This is my first year coaching youth football what is the best advice anyone can give me for a good season?

Answer 1

Don't be the Yankees coach from Bad News Bears..

Answer 2

Assuming you are the head coach...

Be prepared for the season. Draft up your schedule and dirlls and offense and defense and special teams BEFORE the season begins. There is nothign worse that a coach standing in front of his players trying to figure out what to do next.

Teach SOUND fundamentals.

Do NOT overdo your offensive playbook. You don't need 40 running plays and 40 passing plays. You kids can't remember them all and even if they can, they can't pefect tham. All you need about 4 core running plays (you run those same four plays to the left and to the right so that makes 8 plays right there), a misdirection play, and maybe a short pass play or two. You can always add a couple of plays here and there after you perfect your core plays, but don't over do it. Perfection is better than quantity. You can always have multiple formations and run the same core plays out of those various formations for a completely different look.

Take time to develop a good defense. Too many coachs overlook defensive fundamentals like ball pursuit, tackling, and gap responsibilities.

Don't forget about Special Teams.

Be able to recognize waht the other team is doing (offense and defense and how to deal with them).

Rememer, this is youth football, not the NFL, not the NCAA, not HS. Most scores come off the edge and off wide plays - rarely in the middle because the splits are too small. Don't over do passing - the Pro's have enough problems with passing, don't assume your team can run a spread offense (show me a youth QB who can throw a 30 yard bomb and hit the outside shoulder consistantly and I will show the next Dan Marino).

Age makes a huge difference - big diff between a 7 year old player and a 12 year old player. The younger the team, the more you should be emphisizing fun.

Above all else, have fun and make it fun for the kids. It just isn't about winning and losing - it is about having a good time and learning fundamentals. Good fundamentals and good execution will carry you a lot further than anythign else. Like I say, make it fun for the kids - get some watermellons out to the field for after the last practice of "camp".

Communicate with the kids and communicate with the families. Make sure the parents know where and when practices and games are going to be. Let them know what to expect - this will save you a ton of troubles.

Patience. Never, never, never yell or be negative to the players; encourage hard work, praise success, but don't berate a player - the are just kids.

Everyone gets to play.

Did I mention fundamentals and fun? :D

I put a couple links in below you should check into.

Answer 3

Keep preaching team work and disiplane. play the guys that give you 120% every day because they want to be there and they will learn from you. Always teach them fundametals and hope for the best. I you lose tell them It is not about winning it is about having fun. did you have fun well then good job. Don't worry about what the parent say because there kid is the best kid on the team. Just ask you other coaches how they feal things are going and don't be afraid to ask them for help.

Answer 4

I dont know which age group but good luck.lol
I coached lil peewee hard to keep the team working all together,when it comes to youth ,just don't be afraid to show you are the authority,what you say goes,if its making them run and run the lenght of the football feild to get there att.
good luck with your season and if you want really get into youth football for the long haul,you should check out the youth football tournaments held in fla. every fall

Answer 5

First of all - don't take yourself so seriously. You are not Bear Bryant yet. Give it time.

Let the kids play and learn to love the game.

Ignore Ignore Ignore all the parents - they are the most critical problem for a football team when it comes to winning. Do it your way - you will be criticized but so what. Roll with the punches.

Answer 6

Just remember as a coach your job is to COACH. Don't let the kids parents worry you so much about their kid not playing, because you can only play so many kids at one time. Remember to teach the game. Get them ready for the next level of play. Good luck and have fun with it.

Answer 7

Just remind them it's just a game and win or lose chaulk it for some future good experience and learn with them. Heke when I coached pop warner I learned more from the kids then anyone. So just go out there work them good prepare them well and just let them do there best.....Oh and the Best of Luck

Answer 8

Ignore the whining parents. I coached T-ball one summer, 4 and 5 y/os, the parents still called me at night whining cuz "Junior is the best player you have and you made him take turns..." (Junior liked to lay in the outfield and make dirt angels like all the other 4 and 5 y/o's). Good luck, the kids are a hoot; the parents....well, good luck.

Answer 9

Here are a few items that may help you. First, be organized (practice plans, phone tree, medical contacts, schedules, etc. Secondly, teach the kids the fundamentals of the game every practice (stance, alignment, tackling, receiving, blocking, lane assignments, and above all the rules of the game). Thirdly, make sure that they all play and do your best to make it fun. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 10

Quit while your ahead. J/K. Just be patient but be firm and stern. I coached a girls softball league when I was 17 years old. It's a lot of fun but you got to let them know who's the boss.