So, given that most parents are supportive of age restrictions, should those youth football set up age restrictions for tackling? Nowadays, one cannot watch a contact sport like tackle football and not think about the risk of concussions, and if you are a parent of a child or preteen, let alone a high school student […]

It’s all about respect and character in my book and I’m glad my sons have learned the importance of these qualities in athletics, and in life. There’s no question that being a good athlete requires talent and natural-born ability, but I believe it takes more than that to be first-class complete athlete. Regardless of talent […]

Many gymnasts find it helpful to try a back tuck off of a mat to give them extra height to complete the flip A backflip is considered a basic skill in gymnastics because it is a building block to many other skills. It’s not a simple move to learn, but once you get it, you’ve achieved one […]

The nice thing about this tryout is that if he isn’t selected, he still gets to play on his current team without any fallout. If he is invited, then he’ll have a decision to make. In many youth sport leagues, there are no true tryouts. Sure, preseason “tryouts” evaluate every child, but each player makes […]

“Nothing beats failure but to try. If you keep on trying, you keep on preparing, eventually you’re going to crack that ceiling. It’s going to happen for you.” The Northern Illinois Spartans youth football program is set to debut in the fall. To help with the costs to fund the program, the team raised money […]

Be slow to speak; quick to listen. When you listen to your kid, and really listen, you have a better chance of understanding them. If you are a sports parent, you will lose your patience. It can’t be helped. In your opinion, kids don’t try hard enough sometimes and may not seem to care about […]

The key in coaching the H Back in the Spread Offense is creating a simple set of rules and limiting the amount of skills they need to learn. The H Back is one of the most difficult positions to coach because of its versatility and the amount of different skills they must learn. For an […]

“We said this is a good idea, and this is a way that, you know, football should be going because it does make it safer,” A Cheektowaga-based youth football association is changing its policies when it comes to full-contact practices. The goal is to protect players from head injuries. “It’s as safe as we can […]

The point is that there’s no reason for a parent to be hostile towards another parent in any kind of environment. During our time as youth football parents, my wife and I have built some great friendships through our sons playing tackle and flag. I’ve always felt that with football provides a more familial atmosphere […]

Blitz off of the edge. Pre-snap show man to man coverage, once the QB begins his cadence he comes down and blitzes on ball movement. The 4-3 Defense allows you to be multiple and it also allows you to implement several different kinds of blitzes. There are several different types of coverages that can be […]