It starts in the little league. It's about getting them to love football , keeping them interested and at the same time teaching them the fundimentals. The studs in the little league don't necessarily translate into the studs at the HS varsity level. However, you want to keep all interested. The stud QB in the little league may end up to be the Stud Corner on the HS level. If you develop the love of football and don't burn them out , they will do what it takes to be a part of the team. If you have a kid in little league that thinks he is the next Brett Farve on the HS level and that is all he will do, well then you lose alot. That kid

could very well have been the athlete you needed at a different position.

 

It starts early about being a team. There are many little league teams that go out and just want to win and will only play the chosen few to do that. Later only to find out that little Johnny sitting on the bench for the last 4 years grows into the stud they wished they had at the varsity level. Only problem is, the coach in little league didn't let him play so Little Johnny stud lost interest. Happens alot.

Hate to say it, but I see a lot of the obvious. What about distractions. For those of you that had your first taste of a woman in 10-12 grade, then you know sex drugs and alcohol can play a huge effect on a teams success It sometimes blinds young men. Sometimes, sex can ruin a young man. Look no further than He Got Game. Sure a basketball movie, but the life lessons Roger Gunivere Smith lays on Ray Allen on the way to school are priceless. The mods won't let me post his comments, and paraphrasing them do them no justice.

I understand the premise of what you are saying. I think the best example is Highlands their 7/8 teams do not run their high schools system. They are more interested in getting kids out to play and teaching them fundamentals.

 

That's primarily true although the Ft. Thomas Jr. Football League did make a change several years back requiring the teams to run a 3 man front defense similar to what the varsity does and did implement a rule on offense requiring a certain number of passes to be thrown each game to encourage development of QBs and WRs (although my recollection was that the rule was not strictly enforced, so it became more of an encouragement, not requirement). I think but do not know if that "rule" is still in place. Other than that, the teams run whatever O their coaches want to run. But you are right in that the emphasis in the league has been first to make it fun and keep the kids playing football (football is not fun for young kids if they show up for practice and never get in a game); then on instruction; and last on winning. Dale's stated philosophy is that he and his coaches can teach kids when they become frosh the Highlands' system and the techniques but if they quit the game of football in the youth league because they didn't have fun and didn't get to play much, they are likely to quit football forever and thus he'll never get the chance to teach them how to play. I agree with Dale. With all the other alternatives and opportunities for young kids out there (some good, some bad) the number one priority of the youth leagues if they want to help the varsity program is to just make sure the kids keep playing the game. I believe that is a large reason why Highlands' varsity squads have got larger and larger under Dale's leadership, thus enabling Dale to go with the two platoon system. The scrawny, uncoordinated, not very good 6th grader, given time and coaching, often turns into the 175 pound maniac football player that Noel Rash referred to, in describing Highlands football team, several years ago.

Weight room. Maturing late vs early. Winning on talent early and lacking fundamentals later.??????????

 

 

I agree with this one the most. Sounds like a school I know and these listed reasons are the culprit.

I find it funny that an entire program can think they should be great because of their success from 7-9th grade. If those who tasted success from 7-9th grade never develop accountability, don't lose the false sense of entitlement bestowed upon them for winning in 7-9th grade, develop a great work ethic, listen to their coaches and not their parents and generally have a bad attitude towards hard work then they shouldn't be surprised that the only success they had came when they were in 7-9th grade.

I respectfully disagree. I would hope that a player knows HOW to play football earlier than middle school. As a coach I would want my middle school team to become somewhat familiar with what the high school level does simply because it lessens the learning curve once they enter high school.

 

I would respectfully disagree with your disagreement. To say that a player should know HOW to play football earlier than middle school means that by the 5th or 6th grade they should be a proficient football player. 5th or 6th grade, really? That's 10 & 11 years old.

 

There's nothing wrong with middle school teams becoming familiar with what the high school does, but the #1 priority of coaches of middle school aged kids of any sport is the teaching of the fundamentals of how to play that game. Great if you can win, but teach the game & have fun.

I find it funny that an entire program can think they should be great because of their success from 7-9th grade. If those who tasted success from 7-9th grade never develop accountability, don't lose the false sense of entitlement bestowed upon them for winning in 7-9th grade, develop a great work ethic, listen to their coaches and not their parents and generally have a bad attitude towards hard work then they shouldn't be surprised that the only success they had came when they were in 7-9th grade.

Doesn't that fall back on coaching. It's more than X's and O"s. I see players working their rear ends off year round in losing programs. They are there everyday. Doing everything their coaches are asking of them and more. They leave it all on the field every Friday, and they still are not winning. I have trouble believing, if there is a problem with lack of accountability and work ethic, it's not completely a player problem. It is more of a problem with the coaches lack of ability to get accountability out of the players and to instill a greater work ethic in them. I not saying these are not problems with a few players. They weed themselves out. A new coach may have to lose a few games to get a program turned around. Winning is the best cure for silencing critics. Leadership, work ethic, and accountability start at the top, not the bottom.

