3 Reasons To Work On Youth Football Defense Now


By FirstDown PlayBook on Jan 5, 2022

Have you ever noticed how disproportionate the amount of football “help” you find out there when it comes to offensive football and defensive football? Of course, when we say “out there” we mean on the internet. There is so much more time devoted to offense that we promise it is at least 3 to 1 tilted that way. When it comes to youth football defense it is even more lopsided.

Take a tip from someone who has been doing this for a long time. If you are a youth football coach, ignore this. Instead, make a commitment to your youth football defense right now. There are several reasons for this. The main reason though is that you will have more influence on your youth football defense than you ever will with your offense. Here are three reasons that this is true.

1. There Are Limits To What You Can Teach Your Youth Football Offense

Trust us. You can start right now and work every day until you start practice, but you will hit a low ceiling with what your youth football team can retain. This its especially true on offense. Offense is built on timing and precision. Defense is built on adjustments and disruption.

As a youth football coach you have a much better chance of working on your defense this time of year. You can pretty easily come up with two or three base fronts that will cause any youth football offense problems. Another way to do it is to come up with one front that really fits your players. After that, develop stunts and pressures off of that.

2. Your Coaching Will Show Up More With Your Youth Football Defense

Some folks will bristle at this, but I promise you it is true at the youth football level. Think of the old adage “If they don’t score. They can’t win.” If you have at least one really talented player on your youth football offense you have a chance. Odds are that player is going to make plays for you at some point if you get them the ball.

NFL Coaches On 12 Formations To Consider For Your Youth Football Offense

Defense is different, particularly a youth football defense. Bill Belichick’s “just do your job” is in full force here. It is much easier to get that youth football 3 technique to stick his head in the B gap and fight like crazy than it is to teach offensive technique. This is the time of the year that you can become an expert on all eleven of your youth football defense positions and techniques.

3. Your Youth FootBall Adjustments Will Not Change Between Now & Then

You’ve heard it here before. Job one for any defense is to get lined up to the offensive formation before the ball is snapped. Your youth football defense is not going to get lined up unless you can get them lined up. You can get good at this right now. The formations you are going to face will not change between now and when you play.

Sit down and begin to adjust your defense to any and all possible formations. Make sure that your adjustments are simple and that you don’t make too many players change their assignments, and/or technique as they adjust. FirstDown PlayBook can help you out here in a big way.

Check Out 6 Sound Youth Football Defenses From NFL Coaches

FirstDown PlayBook gives you sound defensive adjustments to any youth football formation you might see. We also give you the youth football defensive coach the ability to edit this to fit your players. So don’t fall into the trap that has you drawing offensive plays all winter that your youth football team may not even be able to execute.

Work on your youth football defense right now. Do not wait. If you start right now you can have your youth football defense ready to go before you ever step on the practice field this fall.