Final Preparation for the First Game

The final touches (I guess, if you're like me, you never feel like the final touches are applied) before the first game help your team to look organized on the field. Before your first game its important to teach and practice getting into and out of the huddle, general substitions, and relaying plays into the game. These aspects must be practiced or there will be uncertainty and disorder between every play.

There's different ways to set the huddle. I just use a simple circle. After the huddle is taught, it's time to practice setting up a huddle after a play and running in plays with substitute. The varsity coach at my school is very good about letting us use the game field to practice. Generally, I have two or three left ends who alternate taking in plays. They know as soon as the play is over to head off the field and come right to me. I had to teach them this. When I first started coaching, the first time the end ran off the field he disappeared in the crowd. When it was time to send in the next play he was nowhere to be found. Anyway, on the game field we'll start at mid-field with the team huddled up. I'll send in the play, they'll line up, run the play with everybody sprinting 10 yards. The ball will be spotted 5 yards from the previous spot. The center will have to set the spot for the huddle (7 yards from the ball), yelling "huddle" with his arms up. The next play will come into the game, the quarterback calls the play in the huddle,the team lines up, runs the play, sprints 10 yards, the ball is spotted 5 yards downfield from the previous spot. We repeat this process five yards at a time until the team reaches the end zone. We enforce any false start penalties and illegal receiver down field penalties on pass plays. We also practice sending in substitutions for other positions. I think the kids are also getting accustomed to driving the ball down the field by having to run 10 error free plays in a row.

When we have the big field we'll also practice transitioning from offense to defense and vice versa. We always want to be ready for the proper 11 players to get on the field. After substitutions have been made, it can get confusing for kids when you yell "offense" and its time for them to be on the field. Their question is "does the starter go into the game or do I go in because I was on the field the last time we were on offense?" I've struggled over the years with how to make this situation less confusing for the kids. What we do right now is have two possible calls when making the transition from offense to defense or vice versa. I can call "last offense," which would be the group that was on the field the last time we were on offense or "starting offense," which would be the starters. It doesn't work perfectly. Sometimes kids forget they were on the field the last time their group was on the field. The kids coming in from the sideline need to echo the call to the players who are on the field at the time of transition so they know who needs to stay or get off the field. One situation to take into account is if a starter gets injured and cannot continue. I try to remember to tell his substitute he is now the starter. Notice I said try to remember, yes in the heat of the game I can forget. It is a lot for kids to remember, but if they are truly into the game and want to play, they will get it.

So, a couple days before the first game we practice these scenarios: changing from defense to offense with "last offense" and "starting offense" and "last defense" and "starting defense." I do take pride in the fact that even early in the season we rarely have to take a time out for too few or too many kids on the field. I also let all the kids know that on offense the quarterback is in charge on the field. If he counts twelve in the huddle (and he's supposed to count on each transition), and he tells a player to get off the field that player is to immediately get off the field. If there is an argument, the quarterback is supposed to call time out tell me who argued and that player doesn't play the rest of the game (incidentally, its never happened in a game that somebody has argued with the quarterback).

I know early in my career I never thought to practice these parts of the game. I just kind of assumed everybody would know when they were on the field and how to shuttle in plays. Believe me, if you practice it you're team will look very organized and I do think organization shows up on the scoreboard.