Mesa Youth Football

As students we were rewarded with good grades and perhaps even some special privileges when we brought home our report card for our hard work. Football is no different and players are often rewarded for their hard work. While the rewards are different than most would expect, they are rewards nonetheless.

The return of "Ole Blue" , our two-man blocking sled, was the first reward of the evening. Remember, I said rewards in football were different; while the sled implies work, and it is work, the boys always enjoy giving a good shot to the sled and moving it down field. We as coaches enjoy the sled for all the benefits the players reap from its use that you just can’t accomplish using bags or shields. After the boys finished their warm-ups they started right in on the sled and pushed it around the field with relative ease. Each of them showed good form and proper technique with each blast to Ole Blue. The high fives and smiles were evidence of how this reward was received by the boys. It was good to see some smiles and they deserved it after the hard workout from Monday night.

The rest of the night was filled with a myriad of fun drills that allowed the players to work on tackling and running the ball. Even though they were having fun, they never lost focus and worked hard through each drill, working to perfect each block, tackle or run. It is evident that these boys are coming together as a team as you watch them motivate one another and even critique each other in order to improve each players performance.

They finished the night with some relay drills with push ups in between each race. The relays are always a nice way to end a practice as the boys love to compete with one another, not to mention it’s a great way to get some sprints in while they are having fun.

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The first practice with full pads is always an interesting practice. The warm-ups are different, same excercises and the same reps, but different nonetheless. The only equipment that was added to the practice was the pants and 7 piece set and yet the boys seemed to struggle as they began their practice with our normal warm-ups. Could it have been the aniticipation of contact, the fact that it’s Monday or perhaps a little of both? I’m inclined to think that a mixture of both is why we saw them tire a little sooner today. Although they seemed to tire sooner, they certainly did not stop working; the 2009 Soldiers came out to work and test their mettle against their teammates as the battle for positions continued.

There were a number of contact drills today; starting with a more basic type of drill that concentrates on technique and form rather than speed and agility. The boys were split into groups of two and the drills began. The first group itself was split into two, one for running the ball and the other to stop them. The ball carriers concentrated on protecting the football and constantly driving forward while the defenders worked on proper tackling techniques to ensure a loss of yardage was the result and not a gain. While our first group of boys were working the 2nd group worked on blocking techniques in a drill we affectionately call "King of the Bag". The boys lined up across from one another with a dummy seperating them, the object being to keep their legs on the outside of the bag as they spring from a solid 3 point stance. On the coaches command the boys would rush across the bag to meet with their opponents and attempted to push each other off the other side of the bag.

The last drill of the night was the 3 on 3 drill, which is all about seeing who wants it most. Rotating through the four groups; offensive line, defensive line, running backs and linebackers; the boys worked tirelessly to execute thier assignments correctly and with authority. They finished the night out with numerous sprints, or "gassers", from one side of the field to the other. Coach A.C. coached them up after every couple of sprints, reminding them that football games are won in the 4th quarter and explained our exhaustive workouts will only make us that much stronger in the final minutes of the game as our opponents continue to tire and weaken.

I am always amazed with the amount of intensity these young players bring to the table and am proud to be one of the few that are known as "Coach". I look forward to tomorrows practice and know that each practice from here on out will become more intense and more concentrated as these young athletes develop their skills and grow together as a team of brothers.

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The long awaited week of tackle practice was met with enthusiasm by players and coaches alike. Monday the 3rd of August marked the first day of practice for the Mesa Soldiers, the first team of the newly formed Mesa Youth Football Association. The coaches all agreed that Monday was one of our finest first practices we’ve ever encountered; the amount of hard work and dedication that was exhibited by each of the young athletes was far above anything we ever expected on the first day of practice after a long summer break. While 6 or 7 young Soldier players worked themselves to the point of vomiting, they never once stopped or thought of throwing in the towel; an amazing attitude for players of any age, but even more so when you remember these young athletes are only 9 – 11 years old!

Day Two: Much of what was witnessed on Day 1 was once again repeated on Day Two. The young Soldiers came to practice ready to work and I think they actually worked harder on their second day of practice than they did on their first. The boys showed they were quick learners and it was apparent they were better hydrated and chose to eat their dinners a few hours prior to the start of practice. Not a single athlete lost their dinner that day although you could certainly tell who took Epsom salt baths and who didn’t.

An unexpected, but welcomed, day off came on Wednesday. Thursday’s practice was yet another great practice where all worked through their sore muscles and came even closer as teammates. This young group of 24 athletes have come together as a team and are supporting each other in each and every drill. It is a site to see how these young boys encourage each other through each drill. If a young man is having trouble with any one of the many tiring drills, the others don’t hesitate to come back out to join him and help him finish the drill. Such selflessness and support is even unusual in older athletes, its presence here in these young athletes is evidence of their great sportsmanship and understanding of what it means to be a team. The end of the week was met with excitement, after all the weekend break was near. Each of the athletes came to work as they had their first practice with shoulder pads and knew they were starting to compete for the positions they wanted to play for the 2009 season. Competition didn’t slow them down when one of their teammates was struggling during warm-ups; 23 young athletes left the comfort of finishing the drill to help a young player that was having trouble. Once again, these young boys showed they not only understood, but embraced the meaning of team and teammate.

A job well done and a great first week of practice. Thanks goes out to the parents of each and everyone of these great players for motivating them and getting them to practice on time each day this week. We all know how difficult it can be to watch your young athletes struggle and we appreciate all you do to keep them motivated and wanting to keep coming back. Thank you, without your support none of this week or the weeks to come is possible.

Photos Courtesy of Kelly Schoonmaker

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