Just an update to let everyone know, my 8-year-old son got his first career interception this weekend. Offensively, he had several 20-yard runs... he is making good cuts and does a good job of keeping his feet moving after contact.
LMAO... Not to make fun of your boy, but he plays corner/safety the same way I did at that age... let the receiver run by you, get 15 yards of drop and wait for the ball because the QB can't throw it any farther than that... He did make a nice catch though...
That last play was very sweet, nice cut back. Very nice coverage and presence of mind to back pedal and get the INT. Walk proudly Papa you have a gamer there.
Nice!!! Merth. The other movies of great kid football plays is under the post, "Youth Football" in the "Tailgate Lot" threads. You should put that video there as well. Let's see if we can keep this thread going for awhile. I got a couple more good plays my son made, but I'm waiting for the disc to fill before I put them up...
"Awww Nawww Big Slimdog!!!" -Eminem, "B**** Please Pt. II"
Quote: LMAO... Not to make fun of your boy, but he plays corner/safety the same way I did at that age... let the receiver run by you, get 15 yards of drop and wait for the ball because the QB can't throw it any farther than that... He did make a nice catch though...
We discussed his pre-snap stance and free releasing the WR.
Teams only throw once or twice a game so it is very easy to get complacent and forget to cover.
To continue in this theme... here is some of the speed & agility work he does. His warmup starts with very elementary 6" hurdles and agility ladder and progresses to more complex foot patterns that focus on body control (change of direction) and foot speed.
Then we break out the specially designed 1-man speed sled.
And for the record - I do not push him to do these things. On the nights he does not have practices - he ASKS if we can go out and do these drills.
That is outstanding Meth that he has that drive at his age. Most are laying around playing Playstation. You should look at getting him into some local college football camps or high school camps.
He does done HS camps the past 2 summers. I do not know what his favorite position is... he knows every position on the field fairly well.
Earlier this season, they had a game where a lot of kids were going down with bumps and bruises - he ended playing OLB, CB, S, C, TE, WR, HB, FB, and QB. He plays just as hard no matter what position he is in.
I started out working with adolescents in sports conditioning and speed & agility. The agility ladder is a great tool - there are so many drills you can do with it.
Merth - for working on balance and core stability, might want to consider buying a Bosu ball for him for X-mas, maybe with a set of medicine balls.
I am sure my wife would love to add that to our set up. We do alot more 'core stability' strengthening during the winter months when the weather is not suitable for outdoor training.
Here is a list of our winter time training devices: Plyo Blocks (3", 6", 12", 15", 18") Ultimate Burst Resistant Core Stability Ball Wobble Board 6-Inch by 18-Inch Foam Roller 8lb Medicine Ball Thera-bands (thin to thick)
The biggest issue at this point is constantly finding new/different exercises so he doesn't get bored.
He's got heart and some quickness, but I don't see the explosiveness he needs to take it to the next level. Seems to lack upper body strength and will struggle against taller WRs. He's got "bust" written all over him. Have you thought about putting him in a good figure skating program? Maybe he's more suited for that acitivity.
Quote: He's got heart and some quickness, but I don't see the explosiveness he needs to take it to the next level. Seems to lack upper body strength and will struggle against taller WRs. He's got "bust" written all over him. Have you thought about putting him in a good figure skating program? Maybe he's more suited for that acitivity.
I WILL CLIMB THROUGH THE COMPUTER AND BEAT YOU WITH A...
He had to play football the figure skating classes were filled.
THAT'S AMAZING Merth!!! To have that work ethic at such an early age is great. It will mean nothing but success for him in sports and in life in general. You got a special kid there!!! Keep us informed on how he does. Wouldn't that be great if we could just keep this thread going for the next 5 years and just see how much the kids on here have progressed? Maybe we may have some serious athletes for the future!!! Could be great if Dawgtalker could start a thread like "Fantasy & Gaming" just for film of our kids in their respective sports doing well...
"Awww Nawww Big Slimdog!!!" -Eminem, "B**** Please Pt. II"
Slim... that would be great for us to have a forum highlighting youth athletes. The only way that will happen though is folks keep responding to this thread and other threads of a similar nature.
So, moms and dads lets see your young athletes. Let's starting pimping the draft class of of 2021.
The team in white tackles like our defence. Did you see that block he got on the first kick return? Kid's got great feet, though. LOOK AT THOSE FEET!!!
HOLY CRAP BEERDOWNER!!! You can't teach those moves that kid has...To have that instinctive type of moves when he has the ball is amazing!!! At one point during the film, I thought the camera was speeded up when he ran the TD. I played it again and it was not...Incredible. He would shake the jockstraps of most highschoolers at this point. Don't think college coaches aren't watching this video and already have him on recruiting lists.
The RB on my son's 7th grade team is amazing. I'll put some footage up along of him with my son. He waits for the play to develop while running with the ball. He'll sit behind the blockers and wait for them to block before he puts on the gas. Hard to teach that to most 7th graders. Most pros don't wait for the play to develop...We heard he may move to St. Louis with his mom. I asked my son and he hadn't heard anything to the effect (I hope he doesn't).
Great video...
"Awww Nawww Big Slimdog!!!" -Eminem, "B**** Please Pt. II"
I'll put my son's video back on here since this thread is going longer than the other one. he is #85 (CB) in the blue. The second play, he comes from across the field to make a hit on the QB. This is his first year playing any football and he was a little bit sore in his first game(not in game shape). I hope he continues to play because with some good coaching and learning the position, he could do well.
Last edited by Slimdog; 09/27/0704:51 PM.
"Awww Nawww Big Slimdog!!!" -Eminem, "B**** Please Pt. II"
He wants to run track. I told him, it keeps him in good shape for the summer that football starts. He has a wirery frame, so we got him on some protein shakes and some high carbs to help him gain weight. He's 12 and at 5' 7". His doctor says he'll be about 6'6" or 6' 7". he wants to do some basketball as well. I think he may be a better basketball player...GO CAVS!!!
"Awww Nawww Big Slimdog!!!" -Eminem, "B**** Please Pt. II"
regardless of what he ultimately decides to do, basketball will help his hand/eye coordination and his footwork and balance... best of luck to him... and you..
But if you want advice... .... have him focus on basketball into college while he bulks up, then switch to football... TE seems to be the trendy position for guys about the size your son is going to be...
He has nice closing speed Slimdog...That's one thing I never had. ( I say had because I gave football up for year-round baseball.)
I was a DE when I played midget football. The swim move was best weapon. I was littler than most of the kids at my age that was my opponents, but blocking a little kid (at the time ) while he is doing the swim move on you..that's hard to block. That was some great advice from one of my coaches I ever received was the swim move.
Merth~ He's heck of a back...at his age, he is very hard to take down. Believe me, I've had my fair share of small backs that I had the job of making sure he doesn't get outside of you.