Youth Football Question

[uk#1fan]

Playing time issue. South Kenton has about 15 to 18 players on their first year team for the starters. 11 of them play most the game while the rest barely get any playing time. Well during Monday nights game at the Tiger they only play the 2nd quarter and 3rd quarter. The 2nd year starter team plays the 1st and 4th quarter. Well I found out my son only played 3 plays and some other kids only played a few plays. During a normal game my son and some others have only been getting about 10 minutes of playing time. Well I looked up the rules for NKYFL the other night and found out all players in the starter division are suppose to play at least a half. We only have a few games left. I think all the kids should play an equal amount so they can learn. Instead of hearing how many tackles or how many touchdowns the star player(one of the coaches son) did. What would you do?

[Clyde]

If there are only 18 kids there is no excuse for a kid playing only a few plays.

[OlDog75]

Playing time issue. South Kenton has about 15 to 18 players on their first year team for the starters. 11 of them play most the game while the rest barely get any playing time. Well during Monday nights game at the Tiger they only play the 2nd quarter and 3rd quarter. The 2nd year starter team plays the 1st and 4th quarter. Well I found out my son only played 3 plays and some other kids only played a few plays. During a normal game my son and some others have only been getting about 10 minutes of playing time. Well I looked up the rules for NKYFL the other night and found out all players in the starter division are suppose to play at least a half. We only have a few games left. I think all the kids should play an equal amount so they can learn. Instead of hearing how many tackles or how many touchdowns the star player(one of the coaches son) did. What would you do?

 

The middle school, of which my son coaches, decided this year to split up their team in a couple of ways. The 8th grade level has a varsity and a junior varsity, both have games. They also decided to take their 7th graders and play in a small school 8th grade division. In my opinion this gives quite a few kids more of an opportunity for playing time had they just had the one large school middle school team. I was rather skeptical about this move because I thought it really thinned out their numbers for backups. However, I've seen quite an improvement in play each week by kids who would really not get much playing time. And isn't this what it's really all about at this level?

Edited October 4, 2012 by OlDog75
spelling

[Hearsay]

As a longtime coach in many youth sports, while certainly the coach must follow the league rules, I respectfully disagree with the "they should play equal to learn" comment when it comes to youth football. Learning occurs in practice, as does skill development. In pee wee football, you can, perhaps more clearly than in any other sport, see when the "light switch flips on." There are many players, new to tackle football, who will flat out get hurt and humiliated if put in for extended periods in a youth football game when they are not yet ready to compete. The prevailing theory is that you put the less skilled players on the defensive line in pee wee football, because everyone just tries to spring to the edge anyway and there is only about 6 inches of momentum to contact. In truth, this only works for larger players, and smaller players put out on the edge or in the defensive backfield get annihilated if they are not ready. They get discouraged, lose interest, and later quit. I think that a successful coach works with those kids extensively in practice, encourages them, gets excited about them in practice, and tells them in advance the role playing they will have in the game, puts them in in certain situations, and gets them back out with a lot of applause and encouragement. 3rd and 4th graders want to know they are part of a greater team accomplishment, and they must be taught to learn that football is a team game, including cheering for your teammates from the bench. Put them in on 3rd and long at defensive end and call them a "pass rush specialist." But kids know darned well that other kids are bigger, stronger, faster, and better, and that those are the kids who are going to play more. Equal time, in my opinion, is a dangerous enterprise in youth football. Just my .02.

[Qryche11]

One of the biggest problems in youth sports is kids losing interest due to lack of playing time compared to others as well as Daddy Ball where the coaching fathers play their kids at the most popular positions.

 

The kids need to find a league that doesn't emphasize winning as much as it does player development.

[katbird]

Playing time issue. South Kenton has about 15 to 18 players on their first year team for the starters. 11 of them play most the game while the rest barely get any playing time. Well during Monday nights game at the Tiger they only play the 2nd quarter and 3rd quarter. The 2nd year starter team plays the 1st and 4th quarter. Well I found out my son only played 3 plays and some other kids only played a few plays. During a normal game my son and some others have only been getting about 10 minutes of playing time. Well I looked up the rules for NKYFL the other night and found out all players in the starter division are suppose to play at least a half. We only have a few games left. I think all the kids should play an equal amount so they can learn. Instead of hearing how many tackles or how many touchdowns the star player(one of the coaches son) did. What would you do?

 

It sounds to me like you need to bring your son to play in the FTJFL...It is more about fundamentals and not just winning at all cost..

