Have the youngster put on his helmet and jersey and go through some basic movements so you can verify that you haven’t overlooked any- thing with the pads.
Jersey and pants
When fitting a youngster with his jersey and pants, the jersey should fit close to the body and always be tucked into the pants, which also helps hold the shoulder pads in place. The pants should hug the player’s body to keep the thigh and knee guards in place but still allow the player full range of motion with his legs.
Inspecting equipment to ensure it meets safety standards
Even the best equipment can’t provide youngsters with the protection it’s designed for unless it’s properly maintained and checked regularly for defects. Before handing any piece of equipment over to a youngster, be sure to check it over for any defects or signs of wear that could hamper its effec- tiveness in protecting youngsters.
When inspecting a helmet, make sure it bears a current National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment certification sticker.
Perform this equipment check days in advance of handing it out to the kids.
There’s just too much commotion for you to be able to properly examine equipment on the day you pass everything out.
Chapter 3
Tackling the Football Basics
In This Chapter
䊳Understanding the field
䊳Looking at positions and the skills needed to play them 䊳Mastering the rules and deciphering penalty signals
You may be able to recite all the statistics of your favorite football players as quickly as a 9-year-old rattles off the alphabet. Maybe you can recall the date your favorite team last won a championship more easily than your wedding anniversary or spouse’s birthday. And perhaps you’re one of those people who amazes friends and co-workers with your encyclopedic memory of big games and unbelievable plays from years ago.
Well, you can save all that knowledge for tailgating parties and weekend after- noons watching games with your buddies. Stepping onto the youth football sidelines requires knowledge of a much different sort. Whether you’re a first-year volunteer or a veteran coach, one of your many responsibilities is knowing all the rules and being able to explain them to your players. You also need a good grasp on all the offensive and defensive positions, the skills and requirements that go along with playing them, and what types of kids are generally best suited to play these positions. All that valuable information — and more — awaits in this chapter. So go ahead — we’ll give you a minute to throw on your lucky team shirt and get comfortable before getting started.
Going inside the Lines
If you ask us, you can’t beat the sight of a football field with its perfectly straight yard lines, shiny goal posts, and immaculate end zones. If you’re new to the sport, don’t worry about all the markings on the field. They’re all easily identified and serve specific purposes. In this section, you step between those lines and see what they’re all about (see Figure 3-1 for an image of the field).
The playing field
A regulation football field, the one you see on weekends watching college and professional games, measures 120 yards long by 531⁄2yards wide. The field is 100 yards long, and the end zones at each end are 10 yards long. Here’s what else you can find on the field:
⻬Goal posts:These Y-shaped or H-shaped structures are located on the back line of each end zone, and they’re what crazy fans sometimes tear down to celebrate their team’s win at the collegiate level. The crossbar stands 10 feet high and 18 feet, 6 inches wide at the collegiate level; at the high school level, it stands 10 feet high and 23 feet, 4 inches wide.
⻬End zones: These are those coveted patches of turf at each end of the field that offenses desperately want to reach every time they have the ball. Getting there produces lots of smiles, cheers, and congratulatory high-fives.
⻬Goal line:The point where the end zone meets the playing field is called the goal line. Cross this line with the ball in your hands, and your team has a touchdown and six points on the scoreboard. Only the ball must break the plane of the goal line for a touchdown to be awarded.
⻬Yard lines:Lines stretching across the width of the field mark the number of yards from the goal line in 5-yard intervals. The yardage number is marked on the field at every 10-yard interval, beginning with the 10-yard 10 yd
End zone Goal line
Hash marks (professional) Hash marks (college)
Goal post
End line 53.3 yd
Side line, 120 yd from end line to end line
10 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 2 0 1 0
10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10
18’6”
18’6”
18’6”
18’6”
70’9”
70’9”
70’9”
70’9”
70’9”
70’9”
70’9”
70’9”
40’
40’
40’
40’
60’
60’
60’
60’
60’
60’
60’
Figure 3-1: 60’
The layout of a football field.
line and working up to the 50-yard line, which is in the center of the field.
From there, the yardage markers start at 40 and descend every 10 yards until they reach the opposite goal line.
⻬Hash marks:These are short lines that appear on the field at 1-yard intervals. Most fields typically have a set running down each side of the field.
⻬Sideline:This is the boundary line that extends the length of the field. If a youngster on the field of play steps on or over this line, he’s out of bounds.
⻬Player box: These lines designate an area 1 yard off the sideline that extends between the 25-yard lines at each end of the field. Only coaches are allowed to stand in this area. It’s there to give officials room to work during the game and helps protect the players not involved in the game when the action spills over to the sideline.
Here are some areas that aren’t marked on the field because they move throughout the game, depending on where the ball is:
⻬Line of scrimmage: This designates where the ball is snapped (hiked) to begin a play.
⻬Backfield: This is the area approximately 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage where the running backs line up.
⻬Neutral zone: This is the imaginary area that extends from one tip of the football to the other before it’s snapped. No players on either team (except the center, who has his hands on the ball) are allowed to enter the neutral zone before the ball is snapped, or a penalty is called.
