Coach JJ's Blog: 2013

Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Most Common Preventable Football Injuries

The two most commonly discussed injuries in football are concussions and neck injuries that can lead to paralysis. Your equipment is designed to help reduce the risk of these injuries, but not all of it. The 5 topics outlined in my previous post "The 5 Most Common Causes of Football Injuries", when combined with good equipment and proper fundamentals, should dramatically reduce a players risk of neck injuries and concussions.

NECK INJURIES

The position of your head at the time of impact is directly responsible for any injury a player may sustain. A player should never use the crown of their helmet when making contact with another player. One of my favorite sayings is, "You can't hit what you can't see!" When the head is down bad things happen.

When a player's head is down and they make a hit in this position, the entire force of the impact travels down the spine, compressing the vertebrae. This is the absolute most dangerous way of hitting someone in the sport of football.

When the head is up, the jaw clinches and the player bites down on the mouth piece naturally in preparation to take the hit. Since the neck is designed to move back and forth, the muscles are designed to absorb that type of impact.

PROPER TACKLING

Just like any other team sport, football games are won and lost on the fundamental basics of the game. A team that can block, tackle and execute will be a winning team.Want your child to be a beast of a tackler? It's simple to learn and really fun once they get it down.

Register your child for GRID IRON Tackle Academy and get them trained in the proper fundamental techniques in order to be a great tackler and be safe doing it.

Three simple phrases the kids will be taught and find easy to remember in order to apply are:

1. "Bite The Football" - this phrase ensures that players learn to keep the head up
2. "See What You Hit" - teaches players to see with their eyes wide open and tackle with their eyes on the ball carrier.
3. "Wrap The Arms" - Teaches a player to wrap up ball carrier's and grab the jersey to secure the hold and bring them to the ground.

There are more steps to be taught but we will save that for the GRID IRON Tackle Academy.

CONCUSSIONS

A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. When the brain bounces off the inside of the skull a concussion is likely to happen.

Newer helmets are designed to evenly distribute the impact and reduce the possibility of a concussion, but no helmet will prevent this completely. The best way to avoid a concussion, is to learn proper tackling and hitting techniques. Keeping the head up, tackling with the shoulders, using the legs to divert momentum, and blocking with the arms extended are the best ways to avoid impact to the helmet. The goal, ultimately, is to distribute as much of the force of impact to the other parts of the player's body, and keep it away from the head.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training is registering for it's GRID IRON Tackle Academy. Cost is $65 per player. This is the final week to register. Get your child registered and on their way to a safe, fun, hard hitting season with a reduction in missed tackles. Call or email Coach JJ for registration details at the contact information below.

Coach JJ has coached youth sports for over 10 years. He is the Owner and Player/Skill Development Specialist for GRID IRON Youth Sports Training and trains players ages 6-15 in football, basketball and baseball. Coach JJ, is also passionate about youth fitness and runs GRID IRON "KIDFit Camp" as a result of that passion. He has coached youth football and basketball at the Conroe and Woodlands YMCA's. Coach JJ is the Coach Coordinator and a Board Member for Conroe Little League Baseball and has coached their for several years as well. Coach JJ is a certified member of USA Football, the national governing body for youth football in America. He is also a certified member of USA Basketball, the national governing body for youth basketball in America. Coach JJ is trained and certified through the Positive Coaching Alliance and is currently pursuing his certification as a Youth Fitness Specialist and Speed and Agility Trainer both through the International Youth Conditioning Association. He is a contracted instructor in football and basketball for the City of Conroe Parks and Recreation Department. Coach JJ is also in the process completing his training with the American Sports Education Program.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training

www.gridironyouthsportstraining.net

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GridIronYouthSportsTraining

Twitter: @grid_ironsports

Email: coachjj.gridironyouthsports@gmail.com

832-563-0521

The 5 Most Common Causes of Football Injuries

A simple, preventable, injury that sidelines a player can cripple his morale and effect the whole team. In football, injuries are common, and sadly, a majority of them are preventable. Most of the discussion about neck injuries and concussions these days, seems to be all about equipment. Equipment does play an important role in preventing injuries, but it is in no way an end all.

In the NFL the players have to have the best possible equipment, which is carefully selected by equipment managers. With this in mind, it's interesting that all of the talk surrounding football injuries is still about the equipment and no one talks about pre-season training, conditioning, flexibility, nutrition, and rest.

