Coaching Youth and HS Running Backs

Youth and High School coaches love to run off tackle or outside zone, in fact, the most common run play especially in youth football tends to be the outside run. Maybe it's speed sweep, a toss, bounce outside zone, jet sweep, or maybe an all hands sweep. Why is this?

Well, in my experiences is because the team has a stud running back and a weak team. So they leverage their fastest guy to get outside and rely on speed to get down field. Just watch any youth game or average HS game. Get your fastest guy out in space. Thats the game plan.

As time has progressed, this has slightly evolved into the bubble screen or swing pass. Again, get your RB in open space and let him do his thing. I can't tell you how many QB's I have seen or worked with that brag about their passing yards only to discover 90% of their passing yards were from swing passes.

So why do coaches always dial up these RB plays...with some success, otherwise they wouldn't do it right? Unless of course your one of those Coaches who calls tosses, speeds, etc. to the near side of the field! Uhhh !#&*(#$)&$*#Q Pisses me off. We know getting your studs in open space is sound coaching, but how do you coach up and get the most from your RB's?

Lets un pack this.

Putting your running back outside...lets just use that term so I don't have to write out all the variations, is successful but limits your play calling and does a huge diservice to your RB's and the rest of your team. It's no wonder RB's look timed hitting inside or don't even know how to run inside the tackles.

Why is this type of "outside" play so prevalent? You could say, Coach is being smart and leveraging his talent. BS. Coach, wants to win. Maybe. Coach's son is the running back. Yup. Coach's O line cant block. BS. Coach doesn't have an O line Coach. Maybe. Coach has a stud RB. BS and not coaching your kid up. I could go on and on, but here is the deal.

If you have a stud RB, you need to coach them up to be a true stud RB. That means, Inside Zone, ISO's, Blast's, Blocking the End, Pass Blocking, Hitting the Hole, Stretch Plays, Bubble's/Swings, pre-snap reads....yes, pre-snap reads, screens, etc. This is a highly skilled position and there is an art to running these plays effectively!

Here are a few things that can help get more success out of your Running Backs at the youth and HS level for coaches and players.

OFFENSIVE LINE

1: Coach - Teach your OL their proper steps on run plays and rep the hell out of them - slow, medium and game temp. You can use garbage cans, the D with Shields, etc. Then incorporate the most common fronts you will see at your level. Youth, D1, D2, and D3 high schools will use different fronts. Teach them speed, violence, and execution, and BLOCK TO THE FRIGGIN WHISLTE! Don't stop and watch! Remember, if your linemen are not moving and executing at speed a blocking back and/or running back will be smashing into them! I see this all the time!

2: If youth, teach your OL Gap on Down and basic concepts on Zone blocking. I would also incorporate some pass blocking for screens, etc. Doesn't need to be Penn State, but incorporating this early 6,7,8th grade will pay dividends for you and their HS coach. HS, this needs to be as advanced as you are capable of teaching and executing. Especially if you have a good OL who have a chance to play at the next level. Again, reinforce... BLOCK TO THE FRIGGIN WHISTLE! I can not stress this enough.

3: Incorporate traps, cracks, pulls, kick outs, combos, and cross blocking to open hole or bigger holes for your RB's. This can be done at the youth level. Especially traps, cracks, combos and kick outs. I know because I have done and won championships doing it. The key here is footwork and speed. Especially if your pulling.

4: At the youth level, SPEND THE TIME to work with your O and D lines. To many youth coaches only run the offense. Invest in getting your O line working and your offense will be much more dynamic. At the youth level, work on wider splits. I know, you don't always have athletes up there, just the big kids. But you need to coach them up. Wider splits enable them to use their hands, open bigger holes for the RB, etc. Assuming you can coach them up and they can develop speed and mental awareness to pick up blitzes and blockers others, shrink your splits until they are more capable. HS OL, well I shouldn't even have to say anything on this and I wont because this is about RB's.

