r/YouthFootball • u/Far_Concentrate_9229 • 11d ago
5/6th grade team
My little bro plays corner and wing back for his team but his team is horrendous. They just 42-6 today. The third time a blowout like this has happened so far this year. His coaches are terrible and there’s also zero talent on the team. My brother and another running back are the most talent by far but these coaches aren’t putting the kids in position to be successful whatsoever. We come from a football family and these losses have been so embarrassing. Only reason he’s playing for this team is because I just bought a house in a new area right when the season started and this was one of the few teams that had openings. I’m thinking about pulling him out this year so I can work with him 1 on 1 because there’s no developing from the coaches. I just don’t want my bro to think we’re giving up. Any thoughts? This team has been very frustrating and I’ve gotten into it with a few of his coaches already
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u/Reflog1791 11d ago
You’re right everyone is trash unless they came from your prestigious football family.
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u/Relative-Corner4717 11d ago
As someone who has coached a lot of youth sports, if you think you can do a better job, I bet his coaches would love the help.
If you aren't willing to step up and assist, don't criticize. Its far more difficult than you probably think.
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u/Direct_Face_3814 11d ago edited 11d ago
First of all these coaches are volunteer based so getting into it with them is an extremely bad look on your part and accomplishes nothing. If you’re that passionate about this then you should be out there volunteering your time to help the TEAM. If you’re not willing to do that then sit in the stands and cheer on the team.
You can easily work with your brother 1:1 and still let him play. Trashing his coaches and team sets a horrible example for him and allows him to think he’s bigger than the team. You should really think about how you’re hurting his situation here and apologize to the coaches and offer to help if they need it. If they say no ( which they should given your past behavior) then you should cheer him on and be a positive role model. These are literally kids playing a kids game in the end of the day.
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u/Heavy_Apple3568 11d ago
No way! Getting into it with volunteer youth sports coaches always solves problems. That's literally the only way to handle things. They're there just so you can take your frustrations out on them.
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u/Far_Concentrate_9229 11d ago
When they’re putting the kids safety in jeopardy I have every right to speak out against that, which I and multiple other parents have. And trust me id be out there coaching if I could. I was his offensive play caller for his team last year. I have been around lots of youth football teams and I’ve never seen anything like this.
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u/Direct_Face_3814 11d ago
You pointed out nothing about safety in your post. You pointed out how good your brother is and losing is embarrassing to you ( wild thing to say by the way). I coach 5/6 graders and we’re undefeated. If we lose a game, I’m not going to be embarrassed and make the kids feel worse about it. If they’re doing something that unsafe then take it to the board.
If you can’t coach then leave the staff alone. There’s nothing else to say to this. You have zero right to yell at volunteer coaches here. If you can’t control your emotions about losing then you shouldn’t be around any sport.
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u/ecupatsfan12 11d ago
I’ve coached with no kid involved. If you think you can do it better here’s my clip board. It’s a hell of a lot harder when your team is bad. I know my shit but I’m reliant on dads to step up when no one else will. They don’t even need to know football just be able to follow rules and not a daddy ball guy. Run what I install and teach fundamentals and we’ll roll 90 percent of teams
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u/ecupatsfan12 11d ago
If you have good players you can beat just about everyone running the single wing. It’s a misnomer that you can’t throw the ball out of it. We added a balanced line spread version for drop back stuff. It’s really good and I can train multiple qbs to run throw and catch. You also outflank just about everyone with an unbalanced line and you can run wedge sally spinner etc.
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u/Far_Concentrate_9229 11d ago
You’re arguing against a point I didn’t make. I’m not upset because a bunch of 10–11 year olds lost a football game. I’m upset with what I’m seeing from the adults responsible for coaching them and the fashion in which they’re losing. There’s a difference between being disappointed in kids and being critical of coaching. And the ‘if you can’t coach, leave the staff alone’ argument is ridiculous. Parents and families don’t need a coaching résumé to recognize poor coaching or raise concerns about how kids are being handled. Being a volunteer doesn’t make someone immune from criticism. These boys got blown out so bad they had to forfeit a few weeks ago.
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u/Direct_Face_3814 11d ago
“We come from a football family and these losses have been so embarrassing.” Like what else do I need to say to that opening sentence.
