What Your Kids Can Take Away From Playing Youth Football

Playing youth football is a great experience for most children of all different ages. As a parent, you might be curious as to why you should allow your children to participate in the sport of football and what type of benefits they will get out of it. The benefits your children will receive will be priceless, as they are not only learning how to play a sport, but how to succeed at life as well. If you want to help children spend their time wisely and enjoy their childhood, participation in sports like football is a great option.

One of the things your kids will take away from participating in youth football is camaraderie. Children are incredibly social creatures for the most part, and part of their development into healthy adults is the ability to develop and maintain social relationships. One of the best ways to develop strong bonds with other people is to be involved in some type of activity together, such as participating in a football league. Kids also soon learn that their success as a team depends on their ability to get along with one another and work together as a team. When children spend time together doing these activities, they often form bonds that last for many years and are equipped with skills to build new relationships later on in life.

Another awesome benefit your children will take away from playing youth football is confidence. Children need to have their confidence boosted so that they do not wilt under the pressure of new and difficult challenges, which they are sure to face in every stage of life. When a coach takes the time to help a child learn a new skill and perfect it, that helps the child see that they do in fact have what it takes to overcome the challenges of life and that with time and practice they can conquer just about anything.

Finally, playing in youth football leagues also helps children who are passionate about the sport learn the basics and fundamentals they need to know to play the game better. Many of the kids who start playing football at early ages end up playing in high school and college. Playing in youth sports can help them develop skills that they will perfect in those later years and help them achieve a much higher level of success at the high school or possibly even the college level.

Characteristics Of Youth Football Players

Youth football players are typically less self-centred and more able to decipher information that is relevant to them and act upon it. Therefore, your football coaching can become more specific and progressive as these young players start to understand the concepts of time space, width and depth.

Youth football players are also more able to justify their actions – for example, the football coach might ask why did you shoot then?, and the youth football player could give a reasoned explanation as opposed to a more typical dunno you would get from a younger player. Use the ability of the player to be constructive in their replies to help them reach and consider other options and learn from mistakes.

Player characteristics can include:

Learning – encourage players to analyse and solve problems by reviewing their own performances during the football drills and welcoming questions, answers and comments. By now, the players should have good knowledge of football techniques and be able to constructively contribute to the football training session. Continue to provide your expertise and knowledge but also allow an element of letting the game become the teacher.

Technical – As player reach the age of 11 upwards, they progress to 11-a-side football on which some will thrive in this new football formation whilst others may find it difficult to adapt. As a youth football coach you should be aware of this and encourage players to work more as a team rather than individuals. The content of your football training drills should reflect this and focus on realistic game situations. Youth football players should be aware of the roles and responsibilities of all playing positions on the pitch, especially their own.

Social Youth football players (U11, U12, U13, U14) who are good at sport tend to be more socially accepted by their peers, no more so than in football and football training drills. Players who are good at football training will find themselves developing a greater social circle of friends as well as getting noticed by the coach! Football players for under 11, under 12, under 13 and under 14 football teams can be shaped by peer pressure and role models off the pitch so use this to your full advantage. Make them believe they will be the next Rooney or Gerrard! Install values and beliefs in to your youth football team and always encourage sportsmanship and fair play.

Physical development – as players start to mature physically, your football training sessions should start to take on a different emphasis by encouraging players to compete to win.

If you run a grassroots football team and need further advice, tips and inspiration for football training drills, then there is a website for you. www.canyouplayfootball.com has over 140 football training drills categorised in to different topics (such as defending drills, shooting drills, goalkeeping drills etc) and listed by age group. They also has a football team organiser that helps managers manage their football team off the pitch. For more information, visit www.canyouplayfootball.com.

Five Best Football Pundits

With more televised football than ever before, the role of pundits is increasingly under the spotlight. Just as people like to see football change, punditry has now become something of an art – with an emphasis on more personable and interactive analysis.

These five demonstrate this new world of the art of commentary beautifully.

Gary Neville
The former Manchester United defender has enjoyed an effortless transition into broadcasting, earning an array of plaudits for his unique and insightful analysis of the game. He has enjoyed huge praise for his knowledge of modern football, especially in comparison to older pundits who sometimes seem out-dated and out-of-touch with the current generation of players.

Malcolm Best
The charismatic, sharp-suited host of YouTube animated show The Football Special is fast becoming an internet sensation with his witty, satirical observations on the current news and events in football. His rapport with a reluctant Arsene Wenger is one of the highlights of the show the combination of Yorkshire grit and Gallic sophistication promises comedy every time.