[Dlbdonn]

It sounds to me like you need to bring your son to play in the FTJFL...It is more about fundamentals and not just winning at all cost..

Recruiting ?!!!!!!! not in Ft thomas:sssh:

[uk#1fan]

It sounds to me like you need to bring your son to play in the FTJFL...It is more about fundamentals and not just winning at all cost..

 

 

It might happen. My brother lives in Fort Thomas. I already know this coach won't be coaching next year he has already had to many complaints. The kids that are not getting any minutes are game ready. The coach has his favorites and only wants to play them. I am just going to print the rules out for him and give him a friendly talking to.

[katbird]

Recruiting ?!!!!!!! not in Ft thomas:sssh:

 

:laugh: Do you really think we want "THE ANTI-HHS GUY" in Ft Thomas? :laugh:

[jolmstead]

I have a real problem with coaches having kids on teams, especially football. There is always the potential for conflict of interest between team and parental interests. I have seen too many kids awarded positions that were not merited by ability. I have seen this in pee wee all the way up to High School. Even when the kid in question is skilled, there is always doubt as to whether there was actually any open competition for the position.

 

At the starter level, everybody is the same. Very few "stand out" athletically. In addition, kids develop at very different rates and quite often, kids that are superstars in one level of pee wee are brought back to the pack when the maturity levels.

 

Absolutely no excuses for starters not playing. In the Boone leagues, they don't even keep score and the coaches are on the field.

[stinkyboy II]

I have a real problem with coaches having kids on teams, especially football. There is always the potential for conflict of interest between team and parental interests. I have seen too many kids awarded positions that were not merited by ability. I have seen this in pee wee all the way up to High School. Even when the kid in question is skilled, there is always doubt as to whether there was actually any open competition for the position.

 

At the starter level, everybody is the same. Very few "stand out" athletically. In addition, kids develop at very different rates and quite often, kids that are superstars in one level of pee wee are brought back to the pack when the maturity levels.

 

Absolutely no excuses for starters not playing. In the Boone leagues, they don't even keep score and the coaches are on the field.

 

 

 

So if the parents are not the coaches - who will be. (especially in the younger ages that this thread is about)

[jolmstead]

As a longtime coach in many youth sports, while certainly the coach must follow the league rules, I respectfully disagree with the "they should play equal to learn" comment when it comes to youth football. Learning occurs in practice, as does skill development. In pee wee football, you can, perhaps more clearly than in any other sport, see when the "light switch flips on." There are many players, new to tackle football, who will flat out get hurt and humiliated if put in for extended periods in a youth football game when they are not yet ready to compete. The prevailing theory is that you put the less skilled players on the defensive line in pee wee football, because everyone just tries to spring to the edge anyway and there is only about 6 inches of momentum to contact. In truth, this only works for larger players, and smaller players put out on the edge or in the defensive backfield get annihilated if they are not ready. They get discouraged, lose interest, and later quit. I think that a successful coach works with those kids extensively in practice, encourages them, gets excited about them in practice, and tells them in advance the role playing they will have in the game, puts them in in certain situations, and gets them back out with a lot of applause and encouragement. 3rd and 4th graders want to know they are part of a greater team accomplishment, and they must be taught to learn that football is a team game, including cheering for your teammates from the bench. Put them in on 3rd and long at defensive end and call them a "pass rush specialist." But kids know darned well that other kids are bigger, stronger, faster, and better, and that those are the kids who are going to play more. Equal time, in my opinion, is a dangerous enterprise in youth football. Just my .02.

 

Respectfully disagree. In starter football, everyone is on the same experience level.

[jolmstead]

So if the parents are not the coaches - who will be. (especially in the younger ages that this thread is about)

 

Just separate the parents from their kids. Simple enough.

[stickymitts]

If you can't figure out a way to play all the kids enough that there aren't any complaints when they're 7 years old, you shouldn't be coaching.

[Tig70]

I think that the game that UK#1 is refering to was the championship game of the Starter Bowl which is more or less the for first place in the NKYFL. The 1st & 3rd, and 2nd & 4th works ok if both teams have enough players, but many of the teams in NKYFL don,t have enough players to do that so they need to sub in when they can. Coach's sons playing wether they deserve it or not is one of the main reasons that we have coaches at all. Watching my son on the sidelines, or sitting the bench when what I felt that coach's sons or favorites of lessor abilities are getting more oportunities is fustrating, but my son enjoys the games, and uses it as motivation to get better. Hopfully as they get older , and the Daddys are replaced with real coaches they'll get the chances they deserve.