When the NFL players' lockout was over and the 2011 season finally started, it was one of the most injury-riddled seasons in history. If you followed football that season you'll remember the abnormally large number of back-up players starting because of injuries.

As a coach it is pretty easy to predict why these injuries occur as the season progresses. It all boils down to physical preparation for the season and it can be broken down into the following 5 areas:

#1 - PRE-SEASON TRAINING

As a coach, I can always tell if players haven't done any preparation before camp. To properly prepare for any physical sport, particularly a contact sport like football, the athlete should begin to prepare at least 2 months before training camp or practices start.

Workouts don't need to be intense but there should be a definite mental attitude that football season has started. It's time to start developing habits and enforcing discipline in your daily activities. During this time it is a good idea to start workouts and drills designed for your position. This includes footwork, catching, throwing, form blocking, tackling, etc. Most football drills can be done without any pads or special equipment.

Drills when practiced thoroughly, will help to make most of their movements on the field second nature. When your body naturally lines up just right to make a block, put on a hit, or take a hit, the chances of sustaining an injury is reduced dramatically.

#2 - CONDITIONING

Conditioning is probably one of the most important things and athlete can do to have an injury-free season. Most injuries are a result of sloppy play and it's no accident, that most injuries occur during the second half of the game, particularly in youth football.

Why? Well when your body starts looking for ways it can save energy, it typically takes away from your muscular system and redirects it to your vital organs. Have you ever seen anyone who just woke up and someone who's exhausted? The exhausted person's posture will be different. They won't be standing up straight, their shoulders will sag, and their head will typically be leaning forward.

Take an exhausted player and picture him playing football. Bad posture turns into bad form and bad form, plus impact, turns into injuries. These injuries also tend to be the most severe since the body naturally wants to lower the head when it's exhausted. Dropping your head into a hit, is by far, the easiest way for a player to hurt their neck playing football.

At the youth level (ages 8-14) parents should be proactive in preparing their child before the season begins. Whatever your tactics might be, it is important to have your young athlete running, jumping, and doing sit-ups and pushups as well as other basic strength exercises.

#3 - FLEXIBILITY

Making sure your body is warm and flexible is one of the best ways to avoid muscle strains, ankle and knee sprains, and even broken bones. Stretching and speed training go a long way towards building your flexibility, agility, and balance.

In order to understand how flexibility can influence injuries you have to think of your body as bones and muscles attached to one another with rubber bands. Tighten up any of those rubber bands and some muscle group is going to get strained due to fighting against your own body mechanics. Show me someone with lower back problems and, almost always, I'll show someone who has tight hamstrings. This is how you end up with muscle and tendon injuries. When you have a muscle or a ligament that's too tight, when you strain it, it's going to yank somewhere else.

Great flexibility and agility are also important on the field. A player with the ability to make quick moves to the right or left is hard to get a good clean hit on. If they can't put a good hit on you because of your ability to move, then your body is not absorbing as much force, which reduces the chance of injury. If you are a ball carrier, good balance will also help you recover from hits or break tackles, which will get additional yards.

#4 - DIET

A player's diet is very closely related to their conditioning because it has to do with their energy levels. Nutrition is probably one of the most overlooked parts of pre-season training by players at all levels.

Football is a demanding sport on your body and the food a player eats has a significant role on their performance. You have to remember, our body's primary objective is too keep us alive. When the body is strained and out of energy it's going to use whatever resources it has to keep your vital organs going and that usually means taking whatever energy it can away from the muscular system. Without the proper energy levels an athlete will move slower, react slower, have less strength, and not think as clearly as they should.

Hydration is also critical. Most people don't drink enough water each day. This is not good for athlete's because they will lose a significant amount of water during practice or a game. This can cause them to become dehydrated and become susceptible to heat stroke.

Here are six foods that all football players should avoid:

1. Sugary Foods - such as cakes, pastries, pudding, ice creams, sweets and biscuits.
2. Caffeine - Caffeine and energy drinks cause dehydration.
3. Fried Food - Since fried food is loaded with oil it takes a long time to digest the fats contained within it.
4. Fatty Food - These contain fats and should be avoided: red meat, bacon, ribs, and sausage.
5. Fizzy Drinks - These are sugary and can lead to stomach problems.
6. Processed Foods - These are high in sodium and fat.

