Each week Coach Bass brings his 30 years of NFL coaching experience to USA Football. Email Coach Bass your question.
Brandon sent the following question:
I am fairly new to coaching youth football, and I was curious about something. We plan to run a 5-3 defense at the 9-10 year old level. I know it would be ideal to have film on our opponents, but that is just not an option for us. I have been asked to coach the linebackers, and I wondered if there were any generic keys to teach them since we won't know what offense we will be facing week to week? Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Also I am in the process of reading your book, and it has already been a huge help to me. Thanks for everything you and USA Football are doing to help the little guys.
Hi Brandon,
Thanks very much for all the kind words. It is our goal at USA Football to help coaches everywhere as much as we possibly can, and I am really glad the book has been a help to you.
At the 9-10 year old level, stopping the run is going to be the number one concern so you want to give your backers keys that will get them moving to the ball carrier as soon as possible.
Ideally you would like the three of them to move in unison, starting laterally and then progressing up toward the line of scrimmage until they reach the running lane.
One method would be to have all three key the fullback if he is the lead blocker for the offense, and they would react to the direction of his movement. If the fullback moved to his right, all three of our backers would start moving to their left.
If the fullback's initial movement is to the left, all three backers would start to their right.
Because a 5-3 defense makes them susceptible to angle blocks, I would have them look immediately to the next offensive player on the line in the direction of their movement. They should be prepared to meet, neutralize and then shed this blocker as they move laterally and not be cut off by the block.
This type of three backer key can also be used for a running back in a single back set or a tail back in I-formation instead of keying the fullback. You may want to start by keying the running back in the first place or by teaching both so that as an actual game is in progress you can determine which back is the better key for your backers.
Should the offensive back drive inside the offensive tackles, the outside backer on that side can hold his position and be prepared to play option when only one back is attacking the area. When this off tackle area is attacked with a lead back and a ball carrier then the OLB on that side should be taught to move inside into the guard-tackle (B) gap.
In a 5-3 defense, it is important to decide and teach your players who has contain on any wide running play to their side of the field. If it is your decision that the defensive end is going to assume this responsibility, then your outside backer would fill inside of his player (C gap) on a wide run to his side.
If you change up and the end is going to come hard down the line, then the OLB must move quickly anytime he sees the run coming his way to the outside of the formation and across the line of scrimmage, get set and turn the ball carrier back to the center of the field.
The OLB on any wide running play to the other side of the formation should always be alert for the running back cutting back instead of continuing to move to the outside.
With a 5-3 defense you will probably play a three deep zone defense, and it will be difficult and ill advised for your three secondary players to come up to help stop any running play until the ball carrier has physically crossed the line of scrimmage.
With a three deep zone, both OLB should drop into the slot zones and the MLB would drop into the hook zone on the TE side should there be a drop back pass.
Drill your backers on reading the same key, moving together, shuffling laterally as they move, angling forward making ground as they identify and move to the ball carrier and attacking the line when they see the ball carrier turning to run up the field.
Try to impress on them that they want to a stay inside out on the ball carrier whenever possible and not to overrun the player carrying the ball, allowing him to turn up and run inside. I hope this helps and good luck this season.
Coach Tom Bass
Christopher sent the following observation:
I read that you think the 3-5-3 would be a good defense to stop the spread. You should probably look at what Sherwood Haydock from Fort Wayne Harding in Indiana is doing with the spread. He would use the formation I attached, show Jet sweep action every play and ram the ball down your throat. What he does is nasty, and he can throw like crazy out of it.
Hi Christopher,
I am sure that Coach Haydock's offense would be a challenge to stop as a defensive coordinator.
What must have been left off what you read is that I followed up the 3-5-3 discussion by saying that this is a natural extension of a base 3-4 defense where you substitute one defensive back in place of one linebacker for each extra wide receiver they bring into the game.
In the diagram you presented to me, we would still have an outside backer over the tight end and would have the Will safety (5th DB) up on the line pressing the X receiver who is lined up in a tight position. This would be a normal 3-3 adjustment.
Should they take the tight end out of the game and add a fourth wide receiver, then we would be prepared to go to our 3-2 defense and have a Sam safety (6th DB) take the place of the remaining OLB.
We taught, practiced and always felt we could run all of our defenses, coverages and blitzes with a 3-4, 3-3 or 3-2 configuration of the defensive players in the game.
I hope this gives you a better idea of my thinking, and please understand that I am not trying to play our age old coaching game of who has the chalk last. I am certain that that coach has developed an offensive scheme that is an enormous challenge for all of his opponents. Thanks for the email.
Coach Tom Bass
Coach Tom Bass, a 30-year NFL Coach and the technical writer and advisor for USA football, is also the author of several highly acclaimed football coaching books, including "Play Football the NFL Way" (St. Martin's Press) the only authorized NFL coaching book, "Football Skills and Drills" (Human Kinetics) and "The New Coaches Guide to Youth Football Skills and Drills" (McGraw Hill). If you would like to order a personalized autographed copy of Coach Bass' books, copies of his printed In-Depth Coaching Clinics, or NFL or College Sport Maps, please visit http://coachbass.com/.
