Rec sports issue, first grade team! Is this normal?

[Anonymous]

It’s sad but far too often these rec coaches are out of control. I would withdraw or bring it up with a rec director.

[Anonymous]

This is nuts. Another poster suggested Flagstar. We’ve used their program for years and it’s well run. I can’t imagine an email like this!

[Anonymous]

Just to clarify: the child’s ONLY position is second string center?

Or he has other positions and is the backup center?

Is this program attached to a facility that is building its competitive football presence?

Our non-profit rec league requires all players to play roughly half the game. We don’t ordinarily time it, but if they are seeing the same kids sitting on the sideline the refs will say something to the coach.

[Anonymous]

That’s bonkers. +1 for Flagstar

[Anonymous]

I don't know about football but for baskeball, our rec league has required playing time for every kid. Every kid has to play 2 quarters.

[Anonymous]

Center is the worst more boring job. The positions should be rotated.

[Anonymous]

Say something. Not normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Center is the worst more boring job. The positions should be rotated.

Center is an eligible receiver position. You don't seem to know how flag football works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our coach said emailed out a depth chart so we learned our son is on the second string and isn’t a starter. They are in first grade. Is this normal? It’s 5v5 flag football and the kids will stick to one of 5 offensive positions and 3 defensive positions for the whole season. No changes on positions. Most are 6 and a few 7 year olds. This is my son’s second year in the program. He’s a center.

I'll explain why it may make sense, and why it may be concerning, from my outsider's perpspective.

Makes sense:

* Specific defined positions give stability, give players a position to learn and improve on without getting too confused.
* Having a specific offensive and defensive position makes it clear what your child needs to do, what those around him/her are doing, and where they stand on a depth chart.
* If your child isn't the starter now they can earn that opportunity by practicing and playing well.
* Flag football usually has required playing time, check for that. If so, your child will play and have a chance each game to earn the starting role
* Hopefully the depth chart / positions were explained to you prior to this being announced.
* Centers are almost always an eligible receiver, your kid won't snap it and just stand there.
* If you take an honest look at your kids abilities, does this fit? Can your kid run? Do they understand the basics of the sport? Do they listen well in practice, can they catch? Run? I have coached kids at the 12U flag football level that could not do those things, and they could still learn and have fun while not being embarrassed by being asked to do things they couldn't.
* Practices should be spent teaching skills and developing capabilities and structure of positions can maximize that.

Why it should concern you:

* SPORTS SHOULD BE FUN, depth charts as explained to a child doesn't really sound fun.
* Players should have a chance to learn multiple positions, so they learn the sport. Is there coaching/teaching at practice?
* If this approach, of positions and depth chart, was never explained before that's a concern.
* Was it explained that non-starters play? How much?


How many coaches and helpers are there for games? If it is just one person, someone has to step up to help.

[Anonymous]

i think you need to go off off off with your voices

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our coach said emailed out a depth chart so we learned our son is on the second string and isn’t a starter. They are in first grade. Is this normal? It’s 5v5 flag football and the kids will stick to one of 5 offensive positions and 3 defensive positions for the whole season. No changes on positions. Most are 6 and a few 7 year olds. This is my son’s second year in the program. He’s a center.

I've coached both of my sons' flag football teams from 1st through 8th grade. And, no this is not normal at all at the 1st and 2nd grade level. At that age every kid should touch the ball during the game at least once - maybe twice. At that age, everyone is just running the ball anyway. There might be one kid that can throw the ball and he's probably the only kid that can reliably catch the ball. There is a really easy ways to do get everyone a touch. You give the ball to your less the ball on 1st and 2nd down. If you don't convert then you give it to your best player. Maybe you run some diversion counter type play or reverse for your slower kids but every kid should touch the ball. Not every kid should play QB - because only a couple of kids really understand what to do and if you have someone at QB not understand then the play blows up.

I can tell you stories of guys that do it right. Like kids looking at me when I say on 4th down the ball is going to be handed off to kid X. They ask why? I say "That's there best player and he wants to get a 1st down." The coach on that team would always hand off the ball to his less talented kids on 1st and 2nd down to ensure they touched the ball. If they scored or got a 1st down - great. If not, he knew his best player likely would on 4th down.

I can tell you stories of guys that have done it wrong. Like 2 years ago, I was coaching my 4th grade son's team at the time, we played a team that handed the ball off to the one same kid 19 of 20 times. And the time they didn't he was off the field tying his shoes. He was really good athlete that we bottle up sometime and sometimes we didn't. They won by a couple of TDs but as a parent on that team I would've been livid that my kid was basically standing there on offense. Though looking at the sidelines of the other team most parents seemed to be okay with because "hey, we won."

I will say as the kids get older, center because one of the more important positions given everyone is an eligible receiver. The center is usually one of the easiest guys to get open and shot gun snaps become really important as teams want to get their QB back away from the blitz.

[Anonymous]

I forgot to add one thing.

Generally, my roster has 10 kids on it. If everyone showed up I had 5 kids play offense for the 1st half and 5 kids play defense for the 1st half and then they would switch. If there were less players, I fully admit my better players tended to stay on the field more - one main reason was that most of them were in better shape and had the endurance to not come off the field.

Further, and I sent this in an email at the beginning of the season. The regular season everyone is involved with trying to touch the ball. At younger ages, that basically meant running the ball. But, as they have aged up and the field gets "smaller" it means passing the ball - I don't have as much control over where the QB passes the ball. But, I tell parents in the playoffs (when everyone makes the play offs), I can do whatever I want. Everyone still plays but it might me one kid always plays defense or another kid always played QB.

[Anonymous]

Drop this league and join a different one. This is the kind of coach that will soon be yelling and screaming at a little kid for not being as adept and focused as an adult pro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I forgot to add one thing.

Generally, my roster has 10 kids on it. If everyone showed up I had 5 kids play offense for the 1st half and 5 kids play defense for the 1st half and then they would switch. If there were less players, I fully admit my better players tended to stay on the field more - one main reason was that most of them were in better shape and had the endurance to not come off the field.

Further, and I sent this in an email at the beginning of the season. The regular season everyone is involved with trying to touch the ball. At younger ages, that basically meant running the ball. But, as they have aged up and the field gets "smaller" it means passing the ball - I don't have as much control over where the QB passes the ball. But, I tell parents in the playoffs (when everyone makes the play offs), I can do whatever I want. Everyone still plays but it might me one kid always plays defense or another kid always played QB.

I had a coach do this to my son. He never got to play offense or touch the ball in flag football in fifth grade. He is now playing college football in the SEC. A lot of dad coaches aren’t the best judge of talent. Just keep it equal for a rec team even if it means you don’t win, especially at that age.

[Anonymous]

Not normal and worth switching for IMO.