Choosing the right formation package for your youth football offense

By Joe Frollo | Posted 9/18/2014

It’s natural for youth coaches to want to emulate higher levels of football, spreading the field and creating openings for their speedy skill players.

The youth game is different, though. Spread offenses are fueled not only by space but by a passing game that exploits mismatches. With younger athletes, those throws from the quarterback are still a few years away.

Coaches with an abundance of fast players are better served to stay in a basic two-back, two-tight end formation. This package brings more defenders to the middle of the field, which allows for running backs to get to the space they want on the edge.

Even if your interior linemen aren’t the best blockers, the defense still has to respect those gaps.           

And as always, if it is your blocking that needs help, spend practice time coaching those players up, build their fundamentals and improve overall execution. That’s always the best move in the long run.  

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