5: Teach your offense to communicate early at the youth level. HS O line should absolutely be able to communicate! The more the HS O line communicates with each other and the QB, the more effective your offense will be. You can incorporate this at the youth level as well. Doesn't need to be NFL level, but getting your players to think, and call out things is a good skill to develop. Even if they just call our the front, etc. Getting them started young will pay dividends. Don't be a lazy coach. Coach them up! When I hear a Coach say, well, they are knuckleheads or not there yet, etc. that tells me about you, not them. I have coached youth, Freshmen, Varsity, etc. Your players are only as smart as your coaches. If you are a dad coach or new coach, get coached up or reach out to us!

Why did I start with the OL? If your OL doesn't block, you can't pass or run the ball. Simple as that.

RUNNING BACKS

1: When running inside IZ/Inside the tackles i.e. dives, blasts, etc. they must hit them hard and with speed. How many times have coaches yelled HIT THE HOLE! There is a reason. A RB must understand the Y behind IZ/Inside. Its a speed and power play. Educate them on the Y's of each play and the technique in which to execute their position. Not all running plays execute the same way.

2: Teach your RB's when running stretch to be patient and be looking down field (not at the linemen's ass) for open space. They should be running at 65-70% speed until they see the opening, then down hill at 100% speed. That hole may only be open for a 1-2 seconds. The RB better be there!

3: Teach your RB's to not be afraid of contact. Especially youth RB's. Thats why many youth RB's are great outside and cant run inside. They are afraid of contact. If you don't have a blaster, form a gauntlet with pads, shields, or bags and have them run through it. The objective is NOT to pummel the hell out of the kid, but expose him to contact and maintain balance. I hate coaches that run close in Oklahomas and heavy contact drills with youth kids to toughen them up or the dad coaches "saying well thats what we did", etc.. Dumb, dangerous and counter productive and tells you more about the ignorance of the coach than the kids. It also leads to concussion and in many cases the kid leaving the game. There is a way to incorporate contact that is not stupid. Angle pursuit drills, half speed tackle drills, etc.where technique is focused on, not full speed idiocy. There is a time and place for contact drills. But frankly, in HS, once the season kicked in, we barely did full contact and it was for a very short session in practice i.e. during full offense, etc. Otherwise, very limited contact and like once a week on offense days. Guess what? Limited to no injuries. No concussions, and we won State Championships. Thats success in my book.

4: Teach your RB's how to do the fundamentals i.e. pass block, picking up blitzes, slide protections, BALL PROTECTIONS, fundamentals, etc. They can be your QB's best friend! You can never go wrong with reinforcing and teaching fundamentals.

5: Establish a solid practice routine during indies or any other time. DO NOT just run your RB's over bags during this time. That is pre-season BS. Focus your time on reps that incorporate fundamentals, ball control, and weekly or core play execution. These must be reinforced and repped until its flawless.

6: NEVER ALLOW your RB's to take false steps! I have seen so many RB's at the elite level in CA to the youth and HS level across the country take a false step before moving forward. WASTED MOTION! I am a huge believer in efficiency in motion at all positions. False steps screw up the timing of the play. As I always say, "WE NEVER GO BACKWARDS ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD! EVER". Every thing we do is to move forward and score not go backwards. If your RB's are doing this, correct them and coach them up! FORWARD!

7: I would break out my indie periods to incorporate hard skills i.e. IZ, MZ, OZ, Sweeps, Toss, etc. Next incorporate bubbles, swing passes, screens. Then put the RB's with the receivers and rep pass blocking, swings, etc. Progression is key and repping these skills are critical. ALSO be sure to incorporate counters. RUN CORRECTLY! Your RB should win an Oscar for misdirection on Counters, etc. No half assing it. SELL, SELL, SELL! This applies to RPO or fake hand offs. The play doesn't work if your RB half asses it. SELL IT! This is a skill set that must be developed, repped and incorporated. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO fool the backers and safeties, even if its only for a second to get them to take one more step forward. That could be the difference between a completed pass, the first down, or TD.