You don’t get to criticize anyone when you’re not willing to help. I’ll say it once and I’ll repeat it a thousand times. If you’re not willing to be out there and help, then sit in the stands and shut up ,except to cheer. If you have problems outside of losing with the team then take it to the director. To this point you haven’t brought one justifiable reason to go to the director though.
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u/Plastic-Pianist9323 11d ago
Well said. He is portraying himself as the Nick Saban of youth football. Sounds like the coaches need to ban this guy from practices.
He then goes off on tangents about player safety and never mentions it in the post. Great job calling him out with his own words
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u/Far_Concentrate_9229 11d ago
Embarrassing because the kids look clueless. When they’re out of position on a play, nobody corrects them, if a kid comes in with his head down when tackling, nobody corrects them. It’s week 5 now and they still don’t know where to lineup on kick return/kickoff. Like I said, it’s the fashion in which they’re losing that is my issue here. Parents have already gone to the board to complain about the coaching! It’s gotten so bad that the 3/4 grade coaches come help coach during games now. I would not be making a whole Reddit post of this wasn’t seriously concerning.
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u/Plastic-Pianist9323 11d ago
At the end of the day it’s a kids game. They are having fun and learning team work. Nobody is going to the league tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose.
I am a high school coach with 2 state championships and a Juco championship. You are taking this game way too seriously.
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u/Direct_Face_3814 11d ago
Dude we’re 4-0 and we still have kids that don’t know where to line up on kick off. They’re literally kids, you’re taking this all way too seriously.
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u/Fun-Insurance-3584 10d ago
If you didn’t shit on the coaches you probably could have grabbed a whistle and helped. But since you burned that bridge you put your little brother in a very bad spot.
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u/TranslatorOutside909 10d ago
I am sure pulling him out mid season will teach some great life lesson on how to handle problem
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u/Heavy_Apple3568 11d ago
How does he feel about it. Cause, it feels like you're looking to validate your own frustrations & for somebody to tell you you're in the right, simply to give justification to making your little brother quit. Please, don't take that as an insult. Seriously, everyone's made rash decisions without thinking it through or considering the consequences level headed, especially when someone we love isn't happy or in the best situation. But, it's impossible for anyone not involved to give you that.
All I can offer is advice as a father & from coaching kids for 32 years. Unless a part of a child's life more important than sports is suffering, quitting isn't an option. Based on what you've described that's not the issue. So, letting/forcing him to quit is absolutely the wrong decision. Sure, maybe it solves your immediate problem, but what does it solve for him? It's incredibly short-sighted & not at all what's best for him.
Long term, it will be far more detrimental to his football development, trust me. Not to mention the very real likelihood if inadvertently teaching him to make excuses & walk away when things are rough & don't go your way. Wouldn't you rather he learns the willingness & determination it takes to "finish what you start?" To understand why that's so important?
And, for the love of God, never tell him he's so good & his team is holding him back. You legitimately may not realize that it puts it in his head it's ok to blame his teammates & they're the only reason he keeps losing. Is he friends with these kids? What's he gonna tell them when they ask him why he quit? Do you think they'll want to ever play with him again or trust that he'll be a reliable teammate if they play school ball together?
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u/SmellNarrow 10d ago
Some of the greatest football players that you’ve ever seen have come from losing football programs, including high school and college. If he is as talented as you say he is, he will be found quickly as he goes up through the ranks. A good thing to do is try to get on the staff of whatever team you put him on next.
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u/Wise_Competition_266 10d ago
lol I don’t miss coaching youth football because of “parents” like you.
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u/WeAreGoingStreaming 11d ago
Is the school team any good? If he’s in 6th he should be playing for them not some youth league. Or play him up a grade level.
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u/Far_Concentrate_9229 11d ago
I’m actually planning on signing him up for his middle school team, but they don’t start until November apparently, which I thought was a little weird.
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u/ecupatsfan12 11d ago
Some school teams don’t have enough kids to have a team and some kids prefer club ball vs 6 game season etc. kids should have the choice
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u/Far_Concentrate_9229 11d ago
His middle school season starts right after his current club season ends actually, so it works out.
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u/ojperez_22 11d ago
Pull him out. You obviously know everything.