Foods/Drinks to partake of:

1. Water
2. Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains
3. Protein
4. Healthy Fats

#5 - REST

An athlete can exercise and eat right but if he isn't getting enough rest when training, it will all be for nothing. The body needs rest in order to recover from intense exercise. Football is a physically demanding sport. After each game and each practice your body needs time to recover and begin repairing muscles.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training

www.gridironyouthsportstraining.net

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GridIronYouthSportsTraining

Twitter: @grid_ironsports

Email: coachjj.gridironyouthsports@gmail.com

832-563-0521

Friday, July 5, 2013

Your Responsibilities as a Coach

As a youth coach with over 10 years experience in multiple sports, particularly football, basketball and baseball. I have run across my share of good and bad coaches and leagues. I think that the problem is more in-depth than most would imagine. I mean there are some leagues that desire to but struggle to find qualified, skilled, knowledgeable volunteers to help with their youth sports programs because it is "volunteer" work. On the other hand, there are some organizations that have a history of intentionally putting coaches on the field with young people that have no credibility in their character, have a severely limited knowledge of the game and lack the understanding of how to effectively and properly coach a child, with no real desire to actually learn and improve. This obviously hurts the youth sports culture, youth sports leagues, discourages parents, and ultimately hurts the kids that these individuals serve.

Coaching at any level involves much more than designing scoring plays, drawing up defenses, and filling out a coach's application. Coaching involves accepting the tremendous responsibility you face when parents put their children in your league and under your care as a coach. As a football coach, you have the responsibility to do the following:

1. Provide a safe environment.
Playing football holds some risks, but as a coach you are responsible for minimizing those risks in several ways such as: inspecting the practice field, players' equipment, and being aware of the surroundings and potential threats including assistants and parents.

A coach should make it a priority to explain to the players and parents before the start of the season that football is a contact sport. Therefore, during the course of the season, players will:

* get bruises
* be tired and need extra rest, and
* will need to increase their fluid intake to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration.

Teach players and parents the importance of equipment maintenance and the safest techniques. Prepare a safety plan prior to the season that you will follow.

2. Communicate in a positive way.
A coach not only communicates with players and parents but also with the coaching staff, officials, and league administrators. Do this in a way that is positive and that demonstrates that you have the best interest of the players at heart,

3. Teach the fundamental skills of football.
When teaching the fundamental skills of football, keep in mind that football is a game, and as such, you want to be sure that the players have fun. Prepare fun and productive practices. To help your athletes improve, you as a coach need to have a sound understanding of offensive, defensive, and special teams. Teach players the ins and outs of the game.

4. Teach the rules of football.
Teach the rules of football and put them into individual instruction. Many rules can be taught during the first practice. Plan to review the rules routinely but also stop and teach anytime an opportunity naturally arises in practice. Never assume that your players already know the rules.

5. Direct players in competition.
A coach should practice making good tactical decisions during games and practices. Remember the focus is not on winning at all costs but on coaching your players to compete well, to do their best, improve their football skills, and strive to win within the rules.

6. Help young people develop character.
This is our motto at GRID IRON Youth Sports Training: "Building Character and Champions". Character development includes learning, caring, being honest, respectful, and taking responsibility. These qualities are just as important as knowing how to block and tackle well. These character traits will last far beyond a child's playing days. Teach the players these values by demonstrating them yourself and encouraging behavior that expresses these values at all times.

These are your responsibilities as a coach. Remember every player is an individual and as coaches we must provide them with an environment in which they can learn how to play the game without fear, while having fun and enjoying the overall football experience. One of my goals as a coach is to NEVER have a child leave my team, and not want to continue on in the sport.

When you leave the field and your players see you in the grocery store remember, you as a coach have a great influence on them and they still see you as "Coach". Use this influence to make a positive impact on that child.