8: Ensure that when you are coaching up blocking with the line, maybe grab the RB's for a minute and explain their responsibility so they understand what the OL is doing, the"Y" and what the RB's responsibility is. Then send them back with the receivers and QB.

9: Everyone must understand what they are doing. I HATE Seeing RB's asking the QB "what am I doing on this?" As Coach Belichick always says, "DO YOUR JOB". Well in order to do that you need to know what your job is! Coach them up!

10: Teach your RB's patience. Depending on the play, they may need a second or to for the blocking to unfold. A good RB will know this and temper their speed until the play unfolds then execute. There is a difference between just blindly running at a space and knowing when, where and at what speed you need to attack the hole. Teaching this will ensure your execution works.

11: Ensure you pair your RB's based on skill i.e. if you have a tackle type at FB and a speedster at RB, they will need to work their tempo and execution. If you have another RB at FB, Wing, etc. and they are both speedsters, then you will need to do the same. Its called coaching. If you want the best out of your offense, you need to match your personnel with the play calling.

12: Teach your RB to never stop running. Especially at the youth and HS level. Unless you are in CA, TX or FL, where the RB's are D1 FBS level RB's already, your RB's are not at the elite level where they can soley rely on their athleticism to fix a broken play. I have seen in my 18+ years of coach, so many RB's and WR's for that matter STOP running to change direction or try to push a defender off, or slow down to cut behind a defender, etc. THIS NEVER WORKS! EVER! I would coach the RB up to keep running FORWARD! Why? What's at the end of the field you are running towards? The End Zone right? The First Down right? Even if you get only 2 more yards. Thats two more yards in the right direction. If you stop running we lost yards we might have needed. Downhill towards the end zone. If you are hauling ass downfield, you may just outrun or run through the Safety or that last tackler and score. I guarantee if you stop running, you done. If you keep running you will pick up a few more yards. Teach this! Coach this!

I could go on, and on...on this topic, positional fundamentals, game fundamentals, etc. But too many teams do not coach up their RB's in general or at all. Especially at the youth level. Just get out side and out run everyone doesn't work as the teams get older and better. Especially in HS. Everyone has a fast kid or two. OR, what happens if Coaches son gets hurt and you lose the fast kid? Yeah, I have seen that to. Now RB 2 gets his ass kicked because Coach decides now he is gonna run blasts and ISO's and no one is coached up on how to do that effectively.

There are lots of ways to get your best athletes out in space. A holistic approach is always best. But if your RB's are not coached up on the positional fundamentals, X's, O's and Y's, the machine breaks and you lose. Especially if your OL is not included and equally coached up on what the play is and how the RB executes it! Lastly, As a HC or OC, I would argue you will need to tailor your offense to your personal. Yes, you can be a system team/coach, I know man and they are solid and consistent. But tailoring your offense to your personal ensures you optimize your execution, performance and outcomes. I am not saying blow up your system for one stud. But a tweak, formation, etc. can be the difference between winning and losing.

I will say again, off season, preseaon, etc. sure go ahead and drill fest it with cones, bags, garbage cans, etc. But come summer and game season, you need to be working the positional fundamentals and play execution. Not summer drills. I have seen this at the youth, HS and elite HS levels. Game season is for winning games. Not a drill fest or just O and D reps. Remember football is the only game where ALL 11 players need to do their job or the play breaks down. You will not be able to win games just running the fastest kid or Coaches son on the jet sweep to the left or jet sweep to the right and PLEASE...PLEASE... DO NOT RUN sweeps, tosses or jets to the near side of the field on 2nd and long or 3 and short. I absolutely hate it and it almost never works! Especially at the youth and less elite HS levels where they pack the box. Unless of course your running RPO and looking backside, etc.

If you are interested in a coaching clinic on this topic or any other, please reach out! We would love to work with you!

Coach Frederick