I understand the fundamentals view, I just assumed that most decent athletes know how to throw,catch,block, and tackle at a much earlier age than middle school. Of course these fundamentals aren't perfected at this age, and may never be entirely perfected.

7th and 8th grade is a time to develop kids, not a time to win championships. That is if your goal is to have a successful high school program. I love how the Fort Thomas league develops 4 players at each position and even lets the second string play at least a quarter. It builds confidence, team work, and lets that skinny kid develop or not get burnt out from riding the pine. I think you can see their formula works pretty good.

Hate to say it, but I see a lot of the obvious. What about distractions. For those of you that had your first taste of a woman in 10-12 grade, then you know sex drugs and alcohol can play a huge effect on a teams success It sometimes blinds young men. Sometimes, sex can ruin a young man. Look no further than He Got Game. Sure a basketball movie, but the life lessons Roger Gunivere Smith lays on Ray Allen on the way to school are priceless. The mods won't let me post his comments, and paraphrasing them do them no justice.

 

Exactly. I can think of a few schools here in NKY where partying took precedence over preparation when I was in school.

It's about the whole program. It's about

1. Having the players

A. Getting players

i. Make your program community centered .

ii. Stressing participation over championships at the youth level.

iii. Make your Jr. High athletes feel like they are part of the high school sports program, make them excited about where

they will be playing

B. Developing Players

i. Stress fundamentals at the youth level.

ii. Give all players time in game situations

iii. Stress fundamentals at the JR. Level

iv. Begin implementing the base concepts of what they will run at the next level.

 

2. Having the Coaches

A. Youth Level

i. Youth level coaches must check their egos at the door.

ii. Fundamentals take a long time to teach and all kids learn at different speeds.

iii. Victories may be sacrificed in order to make sure that your linebackers learn to read their keys, get to the ball, and tackle

properly.

B. Jr. High

i. Coaches need to be humble enough to work with the varsity coaches to implement what they believe will benefit the

program.

ii. Coaches must continue to stress fundamentals.

-This is the age where some boys hit puberty early, and literally are like men amongst boys. Those are the athletes that

are most in danger of sacrificing form over sheer athleticism.

C. High School

i. Do what you are paid to do. Implement the game plan that is most effective for the athletes you have.

ii. Hold all athletes accountable equally. Differential treatment to a select few will splinter the locker room.

iii. Stress conditioning. Conditioning not only makes better players. It gets the players more invested in their team's

upcoming success.

3. Community

A. Parents

i. Support your coach and take the proper avenues to ask questions the may arise.

ii. Realize that if your kid is not the star, it may be because he is not as athletic as you think he is, not b/c there is a huge

conspiracy to keep him out of his "natural" position.

iii. Realize that you had your "time." Maybe you made it as far as you had hoped, maybe not. However, this is not your time

now. Support your kids and their school positively.

 

That is the very basic outline of things that lead to success. Of course, there is a lot of other things to add.

Edited September 30, 201114 yr by mexitucky

There are so many reason why things change in sports programs from middle school to high school it is crazy to try and even compare. 1. Some kids move from one program to another before high school. 2. Some kids plain and simple quit, I coached for nearly 20 years and the best two middle school players I ever saw dropped out of high school by their junior years. 3. Coaching has a small part in it, such as player developement, but once again the player has to put out the effort to develope himself. 4. Some varsity programs have coaches who just plain cannot be head coaches, they interview well, get the job, but cannot relate to the players and they do not have success. One could go on and on. But in my opinion, the biggest factor is a players desire to keep playing and to get better. It is the biggest factor hands down and there is not even a close 2nd!

There are so many reason why things change in sports programs from middle school to high school it is crazy to try and even compare. 1. Some kids move from one program to another before high school. 2. Some kids plain and simple quit, I coached for nearly 20 years and the best two middle school players I ever saw dropped out of high school by their junior years. 3. Coaching has a small part in it, such as player developement, but once again the player has to put out the effort to develope himself. 4. Some varsity programs have coaches who just plain cannot be head coaches, they interview well, get the job, but cannot relate to the players and they do not have success. One could go on and on. But in my opinion, the biggest factor is a players desire to keep playing and to get better. It is the biggest factor hands down and there is not even a close 2nd!

 

Yep, if a player is not invested enough to improve and maximize what God gave him, then there's not much a coach can do. If you have mulitple players like that, then you are in trouble.

I understand the premise of what you are saying. I think the best example is Highlands their 7/8 teams do not run their high schools system. They are more interested in getting kids out to play and teaching them fundamentals.

 

From the Ft Thomas Jr Football League rulebook:

 

The FTJFL Executive Board has decided that, during the 2011 season, 7/8 games will be governed entirely by KHSAA rules with the exception of practices, playing time, 20 point rule, weight limits and PAT (see below). This was done with the understanding that Head Coaches would run the Highlands offense and a 3 down lineman defensive scheme. The Executive Board will determine if a Head Coach is not adhering to these guidelines and, if necessary, take corrective action.

 

As far as the original question of this thread, I agree with the notion that keeping kids interested is key. I've seen a lot of 7/8 studs lose interest.

Lots of good points...IMO politics plays a bigger role then you think