Graeme Souness
Just as fearless and authoritative as he was a player, Souness has established himself as an integral part of Skys analysis team with his forthright and articulate opinions. Even more refreshingly, he tackles key issues and decisions head-on rather than avoiding them and is never afraid of upsetting someone. His vast experience both playing and managing at the highest level is always evident in his serious approach.

Alan Hansen
An elder statesman as football pundits go, he may forever be remembered for his dismissive attitude towards a certain group of youngsters managed by Alex Ferguson, but he remains the benchmark for current broadcasters in terms of his ease in front of the camera and longevity. Famed for his cynical attitude to modern defending, next season is reportedly his last as a BBC pundit, so enjoy him while you can.

Roy Keane
Just as he was the leader for any side he played for during his career, Keane has quickly established himself as the commanding presence of the ITV broadcast team. His first foray into punditry led to his departure from Man Utd following an explosive interview with MUTV which really should have given us a clue about what we were in for! His stranglehold over Adrian Chiles, Lee Dixon and Gareth Southgate is often a joy to behold.

Wheelchair users call for better football access

Going to the football is a weekly pass time for the more hardcore football fans. It can prove to be an expensive hobby but one which real football fans wouldn’t miss out on. A football clubs grounds are a busy place on a match day and people with disabilities can find it difficult to get the right level of access that they need.

Disability campaigners are looking to have improvements made by the SPL to wheelchair access facilities at football grounds. All Scottish Premier League footbal clubs meet the minimum legal standard of accessiblity but campaigners say that they are missing out on the chance of enticing new fans to come to games due to the current condition of facilities.

Campaigners accept that football clubs have made progress in recent years in improving access but are still critical that a lot more needs to be done. The chief executive of Capability Scotland had this to say on the matter: -It appears that the amount of accessible seating at football grounds does not currently reflect the needs of Scotland’s 100,000 registered wheelchair users. Improving accessibility for disabled people is good news for all fans who may experience mobility problems at some stage in their life.-

Campaigners are looking for extra wheelchair seats to be made available in sheltered areas of the grounds. Disabled football fans would also like to see food outlets become more wheelchair friendly. The number of disabled parking spaces is another aspect that has been deemed as insufficient in many cases.

SPL clubs are said to be conducting a review of the disabled access to their facilities in order to accommodate as many fans as possible.

For more information on disability issues or to buy a disabled vehicle visit Allied Mobility.com

Boosting American Football Running Back Tips

Protecting the football as you run

You cant run with the football until you have learned some basic ball security measures. There is nothing worse than almost getting a first down or even a touchdown and fumbling the ball, for this reason there is a great need for ball security. Basic ball security can be broken down into four steps. The claw position is the first point, meaning that you grab the football clawing at the point of the football with your fingers. Second, wrap your forearm completely around the football. Third, pull the football in close to your bicep to protect it from opponents jabs and attempts to make you fumble. Fourth, pull the football up and tight against your ribcage closing the gap on the football from all four sides. As a player, you will want to make sure that you are well practiced in this skill, and as a coach you should dedicate some time to ball carrying skills. As your ball carrying continues to improve you will insure less turnovers and greater success on the field.

Ball security: The Gauntlet Drill

There is nothing more important for offense to learn great ball security. Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers should work on this skill constantly. That is why the gauntlet drill was created, to test and practice effective ball security. This drill is set up with one ball carrier, there objective is to run through a group of opponents that try to knock the ball out. A coach can set up short fast runs or longer relays with several obstacles and defenders prying at the ball. Make sure to take the drill slow at first, and to also have the ball carrier hold the ball in several differing positions.

Conditioning: Five dot jump

Conditioning is meant to increase speed, endurance, and reaction time on the football field. This drills intention is to help quickness and accuracy on the field which will reduce errors and increase the chances of great plays. The drill set up is a mat or place on the field with 5 dots about a foot away from each other forming an X shape, exactly in the same shape as you would see diamonds arranged on a number five card in a poker deck.

The athlete starts at the edge of the mat placing their feet on two of the outer dots and proceeds to jump with feet together on the center spot and then out again quickly to the outer dots similar to a simple hop scotch motion. Next the player will jump touching each dot with on leg only, and then switch using the other leg. After this, the player will touch all of the dots with both feet together. The last phase is really returning to the original starting phase of jumping together and apart, however this time the athlete will change directions after they have jumped to the outer dots. Because this drill is intended for accuracy and speed, it is recommended that players start out slow and deliberate and then speed up to their maximum time.

Strength and conditioning: Up Downs

Out of all of the football conditioning drills up downs is one of the most popular. Players will start this drill by running in place as fast as they can, keeping their knees high as possible. At the coaches signal the players will drop to the ground and do a push up, and then quickly get back up and start running again. As up downs require endurance and strength, players are encouraged to start in slow short burst and work up to longer and more intense sessions.