Coach JJ has coached youth sports for over 10 years. He is the Owner and Player/Skill Development Specialist for GRID IRON Youth Sports Training and trains players ages 6-15 in football, basketball and baseball. Coach JJ, is also passionate about youth fitness and runs GRID IRON "KIDFit Camp" as a result of that passion.He has coached youth football and basketball at the Conroe and Woodlands YMCA's. He is the Coach Coordinator and a Board Member for Conroe Little League Baseball and has coached their for several years as well. Coach JJ is a certified member of USA Football, the national governing body for youth football in America. He is also a certified member of USA Basketball, the national governing body for youth basketball in America. Coach JJ is trained and certified through the Positive Coaching Alliance and is currently pursuing his certification as a Youth Fitness Specialist and Speed and Agility Trainer both through the International Youth Conditioning Association. He is a contracted instructor in football and basketball for the City of Conroe Parks and Recreation Department. Coach JJ is also in the process completing his training with the American Sports Education Program.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training

www.gridironyouthsportstraining.net

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GridIronYouthSportsTraining

Twitter: @grid_ironsports

Email: coachjj.gridironyouthsports@gmail.com

832-563-0521

Saturday, June 29, 2013

7 Tips Guaranteed to Get Your Child More Playing Time

This summer has been very busy for GRID IRON Youth Sports Training, which has kept me very busy, thus the reason I haven't been able to spend much time on my blog. Thanks for your patience.

Today I want to cover 7 tips that are guaranteed to get your child more paying time in their prospective or preferred sport. As a coach, this is something I am constantly thinking of concerning the kids that I train that are preparing to enter Jr. High and High School sports, but this also applies to those kids playing youth sports as well.

1. Ask the Coach what you can do to help the team.

This is probably one of the most important things you can do, because it shows that the player is committed to doing whatever it takes to help the team succeed. If a player puts the team in front of their personal goals, they will be a player that all coaches and teammates love to have. At the end of the season, the player should remember to ask the coach what they need to work on during the off-season to contribute to the team the following year.

2. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Play to your strengths.

Not everybody can be the scorer, so a player needs to do what they are good at. If they try to do things that they are not good at, they will hurt the team and find themselves on the bench. If the player is great at rebounding and playing defense, they need to do that while they are on the court. They need to do what they can do, not what they can't do. Players should always strengthen their strengths and work on their weaknesses in practice.

Players have made millions of dollars playing according to this philosophy. Can you say Ben Wallace, Kyle Korver, or Kendrick Perkins?

3. Always hustle and work hard.

Besides helping the player improve, a coach will notice this and pick them above somebody else who may not work as hard. The player shouldn't be afraid to get on the ground and do the hard work.

4. Play tough defense.

If a player can shut down opposing players, it doesn't matter if the can shoot or dribble. A coach will often find a way to get them on the court.

5. Sprint to the front of the huddle.

Anytime the huddle is called, the player should always sprint in and out of the huddle. Make eye contact with the coach while he is talking. The coach will notice this and know that you are focsed and care.

6. Be a great teammate.

If a players' teammates like them, the teammates will be more likely to play better with them. A coach may notice the chemistry and get them in the game.

7. Study and pay attention to the details.

Good game-time decision making is very important and only comes with knowing and understanding what to do based on the practice and game plans. A coach needs to trust that when he puts the player in the game the player is mentally prepared and knows what to do when they are in the game.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training is currently registering for the following call Coach JJ or email me at the address below.

GRID IRON Youth Basketball Academy (July 16-August 22)
GRID IRON Quarterback/Receiver Camp (July 8 - July 19)
GRID IRON Tackle Academy (July 22 - August 2)
GRID IRON Speed, Agility, and Quickness Camp (August 5 - August 22)

***All Camps are co-ed and the cost for all camps is $65 per player.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training

www.gridironyouthsportstraining.net

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GridIronYouthSportsTraining

Twitter: @grid_ironsports

Email: coachjj.gridironyouthsports@gmail.com

832-563-0521

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

How Do I Know What Football Position My Child is Best Suited For?

With the summer about underway, many parents and youth players having begun thinking about the upcoming football season. Some are considering how to get their child involved in a summer program that might help prepare them for a more successful season. Whether your child is a returning player or entering the sport for their first season, the question on many parents/players minds is what position should my child be focusing on playing?

It never fails in my years of coaching youth football, that a player enters the season desiring to play a position that they have their heart set on, only to be frustrated when they don't get much, if any, playing time at all in that particular position. Many parents may desire to see their child play a certain position, but he may have never played nor have the skills to play the position.

As a Player Skill Development Specialist and a Youth Football Head Coach, I understand that determining which position or positions a player is best suited for is sort of like putting together a fancy model car--without the directions. We have all these pieces in front of us and an endless combination to consider.

