Today we began working on special teams, and installed our kickoff/kick return and punt/punt return teams. A lot of competition for the kicker and punter positions, which is always good.
A reminder to parents: There will be no practice tomorrow, Wednesday 9/1/2010. We will have practice on Thursday, 9/2.
We will NOT have practice this coming Saturday or Monday (Labor Day). Practice next week will be Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday.
This Friday night is also Youth Football night at the varisty game. We encourage all of the kids to show up with their game jersey (home/black jersey) to get in free, and root on the varsity team.
See you Thursday.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
8/30 practice and important notice to parents
Tonight's offensive practice was all about attention to detail. The coaches decided that in order for us to make the kind of progress we need to make, it was time that we perfected the plays that have already been installed before we add too many new ones. So tonight the players focused on sharpening their assignments in the plays that we have already practiced several times.
A very telling sign that this group has the proper mindset took place just prior to the end of practice. Before our "team" session began, I told the players that if they went 100% and were mentally sharp for the entire session, we could skip conventional conditioning because their hard work during the session would be our conditioning.
While the team session went well as a whole, there were still a lot of missed assignments and brief moments of loss of focus. Towards the end, I took several players aside and asked them privately whether they thought the effort was worth skipping conditioning. To their credit, each and every player I spoke to said that, while they would obviously prefer to avoid conditioning, they did not feel that they were where they needed to be, and that too many mistakes were made. They wanted to do conditioning.
I was very proud of them for their honesty. That's the right mindset for a team - to do what is best for the team, rather than taking the easy way out for your individual interests. If we keep this attitude the entire season, I am confident that we will be successful.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: WE WILL NOT BE PRACTICING THIS WEDNESDAY, September 1st. We will have practice tomorrow, August 31, and Thursday, September 2nd. Please e-mail me with any questions.
See you tomorrow.
A very telling sign that this group has the proper mindset took place just prior to the end of practice. Before our "team" session began, I told the players that if they went 100% and were mentally sharp for the entire session, we could skip conventional conditioning because their hard work during the session would be our conditioning.
While the team session went well as a whole, there were still a lot of missed assignments and brief moments of loss of focus. Towards the end, I took several players aside and asked them privately whether they thought the effort was worth skipping conditioning. To their credit, each and every player I spoke to said that, while they would obviously prefer to avoid conditioning, they did not feel that they were where they needed to be, and that too many mistakes were made. They wanted to do conditioning.
I was very proud of them for their honesty. That's the right mindset for a team - to do what is best for the team, rather than taking the easy way out for your individual interests. If we keep this attitude the entire season, I am confident that we will be successful.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: WE WILL NOT BE PRACTICING THIS WEDNESDAY, September 1st. We will have practice tomorrow, August 31, and Thursday, September 2nd. Please e-mail me with any questions.
See you tomorrow.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
2nd scrimmage
Our second and final scrimmage was an improvement over the first. Offensively we were able to break a few big plays that would have went for touchdowns, and defensively we forced a few turnovers and generally played the assignments well.
I was happy to see that defensively most of our mistakes were physical mistakes, such as missing a tackle, as opposed to mental mistakes. Offensively we still need to know our assignments better, as not everybody is completely comfortable with the playbook thus far. That's not uncommon at this point in the year, when many players have missed practices due to vacations and things of that nature.
The focus next week will be on hammering down the mental assignments of each play, so that the players can simply act and react and stop thinking out on the field. I tell the players often that hesitation is the enemy, but until everybody is fully comfortable with their assignments, it is hard to avoid some of the hesitation that we are seeing.
Practice Monday as usual...we'll see you then.
I was happy to see that defensively most of our mistakes were physical mistakes, such as missing a tackle, as opposed to mental mistakes. Offensively we still need to know our assignments better, as not everybody is completely comfortable with the playbook thus far. That's not uncommon at this point in the year, when many players have missed practices due to vacations and things of that nature.
The focus next week will be on hammering down the mental assignments of each play, so that the players can simply act and react and stop thinking out on the field. I tell the players often that hesitation is the enemy, but until everybody is fully comfortable with their assignments, it is hard to avoid some of the hesitation that we are seeing.
Practice Monday as usual...we'll see you then.
Friday, August 27, 2010
8/26 Practice
An up-and-down night was concluded with a nice bomb that would have went for a touchdown and a good effort during conditioning. We have to sharpen up prior to Saturday's scrimmage, though, if we want to be prepared for the season.
One point we have been stressing to the players is that if they don't know what their assignment is on a given play, they should ask the coaches immediately before the play begins. Chances are, if one player has a question, another has the same question. Sometimes it is difficult to admit that you don't know your assignment, but going through them before the play starts in practice is preferable to going through it after the assignment was blown during a game.
