The Optimum Team Size in Youth Football

Team Sizes in Youth Football

There is an optimum size for a youth football team. If your team has too few players, a key injury or grade problem can seriously affect your teams ability to compete or even have a productive football practice. Too many players and it becomes very difficult to offer the proper coaching attention and even get the kids reasonable amounts of playing time.

There are some youth football coaches that believe "the more the merrier" when it comes to player numbers. I think many of these coaches think the more players they have the better chance that they will have that some superstar among that number will emerge to carry the team. There is a local team that carried 40-60 players on its squad and still lost most of its games, poor coaching often won't even overcome huge talent pools. Our Omaha league saw one of our teams face a team that suited up 52 kids. Most teams in the league suit up from 22-35 players. High numbers guarantees nothing but lots of headaches for the head coach, very low numbers will do the same.

We have found the best player to coach ratio is about 5 or 6 players per coach. If you carry 40 kids on your youth football team would mean you need 7 coaches. That many coaches is hard to find to begin with and then to train and have them all on the same page would be a management miracle worthy enough to be Donald Trump's apprentice. Teams this large rarely see players developing to their full potential, as the head coach and his assistants are spread so thin.

Teams this large often see very good players or diamonds in the rough fall through the cracks. These kind of kids often do not get noticed or develop very well on large teams. Even doing a simple fit and freeze team drill would mean all players reps would be limited, the starters and the backups would be in just half the time. Getting all the kids playing time in games would be a disaster. To get your backups time, your starters would have to come out very early and fail to develop as well as they could with more playing time. If you have minimum play rules, your best players would not be on the field long enough to make much of a difference. There is no doubt you will lose lots of players from a team like this and I wouldn't even want to think about the parent hassles, what a nightmare. Team sizes this large are a huge disadvantage, not the advantage most people think.

The first year I started the Screaming Eagle program in Omaha, I had 36 youth football players, all on one team. We had no option of dividing into another team, because for most of the season we had one coach, myself. Later on we got a great guy to help that had not coached or played football, but was a great basketball coach. That many players with so few coaches was a real disservice to the kids. It didn't help that all the kids were first year rookie players. While we had some rookie raw talent, our season was not as enjoyable or successful as it could have been had we had a smaller sized team.

My mistake was not cutting off the teams enrollment. The problem was this team practiced across the street from Omaha's largest housing project and the kids had no other place to play football within walking distance. After the neighborhood kids saw our football practice the first day, more and more kids started showing up, begging to be on the team. I'm not very good at turning away kids in need, and these were kids that needed the program more than we needed them, so I took them all. The following year I had 3 teams and we got the coaches we needed to accommodate team sizes of about 25 or so.

Over time we experimented with various team sizes as my Organization grew to about 400 kids at 5 different fields. Some years we had groups that were too big for one team but not quite big enough to divide into 2 teams.

We have fielded teams as small as 17 players, but that is a very dangerous number. If 17 kids were there for every game you can make 17 work, but there are those problem games where one player is sick, another is injured and then you have one that gets held out for grades and you end up with just 14 players. You are in real trouble in our league if you show up with just 14 kids. Football practice is also a bear with teams this small, you have to run lots of half line drills and you have to cross train all your players to play other positions. Some coaches lose control of teams of this size because they feel they can not hold kids accountable to any kind of standard for fear of losing them. In this situation the inmates (players and parents) end up having the upper hand and chaos ensues.

We have found 24-25 players is the best number to start your season out with. We mix and match until we have that number now on about every team we field. On my personal teams, I usually lose 1 player before the season starts, they decide that football is not for them. As the season progresses we are usually missing 1 player per game due to injuries, sickness, grades etc. So most for games and practices we have about 22-23 kids available. To me this is the perfect number, 22 kids means I have 11 on 11 in our fit and freeze drills during football practice. We can run our football plays out against a scout defense of 11 players if we have 22 on the team.

I only need 3-5 coaches to effectively coach this group and playing time and attention to each individual youth football player is adequate. With a group this size I'm going to know what every player can do, they can each learn their football plays and there won't be anyone slipping through the cracks. There won't be any player that feels left out and my better players as well as my backups will get the reps and attention they need to become better youth football players.

In the rural area I now coach in, we take the first 24 kids that sign up to play, first come first served based on a flyer we send out at their school.

While many coaches have no input on team sizes, if you do have influence, do your best to lobby for a team size of 24-25. Your youth football coaching experience will be significantly more fun and productive with team sizes like this.

Another article brought to you by http://winningyouthfootball.com Copyright 2007 Cisar Management. Republishing allowed if links are kept intact.

For more great youth football ideas and football plays, sign up for Dave's free youth football coaching tips newsletter, please click here:
Youth Football

Playing Up To Improve Your Youth Football Team

Playing "Up" to Improve Your Youth Football Team:

Do you have a "bully" team in your youth football league or a year end playoff?