My challenge as the football coach is to find positions for each child. This can be a very daunting task. I mean we have to consider several factors:

1.) What position he is capable of playing?
2.) What position would provide the most benefit for the team and him?
3.)What position does he or would he enjoy playing?

This is not easy to do at times. I am glad that I have valuable expertise in the area and that helps ease the decision making process.

At the beginning levels of football, the youth level, the main mission should be to introduce and teach kids the game of football. At this level, what position a player plays, takes a backseat to simply getting the kids on the field so they can get accustomed to the contact involved with blocking and tackling and starting to understanding the rules and how to properly play the game.

As players gain experience and advances to more competitive levels of play, it becomes more important to match each player's talents with the right position for the team and for him. As a parent, you should want to expose your child to a variety of positions. Confining, them to one position for the entire season paints a blurry picture of what football is all about and the various positions.

Kids at this age need to be able to learn and play multiple positions on the football field. As a Player Skill Development Coach, I train kids in youth football in every position. I try to get kids to understand that they are "football players" first and "position players" second. Kids need to understand this for many reasons:

1.) What if they aren't the best in that position on the team, but they refuse to or feel they can't play in any other position? How will he feel all season long?
2.) What if a player at a certain position gets hurt, who will take his place?
3.) If he can play multiple positions then he is more valuable as a player to the team and will get more playing time.

I am going to give some things to look for when players, parents, and coaches start considering where a child should play.

Parents and Coaches should keep in mind not to typecast players based entirely on their physical appearance. That means youngsters who are big for their age shouldn't automatically be tabbed for offensive or defensive lines. Maybe they have great hand-eye coordination and would make a good wide receiver, or maybe they have a good understanding of how to play the game and would be ideal for playing safety or linebacker and making sure everyone is properly lined up on defense.

Players and parents must realize that what position they play is based upon the skills and abilities they demonstrated in practice. As the season progresses, the coach may recognize that a player that has been playing on defense may be better suited to play on the offense. Players, coaches, and parents should expect each player in youth football to learn, know and play several different positions, possibly all of them.

I myself, started out as a 7th grader playing, offensive guard and tackle. My freshmen year in high school I started the season playing center and nose tackle. Halfway through my freshmen year the starting middle linebacker got hurt and I moved into that position as a starter, due to his injury and I played as a starter in that position the rest of my high school career; along with being the backup center and tightend. It was my ability to play several positions that allowed me to have a great football career.

With that said here is a chart that will give players and parents a general idea what a player probably should expect to play based on being matched up with their skills.

MATCHING PLAYERS' SKILLS WITH POSITIONS

Position Helpful Skills

Quarterback Decent arm strength, athletic, leadership qualities

Runningback Speed and durability; able to take alot of hits

Fullback Good size to handle blocking responsibilites; good coordination t to take hand-offs for occasional runs.

Wide Receiver                Speed and Agility, good hand-eye coordination

Tight End                       Decent size for blocking, able to catch passes

Offensive Line               Good size and strength, ability to move feet well

Defensive Line              Good size and strength and quickness

Linebacker                     Strength and quickness, excellent tackler

Defensive Back              Speed, agility, and good tackling skills

Some kids undoubtedly, won't be happy with their assigned positions. There can be only one QB playing at a time and only a few Runningbacks and Receivers, and everyone wants to run or carry the ball. Kids must learn the first lessons of football, which are teamwork and making sacrifices. Teams can't operate as a cohesive unit without sacrifice. That means that not every player can be the quarterback or runningback, but EVERY position is important. Those players scoring touchdowns can't do it without blocking from the offensive line and other players. The offensive line can't win without Runningbacks and Receivers and the offensive unit as a whole scoring touchdowns. The team can't win without the defense stopping the other team from scoring.

I hope this helps those players, parents, and coaches gearing up for a great football season. Get your child the training during the summer to help prepare them for their upcoming season. If you are looking for great Youth Football Camps check out GRID IRON Youth Sports Training's Position Camps and Tackle Academy. The kids will be taught the fundamental and advanced skills needed to play the game at an affordable price. Also be sure to check out our various other sports programs on our website listed below and on Facebook.

www.gridironyouthsportstraining.net

For more info contact Coach JJ at 832-563-0521 or by email: coachjj.gridironyouthsports@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

What are the "Traits of a Good Athlete?"