Youth league modifications
One of the many great things about football is that you can easily modify the game to fit the age, experience, and skill level of the youngsters buckling on helmets. The beginning levels of youth football are all about teaching kids the basics of the game, not adhering to the rule book that the upper ranks of organized football use. Here we outline some rules that youth leagues often tweak and adjustments they typically make to help ensure that the kids get the most out of their participation. (See Chapter 2 for info on getting to know your league.)
Reduced field size for younger kids
In youth football, the younger the kids, the smaller the field. You can’t expect youngsters in their size 5 cleats to cover a large field without becoming exhausted — and frustrated.
Keeping beginning players confined to a small playing area, perhaps one that’s just 30 yards in length, allows them to stay involved in the action rather than spend all their time chasing around in a wide open area. As players get older and gain experience, the fields they run and make tackles on are gradually lengthened to account for their advanced skills and increased speed and strength.
Quite often, one regulation football field can accommodate a half-dozen youth games at one time. A combination of how much space is available and how many youngsters are participating often determines field sizes, which vary greatly from community to community.
Fewer players on the field at younger age levels
Although regulation football games feature 11 players on the field for each team, the younger the children are, the fewer players you have on the field at any one time. The idea at the youngest age levels is to introduce kids to the game by giving them lots of chances to run with the ball, make tackles, and of course, get that colorful uniform grass-stained and dirty. That can happen only with several players on the field at one time. Just imagine having a full squad of 6-year-olds on the field at one time. The kids would be lucky to get in on even a handful of plays during the game.
That’s why scaled down games, such as 6-on-6, are quite common around the country. These smaller games are great for promoting an interest in the game because the kids can experience the action-packed thrill of running, catching, kicking, and tackling. This type of approach stirs interest in the sport and opens kids’ eyes to how much fun playing this great game can be.
Designing plays and positioning players takes a backseat at younger age levels, because you just want the kids to learn the game’s basics, like running and tackling, before introducing them to other aspects.
Appropriate-sized footballs
When you’re teaching a kid how to ride a bike, you don’t plop him on a shiny racing bike with gear shifts and send him down the street (well, we hope not).
Instead, you put him on a small bike specifically made for his age, one that’s equipped with training wheels, and start him off that way. The same type of thinking applies to teaching kids how to play football. Expecting a youngster just starting out in the sport (or even one who has a year or two under his shoulder pads) to be able to handle a regulation football makes little sense. A child’s small hands can’t hang onto a football that’s intended for an adult.
Shoving a regulation football onto a child just learning the game can bring development to a screeching halt. To build a child’s confidence in the sport, he must continually experience success and notice improvement, and that happens only if he’s using the appropriate size of ball for his age.
Rules modifications for various age and experience levels
To ensure that kids enjoy playing football, programs often have special rules in place based on the age and experience of the players. Here are some ways your league may modify the rules to meet the kids’ needs:
⻬On-the-field coaching:In beginner leagues, coaches are often allowed on the field so they can gather the team in the huddle, set the play, and help make sure the team gets lined up properly. They remain on the field during the actual play to monitor what’s taking place. Being out there with the kids allows coaches to make sure the players use proper blocking and tackling techniques.
⻬Series of plays instead of downs:Sure, making first downs is one of the basic components of football, but beginners usually don’t get four plays to move the ball 10 yards; instead of downs, they receive a set number of plays to try to reach the end zone, and then the opposing team gets the ball and receives the same number of chances. Sometimes league rules dictate that the team takes over possession of the ball where the players stopped the opponent, and others make them start where the opponent began.
⻬No special teams:Youngsters just starting out in football don’t have the strength to kick or punt the football, so special teams play is usually pushed to the side for the time being. (Special teamshandle kickoffs, kick returns, punts, and punt returns. See Chapters 10 and 17 for more on special teams.) Typically, teams do have separate offensive and defensive units, although some kids may play on both if you’re short on players.
⻬Basic formations only:Coaches are sometimes tempted to introduce all sorts of fancy formations as soon as the season gets underway, which can be pretty confusing to youngsters just starting out. In order to rein in some of these coaches, leagues usually have rules in place that allow only basic formations. (For a rundown on the basic offensive and defensive formations, jump to Chapters 12 and 13, respectively.) Limiting formations helps give kids on both sides of the ball the chance to get comfortable with fundamental positions before more-complex alignments are introduced.
⻬No blitzing:Because defensive skills are often easier for kids to grasp (which puts defenses at an advantage), leagues often stipulate that coaches can’t have their defensive squad blitzing,or sending up extra players to put additional pressure on the quarterback. To a young quarter- back just learning about the position, looking up and seeing extra defenders bearing down on him as he drops back to pass is unfair. (See Chapters 15 and 16 for more on blitzing and defending against it.)
Taking Positions
Each position on the football field carries a unique set of responsibilities.
The positions you’re filling are as different as the kids under your care. In the following sections, we take a closer look at each position.