Playing "Up" an age level or classification in a controlled scrimmage may be what your youth football team needs to gain an edge in these games.In 2002 I had an age 8-10 "B" team that was running the Single Wing Offense for the first time. We had the youngest and smallest team in our division, but slowly and surely we developed into a very dominant team. By mid season surprisingly, we were naming the score in about every game. Our kids got pretty confident as did our parents and coaches. Unfortunately the schedule for our youth football league had us playing the two weakest teams in our last 2 games. In the last game to wrap up a League Title and undefeated season, we had a 5 TD lead at the half.

During the 2 weeks leading up to our last games our football team made little progress. It was evident that based on comparative scores it was going to take a miracle for us not to win the league title. In the football practices leading up to this game, our players were not running out our football plays well, our fakes weren't going 20 yards downfield, our wedge plays weren't as tight as usual, even our warmups and breaks weren't as crisp as normal. The only thing the kids seemed to be fired up about was trophies, the pizza party immediately following our last game and the new trick football plays we put in.

At seasons end, we were able to locate another team of similar abilities to play in an extra "Bowl" game. This other team had played a few of the same teams we had played in the regular season and our comparative scores were about the same. Our kids came into the game very confident and were a bit surprised when our first drive got stopped on the opponent's 6 yard line, as we had scored on every opening drive that season. To make a long story short, we lost 46-6. Our kids never gave up, they played hard, but not crisp or well. In our teams defense, as coaches we had yet to devise the various adjustments we use that are detailed in chapter 13 of the book. But what our youth football team suffered from had little to do with adjustments to a few youth football plays.

Our team needed a challenge, a goal, a close game and adversity. Coaching youth football well means you have to supply some of these on your own, if these things are not being readily supplied by your schedule and the opposition.

In 2003 I coached a different team, a "Select" team that was very talented. Much different than the 2002 team, this group of 9-10 year olds ( 90% 10s) saw us with 5 players over 180 pounds and all but one could move very well. I got to choose from about 150 kids to put together this team. We had it all, size, speed and a good pass/catch combination. This was my most difficult coaching job ever, as many of the kids could get by on natural ability rather than using proper technique. It was a real chore holding them accountable to perfect technique when their own way often yielded positive results. As the season unfolded we were naming the score in every game and just dominating the games. We could have won every league game by 50 points and our first team defense had just 1 TDs scored on it all season. I was not going to let what happened in 2002 happen to this team.

To make sure the problem from 2002 didn't rear its ugly head on this team, I scheduled several controlled scrimmages against age 11-12 youth football teams in mid season to keep our kids focused. Our football team learned that they had to be perfect with their technique and with our schemes in order to compete with these older teams. We even went so far as to schedule extra games verses age 11-12 teams that had byes in an Iowa league across the river from us. At the end of our regular season, we played the league champion of this league under the lights at a big college stadium, the big time. They lead early on us, but we fought back and ended up dominating the game, but won by just 2 touchdowns.

The net result is we continued to improve all season because we knew we had very tough scrimmages and exrtra games schedueld along the way. We knew we had a real tough game at seasons end to look forward to. Rather than just blowing out every similar aged team in our league, the challenge of playing older teams made this team much better. Our kids were on a mission to do what no one but them and us coaches thought they could do. It made them better players and gave them a great sense of accomplishment. As to our regular league rivals, the games against them were a cake walk compared to the games and scrimmages against the 11-12 year old teams we played. We won our league championship game 46-12 after leading 46-0 in the third quarter. We all agreed it was better to play an older tough team and lose than have an undefeated season with few challenges. We really are believers in, even with my rural team of playing anyone, anytime, any place (within reasonable traveling distance).

I would suggest you temper it a bit depending on the makeup of your team. If you decide to scrimmage older teams there may be smaller and weaker kids from your team that might just work on their own during the scrimmage, getting some much needed remedial coaching. If you are a "B" or rookie team, scrimmage up a classification. Another way to get some of this accomplished is to just borrow a dominant player or two from an older team for a portion of your practice. If you have an older "sister" team, borrow a stud player or two and put them on a scout team defensive line, This will give your offensive linemen a test that even if they have modest success, will show them they can compete against much better competition than they will ever face. Be reasonable and sound in determining the level of play your kids can handle and march the kids right up to the edge of that. If you do this and play that "Beast" team, you will have prepared your kids to meet the challenge and that's being a good youth football coach.

In 2005 my rural age 8-10 kids (24 kids, no cuts or selects) played an extra game the second week of the season against a huge and fast inner city "Select" team from Omaha that chose from over 120 kids and had won 3 consecutive league titles in their "Select" league. They had 5 kids over 150 pounds while we had just 1 and from there we may have had maybe one more kid over 100 lbs.

We surprised everyone by winning big, with a 4 touchdown lead at the half. The rest of the season was really a breeze after playing up like that. Our kids had an incredible amount of confidence after that game, beating the "Monsters of the Midway." Even if we had lost that game and played well, I would have expected the same end result. I thought because of our system and tactics we had a chance to win, but competing would have served the same end purpose.

