5 yr old Upward Football League

[elnutsmalljaws]

Well fellas, I am coaching my son's football team again. I coached my first team of 5-6 yr old's who had never played organized football before this spring for the YMCA here in Frankfort. We were the Broncos and went 9-1, winning the "Rookies" Division by a mile, undefeated and the closest game was 38-12 and we let the team score the 12. Never had a touchdown scored on us all spring long that we "did not let them to be nice guys and keep the mercy rule to no be enforced". Lost to a team in the overall tourney that had been together for 3 years, had 4 - 8 yr olds on the team and 3-7 yr olds on a last second play as the team scored with 4 seconds to go and beat us by 2 points. Finished 3rd in the league overall beating 2 other teams that had been together 3 years while all the "Rookie" teams finished in the bottom 3. Now I am coaching Upward football, which is a Christian Based Football program sponsored by The Forks of Elkhorn Church here in Frankfort. Again, all 5-6 yr olds and 1 - 4 yr old. Skills evaluations were done before the season and the kids were placed evenly on each team. So far we are 3-0, and they don't "officially" keep score but it is hard not to. Won the first 2 games by 18 and 28 points and today it was 48-12 final score. Had 6 of my 7 kids score touchdowns today, 3 different players passed for touchdowns and 3 different kids caught touchdown passes. The parents on our team are amazed that my assistant coach and I can get 7 - 5 and 6 yr olds to all go in the same direction. Pretty cool to see the kids run the plays that I designed as they are designed. Nice to see kids of that age develop in only 3 practices and 3 games to not only run for touchdowns but pass and catch touchdown passes. So far in the 3 games, we have never been stopped on offense, had 5 touchdown passes and the other team has yet to complete a pass on us and we have only given up 5 scores total. Our defense has gotten 2 safeties and 3 interceptions. Not bad for a bunch of small kids and me coaching for only the second time and my assistant coach, who admits only signed up because there was not enough coaches and has learned more about football this fall than the kids themselves. We are a very good match in that he takes care of the devotional time, which is MORE important than the football, and I take care of the football part. Sure do wish I could get paid to coach little kids in football when I get over my next surgery and can go back to work, but that is wishful thinking. Just thought I would post because I am extremely proud of my team.

Side note for anyone that is coaching kids now days. You may be the only Male influence in some of these kids lives. I have 3 of my 8 kids that don't have a father figure in their life. I take it upon myself to make sure they get the proper influence from me especially. I have even talked to these kids and my former kids from this spring outside of the practise / game about stuff and the mothers are very appreciative. Teach our young people the best that we can about right and wrong and you just might influence a life forever. Hopefully the good lord will continue to help me coach these kids to the best of my ability and more. Hopefully we will lead these kids down the right path into God's hands for a lifetime and if we can save just one life of a child then it was all worth while. Just wanted to post.

[slippedcork]

Upward is the way to have fun!

[kyfanatic]

Sounds to me that they didn't evaluate and even the teams up enough,it's supposed to be about letting all the kids build up self esteem and confidence in a Christian atmosphere.
Instead I've seen where parents put extremely talented kids that should be in a school or other organized sport instead of beating up on lesser talented kids in upward. My son played the first 3 years of the basketball and was a pretty decent player but was put on an underdog team with very little help,they only won a few games and it didn't help his self esteem or confidence at all.

[elnutsmalljaws]

Sounds to me that they didn't evaluate and even the teams up enough,it's supposed to be about letting all the kids build up self esteem and confidence in a Christian atmosphere.
Instead I've seen where parents put extremely talented kids that should be in a school or other organized sport instead of beating up on lesser talented kids in upward. My son played the first 3 years of the basketball and was a pretty decent player but was put on an underdog team with very little help,they only won a few games and it didn't help his self esteem or confidence at all.

