Youth Coaching Tips

This is my second year coaching a 9 yr old 4on4 flag football team and I need help. I’m looking for some basic or semi-advanced plays on offense and some defensive formations. We are allowed 1 rusher on defense. I’d also like some drills to run in practice to back up the above plays. Thanks. – Coach

Coach,

Thanks for the email.   The 4man package we offer provides 30 core passing and running plays that include both beginner schemes and more advanced plays.  The Base 10 supplements the Core 30 package with an additional core play set.   The feedback we have received from other coaches has been very positive.  Just remember, as you probably know it’s better to have 4-6 plays your guys know cold rather than 20 they can’t execute well.  Especially for youth teams, fundamentals and simplicity are king.

Included in all purchases from our site are the Ultimate Strategy Guide.  This should give you a leg up in some of the basic skill sets and coaching techniques to propel your team to the next level.  As for defensive schemes, with 4man football, you options are limited.  Check out our blog post that discusses this in more detail.

Also, you are about 30 days too early, but we are in the process of ramping up for the launch of our youth site, which will include coaching tips, drills, plays, strategy and more.  Go ahead and purchase one of our products, and the Ninja will send you some drills and practice ideas for your team.

Best of luck Coach.

Ninja

Coach,Thanks for the email.   The 4man package we offer provides 30 core passing and running plays that include both beginner schemes and more advanced plays.  The Base 10 supplements the Core 30 package with an additional core play set.   The feedback we have received from other coaches has been very positive.  Just remember, as you probably know it’s better to have 4-6 plays your guys know cold rather than 20 they can’t execute well.  Especially for youth teams, fundamentals and simplicity are king.
Included in all purchases from our site are the Ultimate Strategy Guide.  This should give you a leg up in some of the basic skill sets and coaching techniques to propel your team to the next level.  As for defensive schemes, with 4man football, you options are limited.  Check out our blog post that discusses this in more detail.
Also, you are about 30 days too early, but we are in the process of ramping up for the launch of our youth site, which will include coaching tips, drills, plays, strategy and more.  Go ahead and purchase one of our products, and the Ninja will send you some drills and practice ideas for your team.
Best of luck Coach.
Ninja

How to Beat the Zone, Man Defense in 4man, 5man, 6man or 7man Flag Football

What’s up man.  I purchased your 7-on-7 option playbook online and it is some great stuff.  Most of the plays are drawn up against what you call a “Rhino Base 2” I was wondering. what do you do if they line up differently in a different defensive look? If you could give me a response when you get a chance. Thanks.                            -Zeke A.

“It is not where the blade begins, but the arc of the slice and where it comes to rest that matters.”

“Tora – Master Swordhandler”

Zeke,

Thank you for your purchase of the Poison Dart Passing playbook from my Dojo.  You have already taken steps on the path to victory. All of the plays in the playbooks are shown against a shell defense, but do not be fooled by the simplicity.

Most of the plays can be run against a zone defense or a man defense.   That is, they are designed to find holes in a zone defense, but can be extremely effective against a man set as well.  The main differences between running against a man defense and running against a zone defense will be the way the routes are run.  Against a man defense, routes should be sharper and timing more precise.  An out pattern should show no hint of a cut until it’s too late and the receiver has made his move.  Against a zone defense, however, the receiver has a little more freedom to make the cut sooner or later, to round it or cut it hard, depending on the position of the zone defenders.  For example: if you are a receiver running a shallow flag route (straight, then a cut 45 degrees to the outside), if it looks like the deep safety is sucking up to jump the out route in front of you, cut a little later and a little deeper to get behind the safety.

Success against a (good) man defense will hinge on your QB’s ability and how you’re your timing is.  Practice is key to getting timing down. Otherwise you only hit your stride by the end of the season. In flag football, particularly with smaller teams (4man, 5man, 6man – even 7 man), it is very hard to play shut-down man defense against a good well-practiced team.  If every defender is a superior athlete than the receivers, this can happen, but good sharp patterns and well timed throws can pick apart almost any man defense.

Spend a little time with the Ultimate Strategy Guide that came with you playbook purchase.  Also, to really open up your options, consider upgrading to the Ninja package with 100 plays of all types.

The Ninja.

No Mistakes, No Mercy.

get flag football plays

How to Handle a Quick QB

Ninja,

 I play in a passing league (so no blockers or rushers) where the QB can only scramble if someone rushes in.  What do we do about a really fast QB? Just give him all day?                                                                      – Jake, NM

“Swift is the flight of the chased. The samurai lies in wait.”

– Master’s Journal

Jake,

 There are many flag football leagues like yours, some with as many as 8 players, but mostly 4man or 5man style.  But you make an excellent observation about a tough decision made from the sand-lot all the way to the pros.  What to do about a quick QB?

 Cost/Benefit: If your league is 4man or 5man, there is a real cost-benefit analysis to be done before going after a speedy QB.  Leaving him alone gives you and extra man in the defense, but also allows him lots of time to make a throw. 

 How’s His Gun? The first question is what are the QB’s strengths?  Is he just fast, or does he also have a strong arm? How about accuracy?  If speed is far and away his greatest strength, you’re probably better off letting him try to thread the needle in your stacked defense than trying to flush him out.  Most passing leagues also have some sort of time limit to throw.  But if he is dangerous throwing the ball as well, the choice gets more complex.

 Man it Up:  By sending a rusher or blitzer after the QB (especially in 4man or 5man), you do a couple of things.  First, you commit to man defense. It will be extremely tough to run a zone defense with 3 or 4 guys while sending another. And second, in addition to manning up on receivers, you are manning up on the QB as well. 

 Managing Talent: Do you have the athletes to pull it off?  There are some teams whose best player is their QB, (plus rushing in fast after a quarterback gives him the upper hand to make a move and get free), so you may want your best athlete matched on the QB.  If you do that, will the result be a big mismatch on their 6’ 6” TO look-alike receiver?  Remember, though, that if you rush your best athlete, in theory, he should make the job of the other defenders a lot easier by putting real pressure on the QB.

 The Swivel:  Make sure that the other defenders keep an eye on the QB. If he makes a move past the rusher, you’re going to need support to keep him from funning for a huge gain.

The Mega Rush:  Also, sending 2 men will work only rarely.  If they have a completely useless receiver, or if their QB is not very good, you may be able to fake coverage on two bunched receivers, but with a QB who is even close to decent,

Making the Call: So if you think you’ve got the men to pull it off, rushing the QB will result in forced offensive errors, but remember it creates opportunity for the QB to make a big play on the ground as well.  If you try it and the QB gets free a few times, change personnel or abandon the rush.   If the QB is fast, but not a great ball slinger, let him sit back there and try to make a tough throw. 

By The Flag Football Ninja

Visit My Dojo:  www.FlagFootballNinja.com