[tonyton]

Originally Posted by Phreezer

One of the things I do with my spare time in the summer and fall is Coach Youth Football. This year seems to be the worst group of kids that I have ever came across. Keep in mind that these kids are all about 12 years old. We're a full contact league with Pads and National Highschool Football rules and regulations. Yet almost none of them came to me this year with even the most rudimentary of skills. I accepted this fact from the beginning and resigned myself to just teaching the basics of football. we play a 6 game season and I was hoping to just break even.

Well, tonight we had our first scrimage with one of the other teams. It was absolutly horrific! My offense (and defensive as we play ironman) would not block anyone! I had kids turning their sides and backs to blitzing linebackers to keep from being hit head on. I like these kids personaly, but they are easily the biggest group of Pussies that I have ever coached. Example, I've got a kid who is 5'10 and 165lbs (that's flipp'n huge for a 12yr old) He's my center, and he couldn't block my 80 year old grandmother. I've tried everything I can think of to motivate this kid, but nothing I can do or say can make him block, hit or tackle. I have two other Lineman who are even bigger pussies than this kid. They fall down at first contact and won't run block to save their lives. They immediatly stand up when the ball is snapped and then get bowled over. I have tried everything I can think of, I make them crab 5 yards off of a snap in practice, I make them fire out under a 3 foot high metal shoot.. (which they succesfully do in practice) but as soon as someone is there to hit back they turn into a bunch of Girl scouts!!

I am so frustrated that I just don't know what to do. I can't make the offensive line or WR's block.. I can't make them tackle when they are on defense, and I can't get my CB's or OLB's to contain an offense and push them back to the middle.. I keep getting killed on the outside and I simply don't know what to do, I try fanning out my OLB's and safeties to help the corners, but then the other team just runs up the middle against my linemen who are big pussies..

For the first time in all my years of football, I am at a standstill and have no Idea what to do. I can't find a way to motivate these Playstation loving kids into doing anything that they are supposed to be doing. I have been coaching for many years and I have never had a losing record before, I know that this year I will be lucky to win 1 one game. I have to think that this is my failure as a coach. I simply can not motivate these kids to play.

Tonight, I am trying to create some kind of defense that these kids may be able to work with... Offense....... I don't know, what's the point if no one will block?


Any ideas on how I can motivate these kids? I've tried Praise, I've tried negative re-inforcement, and I've tried Comparing them to the girls softball team.. nothing I can think of seems to motivate them, They simply don't care if they win or lose.

I coached high school football....I had a similar situation as yours..small school small kids and not motivated...my head coach ran a wing t offense and always blitzed on d....every down someone was comin...it kinda lights a fire under their asses...the wing t is all about angle blockin so u dont have to be huge or poweful to be an evective blocker just a tap works...try that,,,I thin we ran a 50 stack monster on d...blitzed the weak side alot...