Football Articles

Article / Updated 05-04-2022

Part of your responsibility when coaching football is knowing and understanding what to expect — both physically and emotionally — from youngsters who play the game at a particular age level. Coaching kids ages 6 and under Children in this age bracket have probably never played football before, and this season may very well be their first experience in an organized team setting. Your job is simply to introduce them to some of football's most basic elements and whet their appetite for future participation. Children at this age generally aren't concerned about how their football skills compare to those of others on the team. These kids are primarily interested in being with friends and having fun learning and playing the sport. Football players between ages 7–9 Youngsters at this age become interested in mastering some of the basics of the sport. They crave feedback from coaches and parents on how they perform certain skills and how they're progressing with new ones. They begin noticing their teammates' abilities and skill levels. When coaches verbally recognize one of their peers for properly executing a skill, they want to earn that same feedback. The desire to compete carries much more prominence for some youngsters in this age range than for others. Children who have older siblings may be particularly competitive, because they've watched their brothers compete in football or other sports, and the younger siblings are finally getting their turn to display their skills. Playing football at ages 10–12 More than likely, these children have had some experience playing football in the past and are continuing because it's piqued their interest. Keep the positive momentum going by adding to their foundation of skills. Fuel their desire to continue playing by conducting practices that are both challenging and fun. Quite often, sports take on added importance at this juncture in kids' lives, and some of them really want to do well. As children hit this age range, many become more competitive. They begin embracing the challenge of putting their skills to the test and enjoy competing against others their age. When they're able to help the team prevail, these players feel immense satisfaction accompanied by a unique feeling of accomplishment that's specific to the wonderful world of football. Coaching youngsters between ages 13–14 Welcome to the challenging world of the teenager! These kids have already developed many of the basic skills needed to play the sport and now want to improve them. Be aware that children at this age are typically searching for their personal identity, so try getting to know them on a personal level by asking who their favorite football players or football teams are. Of course, this tip is great for building good coach-player bonds with kids of all ages. Reaching players who are ages 15 and above Gaining the respect of your players is always important to your coaching success, and that's particularly true when coaching kids ages 15 and older. These teens have developed a real passion for the sport. They attend football camps, perhaps lift weights year-round in preparation for the season, and in some cases, may actually be more knowledgeable in some areas of the sport than you are. If you volunteer or get recruited to coach this age group, don't panic! Instead, welcome the chance to enhance your coaching abilities and embrace the opportunity to coach these kids, who have a deep-rooted love for the game. Be sure to let them know that you value their opinions, suggestions, and input regarding the team. A youngster's passion for football is wonderful, and that enthusiasm actually helps make your job easier.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-10-2022

American football is about trying to make points by passing, carrying, or kicking an oblong ball (with two pointed ends) into your opponent's end zone. Football is a rough-and-tumble game with its own jargon, including some terms that are just plain odd. For example, a strong safety is a defender, and a regular safety is a play that scores two points — go figure. But knowing the lingo (including the fun slang) and the players, not to mention common penalties, can take you a long way toward getting a handle on this popular American sport.

Article / Updated 01-21-2022

After the regular football season, the National Football League (NFL) schedule moves into the playoffs, which decide who advances to the Super Bowl. In regular-season games, teams compete for the best win-loss records, and those teams with the best records advance to the playoffs. The NFL schedules all those regular-season games — 256 in a typical season — to separate the good teams from the bad. On every level of sports, people want to declare a champion. In the NFL, a total of 12 teams qualify for what amounts to the road to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is the NFL championship game. It pits the winner of NFL's American Football Conference (AFC) against the champion of the NFL's National Football Conference (NFC). The game was born out of the merger agreement between the former American Football League and the NFL in 1966. Wildcard and divisional playoff games Each conference has four divisions: North, South, East, West. Six teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs, with the four division winners qualifying automatically. These winners are joined by two teams called wildcard teams, who qualify based on the win-loss records of the remaining teams in each conference that didn’t finish first in their respective divisions. The two division winners with the highest winning percentages host second-round games, skipping the first round of competition. The third and fourth division winners host the wildcard teams in the first round. The winners of the two wildcard games advance to the second round of contests, called divisional playoff games. The lowest-rated wildcard winner plays the division winner with the best record, and the other wildcard winner plays the division winner with the second-best record. Both division winners enjoy home field advantage, meaning that they host the games. Conference championship games For the Conference Championship games (the third round), any surviving division champion automatically hosts the game. If two division winners survive, the team with the better winning percentage hosts the championship game. If the two surviving teams have identical records, home field is based on how the two teams performed in head-to-head competition during the season, and then on who had the best winning percentage in conference games. The Super Bowl is such a huge television and fan attraction that cities routinely bid for the game, offering to defray many of the league’s expenses for hotels and travel. In fact, the Super Bowl is so large that cities are selected three to four years in advance. This gives the cities the necessary time to prepare. In the two weeks between the two conference championship games and the Super Bowl, plenty of hype and hoopla about the game arises. The two teams usually arrive in the host city on the Sunday prior to the game, along with more than 2,500 members of the media. The event has a national flavor to it. With ticket prices from $500 to $700, and most fans paying five times that amount via ticket scalping, the Super Bowl has become more of a corporate event than a bastion for hard-core football fans. You almost have to be somebody important or know somebody important to attend. The Commissioner’s Party — which owners, coaches, and NFL executives attend on the Friday night prior to the game — is an even tougher ticket to acquire.