One of the more under coached areas of the youth football team is the defensive line. All of my championship teams have had one thing in common and that was great defensive line play. Many players go 100 miles an hour to get in the backfield, only to let the play go right by them.
You…
Category Archives: Defense Articles
Learning to Read where the Play is Going as a Defensive Lineman
How do you stop an offense that keeps running to the outside?
We receive many different questions from coaches across the country and like to post some of the more common questions and give our thoughts and opinions. The questions below we received from Pete in Seattle, Washington.
”I coach a youth football team and we are in the playoffs. The team we will play runs to the…
Is the 4 – 4 Stack OR Base 5 – 3 A Better Youth Football Defense?
A recent question we received was – Is the 4 – 4 Stack OR Base 5 – 3 A Better Youth Football Defense? The question is repeated below. There are many different types of defenses to run when coaching a youth football team, however a coach needs to be practical on which one to use. …
Is the 3-4 Defense Suitable for Pee Wee, Youth and Midget Football?
The ever popular 3-4 defenseis a great defense to run at the pee wee, youth and midget football level. The most important factor when using a complicated defensive scheme, like the 3-4 defense, is making sure it has been modified for the pee wee, youth and midget football level. The 3-4 defense has many different…
What Football Offense And Defense Should I Run as a New Youth Football Coach?
Your kid decides to play football, you love football, so you decide to sign him up and volunteer as a coach. As luck would have it they need a head coach, so you are drafted into the head coach position for your 6 year old tackle team. You figure this will be easy as you…
Why is the 3-4 Defense Playbook for Youth Football so Great?
I get asked every year why I think the 3-4 defense is the best for youth football and I’m here to begin to explain why. The reason I say “explain” is since the 3-4 Defense, and especially the 3-4 defense playbookfor youth football sold on this site, contains many different coverage and blitz options. Depending…
How much of my youth football practice time should I spend on Defense?
If defense wins championships, how come so many youth football teams do not spend much time on team defense? I watch year after year as teams ignore working on team defense except when they scrimmage.
Much like the last post, I think we need to clarify what we mean when we ask this question. Most coaches…
Prevent defense
A defensive strategy that utilizes deep zone coverage in order to prevent a big pass play from happening down field, usually at the expense of giving up yards at shorter distances. Often used against Hail Mary plays, or at the end of the game when the defending team is protecting a lead. Disparaged by many…
Defending against Speed – Coaching Youth Football Defense
The single biggest fear you have as a youth football defensive coordinator is your opponent’s speed. You have to have a plan to contain, or at least control, the fastest player in the other team. You need to refer to your scouting report so there will be no surprises on game day.
In coaching youth football,…
Pass Defense; Man or Zone for Youth Football
The older you team is the more relevant coaching the secondary becomes. Do not misunderstand what I’m saying here. The secondary is important at all levels, but the older teams start to attempt a passing game and your secondary will need to disguise coverages to be more effective. The younger teams need to learn just…