As a Player Skill Development Coach I am often asked "what do I believe is in the make up of a 'good athlete'?" The answers could vary depending on who you talk to but, I think there are 4 things that are in the general makeup of a 'good athlete'.

#1 Desire - Desire is the determination to overcome an opponent. Desire is a state of mind, an abandonment of self and a form of courage. It is playing for oneself and for the team's interest. It consists of exercising your determined will that flows from your competitive spirit. This determined will and competitive spirit drives one to achieve their goal. Desire is available to all kids, not just to a gifted few. Desire is 100% effort, 100% of the time.

#2 Confidence - Confidence is the belief that a player can do what he/she has been asked to do. I am a firm believer that confidence comes from success. If an athlete starts to have some success in the sport whether in practice or in the game then they will start to develop confidence. A coach can help build that confidence when he acknowledges steps or progress that the athlete has not been able to do and has started to do well and or has mastered.

There is an old saying, "You don't ask someone for something that you think they don't have." A coach's job is to try to put players in a position where they can succeed and help the team achieve its goals as well as help the player to develop and improve their skills and game. An athlete that doesn't believe that he can accomplish the task or assignment that he has been given will very seldom play with confidence and as a result will not achieve much success.

A 'good athlete' must believe in himself or he loses the competitive edge. Sports are 60-70% mental. A player has to have confidence and a coach can help a player develop that confidence.

#3 Discipline - It goes without saying that "discipline produces self-discipline". There are times when a coach must be very firm and sometimes "bark" alot. This in most cases is not meant to humiliate or hurt a player. Often times it can and is taken by parents as a need to be alarmed or protective. Most kids will get yelled at and be upset. These reactions are both understandable and are warranted in some cases.

The reality is that most kids have to learn to be mentally prepared, mentally tough, and motivated and excited to play the sport. Sometimes I will bark at a player who is not paying attention. This is not done to hurt or upset a player. It is done to wake the athlete up and help them realize that they are part of a team and and team sports require team effort and focus. A player who is doing his own thing, talking, or not paying attention while the coaches are teaching is risking possible injury to himself or a teammate, and is setting himself up for failure.

The great Woody Hayes once said, "Discipline is something you do for someone, not to them."

#4 Love for the Game - This is an important part of any 'good athlete'. A good athlete enjoys the competition of working their way up the depth chart and is willing to put in the work. They have a willingness to play any position. They have the motivation to study the playbook and be responsible to their teammates. An athlete with a passion for the game enjoys the details that are required to go from being average to good or good to great.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training is focused on helping the youth sports culture produce "good athletes" as well as great people. We are "Building Character and Champions - We Develop the Player and the Person."

WEBSITE: www.gridironyouthsportstraining.net
EMAIL: coachjj.gridironyouthsports@gmail.com
COACH JJ's BLOG: http://gridiro.blogspot.com/

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Why Does My Athlete Need Personal Coaching/Training

In my career as a youth football/basketball coach I have had many parents ask me during the playing season, "How can I get my child to play better and show real improvement?" Well, I try to answer that question by first trying to educate the parent in a few areas concerning player skill development and long term athletic development. Here are a couple of things that a parent should keep in mind when considering their child's athletic skill development.

First, an athlete develops in stages and those stages vary over the course of the athletes life.

Take for example a 7 year old basketball player that really likes basketball but has a hard time keeping himself from committing a traveling violation. Though this may be frustrating for the parent, coach, or even the child. This should be expected as the child is learning to develop muscle control and coordination along with timing. The 4-7 year old range for a child is in what youth fitness specialists term the "guided discovery" development stage.

The child needs to be taught how to perform fundamental movement patterns such as running and coming to a quick stop prior, to being asked to do the same action while dribbling the basketball. He needs to be shown how to do these things in a way that is fun but also challenges the child to concentrate and at the same time helps them to learn the skill.

There is not enough practice time in a youth players basketball season to be able focus on all the details of the developmental stage. That can be frustrating for the child and the parent as they may expect the child to be able to perform these functions and not understand that he is just physically unable to do those things at this stage. The basketball season will introduce the 7 year old to the learning of the rules of the sport, team concepts, and how to play as a unit.

There is just not enough time during the season for players to really develop and master the certain levels of skill required to play the game at a skilled level. This is where a personal sports coach comes in to play. Many parents think that the season will dramatically increase the players ability but do not realize that the season will focus more on team oriented goals rather than personal one on one skill development.

