sound simple defensive schemes for youth football

7/28/2019 Sound Simple Defensive Schemes for Youth Football

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THE RIGHT FIT

Building A Sound, Simple Defensive Scheme

At The Youth level

Coach William MitchellDefensive Coordinator

Ardrey Kell High SchoolCharlotte, NC



Why do we coach?

How do we gauge success?

What should kids get from our

program?

•I want the kids to learn to play safe, sound

fundamental football in an enjoyable

environment.

•I can gauge my success by how many of

my players want to play again next year.



Recommendations

• Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx

• Inside Out Coaching by Joe Ehrmann

• Full Throttle Online (http://playfullthrottle.com)

• Grid Notes (http://gridironnotes.blogspot.com)

• Coach Huey (http://coachhuey.com)



Fundamentals of Defense

• ALIGNMENT

• PURSUIT

• TACKLING

If you do these things well, scheme doesn’t matter



ALIGNMENT

• 90% of playing good defense is lining up

correctly

• Protect your edges and your back end.

– Place your best players in these spots

– For us, these are the BANDITs & the FS

• Stay Gap Sound

– Definite assignments = Play Fast!



PURSUIT

• Not as natural for kids today

• Emphasize Effort!

• Angles & Spatial Awareness can come

later

• Pass Pursuits / Wall Pursuits / Quick

Pursuits



TACKLING

• Most important thing that you can teach

• Use a definite progression.

-Be patient-Allow the players to build confidence

-Avoid mismatches

• Head Up / Chest Up / Garbage Up!• See What You Hit!



SITUATIONS

• What situations do I need to have a plan

for?

• What types of offensive attacks will we

see?

• Different age groups / Different needs



SITUATIONS

• Base Fronts – sound vs run and pass

• Stopping Power Run – 2RBs / 1 or moreTEs

• Stopping Spread Pass – 1RB / 1 or lessTEs

• Stopping Spread Run – 1 RB / 1 or less

TEs• Short Yardage

• Extra Long Yardage

• Goal-Line



THINGS TO CONSIDER

• You may be able to combine somesituations. (Short Yardage / Power Run)

• You want to make the defense extremely

simple for 9 or 10 positions• Have 1 or 2 positions make all

complicated adjustments. (Coach’s son,

more experienced, etc.)• In our scheme the MIKE LB & the WILL LB

are the adjustors.

• Be able to tinker with match-ups. (Spy QB,etc)



BASE FRONTS

• Your BASE front should be sound vs Run or Pass

• This should be the front your players know best.It is the most comfortable for them. This is whatyou fall back on when times are tough.

• I like to use a 5-3 and a 6-2 as my BASE fronts.

• The MIKE LB is the only player using a differenttechnique. BANDITs use SPLIT rules.



BASE 5 - 3

Q

B

FS

C

BE

WM

N

C

S



BASE 6 - 2

Q

B

FS

C

BE

W

MN

C

S



STOPPING POWER

RUNNING ATTACKS

• Use vs 2 or more RBs / 1 or more TEs

• All linemen use Gap techniques andPenetrate!

• The MIKE LB is the only player using a

different technique.

• You can look at a 7-3 or an 8 – 2 Front.



7 – 3 Front

Q

B

FS

C BE

WM

N C

S



7 – 3 Front

Q

B FS

C

BE

WM

N C

S



8 - 2 Front

Q

B

FS

CBE

W

MN C

S



8 - 2 Front

Q

B

FS

C BE

W

MN C

S



STOPPING SPREAD

ATTACKS

• Is the opponent a Spread-to-Run or a

Spread-to-Pass team?

• Is the QB a threat to run?

• Who is the QB’s favorite target?

• We like to look at a 5-2 or a 6-1 look

• The WILL LB and the MIKE LB are theadjustors



5 - 2

Q

B

FS

C

B

E

W

M

N

C

S



6 - 1

Q

B

FS

C

B

E

W

MN

C

S



SPECIAL SITUATIONS

• In short yardage, I would look at some of thefronts we used vs Power Run with coverageadjustments.

• In long yardage, I would look at some of thefronts we used vs Spread also with somecoverage adjustments.

• In Goal-Line, I like to use a Gap-8 typealignment.

• In our Victory defense, I like a backed up version



6 - 2 GAP Front vs Short Yardage

Q

B

FS

C

BE

W

MN

C

S



5 – 2 vs Extra Long

Q

B

FS

C BE

W

M

N

C

S



5 – 2 vs Extra Long

Q

B

FS

C B E

W

M

N

C

S



Gap 8 Front in Goal Line

Q

B X

C

BE XMN

CS



VICTORY Defense

Q

B

FS

C

B

E

W

M

N

C

S



CONTACT INFO

Coach William Mitchell

Defensive Coordinator

Ardrey Kell High School

Charlotte, NC

[email protected]

sound simple defensive schemes for youth football

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