How To Beat A 4-4 Defense In Youth Football

While your kids are going to love criminal offence, you every bit the coach need to always preach that it is defence force that wins championships. Adequately quickly you are going to feel similar you lot demand to focus nigh all your exercise time on offense. Early in the season, peculiarly with kids you've never coached before, the offense is going to seem so much more than complicated to them. Y'all will be tempted to focus all your practice time on those fancy offensive plays. Y'all will need to resist that urge, because ignoring practicing defense is the exact opposite of what y'all should exist doing. Instead, selection ane or two offensive plays to master, so spend A LOT of time focusing on defense. Putting a heavy emphasis on defense volition pay huge dividends for your squad.

An elite, championship defensive strategy will consist of a team that tin execute the key defensive fundamentals of playing a zone defence, pulling flags, catching balls, and pressuring the quarterback. If you can assistance your squad master those fundamentals, you lot will be able to field a stifling defense that frustrates opposing teams every time.

Let's explore what it means to primary these three fundamental skills.

Execute a Disciplined Zone Defense

A zone defence is the best type to use as your base defense in youth flag football. In a zone defense, each defender is assigned an surface area of the field, known as a "zone", and it is their responsibility to baby-sit that entire zone. Thus, in a zone defense, the defenders line up to guard their zone, irrespective of how the offense lines up to outset.

Zone is the best to use every bit opposed to man-to-human being because with a man-to-man defence force, a single mismatch can accident your whole defense force. By mismatch, I mean, if the defender is a piddling shorter or slower than the offensive player they are covering. It is likewise tough for defenders to stay with their human being when they cut through traffic. And a zone defense gives more opportunities for the defense to play "assist" defence, where they all swarm to the ball quickly.

Read Best Defense force for Youth Flag Football: zone or man-to-man? for more details.

In 5 five five flag football game, I plant that a base of operations 1-three-1 zone worked very effectively. In 6 v half dozen, we tended to use a 2-iii-1. Here is how each works:

In the diagram below, I accept not fatigued the individual offense player positions, but indicated generally where the criminal offence is lined up. The cherry x'due south are the defenders. The "rush line" is the line backside which a defender must kickoff in club to rush the QB.

5 5 five one-3-one Defense

This is a fairly good, multi-purpose zone defence force, effective confronting both the run or the pass. The single defender up close to the line has to try to guard the center of the field, from the line of scrimmage out to virtually 10 yards back. Of the three lined upward in the mid-range, just at or behind the blitz line, the center defender is going to be the QB rusher. The 2 outside defenders are responsible for their half of the field. They should guard whatever receivers who come into their zone. The defender the farthest back is a free rubber, who needs to stay as far dorsum equally necessary to cover whatsoever deep running receivers. This defender needs to ensure that no receiver gets behind them. If the brawl gets handed off to a running dorsum, the rusher should attempt to go their flag in the backfield. In one case they come up beyond the line of scrimmage, every defender should swarm to the ball — don't sit dorsum and expect for them to come up to you lot.

One contraction you tin add to this is you can let any of the 3 defenders in the middle zone to be the QB rusher. Just come up upward with a signal you lot can call out to the defense when they line up to designate who you lot desire to be the QB rusher. If yous take ane of the defenders on the edge rush, brand sure the centre defender knows to embrace that zone.

half dozen v 6 ii-iii-1 Defense

As with the 1-iii-1 for 5 v five, this is a adequately good, multi-purpose zone defense, constructive against both the run or the laissez passer. The 2 defenders upward shut to the line will baby-sit both the edges and the center of the field, from the line of scrimmage out to well-nigh 10 yards back. Of the iii lined upwardly in the mid-range, just at or backside the rush line, the center defender is going to be your QB rusher. The two outside defenders are responsible for their half of the field. They should baby-sit any receivers who come into their zone. The defender the farthest back is a gratis safety, who needs to stay as far back every bit necessary to cover whatever deep running receivers. This defender needs to ensure that no receiver gets behind them. If the ball gets handed off to a running dorsum, the rusher should try to go them in the backfield. One time they come across the line of scrimmage, every defender should swarm to the ball — don't sit dorsum and wait for them to come to yous.

One contraction you can add to this is you can allow any of the 3 defenders in the heart zone to be the QB rusher. Just come up with a point you lot can call out to the defense when they line upwards to designate who you want to be the QB rusher. If you lot have one of the defenders on the border rush, make sure the middle defender knows to comprehend that zone.

Make certain your team understands how to line upwardly in this base of operations defense, and what everyone's task is. Practise it over again and once again every time you practice as a team. If you have enough kids, yous should have one half of the team run your offense, and the other half run defense.

The concept of "help defense force"

In addition to each i of them learning the fundamentals at the individual level, you should preach and practise the concept of help defense. This is all near what happens when the play gets going and the brawl carrier is coming toward 1 of your players. In one case the ball carrier has crossed the line of scrimmage, the residue of the team can't just stand there and watch every bit ane teammate tries to pull the flag. Instead, everyone should exist swarming to the ball as fast equally they can.

This does two things. First, you have away maneuvering room for the ball carrier, which makes it much easier to pull their flag and limits their k gained. 2d, if the starting time defender misses the flag pull, in that location are others there to aid. Notice that I said everyone should swarm to the ball once the ball carrier has crossed the line of scrimmage. Before that, at that place is e'er the possibility of a pass, so your kids will have to learn when to continue to cover their human or zone, and when to swarm to the ball.

