Challenge: The Power I off tackle

Coach, what is your base defense? I suggest you go to www.infosports.com/football and ask Clarke Wilkins(aka "dumcoach") for his youth "DC46" or you can email me and ill send you my "46 gambler" power point...both of these defenses eat the power I, wishbone, I wing, pro I etc for lunch. you have to teach your kids to take on blocks properly, they cant "catch blockers" and if your de is getting logged thats problem number one unless you are purposely trying to "spill and kill"....Pick a sound youth defense and hang your hat on it. I can teach you my 46 thru email, powerpoints, two great videos, phone conversation or clinic or whatever. Im here to help if you want to learn more.

calande@dboone.k12.pa.us

Coach,

You will have to forgive me, I didn't catch this was on the youth forum. What I mentioned is certainly not for a young youth team at all. Your assumptions or facts as you mention them in reference to your guys not being able to perform certain tasks are now understood by myself. On the youth level, especially the young guys like you handle, my TOTAL BELIEF is based on keeping things as simple as possible, KISS FOR CERTAIN RESULTS AT THE YOUTH LEVEL FOR SURE. I would never dream of an 11 year old having a dual assignment on any play of any kind. DON'T TRY TO BE REAL SOPHISTICATED, just teach the basics of whatever defense you choose to go with, make certain they know what a technique number is and how to align in it, what the gaps are called, and what there job on that specific play or defense calls for them to perform. Then, just let them compete with your TOTAL POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT of their successess and their failures. Like the country song says: let them laugh, let them cry, let them sleep in the middle. but, please oh please, let them be little.

Coach Easton

Coach Calande,

I come back the message board today to respond to your original message. I'm delighted to see your second response. I simply ran out of time yesterday to type two responses the length that I thought you deserved for what you have offered.

Let me tell you a little about the position the team is presently in. I took over this youth team last year. I had no assistants to bring with me. I had been an assistant on this team and the others simply decided they could not or would not do it any longer at the BEGINNING of the 2004 season. There was no system in place. There were few returning players as the coaches spoke in a derogatory manner too often and were simply uninspiring. It was a mess as I approached two years ago with my son who had been placed on the team. I had ideas of what I would like to do. I called the other coaches who were suppose to enter the 2004 season with me to get together and plan what we would do on both sides of the ball. Much to my astonishment, in the first week of the year I found that I was the only coach on the field. I picked up a couple of parents to help me with the season.

You can probably imagine the competitive disadvantage we had knowing that I was the only person who knew what we would eventually be doing offensively and defensively. I found some good fortune with one of the assistants. He had experience playing in the 53 at a division 3 college. The 53 was what I had been preparing the young men for when he came along. Midway through the season I simply turned the defense over to him after gaining confidence that he could manage that side of the ball.

We struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball. I wanted to run the wing-t. I like the competitive advantage that it gives my relatively small offensive line. The problem we had was that I was the only coach that knew the alignment, first steps, ect. of all positions on the offensive side of the ball. I left every practice drained of energy both physically and mentally. Heck, at the beginning of the year I sent an assistant off with 18 players to find "a start" on our offensive line. I told him to bring me the best five linemen he could find in the bunch with emphasis on the athletic ability to pull out of their stance. At the completion of an hour and a half he brought five boys that I knew I would have trouble finding a place on the field for!

Why am I telling you all of this? This year I am able to bring the one coach who was actually an assistance last year. We are on the same page on the defensive side of the ball. I have to bring him and a couple of others up to task on the offensive side of the ball. I have also recruited the assistance of a parent of one of our returning players. We will begin meeting soon so I can prepare them. That will leave one position open to either another parent or someone I find with similar interests in this game.

Knowing all this I think you can begin to draw a picture of why I am unable to dramatically change the defense. Until I can get a group of coaches together that will return with me year after year I don't foresee that change. As you have stated we are pretty much similar in our attack. Let's be honest, with ends playing the way they do we attack on the defensive side of the ball. Do not misunderstand me though. I know the devastation the 46 can bring against a running game. I have mused at the information throughout the internet (including that of dum coach) on the 46. But it's not a widely understood defense and at this point I cannot afford that luxury in my coaching staff. I have found that most that take an interest in the game or have played understand the concepts behind the 53. It doesn't take too much effort for me to then tell them, "alright now we're dropping the NT back to a linebacker position and his responsibilies remain the same."

I do appreciate your description of how you handle the off tackle play. That is really why I posed the question. I want to know what others are doing. It may not make me a better coach this year but eventually it may.

I'll be sending you an email soon for that powerpoint by the way.