r/YouthFootball

Hi,

My son HATES offensive tackle. I'm not talking normal line player dislike, he hates it. They have him at left tackle,but here's the thing. He isn't fat,he isn't slow and wants to play tight end. I asked the coach last night if he could some snaps in there but I basically got a no. My son's going to ask again. What do I do? My son said he won't block. Oh yeah he is 9 it's tackle. My son's about 2-3 taller then average. Not freakishly tall but taller then most.

EDIT: I should add this isn't some fat kid wanting to play running back, or some kid with a lazy arm wanting to play quarterback. He would be a better tight end based on size speed and strength.

Hey everyone, just have a couple of questions. For background my son is five years old and plays tackle for our town youth league.

There are 17 kids on the team so they are playing offense and defense. They try to rotate kids due to them being on the field almost the entire game. We had a scrimmage last week and it appears the other team had about 30-40 kids. Is this typical or the outlier?

What are some basic drill I can run with him to help him with his tackling skills and ball handling? The coaches at practice seem to focus primarily on the older/bigger kids so he’s not learning much besides blocking. He is put on the DL or OL when need to block.

Thanks for your advice!!!

My son is 8. Hes very fast, wins all of his track races, is top 3 in big cross country races, etc. He was adamant about playing tackle football this year so I let him. However he's not good, it looks like his head is in the clouds at practice, he can barely make a tackle or run the ball and it just seems like such a waste of time. Also, he's on the bench a lot. Because the culture, the only plays the good kids. Is there still hope for him in football? I keep asking him if he still wants to do it. And he says yes.

BLUF: coaching staff is lackadaisical and I can't stand it. What do I do?

I am assistant coaching my son's 10/11 year old football team and we have a new head coach this year that I am really struggling with. I assistant coaches last year as well, and our head coach last year was so well prepared that it's a stark comparison.

Last year's head coach would have a full practice plan with well though drills breaks and quick transitions. He had boards for offensive, defensive, and special teams depth charts. He would take input from coaches on player evaluation. He made sure that players would get experience at different positions so we can move players and fill spots when needed. He was very enthusiastic and would always end the practices with meaningful messages based on that days practice, and invite every assistant to add their own thoughts or message. We would also recognize a player of our choice with a small helmet sticker every week.

Our new head coach seems to struggle with preparation. The drills at practice don't seem very well thought out. Sometimes there won't be plans, he just tells us to take a position group, so us assistants just figure out our own drills (honestly that's not bad, but I'm used to the head coach having a plan). After the drill has been running for too long, I'll have to ask if we are going to merge into joint positions or team drills. He usually answers like "Oh yeah, we can do that". Then stands around and wastes 5 minutes trying to figure out what to do. He reads a depth chart from his phone, that had no input from coaches, despite him only having worked with the same one position group. Practice usually ends abruptly without a recap of the day or any recognition of players or input from coaches.

The other assistants are all good guys but pretty low initiative. I am constantly finding myself taking control of position drills or team drills to keep practice moving with purpose. I can't stand the lack of preparation or collaborative coaching. Last year's assistant coaches were all great but have either on another team, aged up, or moved elsewhere.

I was initially asked to head coach but I didn't want to due to my job requiring spontaneous travel. I can't stand how this is unraveling and I'm at the point of not even wanting to coach because of my frustration. I know my son loves me being there, and honestly I love being out there with him and teaching the other kids.

Do I just follow suit with the rest of the coaches and chill out? Low investment? I would feel like I'm doing the kids a disservice.

Or how do I try to improve the situation without stepping on the head coaches toes? How do I not frustrate myself by being what seems like the only one trying?

We have a team in our league that is currently at the top of the table and one we are chasing. I took over as OC this year. On film, I noticed they have one smaller DB. We have two strong, athletic kids, and I want to challenge this kid to play football on his own. They run a 5-3 with very athletic outside linebackers. Do we think a 5-yard cushion is enough to run a stand-up, or what's a good way to cheat this to ensure it's not a pick-6? Is it start wider and run it, then have our WR turn back outside? I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts here. I want to make this as safe as possible. Would one option be to just put them off the line and have them motion inward?