The coaches understand that some of the kids have missed practices due to vacation, Hunter's safety, illness, or other reasons. Sometimes the coaches will call a play that was practiced on a day a player missed practice. That player should never feel ashamed to ask the question.
Hopefully we will see progress in Saturday's scrimmage. See you then.
One point we have been stressing to the players is that if they don't know what their assignment is on a given play, they should ask the coaches immediately before the play begins. Chances are, if one player has a question, another has the same question. Sometimes it is difficult to admit that you don't know your assignment, but going through them before the play starts in practice is preferable to going through it after the assignment was blown during a game.
The coaches understand that some of the kids have missed practices due to vacation, Hunter's safety, illness, or other reasons. Sometimes the coaches will call a play that was practiced on a day a player missed practice. That player should never feel ashamed to ask the question.
Hopefully we will see progress in Saturday's scrimmage. See you then.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
8/25 practice
Some mental mistakes in practice tonight as we added a few new plays and formations. However, the intensity and hitting is still there, and that was the best part of tonight's practice.
One thing we have been preaching to the players is how the margin for error in football is so small that it is important to pay attention to the slightest of details. Any weekend during the football season you can see a wide receiver who just barely drags his toe to make a sideline catch, a pass that barely flies above a defender's outstretched hand, or a field goal that barely hooks in (or out) that can make a huge difference in the game. Keeping our focus on the details will help us move in the right direction.
Tomorrow's practice will be half defense, half offense "pregame" type practice as we prepare for Saturday's scrimmage.
One thing we have been preaching to the players is how the margin for error in football is so small that it is important to pay attention to the slightest of details. Any weekend during the football season you can see a wide receiver who just barely drags his toe to make a sideline catch, a pass that barely flies above a defender's outstretched hand, or a field goal that barely hooks in (or out) that can make a huge difference in the game. Keeping our focus on the details will help us move in the right direction.
Tomorrow's practice will be half defense, half offense "pregame" type practice as we prepare for Saturday's scrimmage.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Defensive practice
Today we practiced defense, and it was a very tough and intense practice. The players practiced tackling technique and we went through a few drills that required hard-hitting action. There were a few bumps and bruises along the way, but with picture day essentially voiding yesterday's practice I felt that it was important to get back to working hard to prepare for the scrimmage on Saturday.
Overall, I was very impressed with the players. Sometimes it can take quite a while for new players to get used to hitting, but this group seems to be picking it up faster than most.
Tomorrow will be an offensive practice as we prepare a few new wrinkles for Saturday.
Overall, I was very impressed with the players. Sometimes it can take quite a while for new players to get used to hitting, but this group seems to be picking it up faster than most.
Tomorrow will be an offensive practice as we prepare a few new wrinkles for Saturday.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
First scrimmage
The 6th grade orange had its first taste of live action against an opponent today with the Cedarburg scrimmage.
Overall, I was happy with the progress we made throughout the course of the scrimmage. Some of the newer players were a little bit overwhelmed at first, and some of the players that played last year were a little rusty. But as the scrimmage went on, there was a lot of improvement and we were able to break a few big plays.
I was especially happy that we were able to get a lot of plays in for many of the players and we got a good look at who fits in at what position. We were also very short-handed today with injuries and absences, and I thank those players who played out-of-position for their unselfish efforts.
A thank you to parents and our team managers for helping the day go as smoothly as a youth football scrimmage can go.
Back to work on Monday...
Overall, I was happy with the progress we made throughout the course of the scrimmage. Some of the newer players were a little bit overwhelmed at first, and some of the players that played last year were a little rusty. But as the scrimmage went on, there was a lot of improvement and we were able to break a few big plays.
I was especially happy that we were able to get a lot of plays in for many of the players and we got a good look at who fits in at what position. We were also very short-handed today with injuries and absences, and I thank those players who played out-of-position for their unselfish efforts.
A thank you to parents and our team managers for helping the day go as smoothly as a youth football scrimmage can go.
Back to work on Monday...
Thursday, August 19, 2010
8/19 practice
We got ready for the scrimmage with a half-offense, half-defense practice today. For the first time, we put an offensive unit up against a defensive unit and had the players going 100% against another unit...though some of the players were out of position and we were short a few players due to absences.
All in all, I thought today suggested a lot of progress and I am looking forward to having the players go up against somebody in a different jersey.
Scrimmage is at Cedarburg on Saturday. Players to arrive at 11:15AM, scrimmage begins 12:15AM. The goal with any scrimmage is to see what kind of progress the players have made as team and to get better. As we told the players, the goal is never to "win" a scrimmage, because that is not the point.
Pictures will be the following practice, Monday 8/23. Parents should bring the players to Gib Mahr Field (the high school varsity field off of Cedar Street) in their black game jerseys and game pants (and pads).
Hope to see you Saturday!
All in all, I thought today suggested a lot of progress and I am looking forward to having the players go up against somebody in a different jersey.
