Youth Football playing time

Do not promise to do so if you are going to abandon that practice in close games or because you are not winning. Unless you have unusual talent you will not win doing this against teams that play their best players. If you are prepared to go the entire season without winning a game that is fine. However, if you set forth a policy and then reverse yourself, you will have a bad situation on your hands.

I think you answered your own question the best way possible coach. I think you are on the right track in trying to play all of your kids as much as possible. That being said, you will almost assuredly have a few that you will need on the field at all times to insure your team's competitiveness.

22-25 players is certainly a manageable number and I would guess that you could probably "start" 18 or 19 of them with 3 or 4 kids playing both ways. I often alternate up to 4 of my less gifted athletes at receiver, which allows them to be involved every 3 or 4 plays. Obviously, your play calling must take into account who is in the game but with a little practice, it can certainly work.

You definitely have the "right" idea, especially with 9-10 year olds, in my opinion, so please don't give up on your idea. As Coach Scott said, it would probably be wise to not promise anything up front and see how your team performs during its first scrimmage or game so you can determine any adjustments that need to be made.

I certainly wish you the best and hope that your team is successful both in wins and in smiles...

Dave Hartman
CYFL Coach

Coach, no apologies necessary, that's what this board has always been about.

On playing time, I have 2 criteria:

- Can the kid can assert himself on the field?
- Does the kid know his assignments?

I tell the parents it's a safety issue, for him and his teammates. In this game you're the hammer or the nail, If he can't assert himself he's gonna be a nail and get hammered. There are always a few kids that are playing because Momma or Daddy wants them to, they think it's a step up from Madden, whatever, but just aren't ready for the hitting. The second criteria relatest to the safety of others - if he doesn't know his assignment, he can get hurt or worse yet get someone else hurt. Once he proves to me he can handle the rigors of the game and understands what to do, I'm going to get him on the field as much as possible. Until then he'll be a 2 play guy playing in situations much like what Coach Scott describes while we strive to develop his ability to handle the hitting and know his assignments in practice. He will still derive great value in that effort that can have a life-long effect on him as he grows into a young man.