That surprising win really launched our rural program and got us some respect and much needed confidence. Now we have a new problem, we can't get anyone to play us in non-league games. Getting soundly trounced by a bunch of scrawny farm boys with a throwback offense I guess is too much for some guys to handle, go figure.

In 2006 my rural age 8-10 teams suffered the same fate as my 2002 Omaha squad. My 2006 team won big in our league games, scoring 3 touchdowns in the first quarter of 9 games. Unfortunately we had the two worst teams in the division as our last 2 opponents and they didn't give our team much of a game. I had set up a scrimmage against a very big and fast "Select" team from Lincoln in August that we did very well in. I guess we played too well, in fact (4 TDs to none) they ended up not following through with the promised real game we were supposed to have later in the year.

I guess those are problems most youth football teams would like to have, but it makes it difficult just the same. We lost in OT in the playoffs in 2006 to the eventual Super Bowl champs in a well played youth football game with excellent opposing coaches. Playing and scrimmaging better teams may have helped us avoid that loss and in the future we will have to figure out creative ways to artificially create situations were our kids have to compete. Hats off to our opponnent, they played great and deserved the win, but we will try not to make those same mistakes again.
That's what coaching youth football is all about.

For more youth football coaching tips please sign up for the free newsletter at Youth Football Plays

Nfl Conduct Policy And How It Affects You

We are in an age of multi-millionaire thugs, profiting off the fandom of a blue collar society. Pundits wax and wane about how salaries are spiraling out of control, and most every fan has dreams of hitting the turf with a large check in their pocket. For most of us, that will never happen. However, all is not lost. The aforementioned millionaires are not the only ones who can profit off of sports.

The NFL season is fast approaching, with training camps starting next month. For a sport that only profits an investor 1/3 of the year, the new NFL sure is making it a year round job to keep track of. Specifically, I am referring to the new NFL conduct policy and how it affects you.

Sure, at a glance it may seem as if the only ones directly connected are the players being punished and the teams they play for. But with careful consideration, this new policy affects not only the average fan in obvious ways, but the sports investor more specifically.

The teams still will make their revenue, and the fans will still get their games, but as investors, Goodell's stringent, yet undefined, policies can run rampart on your bankroll.

Let's take a look at some of the more popular suspensions:

• Pacman Jones, the poster boy for the new policy. Last year, the Titans were an investor's best friend, covering an underdog spread straight up more than any other team. Pacman is not only the team's most dynamic defensive player, he is also the teams primary special teams weapon. How many times did we hear Chris Berman 'gobble gobble' up the screen while describing yet another Titan's victory. However, according to Goodell, Pacman won't be playing (pre appeal).

• Tank Johnson, the newest thug to hit the list. Last year, Tank helped the Bears post more Under victories than nearly every other team. The Bears defense was stifling, and became even moreso once some of the other major NFC defenses were ravaged by injuries (see NYG). The benefit to Tank's suspension over Pac's, Tank was only a force in 1 facet of the game, and received ½ the suspension.

• Chris Henry, the invisible man. Of the three major suspension's, Henry's is the least damaging. Henry at best is the 3rd WR option on the Bengals, and though his talent cannot be ignored, his suspension just seems like par for the course. Now, if Goodell grandfathered the new conduct policy back to include all transgressions in the past year, nearly 15% of the Bengal's roster would be suspended. How is that for changing a team's chances on game day?

But as damaging as they all are, none come close to the biggest decision yet to be made (at time of writing).. .Michael Vick. Though not convicted (but then again, neither was Pac), Vick has soiled the eye's of the NFL by 'interacting' with fans, mystery water bottles and of course, the 'I can believe you think their my dogs' incidents. If Vick is charged, or worse, found guilty, how will that affect investors? To be honest, it would be a good thing.

If Vick is suspended for any amount of time, the Falcons will be guaranteed underdogs, no matter who they play. This will be especially true at the front end of the suspension. In addition, all your 'weekend' warrior bettors will lay heavily on the Falcon's opponents each week, further plummeting the odds down. After all, no Vick… no Schaub… who will play QB? The truth is though, the further the odds fall, the better it is for you, the sports investor. Football is a team sport, do not forget that. And as 'dynamic' as Vick is, the Falcons still have a decent line, strong run game and an improved defense. They will be dynamic in the oft-forgotten step-child phase of the game, special teams, and with a new coaching staff, won't be lackadaisical in the 'little things'.

So, while the world argues whether or not the new NFL conduct policy is too strict, lawyers argue Pacman is treated unfairly, fans cry because their beloved Vick is just another multi-millionaire thug, you can quietly revel in the fact that Goodell will fatten your wallet this fall. Because if he tows the line, and suspends Vick for any amount of time (which is extremely likely), the odds just went in your favor.
So go ahead, tell the world the Falcon's can't win without Vick. They likely won't, but as investor's, we don't care. The spread is all that matters, And like last year's Titans that profited tens of thousands of dollars per investor, the Falcons will enable us to do the same this year. Shhhh… it's our dirty little secret.

How Many Formations Do Successfull Youth Football Teams Really Have?