When they do come in to swarm the ball, practise having them box the ball carrier in. The closest one needs to foursquare upward right in forepart of the ball carrier, but equally others come in, they should create a "box" around the ball carrier to take away their ability to maneuver and break away. Note that the sideline is an extra defender when the play is on well-nigh it.

Train your team to exist flag pulling machines

When it comes to pulling flags, one tendency that you will see in your kids is they will try to side-pace an oncoming ball-carrier. Then they will try to reach out and pull their flag from the side as the runner flies by. I describe this as a matador belongings out his greatcoat and side-stepping the oncoming balderdash. This is really poor technique, and trust me, y'all volition probably never fully get them out of information technology. I had kids play for me every spring and fall for five years, and they still did it sometimes.

Here are the elements of proper flag pulling that you need to drill into their heads:

• Don't stand up at that place and wait for the runner to come to y'all — close the distance
• Suspension downwards your step into brusk choppy steps as you go close
• Watch their hips equally yous go in for the flags, non their eyes or caput (they are likely to become faked out when watching the runners optics)
• Reach for and endeavour to grab the upper role of the flag, non the lower part. Teach your kids to grab the flag correct near the top where it attaches to the belt. The flag is much easier to grab securely near the elevation, considering it is not flapping around wildly every bit the offensive player runs
• Try to square up on them and reach out both easily, 1 to each hip, and try to pull both flags off either side, without grabbing or "tackling" the runner. Alternatively, grab one flag with both hands strongly
• Be prepared to run with the runner if you miss the flag pull

Interception focused defense

There are 2 basic skills that kids demand to master if you are going to have success equally a squad: pulling flags and communicable balls. At commencement glance y'all might think "sure, that makes sense. One is nearly offense and one is about defense." Wrong! Pulling flags is certainly virtually defense, but then is catching balls. When the other squad tries to throw a pass, it is the job of the defenders to get get that brawl.

In youth flag football, quarterbacks are going to try to pass on you, especially if they have a motorbus that doesn't know that passing is a unsafe strategy. These kids aren't NFL caliber quarterbacks. Their passes are likely to be short, or long, or dull-arcing ducks. The opportunities for interceptions will be there many times in each game, unless your kids are merely completely out of position.

There is nothing so crushing to a squad's spirit as throwing an interception. You take the ball away from their criminal offence, taking away one of their few chances to put points on the board, and put it right back in your hands, often with adept field position. You may even score a quick vi points on the interception. In your drills practice pulling flags and communicable balls more anything else.

Pressuring the quarterback

One of the keys to a smothering, disruptive defense is pressuring the offense in the backfield. In nearly leagues, you tin send in as many rushers as you desire, so long as they offset a certain number of yards dorsum from the line of scrimmage (usually 7 yards dorsum). I've occasionally seen teams try to blitz two players, and I've seen teams almost never rush the QB. I constitute that consistently rushing one player is the best bet.

Not rushing the quarterback at all gives the QB an enormous amount of time to sit down dorsum comfortably and pass. I don't care how good your defenders are, if the QB has plenty time, the receivers are going to run around long plenty to get open, and the offense volition probable complete a laissez passer. Some leagues institute a vii second to pass rule, where if there is no QB rush, the QB has 7 seconds from the snap to pass it or it is a penalty. Simply even then, 7 seconds is a very long time.

But what most when you lot are facing a run-heavy team? You still send in the rusher, in most cases. If you send in one of your fastest kids, and you lot railroad train them correct, they will lookout the handoff as they are coming in, and often they will be able to pull the flag of the ball carrier right after they get the brawl. Causing the offense to lose yards on a play is a smashing feeling. If they are close plenty to their finish zone, you might fifty-fifty be able to get a safety.

Just in that location are some fundamental points y'all have to piece of work on with your kids so they rush the QB properly:

• Be safe — usually the center is going to be coming out on a route as they are heading in, and then they need to watch out that they don't collide with other players from the crime.
• Rush from different angles, not always from the same spot in the middle of the field. You want to keep the defense guessing about where the blitz is coming from.
• Go fast, but watch carefully if at that place is a handoff. Exist prepare to get with the ball carrier if the handoff happens, or go with the QB if they simulated information technology.
• This one is of import: As y'all become closer to the QB, intermission down your footstep into short choppy steps — you don't want to fly right past the QB at total speed, because then they will have a few seconds before yous tin become turned around to set up their feet and make a laissez passer.
• This i is also important: Proceed the QB in front end of you — if you lot tin't get to the QB in time to pull their flag earlier they pass information technology, you can spring with your hands in the air as they pass to attempt to suspension information technology upwards, or at least brand it hard for them to see where they are throwing.
• Understand which way is best to pressure the QB. If they are right-handed, then coming at them from their right side will forcefulness them to scramble to their left, and they are going to exist much less comfortable rolling left and attempting a pass. If they are left-handed, then rush them from their left side.

Of the in a higher place points, the one that is most important is breaking downwardly the stride into choppy steps as yous get close to the QB. Your players will desire to go 100% full speed all the manner to the QB to effort to get that flag. They love that feeling of getting a sack. But I can't tell you how many times the QB manages to sidestep the rush and and then the defender goes flying by them, giving them a nice break of at least 3 or 4 solid seconds to look for an open receiver. In that scenario, the rusher has taken themselves out of the play for several seconds. This is the least constructive technique they can use to rush the QB, and you will need to work on the skill of breaking down and staying in front of the QB over again and again so that they only do it automatically in games.

Focus on these basics, and earlier you lot know information technology, your squad will have a smothering, confusing defense!

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Source: https://flagcoachhero.com/blog/youth-flag-football-strategies-the-best-defensive-strategy/

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