Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
User avatar
Topic Author
FireflyGlow
Posts: 377
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:13 pm

Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by FireflyGlow »

My two kids, ages 7 and 8, have expressed interest in playing football. We missed the cutoff to play this season with an actual team, and my 7 year old was too young by the league rules anyway, so we have been throwing the ball around in the front yard and working on a few drills. I have been teaching them the fundamentals as I understand them (I have watched football for 25 years, I come from a football family, but I never actually played the game). I checked out two books from the library, "Coaching Youth Football For Dummies" and "Football Coaching Bible" and those have been helpful so far. I'd like to help them learn what they are missing this season so they can hit the ground running next year.

I have been thinking about buying some cones, equipment, etc. for them to practice with. For any of you who have been in a position similar to mine -- What equipment do I need to buy? Obviously we already have a ball. Any recommendations on books for me or other fundamentals? I have been looking at my local online classifieds. Any videos that might be helpful? I don't mind spending some money on this but I want to get the most bang for my buck.

Thanks,
TNL
donaldfair71
Posts: 1241
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:15 pm

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by donaldfair71 »

There are so many resources out there as far as Youtube and other literature that I think you can find for free. At that age, simply throwing and catching the ball, and working with stances (that may even be a lot), will suffice in getting them into football. Your problem with that age will be fighting boredom with rote drills, so you have to keep it fun for them.
User avatar
kramer
Posts: 1953
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:28 am
Location: World Traveler

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by kramer »

John T. Reed wrote excellent real estate books (which is how I know about him) but he wrote several on coaching youth football. I have not read them myself:

http://johntreed.com/collections/footba ... hing-books

His books are on Amazon, also.
livesoft
Posts: 86079
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by livesoft »

What kind of football? For young kids, I hope you are writing about 7-on-7 touch football and not full-contact football with pads, etc. The full contact football can come later, say in 6th grade or junior high or even later.

In our area kids start at all ages and end up on the high school varsity team, so I don't think one needs to teach them any football because they will have plenty of opportunities later. That written, my experience is that the kids who are athletic at a young age are the ones who stay athletic through high school. For instance, the kids who were best at soccer at age 6 and 7 were the best at basketball, track, football, baseball, and even soccer at age 16 and 17.

Thus, just get them into shape with running and no video games. :) Keep them in shape by making them ride their bikes to school.
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
flyingbison
Posts: 1363
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:52 am

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by flyingbison »

livesoft wrote:What kind of football? For young kids, I hope you are writing about 7-on-7 touch football and not full-contact football with pads, etc. The full contact football can come later, say in 6th grade or junior high or even later.
.. or never, IMO.

I played football from little league through college, but with all that we are learning about brain injuries/CTE I would not want my child to play football today.
clacy
Posts: 117
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by clacy »

One of the best things you can do for kids that age is to have them watch football with you on TV and explain the basic rules, strategy, goals, and positions.

Understanding those areas can form the foundation for football and their interest in later years. Football is a fairly complex game so don't take your understanding and experience for granted.

Don't rush into contact football. I don't see the point in getting into that portion too early.

Encourage them to play catch and to go out for other sports. The footwork they learn in soccer, or coordination they gain from baseball, flexibility from martial arts, etc can help them when they get older to play football.
denismurf
Posts: 544
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:29 pm

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by denismurf »

Unless my information is out of date, full contact in the Seattle area starts at age 8. It's weight controlled, though, so, for example, an exceptionally big 8-year-old will play against older kids.

Much depends on the coach. What you can do yourself is keep your kids in good physical shape. You can also watch and comment on a few games in person or on TV so your kids have at least some idea of what's supposed to happen and what the rules are. Many young kids entering football simply don't know basic stuff like which way to run if they have ball. That happens all the time in the flag football league where my grandson (age 6) plays. The kid with the ball instinctively runs to daylight, which is usually either out of bounds or toward his own goal line.

One way to get a good coach for your kids is to volunteer yourself, if you can deal with pushy parents. The best resource is yourself.

Make sure your kids are playing football (as opposed to soccer, for example) because that's what they really want to do, not because that's what they think you really want them to do. If they don't relish the physical contact, they'll get hurt.
stoptothink
Posts: 15368
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:53 am

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by stoptothink »

flyingbison wrote:
livesoft wrote:What kind of football? For young kids, I hope you are writing about 7-on-7 touch football and not full-contact football with pads, etc. The full contact football can come later, say in 6th grade or junior high or even later.
.. or never, IMO.

I played football from little league through college, but with all that we are learning about brain injuries/CTE I would not want my child to play football today.
Same deal. I was very lucky that I finished my college career with nothing more than a few concussions and two minor knee surgeries. We've already discussed it; my son takes after daddy (he is very big for his age and physically aggressive), but he will not be allowed to strap on a helmet. We are planning on introducing him to wrestling and seeing how that goes. Another factor is that I want to somewhat influence who he hangs out with; I do not want him hanging out with the boneheads and troublemakers I played football with, but in my experience wrestlers tend to be the hardest workers, best students, and get in the least amount of trouble of all the male-dominated sports.
fishmonger
Posts: 817
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:20 pm

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by fishmonger »

No equipment needed. You are talking about the absolute basics at 8 years old. Running, learning how to throw and catch, and how to hold onto the football properly when running.

If he gets bored with that, you could work on running pass patterns but no team of 8 year olds is going to be throwing the ball
an_asker
Posts: 4903
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:15 pm

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by an_asker »

TNL wrote:My two kids, ages 7 and 8, have expressed interest in playing football. We missed the cutoff to play this season with an actual team, and my 7 year old was too young by the league rules anyway, so we have been throwing the ball around in the front yard and working on a few drills. I have been teaching them the fundamentals as I understand them (I have watched football for 25 years, I come from a football family, but I never actually played the game). I checked out two books from the library, "Coaching Youth Football For Dummies" and "Football Coaching Bible" and those have been helpful so far. I'd like to help them learn what they are missing this season so they can hit the ground running next year.

I have been thinking about buying some cones, equipment, etc. for them to practice with. For any of you who have been in a position similar to mine -- What equipment do I need to buy? Obviously we already have a ball. Any recommendations on books for me or other fundamentals? I have been looking at my local online classifieds. Any videos that might be helpful? I don't mind spending some money on this but I want to get the most bang for my buck.

Thanks,
TNL
My favorite book on Football would work for you. Don't know if kids can read these books and understand (more power to them if they can).
One Knee Equals Two Feet
Oh, and maybe a good pair of gloves, if you are playing with a "real" football, even if it is kid-size!
User avatar
Topic Author
FireflyGlow
Posts: 377
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:13 pm

Re: Resources for teaching football to kids (books, classes, equip., etc.)

Post by FireflyGlow »

Thanks to all for your responses. I really appreciate it and I will check out all of those books! Thanks!
Post Reply