It is that time of year again...

[KST8FAN]

how much more or less susceptible (sp?) are little kid brains to this stuff than adult brains?

I know its more, but I don't know how much more.

https://www.impacttest.com/about/

http://guardiancaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/8.11.14_Guardian-Team-Responds-to-ESPN-Outside-The-Lines.pdf

The youth league I was associated with began impact baseline testing the last two years I coached.  Concussion awareness and reporting was a huge part of coach certification and training.  Also had an ESPN episode of OTL that highlighted the guardian caps which I had not been aware of until that report. 

Lots of debate, but agree with others comments that smaller kids do not generate speed and force, but more frequently I saw neck stingers from small kids (65 lbs) lugging a 10 lb helmet around on their head.  They were top heavy accidents waiting to happen, and the concussions we encountered were usually the result of falling back and striking the ground with the head versus a head on collision with another player.

I am one who changed my opinion and approach on heavy hitting in practice from the start of coaching (every practice) until I finished (1 practice per week). 

Attended a clinic where Tony Severino (Rockhurst High coaching legend in KC metro) discussed his tackling practice philosophy.  They form tackled or did fit and run thru drills with live contact only once per week in a four day week (game on Friday).  He said any good tackle is one where you get the ball carrier to the ground.  Emphasized footwork, body position, wrapping, etc. over the 'big hit' mentality a lot of coaches (including me) have had over time.


Tom

[nicname]

If I coached a team I'd feel like anything more than 4 plays would be excessive. Inside run, outside run, fake handoff + bootleg, PA Pass.

[nicname]

How do you manage practices? Do you have coaches broken out by position?

There is nothing worse (IMO) than youth teams that just run plays for 80% of their practice, usually coaching 1 or 2 guys while the rest stand around when the play doesn't go "right". Also youth coaches thinking they need to have a playbook that is an inch thick and then when their plays "don't work" one week they change the entire offense for the next week.

There should be long portions of your practice where players are broken out by position just learning techniques (both offense and defense). If you have 3 or 4 coaches this is easy to do. There should be portions of your practice where you teach special teams. There should be very little time when kids are standing around and not learning something about the position(s) they play.

And again, my biggest issue is usually a youth coach gets one kid that is physically superior to everyone else and they think they are the Nick Saban of some 10 year old football league and their ego is fed by trying to catch Bear Bryant's win total instead of really teaching a group of kids how to play the game.

Oh man, so much awesome in this post. Applies to baseball as well. Nothing worse than 9-10 kids standing around the field and taking turns hitting and running with the coach pitching. So brutal. Stations are a must.

[Trim]

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article2032390.html

[KST8FAN]

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article2032390.html

  No words.


Tom

[Cire]

FIRED for protecting himself with a legal gun.   Libita

[Daddy Claxton]

a couple of points from a former child athlete with no experience or interest in coaching or ever watching a current child athlete.

1)  the stuff michigan said about the adults caring more about winning than the children is complete bullshit.  winning is the entire point.  without trying to win, it's just exercise.  might as well hop on a treadmill.  sports are only fun when you try to win.  you can still have tons of fun if you don't win, but you can't have hardly any fun if you don't try to win.  there is nothing more boring than playing a team sport where score is not kept and/or both teams aren't vigorously attempting to win.  i'm not a particularly competitive person, btw, and wasn't a competitive child.

2)  the only thing more boring than playing a game where no one cares about winning is sitting on the sideline watching other children play and/or playing, but not being involved in the action.  jesus christ, that sucks.  eff that crap about the fat kid needs to learn to play on the line because he's good at it and sucks at everything else.  he deserves to be a qb or rb or wr just like everyone else.


i don't know what the upshot of that is.  maybe (definitely) don't play games where large numbers of children have to be linemen or some other position that sucks.  and make more teams and have less subs so that everyone has to play and coaches aren't bitching about having to play the shitty kids and parents aren't bitching about their kid not playing and kids aren't stuck on the sideline watching other kids play.  like structurally remove the ways in which children are forced to do crap that sucks and then let them play and compete and have fun trying to win and don't be stupid about it by trying to tell them that it doesn't matter who wins when the entire point of the activity is to attempt to win.

Interesting article that touches on some of these points:

http://www.kidsportsmagazine.com/PSR/node/3683

 

[Fedor]

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article2032390.html

It is not a perfect system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Institutional Control]

I've been the president of the local youth sports association for the past 3 years.

Here's a few things I've learned.
Most coaches of youth sports have good intentions.
At least half of youth sports coaches have no idea what they're doing.
Parents who volunteer the least, complain the most.
Most parents think their kid should play quarterback or pitch.
Cheer moms are the worst.
No good deed ever goes unpunished.