Scrimmage is at Cedarburg on Saturday. Players to arrive at 11:15AM, scrimmage begins 12:15AM. The goal with any scrimmage is to see what kind of progress the players have made as team and to get better. As we told the players, the goal is never to "win" a scrimmage, because that is not the point.
Pictures will be the following practice, Monday 8/23. Parents should bring the players to Gib Mahr Field (the high school varsity field off of Cedar Street) in their black game jerseys and game pants (and pads).
Hope to see you Saturday!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
8/18 practice
The scrimmage will be here before you know it. Tonight was another offensive night, and we added a few plays to build on those that we learned on Monday. The playbook is still nowhere near what it will be at this point, but we're getting there.
The players finished the practice on a strong note. Some of the new plays were giving them a hard time and causing a lot of confusion, but with more repetitions I'm sure they will get it down soon.
Tomorrow we will practice 50/50 offense/defense to prepare for the scrimmage in Cedarburg on Saturday. Scrimmage is scheduled for 12:15-2:15, players to arrive by 11:15 for warmups if possible.
Thanks and we'll see you tomorrow.
The players finished the practice on a strong note. Some of the new plays were giving them a hard time and causing a lot of confusion, but with more repetitions I'm sure they will get it down soon.
Tomorrow we will practice 50/50 offense/defense to prepare for the scrimmage in Cedarburg on Saturday. Scrimmage is scheduled for 12:15-2:15, players to arrive by 11:15 for warmups if possible.
Thanks and we'll see you tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Defensive practice and Scrimmages
Today was our first defensive practice as the Orange team, and we showed the players our base formation and coverage. There is a lot to learn at this point of the season, but we continue to remind the players that it is important for them to take "mental reps" while practice is going to help them mentally prepare for their assignments.
Parents should be aware that the scrimmage schedule is now posted on the website, www.hartfordyouthfootball.com. We will scrimmage at Cedarburg (high school) on Saturday, 8/21, from 12:15-2:15. We're asking the players to be there by 11:15AM.
Wednesday will be an offensive practice, and we're looking forward to building on the plays we installed on Monday.
Parents should be aware that the scrimmage schedule is now posted on the website, www.hartfordyouthfootball.com. We will scrimmage at Cedarburg (high school) on Saturday, 8/21, from 12:15-2:15. We're asking the players to be there by 11:15AM.
Wednesday will be an offensive practice, and we're looking forward to building on the plays we installed on Monday.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Split teams
6th grade is now two teams, orange and black. However, as we always tell the players, we're still all Hartford Football.
The orange team spent most of the day with brain-work, introducing our first few plays in the offensive system. It was a learning experience - everything from getting into a huddle to calling the signals to remembering the snap count was new to many of the players - but they will pick it up fast.
As of right now, it appears that there will be a scrimmage on Saturday, 8/21. Details to be provided.
Tuesday will be the first defensive practice for the orange team...looking forward to it.
The orange team spent most of the day with brain-work, introducing our first few plays in the offensive system. It was a learning experience - everything from getting into a huddle to calling the signals to remembering the snap count was new to many of the players - but they will pick it up fast.
As of right now, it appears that there will be a scrimmage on Saturday, 8/21. Details to be provided.
Tuesday will be the first defensive practice for the orange team...looking forward to it.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
8/14 Practice
Today's Saturday practice was a bit unusual in that it started early and we had the parent picnic afterward. However, it was the first hint of aggressive contact that most of the players had, as many of the players now have their hours of conditioning in.
Coaches will continue to emphasize proper tackling technique to help avoid injury.
Teams will be split up by Monday's practice, and the players will then know which team they are on (and parents will know which schedule to prepare for). After the split, each team will get more into specific strategy, as each coaching staff has different things they like to do while operating under the umbrella of the high school system.
We have reiterated to the players that the coaching staffs try to split the teams as equally as possible, keeping in mind that certain players will have to be designated to one team or another based on special circumstances (a sibling on an "orange" or "black" team at a different level, or a parent as part of a coaching staff, for example). However, in no way are teams divided to create an "A" team and a "B" team, and it is important for the players to understand that.
After we split, 6th grade will continue to warm up together and stretch together, but in many ways will be operating separately. If you have questions in the future, they should be designated to the coaching staff responsible for your child's team.
See you Monday!
Coaches will continue to emphasize proper tackling technique to help avoid injury.
Teams will be split up by Monday's practice, and the players will then know which team they are on (and parents will know which schedule to prepare for). After the split, each team will get more into specific strategy, as each coaching staff has different things they like to do while operating under the umbrella of the high school system.
We have reiterated to the players that the coaching staffs try to split the teams as equally as possible, keeping in mind that certain players will have to be designated to one team or another based on special circumstances (a sibling on an "orange" or "black" team at a different level, or a parent as part of a coaching staff, for example). However, in no way are teams divided to create an "A" team and a "B" team, and it is important for the players to understand that.
