My first season of youth football was very interesting. I wanted to be a quarterback but another player was ahead of me on the team. I didn't understand a whole lot anyway and was just going with the crowd. I'm sure a lot of kids my age were the same way. Then one day someone from our league office came out and made us weigh ourselves. If we were over a certain weight we had to wear an X on our helmet and play as a lineman. Everyone was dreading it. I was happy because I ended up being under the weight threshold and wasn't required to play on the line. I'll never forget though how bad all of us wanted no part of being on the line. Looking back on it I regret the thoughts I had and realize how little I knew.
Our coaches did some wonderful things that year to help with the lineman that I want to share with you because it made a difference to all of us who was on the team. It was things that bothered me at the time that I appreciated when I got older and that I cherish as a man with young kids today.
1. Each lineman was cheered for on every touchdown. The coaches praised them openly and called them by name. I scored a touchdown once and the coach patted me on the helmet but hugged each lineman.
2. First in line for drinks. Each lineman got drinks first. This drove me crazy but the coaches always stressed how these guys were the work horses of our team so they should drink first.
3. Our lineman got to run by themselves. This bothered me also but makes perfect sense now. Most of these kids were overweight and not as fast as everyone else so it made sense for them to run on their own. They didn't need to be compared to everyone else and get down on themselves for not being as fast as the rest of us. They might be big but they have just as important of a role on the team as everyone else.
I loved what the coaches did with those kids. It made the football lineman feel like they were a different or special part of the team. As players we even got to the point we were a bit jealous because of the treatment but it worked. I see some of the old guys from that team and we talk about it still. Our lineman had a great season at a time in their lives when they could have been questioning a lot about themselves. We had coaches who thought enough of those kids to give them a real chance and put the kid first. We were a great team but I don't remember that. I just remember feeling like everyone had a role and that we were all contributors to something bigger. The coaches did a great job of making each player feel important and buy into what their job was.
For more information on youth football visit TouchdownSkills.com.
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