Three 7on7 Mistakes To Avoid
We are big fans of 7on7 football here at FirstDown PlayBook and have been for awhile now. Like anything else though, 7on7 football is only good if it is coached and played properly. Bad high school football habits can be reinforced just like good habits so today I want to point to three things you should avoid (and have your players avoid) when it comes to 7on7 offense and defense football this spring.
Before we get to that we want to make the point that FirstDown PlayBook is all about multi-sport athletes. If you are requiring your players or child to be involved with 7on7 when they are talented enough to play a spring sport…don’t do it. That kid will only be a kid once. Let them play sports and enjoy it.
Having said that, there are kids who want to throw the football around, year round, that is good too. If this happens to take the form of team based or club based 7on7 then that’s where we think you have to be careful. Once again, habits will be formed. Let’s make sure they are good ones.
Here are three things we want you to avoid this spring if you are coaching 7on7 football.
1. Allowing Untimed 7on7 Plays
The game of football is meant to be a game of timing. If it’s the run game, there may be a hole to run in, but only for a split second. If the timing is off so is the play execution. The passing game is no different.
If you are allowing your quarterback to stand in the pocket for more than three or four seconds than it isn’t realistic. 7on7 should always have a clock and a horn to prevent this from happening. If the horn blows, it’s a sack. This is going to make your quarterback and everyone else on the field better.
2. Using Only Pass Friendly Formations
We all want to win because we are competitive. However, if you are really trying to get better at the game of football then you want to be diverse with your formations and play calls.
It might be to your 7on7 advantage to run all one back or empty formations, but it’s detrimental to the overall development of the players. Running backs need work too and that means from the backfield. Some of the harder routes to complete and catch on offense are out of the backfield.
3. Using Only Pass Friendly Coverages
Okay, I’m looking at you defensive coaches. You are guilty of cheating too. Playing two deep safeties every snap is not realistic. Your players need to be playing some middle of the field closed coverages too. You know that the 7on7 offense is going to expect 2 deep. So what?
This is a great time to introduce quarters coverage and the adjustments to all of the different formations that comes along with it. Locking up in man coverage is also good for the players, even if the matchups are not always in your favor.
The exit message is to keep it real. That means you will not remember that shallow 7on7 win if your quarterback develops bad habits that gets him sacked 5 times in an important game in October. Your defense will also be glad you taught them coverages that stop the run and pass when you put the pads on.