[XocolateThundarr]

If I coached a team I'd feel like anything more than 4 plays would be excessive. Inside run, outside run, fake handoff + bootleg, PA Pass.

This...until everyone can master those plays.  Then maybe add a couple more....COUPLE.

[XocolateThundarr]

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article2032390.html

My impression of the City League youth football in Wichita was less than spectacular.  I am shocked it took this long for something like this to happen.  A lot of awful people are involved with those organizations.

[dmartin]

I've been the president of the local youth sports association for the past 3 years.

Here's a few things I've learned.
Most coaches of youth sports have good intentions.
At least half of youth sports coaches have no idea what they're doing.
Parents who volunteer the least, complain the most.
Most parents think their kid should play quarterback or pitch.
Cheer moms are the worst.
No good deed ever goes unpunished.

These sound like me coaching my daughter's 3rd/4th grade soccer team. I admit I don't exactly know what I'm doing when it comes to drills, etc. But I've got the good intentions.  Trying to give everyone a shot at playing the positions.

At least the parents think i'm doing a good job even when I think practice looks like a clusterfuck.

[michigancat]

I've been the president of the local youth sports association for the past 3 years.

Here's a few things I've learned.
Most coaches of youth sports have good intentions.
At least half of youth sports coaches have no idea what they're doing.
Parents who volunteer the least, complain the most.
Most parents think their kid should play quarterback or pitch.
Cheer moms are the worst.
No good deed ever goes unpunished.

These sound like me coaching my daughter's 3rd/4th grade soccer team. I admit I don't exactly know what I'm doing when it comes to drills, etc. But I've got the good intentions.  Trying to give everyone a shot at playing the positions.

At least the parents think i'm doing a good job even when I think practice looks like a clusterfuck.

I actually started coaching because I hated the coach one of my daughters had. He had a U6 team running suicides I crap you not. But yeah, most clubs (ahem) do a shitty job preparing volunteer coaches, and I'm sure at least half the volunteers would ignore it even if it was presented. (I generally ignore it, but that's because I've been unimpressed and think I have a better way.)

It should be a clusterfuck at that age, so I'm sure you're doing fine. How many kids are on the field?

Also, get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Soccer-Drills-Baffled-Parents/dp/007138488X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410541075&sr=8-1&keywords=soccer+drills

Great resource for "games" that teach skills rather than "drills" and a good look into age-appropriate games that make practice a lot of fun.

Also this site has some great ideas and explanations of philosophy: http://andagain.websitetoolbox.com/?forum=6094

I've found that when you see someone defend their thought process opposed to another, it's much more effective.

[dmartin]

I've been the president of the local youth sports association for the past 3 years.

Here's a few things I've learned.
Most coaches of youth sports have good intentions.
At least half of youth sports coaches have no idea what they're doing.
Parents who volunteer the least, complain the most.
Most parents think their kid should play quarterback or pitch.
Cheer moms are the worst.
No good deed ever goes unpunished.

These sound like me coaching my daughter's 3rd/4th grade soccer team. I admit I don't exactly know what I'm doing when it comes to drills, etc. But I've got the good intentions.  Trying to give everyone a shot at playing the positions.

At least the parents think i'm doing a good job even when I think practice looks like a clusterfuck.

I actually started coaching because I hated the coach one of my daughters had. He had a U6 team running suicides I crap you not. But yeah, most clubs (ahem) do a shitty job preparing volunteer coaches, and I'm sure at least half the volunteers would ignore it even if it was presented. (I generally ignore it, but that's because I've been unimpressed and think I have a better way.)

It should be a clusterfuck at that age, so I'm sure you're doing fine. How many kids are on the field?

Also, get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Soccer-Drills-Baffled-Parents/dp/007138488X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410541075&sr=8-1&keywords=soccer+drills

Great resource for "games" that teach skills rather than "drills" and a good look into age-appropriate games that make practice a lot of fun.

Also this site has some great ideas and explanations of philosophy: http://andagain.websitetoolbox.com/?forum=6094

I've found that when you see someone defend their thought process opposed to another, it's much more effective.

Exact reason I started coaching her team as well. Hated the coach she had for the few seasons prior, and was told by my wife "either you coach, or she doesn't play".  I'd helped with my son's team (now in 6th grade) for the last 4 or 5 seasons, so I wasn't completely thrown into it.

