Youth Football Scrimmages

Every season I will try and squeeze in as many scrimmages with my youth football team as possible.  Scrimmaging is such a vital aspect for measuring your team and getting them ready for the season.

Evaluating Players. Scrimmages will allow you and your coaching staff to evaluate all your players vs. other competition.  Practicing and doing well against teammates is not the same as playing another team.  Scrimmages are a great opportunity to try players out in different positions.  Your true football players will reveal themselves during scrimmages.

Evaluating Team. Youth football scrimmages are an excellent way to measure your team as a whole. How well they work together and how much they compete.  Football is the ultimate team sport and having your team participate in multiple scrimmages will help your team bond.

Offense. Game scrimmages are an excellent way to see what areas your offense needs work. You can not only watch how individual players play, but you can get a sense of how fluent your offensive plays are.  You are able to see what plays are being executed well and which ones need work.  Playing a couple of different teams in scrimmages will also allow your players to practice their blocking scheme vs. various defenses. These preseason games will allow your team to practice line splits, stances, and formation alignment.

Play Calling. Scrimmages are not just for the kids, they are a chance for the coaches to improve as well. Scrimmages are a great way to practice play calling on offense. You can practice setting up certain plays in your offensive series.  You can also practice adjusting your team to something the defense is doing.  During these games make sure your coaches are watching and coaching their position throughout the scrimmage.

Coaching.  Scrimmage games will also allow the coaches to practice coaching before the regular season. The coordinators will be able to practice play calling. The assistant coaches can practice watching their assigned position, or watching certain position on the other team to assist in play calling.  It is a great opportunity for coaches to work backup players and get them game reps.  Most leagues have a minimum  play rule (MMP), of like 10 plays or so. Game scrimmages will be great a opportunity to practice getting MMP their required plays.  These games are a great way to practice overall sideline management.  Scrimmaging are also used to find out if you have some players out of position.

Defense.  Defense is all about alignment and practicing against other teams will help the kids learn how to align.  It will allow coaches to show their players how to align vs. various offensive formations.  Scrimmaging helps teach your team how to pursuit to the ball, tackling block shedding, and pass coverage.

Special Teams. We do a ton of different things during special team practice games. We will do a lot of extra points and punt team practice.  We will also spend a lot of time working on our onside kick. We will onside kick every time during a scrimmage.  Scrimmages will also be a great opportunity for us to practice our field goal and punt block.  Kickoff coverage and return middle will also get some good work.