Youth Football 5-3 Defense & More


By FirstDown PlayBook on Aug 1, 2023

A youth football 5-3 defense may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about how you want to coach your Pop Warner team. Most youth football coaches want a four man front and probably even a six man front. Just for the record, that is a good way to go too.

However, here are ways to make an odd front work for a youth football defense. FirstDown PlayBook has even done a Youth FootBall Chalk Talk on the 5-3 youth football defense as well as others. One of the keys is to make it a six man front on the snap. We will talk about that at some point. Before we do that though, we want to point to you youth football coaches out there who may have a very talented nose guard.

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

This would be your young player who is a better with their hand in the dirt as opposed to playing in a two point stance. We understand that there are weight limits in some youth football leagues. Still there are some kids who excel playing down, regardless of size. If you have one of these kids on your team, playing them at nose is a good thought.

Why? Think about it this way. When you line your best player up over the center, you have placed them as close to the ball at the snap as possible. This has advantages even if they do not make the play. Often times the nose disrupts the blocking scheme. This allows the other players to swarm the ball. This can mean playing a 5-3 Bear youth defense too.

Check Out 6 Sound Youth Football Defenses From NFL Coaches

Be sure to check back in with us later as we look at other versions of the 5-3 defense and how you can move your nose on the snap. This can cause a youth football offense all kind of problems. In the meantime, let’s get your youth football defensive thoughts in order. It’s that time of year! Learn more about the youth football 5-3 defense in this short video. Also remember that we have youth football drills in FirstDown PlayBook too!

FirstDown PlayBook offers you 6 different defenses just like this 5-3 Defense. You should consider one or two of these for your Pop Warner defense. Tap on any one of the tiles below to visit the article describing that formation. After reading the article then go join FirstDown PlayBook and get busy coaching your Pop Warner team with the best football playbook available!