I disagree with the fact that you think they were not evaluated properly or letting parents have their kids beat up on lesser talented kids. Of my 8 players, only my son has played organized ball before and that was this spring and he was "rated" as my 4th best player pre-season per the evaluations that I was given, for my eyes only. I had kids rated from as high as 93 to as low as 34 and pretty much within 8-10 points spread out all thru the rankings top to bottom. The preacher of the church, director of the league and assistant director of the league all have sons playing on the other 3 teams so I think the evaluation process was more than fair. It is a 5-6 yr old league and I have 2 - 4 yr olds that will be 5 in November, 4 - 5 yr olds and 2 that just turned 6. First practise was passing, catching, handoffs, and teaching them about the different positions on the field. Since then, I have added plays and other stuff to challenge each kid based on their respective abilities. When you have 3 different QB's passing TD's to 3 different receivers and 6 of 7 kids that were there on Saturday scored TD's, it is not like the same player on my team is dominating the game. The team we played last week had 4 kids that I know played in the spring YMCA league and my wife knew 2 of the other kids and said they were both 6 and had played as 5 in the fall YMCA league last year. 6 kids that had played before out of 7 on the other team versus just my team with 1 kid seems to me the talent was stacked on the other team. My parents are amazed at the fact that my assistant coach and I can get these kids all to go in the same direction. Started with 2 plays the first game, blast left and blast right, basically a straight handoff to the left or right of the center and a reverse play where one kid comes from receiver behind the QB and takes a handoff. Now we have 7 plays and a defense that pretty awesome. Last game we let the other team score, I told the kids to chase and not pull the flag to help show sportsmanship and help build up the confidence of the other team. I did not post to brag, but posted to say how proud I was of my kids. First to admit that goind 9-1 in the YMCA with a team of first timers getting beat by a team that had been together 3 years and now 3-0 in this league of rookies is pretty impressive and I am proud to say I was/am a part of it. Rest assured there are no kids on my team that the parents only let them play upward to beat up on lesser opponents and rest assured they are being taught the most important part of Upward first and foremost, their Relationship with God. They are taught to give their best and that is good enough, no score is kept on the field but as adults it can't be helped. I know the score, the parents know the score but the kids are never told the score and none of them care. I have not had one player ask "Did we win" or anything to that regard. When they do, if they do, the answer will be "Did you give your best effort, did you do it in a christian manner, was you a good sport", when they say yes then the answer will be yes we all "Won" because we did give our best christian effort and was good sports about it. Not all leagues are like what your son experienced and it would be nice if score was never kept at young kids sports but we all know this is not going to happen. Upward even keeps score starting with 2nd grade division much less T Ball and other sports that start with the first year of competition.

[kyfanatic]

Wasn't aimed directly at you elnut,I was just telling what I saw in two separate upward leagues that was in conflict with the purpose of them to begin with.

[elnutsmalljaws]

No problem at all, just wish you had a better experience with Upward because I do think it is the best sports program going for young kids.

[roadrunner]

Elnut did you bribe these kids with a drum fishing trip? You know bribery is not a Christain thing to do.

[elnutsmalljaws]

Elnut did you bribe these kids with a drum fishing trip? You know bribery is not a Christain thing to do.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, don't tell the other teams my secret. I have lucked out in finding 8 kids that actually listen and learn in all aspects of Upward. I will say that my son is a FLAG PULLING FOOL. I wish Lawrence Taylor could see my 5 yr old play outside left linebacker and watch him stay at home on any plays to his side, then chase them down from behind on plays that go to the other side. He pulled 12 flags one game and the other team maybe ran 20 plays total. Never seen a kid want to play defense as much as my son, Joshua. He breaks down in defensive position before the play, moves to the line of scrimmage as the play is developing and breaks down in front of the runner and does not let them by him. He has not let a play go for more than 5 yards to his side of the field all year. The last game, after trying straight handoffs and a couple of reverse plays to his side, I hear the other head coach telling his assistant coach that maybe they should try the other side because that "kid does not move". Not saying this because he is my son because I call a spade a spade, but one DEFENSIVE MINDED KID. He would rather "get the flags" than run the ball. He scored a TD and a 2 pt conversion on the only 2 times he ran the ball last game and still said he would rather "get the flags". My wife has some great pictures of him in his break down stance, pulling the flags and even pulling one flag after he slipped and fell down and still grabbed the flag as the kid ran by. He even pulled both flags off one kid on one play and held them both up. I see him playing at Linebacker U, hopefully not Penn State, but whichever is the best defensive College for linebackers in about 12 more years, then first pick in the NFL Draft for a team that trades up to get him, signing his $500MM dollar guaranteed contract of which I get 73% as his agent and retiring to Dale Hollow on my houseboat. He gets the Houseboat next to me after his career is over and we can chase the 12lb Smallie the rest of our lives. A guy can dream can't he.

[GeoFisher]

It really is fun being involved in helping young kids develop........I watched my daughter develop from a shy, awkward, slow, not so confident girl into a pretty dang good 2 guard.

I coached her for 5 years in AAU basketball.......we took a bunch of kids who were not good enough to make their school teams, and MADE THEM BETTER. We ran 3 different teams, and travelled all over the 5 state area (indiana, KY, Tenn, OHIO, ILL).

After 3 or so years, our A team was pretty DANG good.......and regularly beat teams that were better than us. We always tried to "play up" because that required us to play against better and stronger teams. We were BLOWN out a LOT but when we played league play and tourney play for AAU state, were were always better than our competition because we had much more experience.

Some of the girls that played for me are now playing D1 and D2 ball............

I really do miss those days...........

Later,

Geo