back takes first man through inside gap one assumes an outide guy cant make it
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I have a question . what is the best step for me as far as coaching I have received a chance to coach special teams on a adult city league here in vegas . do you think that would be a good start for me seeing that I am only 22 . would it benefit me to start young?
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of course it would benifit to start young
and special teams will make you cry
the thing about special teams is so many players and coachs don't want to get
very deep in it. but when the punt is blocked or the guy runs back a td
oh you are gonna take a ribbing
I was on all the special teams in college
it is very demanding
dont go downfield to early on punts
dont let any one through unless he is outside
teach punters a 2 step punt
wholey moley batman
punter mus have a signal for dropped punts so the up back can turn around and
help find the ball
must have signals for fakes if there is trouble on field goals along with a
play

whole lot of stuff
you know it?
some of it?

what about subs for hurt people
what type of personel would you want on kick offs and punts?
returns?

man