The basis of successful football players is established at the youth football stage, as vital as college and high school football are for the training of players. The qualities and behaviors that will produce a young player to be outstanding are initially established in Pee Wee football programs and other football leagues before he or she ever lines up for a school program, let alone at the pro setting. Players understand not only the foundations of the sport but also the values of great sportsmanship and the techniques that will ensure their safety and health on the field in these programs.
As a result, young football coaches bear a greater obligation to their team than even the well-compensated top coach. The Bill Belichicks of the globe may create the game plans that determine the fate of billion-dollar pro clubs, but their athletes are already adult men with a career of football knowledge. Their young football coaches were tasked with developing them into pro athletes in the first instance. Even if you’re as enthusiastic as a young football coach to shape your kids into the next big superstars, you probably don’t have the same facilities as a high school football coach.
Here are a few football training tips that will help you transform your young players into well-rounded, skillful players:
Concentrate on the essentials. Focusing on teaching excellent kids football principles is perhaps the most essential thing you can do as a trainer. You may arrive in the first week with a 250-page handbook that you believe would be famous in the league, but your athletes are unlikely to know how to make the catch properly. You’re not just laying your squad up for disappointment during the season if you think your athletes already understand how to execute the basics like blocking, tackling, and receiving; you’re also putting your players up for disappointment later in their growth.
Place a premium on sportsmanship. In football, leadership is crucial, and there’s no greater way to lead than by demonstrating. Coaches who preach platitudes like “developing leaders” and “bolstering character” while encouraging their athletes to hurl insults at opponents or engage in name-calling are missing one of the most crucial aspects of their job. On and off the game, athletes who learn to value their colleagues and rivals are much more inclined to be the sort of young people the world requires today. Coaches that regard their players treat them equally and model excellent behavior on the stands and during practice are the foundation for this behavior.
Read more: THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUTH SPORTS
Maintain a healthy sense of perspective. Every trainer cares about winning, but it’s vital to step back a bit and look at the wider context every now and again in youth football. While victory is nice, you wouldn’t want a player’s tenure to be defined by that city league trophy. It’s fine to fail occasionally as long as players understand the principles of the sport and develop personality as they play. At the Pee Wee level, coaches that have a “win at any cost” mindset can drain the pleasure out of the sport and dissuade kids from returning the next season.