A player's skill development should be focused and systematically guided to achieve age appropriate skill levels. This can be achieved with an adequate amount of quality training time, repetitions, and a proper skill development progression plan.

Secondly, there is a drastic difference between play and practice.

A child can go out to play on his own but that will not improve his skill level. Many often say that "practice makes perfect" but that is simply not true, it is not practice that makes perfect. It is "perfect practice that makes perfect", a child can practice it the wrong way without proper guidance and they will only perfect doing it the wrong way. What I mean by that is that a child must be shown proper training methods, and be taught skill progression in parts that eventually lead to the whole.

For instance, a player trying to improve their shooting must take hundreds of shots with the proper shooting mechanics to become a consistent shooter. The player should practice taking shots from different areas of the court and at different tempos to help the athlete develop the muscle memory and endurance to make shots even while tired. This is more of a game time experience. A player must be taught how to practice and will not do this without a coach guiding them.

This type of skill development is effective but it takes time and can only be achieved in the off season. There is just not enough time in the regular season to accomplish this.

Off season personal skill development training is necessary to help the athlete learn, progress, and build the confidence needed to become a very skilled athlete.

Last, I want to point out that there is a certain level of confidence needed for athletes to go out and perform at a high level. I often tell my players that hard work equals success and success breeds confidence. As a player starts to see his hard work paying off in making more shots consistently, then that child will be more aggressive in their shot taking. The player will also have a more focused mentality in his training as he sees it is paying off in the games.

Check out GRID IRON Youth Sports Training for more info on its training programs and packages.

GRID IRON Youth Sports Training, "We are Building Character and Champions".

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Why Your Kid Should Train For Football Now!

As a former football player and current youth football coach/player skill development coach, over the years I have come to realize how important it is for youth athletes to concentrate on football year round. Football is not a seasonal activity, but it is in fact a demanding sport that requires year round training.

Give your child an upper hand.

It is best that youth football players start preparing early on with their football mechanics, knowledge, and conditioning. It sometimes can be a very overwhelming task for football players to go into a season and have success when they have not prepared prior to the season. There are many different factors facing football players, especially the beginner or youth player.

#1 - Players need to work on the fundamental/advanced skills and mechanics needed to improve overall as well as in their specific positions. A child will not play well if they do not play the game fast mentally, and they cannot play the game mentally fast if they are unsure or lack the confidence that they know what they are doing in each situation. The season is started and the focus becomes for the coach the task of preparing the team as a whole to play their first game and to play as a unit. The individual skills and mechanics needed to play, particularly at the youth level, are not worked on during the season due to a lack of in-season practice time for individual players at individual positions.

#2 - It should be understood by players and parents that for a player to get better at any sport, particularly football, then that player must become a better athlete. Becoming a better athlete focuses on speed, strength, quickness, and agility. A football player should make sure his off-season training program focuses on spending time on improving in these areas, if they expect to become a better football player.

#3 - Doing the above two mentioned steps will lead a youth football player to develop confidence in his own skills and game, as well as in his understanding of knowledge and strategy, which in turn will breed success. This confidence cannot be understated because it is the confident player that will have success on the field as they believe in themselves, their teammates and their ability as an individual to perform and carry out the assignments a coach asks of them. This will lead to a stronger work ethic in and out of season.

How to Solve this Problem

There are several different options that are popular:

1. One day camps. These camps are becoming increasingly popular because of two factors: efficiency and cost. In just hours, your athlete will be trained in proper football form. I tend to discourage this training for younger players though, because often the kids don't remember or know how nor will they effectively prepare themselves through training on their own after the one day camp is over. They often will forget techniques taught in such a short amount of time.

2. Multi-session academies. Multi-session academies that last for several training sessions, 1 or 2 times a week are very effective because it not only trains the child in the proper fundamentals and mechanics but also the foundation can be set and built upon through repetition. Use Google to look for local spring and summer camps coached by established coaching names. GRID IRON Youth Sports Training offers several camps and academies for those players in the Montgomery County, Texas area, click here for more information and to register.

3. Individual Training Sessions. A final option is an individual training session with a skill position specific expert. Find a local coach that trains and inquire. If you are a parent of a child that is looking for camp instruction or individual training, visit GRID IRON Youth Sports Training at www.gridironyouthsportstraining.net.

Finally, football requires an all out dedication year round, so get active early.

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