Just Football 24/7

I saw this story on Good Morning America on Sunday, November 29th, 2009.  I just had to share it, so please take the time to click on the video above.  It’s about a small town in California’s Death Valley area called Trona.  The recession has hit this town hard, but nothing can keep the Trona High School Football team from doing what it loves to do, play football.  However, it’s not just about playing football, it’s about where they play football- The Sand Pit.  There is very little vegetation in Trona; therefore, the football field is a gigantic sand pit.  Imagine playing in the sand, running in the sand, landing in the sand face first.

I shared this same story with our oldest son who is almost 12.  He has been fortunate to play on teams that have adequate funding and to play in leagues that have beautiful turf fields in stadium settings.  However, this year, his select team played in a different league which gave his team the opportunity to travel throughout the metroplex.  He played on many different fields, some of which were full of weeds and ant hills, some of which were torn up and muddy from recent rains, and some of which were state of the art.  Some of teams we played including our own team arrived in custom made jerseys with head to toe Under Armour and some teams wore ripped socks, overused cleats, and equipment that had been obviously passed down.

Regardless of the field conditions, or the economic background of the players, or the uniforms they wore, there was one thing each team had in common.  Every player from every team came on the field and played with heart.  This Good Morning America story about the Trona High School Football team reminded me about how important it is to remind my children to play with heart.  Because, in the end, it’s not about the fancy uniforms, the expensive gear, or the perfectly groomed fields.  It’s about playing with heart.

We will be playing with heart this upcoming weekend in a 7/8 year tackle tournament and an 11/12 year tackle select football state championship game.  Go Fury!  Go GA Giants!  Let’s bring it home!

Tags: City Football Leagues, High School Leagues by admin
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My son played select football now for three years. This season with the GA Giants has been the best ever for my son. Not only he learned many football skills and technique but also gained an overall experience and appreciation for the game which tops any Middle School or semi fun/competition league like the FFL. My son is eleven and played on the 11/12 GA Giants team (www.gagiants.net) this team as is right now could probably beat any Frisco Middle Schools teams around with points to spare. I honestly think that even a ninth grade team would be subject to loosing against them easily!  During the Middle School season we went to several football games visiting with past friends from prior playing years. I have to say that looking at the Middle School play football and then on the weekend look at the select football teams play it’s like the difference between night and day! No comparing there, it’s like watching a clueless bunch of four year olds playing pewee soccer. It’s not about finding and choosing specific talent. Playing select football is about placing the kids in the proper spot and being able to mature them in the game. This is something that no Middle school or any other for “fun” leagues can do. That is why parents with even the remote inclination of having your child possibly mature in this game should consider select football!

I am so proud of all these boys on the Giants and what they have accomplished together, Nico, Sam, Jack you all are the best! My hats off to the coaches!

Tags: City Football Leagues, Select Leagues by admin
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FFL

I started coaching my son’s 7/8 tackle team this year. Having watched my older son playing all these years I figured I had some experiences to share.  The shock of having to play in a league like the Frisco Football League where the so claimed non-profit organization strives more on actually profiting than actually placing kids and their football performance first is an amazing feeling to deal with.  They claim to be competitive but then not really. They also claim to be fair in their selection/draft, but not really. This year some new- upcoming team received certain players that had previous playing experience and other teams go handed the shaft.  But since this is about the kids I am going to focus on what’s really important to me unlike some others folks on the FFL board.

Practice… Good football teams are successful because they do all the little things right. It’s at practice where good teams work on these little things. Practice is the only way one can develop a hands-on familiarity with how to execute a new blocking technique or see how much more explosiveness changing your stance can give you. Practice is a time to run drills and work on plays to better equip you for game time. Essentially it allows time for the kinks to get worked out and to see what works, and what doesn’t.

Study your opponent and your own team. Does your next opponent have a star receiver? Is their defense susceptible to giving up big running plays? If so, that knowledge would be useful before the opening kickoff. With some sort of pre-game planning, you can figure out how to shut that receiver down or develop an effective blocking scheme to further augment your opponent’s problems with the run. You can work on your new strategies in practice (see step 1). But it’s also important to know where your own weaknesses lie. For example, if your own team has difficulty covering punts, maybe it would be a good idea to have your kicker work on aiming the ball out of bounds. Or, if your left offensive lineman is injured and has limited mobility, maybe it would be useful to back him up with your fullback.

Train..Football is a game of speed and strength. The better physical shape one can get in by game time, the better. Given that football requires a lot of running around, it would be useful to have a good cardiovascular base. It’s human nature to get lazy when we get tired. In football, that laziness can translate into a missed block and a loss of yardage.

Good Luck!!!

Tags: City Football Leagues, Football Training by admin
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