| There are many differences between youth | | | | a down of High School football. It's a real shame |
| football players and College, Pro and High School | | | | and is the main reason I wrote the book, do all |
| players. To say the difference is night and day | | | | the clinics and developed the DVDs. Too many |
| would not do justice to how different they are. It | | | | good kids get run off of playing football by poor |
| would be like the differences in the beauty of | | | | coaches and terrible schemes, no wonder so |
| Miss America and the 1,000 pound bearded lady | | | | many High School and Youth Football programs |
| at the State Fair. | | | | have love/hate relationships. |
| College, Pro and even High School players practice | | | | On the technical side, the zone schemes |
| 6 days a week and play their games on a 7th | | | | cornerstone is the "combo" block, where the |
| day. Most of these guys practice 20-30 hours | | | | offensive linemen gets an initial push on a |
| each week, youth football teams practice from | | | | defensive linemen, then comes off the block once |
| 4-8 hours every week. Pro, College and High | | | | good movement has been made, to then block a |
| School players have played the game for 7-25 | | | | linebacker. This block mind you is blocked based |
| years, they have the basics down, they know the | | | | on the type of defensive front the offensive |
| game. Youth football players have 1-2 years of | | | | linemen sees and can recognize, often involving |
| experience and many youth teams are made up | | | | line calls. This would be quite a lot to ask from a 9 |
| of a majority of kids that have never played | | | | year old youth player maybe playing his first |
| before. Most youth football players don't know | | | | game. Most kids that age are still struggling to |
| the difference between a 3 technique and a | | | | figure out how to make a sound drive block on a |
| footstool. Pro, College and High School kids are | | | | player within 1 foot of them and making sure |
| 16-35 years old, they can move faster, control | | | | they remember to block on offense and tackle |
| their bodies better and retain and process much | | | | on defense. |
| more information than youth football players. Pro, | | | | Most High School teams can't even zone block |
| College and High School teams cut weak players, | | | | well with Spring Football, year round football |
| they are the best of the best. The pros and | | | | workouts, excellent offensive line coaches and 6 |
| college teams cut kids every day that were the | | | | days a week practice. And you are going to do it |
| best players in their respective youth and High | | | | successfully with youth players? With team sizes |
| School teams. Even the High Schools cut weaker | | | | of 24-25 for many teams, your worst athletes |
| players, they also send weaker kids to JV or | | | | are playing offensive line. So you are going to ask |
| Reserve teams. | | | | this weaker player to recognize the front |
| Pro, College and even some High School players | | | | correctly, make the right line call, make an |
| are being taught by coaches that coach for a | | | | effective double team block, get movement on a |
| living. Most devote 50-70 hour weeks to learning | | | | double team block, spy the linebacker at the |
| their craft and most have 10-15 years of | | | | same time, then know when to peel off at the |
| experience playing the game. This compares to | | | | exact right time and block the speedy and strong |
| the amount of experience and time a youth | | | | linebacker "in space" on the run on the same play? |
| coach can spend on developing himself as a | | | | So one of your least athletic kids is going to spy |
| coach, which for most doesn't even allow for the | | | | and track down and block in open space the |
| time to go to a single weekend coaches clinic or | | | | other teams fastest and most athletic player |
| the purchase of a single Coaching Book or DVD. | | | | (linebacker) after engaging another linemen? Wow |
| The difference in the levels of coaching expertise | | | | that will be quite an accomplishment akin to |
| is just huge, yet a youth coach with no | | | | building an atomic bomb out of a few leftover |
| experience with complex zone blocking is going to | | | | juice cans and some old mothballs, good luck |
| teach it to others? | | | | pulling that all off. If you can teach that at the |
| In a nutshell Pro, College and even most High | | | | youth level, you have a Select Football team, |
| School teams are made up of great players | | | | should be playing in the National Championship |
| athletically compared to the typical youth football | | | | game and as a coach should be coaching O-Line in |
| player that will never play High School football let | | | | the NFL. Zone blocking takes GREAT coaching, |
| alone even sniff at College or Pro Football. Youth | | | | lots of time, excellent athletic linemen and savy |
| teams are made up of a very limited amount of | | | | smart experienced football players that can |
| players, you cant send the kids down to JV, | | | | recognize fronts and have impeccable timing, none |
| Reserve or Frosh teams, and you can't cut them. | | | | of which is in abundance at the youth football |
| In fact you are going to play them, some | | | | level. |
| probably will even start on your offensive line. | | | | Simple rule blocking using angles and overwhelming |
| While I have been blessed with talent on some of | | | | numbers in limited space is what works within the |
| my teams, others had offensive lines that looked | | | | constraints of youth football and is what we |
| like the characters from the "Land of Misfit Toys." | | | | teach in the book and DVDs. Zone blocking will fail |
| By the time the youth kids get to High School, | | | | and frustrate the kids and coaches. It did not |
| most of the real weak players have already quit | | | | surprise me that this zone blocking suggestion |
| playing, realizing football is just not their game. But | | | | came from one of those one-dimensional |
| today on your youth football team, these kids are | | | | fails-every-time youth coaches that uses such |
| still playing, still trying to figure out how to play | | | | failed and useless tactics like "attack the center". |
| and if this is their game. At the youth level in | | | | Probably uses the famous "Hit Somebody" phrase |
| most leagues, everyone has to play some and | | | | and runs kids to death in football practice, then |
| most often you are going to have some | | | | wonders why his teams can't win any games. |
| unathletic players playing offensive line. Thast | | | | No doubt when this guys team loses, he's the one |
| playing, not being cut or sent down to another | | | | that blames it all on a lack of talent (every year) |
| team. | | | | or "the kids just didn't want it bad enough". Geez I |
| Pro, College and High School teams are not | | | | tire of these kind of guys, they ruin so many kids |
| required to play all their kids, most youth teams | | | | and teams. Unfortunately we see too many |
| do require you play everyone at least for a | | | | coaches like that in our game and is one of the |
| handful of plays. These less athletic kids are then | | | | main reasons over 70% of youth football players |
| playing a postion that greatly impacts every single | | | | never go on to play High School football, it's a |
| play (offensive line) and they are going to zone | | | | shame to see. |
| block? Okay, that's great if I'm the defensive | | | | When coaching youth football, it's your job to pick |
| coordinator of the other team, but terrible if I'm | | | | out a scheme that will work with the talent levels, |
| the running back or the dad of the poor running | | | | athleticism, maturity, practice time and coaching |
| back on the zone blocking team. | | | | ability you have available. Playing a youth football |
| This is how perfectly good youth football players | | | | team trying to zone block would be like shooting |
| get soured on the game and quit and become | | | | fish in a barrel, the poor running backs, the horror, |
| part of the 70% of youth players that never play | | | | the horror. |
