Customer Reviews

Coaching Youth Football (Betterway Coaching Kids Series)

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I bought this book as part of a series of books that I was going through for youth coaching. I have been coaching for a couple of years now and was looking for maybe something that I could add to my team's game. This book was both disappointing and scary at the same time. I'll explain.

Early on in the book the author suggests that yelling at the kids to get them fired up, even if you don't mean what you're saying (i.e. "Kill'em!") was a good thing, part of the game and suggested in so many words that it would separate the grittier players from the weaker ones. I'm not sure what kind of game he played when he was growing up, but I have never had a coach like that, nor do I coach my kids that way, and I've never had a problem with getting my kids fired up. Furthermore, it's insane for any coach to assume for one second that the game should be one of win-at-all-costs. Although he didn't say it directly, it appeared like it was more about the coach then it was about the players. Sure, he goes over the "teamwork" concept, but it was vague at best.

On more than one occasion there was the feeling that you should coach your better players and yell at the weaker ones. What ever happened to, you know, coaching? For starters it should never be about you the coach... ever! It should always be about the players and the TEAM. There were a few entries about how you put your slower players on the offensive line and at the full back position (which I completely disagree with) and that your smartest player should go at QB. According to the author, the QB should be able to identify the defense being played, the blitzes, and the weak slots by the time he reaches the line of scrimmage from the huddle. Of course there are no suggestions on how exactly you are supposed to coach this professional level concept to a child.

The book is filled with nice suggestions, but with no hint as to how to execute them. The techniques are maybe 50% accurate at best, and offer little in the way of correcting on-going errors. It just says to look for them. Right, because my 6th graders are all NFL caliber athletes that understand the intricacies of the game. The plays in the book are poorly illustrated, have no real explanations and will never work on a football field, ever, which is why I assume the author never posts anything about his success as a coach; probably because he hasn't had any.

There are far better books than this one out there. Try "Coaching Youth Football (Baffled Parent's Guides) by Paul Pasqualoni". It is a far better quality book and absolutely designed for the first time coach in mind. In fact, even if you have only been coaching for a couple of years, like me, there is still tons of information in there that is far superior.

This book is as irresponsible as it is dangerous, not to mention a complete waste of money. Don't waste your time on this book when there are far better ones available.

This is an excellent book for the first time coach. I was asked to coach a team after another coach bowed out after the first week of practice due to family crisis. I had not been involved in football for 20 years and was lost. This book saved me. Lots of good information, particularly on how to run a practice, useful drills and fundamentals. Does not include a lot of offensive or defensive strategy (See the "Coaching Youth Football" series by John T. Reed) but tremendously useful in helping a beginning coach get up and running.

I am the defensive coach for a youth leauge football team and this book is a tremendous help tp me