There are 16 girls on the team this season. It's hard to keep everyone involved at the same time. What I really need to do is find an assistant (similar to what I was on my son's teams) who can split the load. I just feel bad when half the team is standing around while other half is working on something. I haven't had anyone tell me they'll avoid me in the next seasons, and a few that will actually request me, so yeah, I must be doing at least ok.

and we're 0-0-2 so far this season. so at least we're competitive.

and thanks for the advice.

[michigancat]

holy crap 16 is too many. is it 8v8 in games?

that book I recommended has a lot of games that can keep them all busy at once. but yeah you definitely need an assistant.

[Asteriskhead]

If I coached a team I'd feel like anything more than 4 plays would be excessive. Inside run, outside run, fake handoff + bootleg, PA Pass.

This...until everyone can master those plays.  Then maybe add a couple more....COUPLE.

I would argue that the traditional option should be included, those 5-6ish plays were all we ran in pop warner and we were far more successful with them than the teams that tried to run more advanced offenses.

[dmartin]

11 on 11 on a full size field. Last year's team was 8 on 8 on smaller fields (that was 1st and 2nd grade)

Just got the ebook through google, starting to check it out. I've already read (and realized it's true) that 11 vs 11 is too many kids on the field at this age. 

[Asteriskhead]

Also, I'm all for the flag football only for kids until junior high. I know a lot of guys that didn't like their pop warner experience, and it mostly stemmed from imposing a weight limit on who could carry the ball. It was put in place to prevent giant kids from running over and injuring smaller ones, but it really ruined a lot of kids experiences because they were told they were too fat to play a skill position.

[Bqqkie Pimp]

I've been the president of the local youth sports association for the past 3 years.

Here's a few things I've learned.
Most coaches of youth sports have good intentions.
At least half of youth sports coaches have no idea what they're doing.
Parents who volunteer the least, complain the most.
Most parents think their kid should play quarterback or pitch.
Cheer moms are the worst.
No good deed ever goes unpunished.

Wow... Absolutely nailed it.

This is lil BP jr's first year of tackle football down here in Tejas and I'm not sure it's even possible to fall into a worse situation that what we ended up in.

The team is currently 0-5 with an 0-8 finish far and away the most likely outcome and we actually have the kids to be one of, if not the best, team in the league.  It's heartbreaking to see 15 little guys who are thirsty for knowledge getting the absolute worst coaching imaginable while taking weekly 30-0 type beatings.

And it's not just about the wins & losses, but the fact that NOTHING positive is coming out of this experience yet although we are doing all we can to find the silver lining.

 

[dmartin]

I've been the president of the local youth sports association for the past 3 years.

Here's a few things I've learned.
Most coaches of youth sports have good intentions.
At least half of youth sports coaches have no idea what they're doing.
Parents who volunteer the least, complain the most.
Most parents think their kid should play quarterback or pitch.
Cheer moms are the worst.
No good deed ever goes unpunished.

These sound like me coaching my daughter's 3rd/4th grade soccer team. I admit I don't exactly know what I'm doing when it comes to drills, etc. But I've got the good intentions.  Trying to give everyone a shot at playing the positions.

At least the parents think i'm doing a good job even when I think practice looks like a clusterfuck.

I actually started coaching because I hated the coach one of my daughters had. He had a U6 team running suicides I crap you not. But yeah, most clubs (ahem) do a shitty job preparing volunteer coaches, and I'm sure at least half the volunteers would ignore it even if it was presented. (I generally ignore it, but that's because I've been unimpressed and think I have a better way.)

It should be a clusterfuck at that age, so I'm sure you're doing fine. How many kids are on the field?

Also, get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Soccer-Drills-Baffled-Parents/dp/007138488X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410541075&sr=8-1&keywords=soccer+drills

Great resource for "games" that teach skills rather than "drills" and a good look into age-appropriate games that make practice a lot of fun.

Also this site has some great ideas and explanations of philosophy: http://andagain.websitetoolbox.com/?forum=6094

I've found that when you see someone defend their thought process opposed to another, it's much more effective.

Exact reason I started coaching her team as well. Hated the coach she had for the few seasons prior, and was told by my wife "either you coach, or she doesn't play".  I'd helped with my son's team (now in 6th grade) for the last 4 or 5 seasons, so I wasn't completely thrown into it.

There are 16 girls on the team this season. It's hard to keep everyone involved at the same time. What I really need to do is find an assistant (similar to what I was on my son's teams) who can split the load. I just feel bad when half the team is standing around while other half is working on something. I haven't had anyone tell me they'll avoid me in the next seasons, and a few that will actually request me, so yeah, I must be doing at least ok.

and we're 0-0-2 so far this season. so at least we're competitive.

and thanks for the advice.

