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