subject: Youth Football: Seasonal System Evaluations [print this page] Youth Football: Seasonal System Evaluations
Football can be described in two simple terms: Power and Finesse. Whatever your philosophy is in the game of football these two terms are important in determining your on field success. In fact, if your team has both elements to it, power and finesse, chances are that your success on the football field will be great. On the other hand, on field success can be good with just one of these elements. A team built on finesse such as speed and athletic ability can be successful. On the same token a team built on power such as size and strength can also have the same success on the football field.
But what if you had to choose one or the other? Which way would you go? Would your present football system enhance either power or finesse or would they struggle?
For example, what if your youth football team was not gifted with size and strength but was gifted with speed and athletic ability? Would your football systems reflect their strengths? Or, what if your football team were big, strong, tough but lacked speed and athletic ability? Again, would your football systems reflect their strengths?Consider this for a moment. We all have our favorite offence and defense that we know and love to run. For the most part, it's probably the same football systems we learned back in high school. We know it inside and out, know how to adjust and tweak it and it's easy for our football players to grasp. But ask yourself this question: Is my football system the right one for my football team to thrive in, or does my system put them in a position that based on what they bring to the table, they will fail?
This is a common situation for all new football coaches to consider. It's very important that as a youth football coach we evaluate our team's strengths and weaknesses. This can be done in spring training if you run one, or in summer training camp. The worst thing you can do as a football coach is to place them in a system that they don't have the ability to thrive in just because it's your personal favorite system.
It has to be the system that suits their strengths!
t's quite possible that the football system you liked, and the playbook you developed and studied inside and out all winter including all blocking assignments, may not be the one suited for your football team. So be prepared to change or tweak that football philosophy in order to enhance your player's strengths.One of the common questions I get a lot from a lot of people is: Are you going to run that 3-4 championship defense again this year coach? I always respond with" I'm not yet sure, I'll know once we get into our training camp". Usually, I get the dumbfounded look at this point. The main point is, to be prepared to change your systems from season to season and it's truly based on what strengths and skills your players have and not on the successful football systems you had the season before!