Well this was a trip down memory lane (even if it was only a year ago). The season this was posted, we finished 2-0-5, tied every game except the 2 on the last weekend, which we won both. The next season, I had 100% of my players back as every single parent requested me. It's nice to know that even when I don't think I know what I'm doing, some one thinks I do. That team went 7-0 winning every game by at least 2 goals.

 This current season just ended this past weekend.  The team I had last year was split into two (half going into the 5/6/7th grade teams) and the other half staying in the 3rd/4th grade teams. At the parents request, I ended up coaching both teams. Had almost 100% return rate (had one forget I was going to coach both teams). Didn't turn out as well as the season before, but everyone seemed happy. We'll see who all comes back next season, and then next year is what I'm really looking forward to when the original team comes back together.

Worse part of coaching youth, is the parents trying to get their kids to do the exact opposite of what you're trying to teach them.  Had a few new parents that were very unhappy with how things were going until they realized I was actually trying to teach their kids to stick to their positions. They couldn't figure out why their kid was hanging back and not chasing the ball all around the field like most of the other teams did.

[hatingfrancisco]

I have boys playing this year.  My older is seeing his previous team merge with another organization.  They are planning to run with two same age teams in two separate leagues.  We had a team meeting the other night and it was pretty entertaining to watch the respective coaching staffs humblebrag their way through it.

[michigancat]

Who's having coaching and having fun with parents?!? I'm coaching 5th and 6th grade girls basketball in a t-shirt rec league with mandatory playing requirements and a super wide range of skill levels. We practice 1 hour/week and have 1 game/week. I play every player equally every game and I told parents I would do this before the season started. We're 6-3 and in third place in a 7 team league. I have 5 kids on the team whose parents requested I coach their kids. This is from a parent whose daughter did not attend a practice in the month of January, but helped coach a single game when I couldn't make it:

Hi, This is DAUGHTER'S 3rd season playing IN THIS LEAGUE. This is the first season she has come home in tears after every game. I understand that from what you told the girls the first practice that you do not believe in positions or plays. Both DAUGHTER and DAUGHTER'S FRIEND were discouraged by this. This leaves the girls scrambling, in both offense and defense. These girls are old enough to learn basic positioning and zone defense, some girls just stand there knowing not what to do. I do not want DAUGHTER to quit the season but unless they learn some basic basketball plays and defense as a team , it’s not really worth the time and frustration. Every other team is playing to win. I feel like our girls are being taught 3rd grade level. It’s to the point that we might not play IN THIS LEAGUE again. And to be honest, parents last weekend said to me that they were happy the girls had some structure during the game. I realize this is a volunteer position, I’ve done it too, but it’s alittle frustrating to watch the girls learn nothing on how to play as a team. Pls let me know what you decide. I’d like her to stick to the end of the season but not as it stands now. Best, MOM

I explained my philosophy a bit, suggested she just let her daughter come to practice, have fun, and be a kid, and she did not like it. BTW, she installed a zone defense for the game she coached despite the team playing man-to-man all year, and my daughter was crying after the game because this woman kind of treated her like trash:

Can my daughter be a kid? Are YOU kidding me? You don't know my child and seem to be more interested in coaching the level your daughter plays and not that of the entire team because if you did, you'd notice the frustration with not only MY DAUGHTER but other players (and their parents) over the lack of direction they are given. Before games, parents have asked me why you do not give them "talks", any strategy or warm up outside like other coaches seem to do. The girls look clueless on the court. Your daughter may have felt a little extra pressure than she is used to when I coached but you should have seen the ear to ear grins on the rest of the girls after they beat an undefeated team with just a few very basic pointers!!! Someone from THIS LEAGUE came up to me after the game and said "those are the games we like to see!" 

To DAUGHTER, practice is time to work on fundamentals AND learn how to play as a team. But if they are just supposed to "wing it' every game, I don't see the point. It is very obvious the difference between you and other coaches when you watch the games from the sideline. DAUGHTER expects her coach to correct and give guidance to ALL players during games. She likes to be pushed a little and my expectation is that she learns something from this experience. I mean, we did pay $175 for the season. In the future, you might want to take the pulse of parents and players as I was told a couple of girls were ready to quit last year. Most of these players have competitive experience so there seems to me to be a pattern.

 

[wetwillie]

Please copy paste your response TIA

[yoga-like_abana]

Kids are kids when it comes to youth sports.. but parents are the absolute worst. I dreaded emails from parents

[sys]

you need to poll the children and find out who is right.