Is the 5-3 Or 4-4 a Better Defense For Youth Football?
If you do not put your players in the right spot, chances are they will not have much fun or success.
A new inquiry we received was " Is the 4 - 4 Stack OR Base 5 - 3 A Better Youth Football Defense? The inquiry is repeated lower in this post.
In that respect, there are many different styles of defense to implement when running a pee wee football squad, nevertheless a coach should be practical on what type of scheme to install.
At the real immature ages almost all teams cannot throw the football, thus you will want to run a basic defense that can shut down the running game.
Below is the inquiry from our client.
I manage a pop warner football team comprised of 9-10 year olds.
In 2009 we used the 5-3 and finished the season with eight wins and only one loss.
Over a nine game schedule we allowed on seven touchdowns.
The advantage of using the 5-3 is you overload the line but can also get your reserve players into the middle of the defensive line three players at a time.
This helps you meet any minimum play requirements.
I am thinking of changing to the 4-4 defensive scheme since I have two returning star players at OLB and 2 very good players to play the inside linebackers.
I have returning defensive ends, but no returning defensive guards or nose tackles.
I was wondering if teaching gap responsibilities in the 4-4 defensive scheme is too difficult for youth football players? As I stated above, I have eight players returning from last season's defense so when my starters are on the field as one unit we should be pretty good.
I'm afraid if I use the 5-3 again I will not have one of my studs at a linebacker position.
I know I can make him a strong safety or a monster and rotate him to the strong side, but I'm wondering if using the 4-4 may be a better option.
Any help, thought or ideas will be appreciated.
My first reaction is if you went 8-1 and only allowed 7 touchdowns, why the heck would you change? I would much rather add a few wrinkles to my established defense before I would change the base scheme? I would put extra work into the team that beat you, but any returning players would remain in the positions they played last year.
I think the 5-3 is one of the best defenses you can run with new players.