Coaching Flag Football

By Jason Richardson

After over two decades of coaching youth sports, Jason is sharing some of the secrets of success. This book will take you from pre-season to post-season, helping you survive and enjoy your volunteer time. Focusing on the reason we are volunteering, our kids, you'll walk into practices and games with more confidence that you are bringing value to their time. Although this is geared toward parents who are fairly new to coaching (or new to coaching flag football) it is also relevant to coaches that were assistants but never head coaches and any coach that may have struggled coaching flag football in the past. There are drills to run during practices and a methodology for easily communicating plays to the kids. That methodology applies to the 5 on 5 that most leagues run, but can expand to other leagues as necessary. It's also flexible enough to take advantage of the flag football plays you can find with a simple Internet search. Jason also focuses on teaching defensive skills like flag pulling techniques and "staying home".

We know that you want confidence in your coaching while making sure your child and their teammates are both having fun and improving. The focus of this book is to make sure both you and those players are covered.

Expect answers to the following questions:
What do I need to focus on in practice?
What drills can I run to keep players engaged, active, and improving?
How do I teach the players the plays and have them run them during the games?
How do I take the millions of plays that are on the Internet and adapt them ?
How do I teach my players how to defend? Effectively?
What should I be doing before the games, after the games?
What should I be saying to the parents?
What happens after the last game?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. D. Richardson
• Release date: Mar 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393671077

Jason Richardson

Jason Richardson graduated from Vanderbilt University with a double major in English and English Education with an accidental minor in Classical Languages. He took full reins of those English degrees and spent 20 years working in IT. He's currently working in a Fortune 300 company's IT department developing solutions for unified communications technology. He's heading back to his education in his own time though, and is writing again like he did all those years ago... He's also Coached various youth sports for 25 years. That includes a successful State Soccer Championship coaching adventure.

Book preview

Introduction

Football is football and talent is talent. But the mindset of your team makes all the difference.

- Robert Griffin III

THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING to Coach.  You have taken on a responsibility that is as important as it is challenging.  I, for one, am proud that you did what others wouldn’t do and can safely say that they will be the ones missing out.  That pride comes from over two and a half decades of coaching youth sports.  Although having a good understanding of the sport you’re coaching is important, there are universal truths regardless of the sport. 

The kids are the most important part of your coaching.  They are why you are there in the first place, volunteering your time.  Some of these kids will be great athletes, you can make them better.  Some of these kids will not be great athletes, you can make them better too.  Of course, the definition of better is different for every kid you coach. 

You will not win every time you play.  Nobody goes through life always winning (despite some people’s braggadocio).  You ARE coaching to win, absolutely, but even if you win every game during the season, the reasons you are coaching are much broader than just winning.  These kids are becoming a team, they are sharing in something that was accomplished together and they are learning how to think quickly and decisively.  Every sport with a competitor is about predicting how the other side will act.  You don’t have to win for your players to improve that skill.

Lastly, your job is to teach them how to play a game with their mind and their body, both are important.  This book is not a list of offensive plays (you can find those easily on the internet), it’s a manual for coaching youth flag football correctly.  From what to expect and do at practices, to what to focus on during and after games.  It’s not comprehensive, but you should walk away from this book with a clear sense of what you are trying to accomplish as a volunteer coach.  And hopefully a sense of what to expect...

Congratulations for taking on this responsibility, it will be worth it...

Pre-Season

Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference. 

- John Wooden

PRE-SEASON IS ABOUT your time and organizational skills.  You’ve volunteered with a league so there are a few things to focus on initially.  If they have a website, download the rule book (or at least read it