In a typical full-scale football game, you have 11 players on offense and 11 on defense (see Figure 3-2). A basic offense consists of an offensive line (center [C], two guards [G], and two tackles [T]), two wide receivers (WR), a tight end (TE), two running backs (RB), and a quarterback (QB). On defense, you have the defensive line (two tackles [DT] and two ends [DE]), three linebackers (MLB/OLB), two cornerbacks (CB), and two safeties (SS/FS).
As the coach, you can modify your lineup and use all sorts of different formations. For example, you may decide your team is best suited to having four wide receivers on offense instead of the standard two; or you may discover your defense is more effective with six defensive backs (corner- backs and safeties) rather than the normal four. We serve up the smorgasbord of options available to you in Chapters 12 and 13.
Going on the offensive
An offense relies on several parts to move the ball downfield, and how much success it enjoys depends, in large part, on its blocking, running, and passing ability. This section explains the offensive roles you have to fill and what kinds of kids fill them best.
TE T G
DE OLB
CB MLB OLB
DE DT DT
C QB
RB RB
G T WR
WR
SS FS
CB
Figure 3-2:
The basic setup of players on offense and defense.
Positions and responsibilities
Each position on the field carries a distinctive set of responsibilities. Hit the line of scrimmage and take a look at who makes up your basic offense:
⻬Quarterback:Orchestras have conductors, armies have generals, and football teams have quarterbacks. The quarterback is the ringleader of your offense, and he’s in charge of the unit on the field. He lines up right behind the center.
Nearly every offensive play begins with the ball in the quarterback’s hands, so the position carries a lengthy list of responsibilities. The quarterback receives the play call from you on the sideline and relays it to the team in the huddle. From there, plays begin with his receiving the snap (or hike) from the center. When the ball’s in his hands, he has a number of options. He can hand off or toss (pitch)the ball to a running back, drop back to pass to a receiver, or tuck the ball under his arms and run the ball himself.
At the more advanced levels of youth football, coaches sometimes entrust their quarterbacks with calling their own plays. Or they give a quarterback the freedom to audible at the line of scrimmage. Audibles occur when quarterbacks walk up to the line of scrimmage and, after surveying how the defense is set up, choose to call another play by using a special code word or number that his teammates know means the play is being switched to something else.
⻬Running backs: These players typically line up in the backfield behind the quarterback, about 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. They’re responsible for taking handoffs and pitches from the quarterback, as well as for blocking and catching passes.
•Halfback (tailback):This player lines up behind the quarterback and usually handles the majority of the team’s running plays. The halfback also acts as a receiver — sneaking out of his place in the backfield at times — to catch short- to medium-length passes.
•Fullback:Players handling this position line up in the backfield with the halfback. In most offenses, the fullback’s primary responsibility is blocking. On running plays, he leads the way blocking as the half- back trails behind with the ball. On passing plays, the fullback often remains in the backfield to provide extra protection for the quarter- back and takes any defenders who are barreling in. Fullbacks don’t typically get a lot of ball carries during the game but are often a great resource on short-yardage plays or on plays near the goal line, where the defense is bunched up and yards are difficult to earn.
⻬Wide receivers:These players line up on or near the line of scrimmage but are usually several yards away from the offensive linemen. Their primary duty is running pass patterns (plays where receivers run a specific route, such as going 15 yards downfield and cutting across the
field at a 90-degree angle) and getting open to catch passes from the quarterback. Receivers who are fast are especially difficult for defenders to cover because they can sprint downfield and catch passes for big gains. On running plays, wide receivers assist with blocking defensive players to help create holes for running backs to scamper through.
⻬Tight end:The tight end lines up next to the offensive tackle (an offensive lineman) on either the left or right side. This player serves a dual role.
He’s one part offensive lineman and one part receiver. On running plays, the tight end serves as another blocker. On passing plays, he runs patterns and catches passes or hangs back with the offensive linemen and provides additional pass protection so his quarterback doesn’t end up on his back under a pile of defensive players.
⻬Offensive linemen: These players — center, two guards, and two tackles — take their stances at the line of scrimmage and provide both run and pass blocking.
•Center:All offensive plays begin with the center’s placing his hands on the ball to snap (or hike) it to the quarterback. The position is aptly named, because he’s positioned in the center of the offensive line with a guard and tackle on each side of him. Regardless of whether the play is a run or pass play, the center provides blocking.
At the more advanced levels of football, his responsibilities are much greater, because coaches often rely on these players to call out blocking assignments for the entire offensive line at the line of scrimmage based on how the defense is set up.
•Guards:The guards line up on both sides of the center. These players provide blocking for both running and passing plays. They usually go against the defensive tackles, who are lined up across from them on most plays.
•Tackles:The two tackles line up on the outside of the offensive line, next to the guards. Depending on the formation, one of the two tackles often has a tight end next to him. These players provide blocking for both running and passing plays, and they’re usually matched up against defensive ends on the opposing team.
Types of kids best suited for certain positions
Some positions on the offensive side of the ball require strength, some speed, some hand-eye coordination, and others a mixture of all or some of the above.
During your first few practices, you face the challenging task of choosing who plays where when your team has the ball. The following section provides an overview of what types of kids generally work best in certain offensive positions. (For more tips on assigning team positions, flip to Chapter 5.)