My son plays in a league with mostly 6th and 7th graders. The league practice schedule is 5 days a week 2 hours/practice starting at the beginning of August and running through the end of August (including the first full week of school). Is this normal? Feels like overkill especially the first week of school. I get going 5 days for high schoolers, but for elementary/middle school kids that seems like a lot.

First scrimmage today. Kids were missing blocks left and right or they hit a kid and hold it a second tops. I'm guessing it's a combo of feet and technique. Anyone had thoughts on it?

Fundamentally strong everywhere else. Is this something to correct when doing other exercises or just let it go? It does cause a slight delay in getting the ball out, but may be adding other value such as timing etc.?

Today my 11u son was asked about the running lanes for RB. He said 9,7,5,3,1,0,2,4,6,8,….he was told that is incorrect. Its 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 🤔. I mean I haven’t played organized football in about 14 years but when did this change? Is it a formation thing? They run wing T

Hey, need another coach's perspective since this is my first year coaching...ever.

I'm watching a coach move players around the field by pulling on their facemasks. Granted, it's not super aggressive but also kinda unexpected to me...and IMO.

Lot's changed from when I played 5th grade tackle football, and my coach probably did this to me too, but

Is this acceptable behaviour from a coach to a 5th grade boy?

Personally, I find it offensive and if i'm trying to move my boys, i place an open hand on the square of their back and very gingerly guide them over to where they need to be...but again, this could just be me and my opinion.

Coaching 4th grade boys and its most of their first time playing tackle. It’s going pretty good but I have this one dad who’s pretty hands off except for once every practice or two he’ll yell to his boy something like “I’m going to get my effort one way or another” then after practice he’ll run the boy till he’s almost crying.

Granted the boy doesn’t give top tier effort all the time. But he’s not the worst either. He’s got some natural talent and he’s not scared of contact. From what I understand the boy is a pretty good baseball / basketball player so I guess expectations are high. But it just doesn’t sit right. I’m worried the boy won’t want to play again. But I’m not sure it’s my place to say anything to the dad.

What would you do?

Not what the coach needs.

Not what the team needs.

Not what you want to happen.

What does your child need from you their parent?

Cheering? Encouragement? Silence? A snack and a ride home? 😄

One of the biggest ideas behind The Sideline Project is that being supportive doesn't look exactly the same for every athlete.

Have you ever actually asked your child what they want from you on game day? What did they say?

My 12 year old is a stud on pop warner. He is extremely tall, vascular, and has an unrivaled work ethic. Every coach for the last 5 years has said what a special talent he is. Unfortunately, we are working class, and dont know many ins and outs of youth sports. Recently, a coach from a school outside our area is trying to recruit him to play for the team he helps coach. My question is what resources are their for parents to get their children more exposure? During games, im usually asked to volunteer so its hard for me to record him when doing snack bar or chains. Are there any resources for parents of young athletes who can help them give their kids more exposure? I only ask cus many schools from the inland empire are football powerhouses, and as a parent, I want my kids to have the best opportunities. Any and all help will be appreciated I just want to know where to start

My son is 7 years old and playing flag football. He likes it but says it hurts his arms when he catches the ball. I am really trying to help him so he can get better as he is getting discouraged. Has anyone used forearm pads for this reason? What kind of arm pads could I use? Will the arm pads work since I can only find them with padding on outside of arms? Would compression sleeves work? I appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you in advance!

My son is in 7u football but he is on the husky side. Where can I find some good football pants or I need tips on how to keep his current ones from slipping down

I’m trying to get a release signed so my son can leave his current football organization and play somewhere that is a better fit for him. Unfortunately, the organization has been going downhill, and I no longer feel it’s the right environment for my son.
I reached out to the president of the league, and I was told that the release is up to the president of our current organization. She is refusing to sign it. I never heard of a 10 year old being told they could not leave.
Has anyone dealt with something similar or have any advice on what steps I can take? I’m open to any suggestions or help. I just want to do what’s best for my son and give him the opportunity to play somewhere he’ll be happy and supported

This coach is in his mid-20s

Hello! This may be a dumb question, but my son just started to play 3rd grade tackle - what should he wear under his pads? A compression shirt and compression shorts?

Thanks in advance (from multiple parents lol)