After we split, 6th grade will continue to warm up together and stretch together, but in many ways will be operating separately. If you have questions in the future, they should be designated to the coaching staff responsible for your child's team.
See you Monday!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
8/12 practice
In a week full of hot, humid weather, today was the hottest of them all. It was also the first full-pads practice, and for the last half-hour of practice most of the players had enough hours to begin contact.
However, most of practice was spent on discussing tackling technique and safety issues. As has become our custom at 6th grade, we began the first full-pads defensive practice by having the players read the warning labels on their helmets. We spent a large chunk of time talking to the kids about the dangers of poor tackling technique, and made it clear that head injuries are taken very seriously and that they should not be afraid to mention any signs of a head injury to a coach immediately (such as dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, loss of memory, and obviously loss of consciousness).
It is AAYFL rules, and thus Hartford policy, that any player that shows any signs of a concussion will be taken out. We as coaches will always take a cautious approach, and even if a player ultimately does not have a concussion, we will always be careful if any player suffers a head injury.
The weather made today a good day for more teaching and a slightly less physical practice. We gave the players a break from conditioning - they have worked hard all week, and with the heat it was important to make sure that we didn't overdo it.
Saturday's practice will begin at 8:00AM, not the usual 8:30 time, and will end early due to the parent picnic and Varsity scrimmage. See you Saturday!
However, most of practice was spent on discussing tackling technique and safety issues. As has become our custom at 6th grade, we began the first full-pads defensive practice by having the players read the warning labels on their helmets. We spent a large chunk of time talking to the kids about the dangers of poor tackling technique, and made it clear that head injuries are taken very seriously and that they should not be afraid to mention any signs of a head injury to a coach immediately (such as dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, loss of memory, and obviously loss of consciousness).
It is AAYFL rules, and thus Hartford policy, that any player that shows any signs of a concussion will be taken out. We as coaches will always take a cautious approach, and even if a player ultimately does not have a concussion, we will always be careful if any player suffers a head injury.
The weather made today a good day for more teaching and a slightly less physical practice. We gave the players a break from conditioning - they have worked hard all week, and with the heat it was important to make sure that we didn't overdo it.
Saturday's practice will begin at 8:00AM, not the usual 8:30 time, and will end early due to the parent picnic and Varsity scrimmage. See you Saturday!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
8/11 Practice
Back to offense tonight for sixth grade, and another hot one had the players running for water frequently during practice. We are continuing to work on the fundamentals and technique - the coaching staffs will start getting into specific plays and the playbook once the teams are split.
For conditioning today the kids went to the hills by the high school, one of the most difficult - but most effective - training techniques around. Players from Jerry Rice to Walter Payton to LaDainian Tomlinson have utilized hills to condition themselves, and the players really worked hard tonight.
Tomorrow will be another defensive practice, and players that have not missed any practice time will be eligible for contact for the final half-hour of practice. We are asking that the players wear full pads to get used to the equipment, whether they are eligible for contact or not.
See you tomorrow.
For conditioning today the kids went to the hills by the high school, one of the most difficult - but most effective - training techniques around. Players from Jerry Rice to Walter Payton to LaDainian Tomlinson have utilized hills to condition themselves, and the players really worked hard tonight.
Tomorrow will be another defensive practice, and players that have not missed any practice time will be eligible for contact for the final half-hour of practice. We are asking that the players wear full pads to get used to the equipment, whether they are eligible for contact or not.
See you tomorrow.
8/10 practice
Last night's defensive practice tested the focus and discipline of the players...it's always tougher to stay focused with the hot, humid weather we have had lately. But I thought the players responded well as a whole, and it was good for them to get their first taste of defensive fundamentals.
Wednesday will be an offensive practice, and players will continue to build on what they started on Monday. Some may decide to try out a new position.
Hopefully it cools off a little bit, but bring plenty of water!
Wednesday will be an offensive practice, and players will continue to build on what they started on Monday. Some may decide to try out a new position.
Hopefully it cools off a little bit, but bring plenty of water!
Monday, August 9, 2010
New season ahead...
After a full offseason, it's that time of year again. Saturday marked our first practice, where players took part in warmups and agility drills and learned a lot about how to wear their helmets. Today was the first offensive practice of the season, and we reviewed the basic positions of the Hartford offense.
It's very humid out there, so it is important that the kids remember to get plenty of water. They shouldn't be afraid to ask a coach if they feel they need a water break.
Looking forward to 2010 being the best youth football season yet for Hartford!
It's very humid out there, so it is important that the kids remember to get plenty of water. They shouldn't be afraid to ask a coach if they feel they need a water break.
Looking forward to 2010 being the best youth football season yet for Hartford!
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