1. The
Guide to Coaching

2. Who Am I? 8-time Little League or local rec baseball manager/coach
7-time youth soccer coach
5-time flag football coach
Twice assistant youth basketball coach

3. A youth recreational sports philosophy
Hustle & Attitude
A youth recreational sports philosophy

4. H&A Coach’s Have Different Goals
Not Necessarily
Flag Football Fanatics
Mini Division
Champs

5. Clinic Goals Provide you practical tools to have successful season
Planning & running practices
Managing games
Positive interactions with parents & kids

6. Coaches Clinic Pregame: the Equipment
1st Quarter: Dealing with the Kids
2nd Quarter: Practice Planning & Management
3rd Quarter: Making Line-Ups & Managing Games
4th Quarter: Dealing with Parents & Referees

7. Pregame – the Equipment

8. Remember, these are not adults – or even high shoolers
1st Quarter - Kids
Fundamentals of dealing with children
Work hard to learn all their names
Address them at their level (physically & emotionally)
Be simple and brief
Try to come up with rhymes as direction
Remember, these are not adults – or even high shoolers

9. 1st Quarter – Kids Coaching Your Own

10. 1st Quarter - Kids Have fun awards Offensive and Defensive MVPs
“Hustle & Attitude” Awards

11. 2nd Quarter - Practice Good practices don’t happen on accident
What are the goals?
Start with the fundamentals and then build on them
What drills will you run to meet team goals?
During practice
Run multiple drills at the same time
Make contests out of the drills

12. Practice Example 1000: Welcome team 1005: Stretch and Warm Up
1010: Shotgun Snap Relay
1020: Route Tree and Spin Move Drills
Switch / Rotate & Water Break
1030: Rush & Break Down and Zone Break Drills
Switch / Rotate
1040: Offense Run Plays while Defense Practices Zone
1050: Quarterback Obstacle Course Challenge

13. 3rd Quarter - Games Making Line-Ups – playing time
Substitutions are made each quarter
Ensure each child plays equal amount of quarters
Making Line-Ups – positions
Give players opportunities to play different positions

14. 3rd Quarter - Games
On the Flag Football Fanatics web-site, on the Coaches page:
select ‘Playing Time Patterns’
When you start, you can go alphabetically or any other way you want to set up the 1st quarter. This is up to you – it sets up the rotation for the rest of the game, though.

15. 3rd Quarter - Games
Players
Quarters
Billy 3
Tommy
Cameron 2
Jason
James
Brandon
Justin
Drew
Timmy
Notice two players played 3 quarters and six played 2…next game, you would make sure Billy & Tommy only play 2 quarters and so on throughout the season to even out the playing time

16. 3rd Quarter - Games During the game After the game
Be encouraging; keep track of things to work on at next practice
After the game
Go over goals
No “beat deeps”
At least 1 ‘3 & out’ series
At least 3 first downs

17. The only person who questions the referee is you
4th Quarter - Referees
The only person who questions the referee is you
And you do it very respectfully
(the kids are watching)

18. 4th Quarter – Parents It’s all about expectation management
Welcome letter
Parents Meeting

19. Ask for help – parent volunteers
4th Quarter – Parents
Items to emphasize to parents
Introduce yourself (profession, experience, etc.)
Practice and game schedule
Age-specific rules (see next chart)
Parents drop kids off – then you have them
Only adults coaching the kids are coaches
“You’re switching quarterbacks?! And going to the smallest kid with the weakest arm?!”
Ask for help – parent volunteers

20. Age-Specific Rules

21. Hustle & Attitude is a philosophy that can help
Post Game
This league is for the kids
You play a crucial role in making their experience a positive one
A successful season doesn’t happen by accident
Hustle & Attitude is a philosophy that can help

22. Additional Resources The Flag Football Fanatics website:
Coaches page has playbook, rules, practice tips
Resources tab also has valuable information