It depends on what kind of league you are in. I coach in a 5-5 league where you can only blitz from 7 yards deep.

Every position has to have an assignment, and it has to be simple enough for the younger guys to understand. We play 5-5 flag and run a 3-2 defense. If you are MLB, your job is follow the ball no matter where it goes. If the QB drops back to pass, you have to cover the middle zone. If you play on the corners your job is to cover your zone until the ball is handed off. If the ball is coming your way your job is to prevent the back from getting to the side line and pull his flag. If the ball is going away from you, your job is to stay home to defend the reverse until the ball carrier crosses the LOS, then find your angle and engage the ball carrier. If you are a safety your job is to either blitz, or cover a deep zone until the ball is handed off and crosses the LOS.

I draw a diagram of the zones, and that helps explain it some. For others, they won't understand what "stay home" means until we get burned on a reverse.

I like to scrimmage with only the front 3 playing defense and no receivers running routes. They seem to get it with fewer players on the field, and with no safeties the defense gets no help so they have to make good decisions. We run basic sweeps, reverses, fake reverses, and fake sweep end-arounds. This keeps the defense on their toes and really lets them understand what their roll is.

Every time we get burnt on a reverse or beat to the outside we stop practice and go through the play slow motion to go over what we could have done better.

hey lisa,

i love that age group...by the end of the season when you see them go from wandering around and pulling random flags to getting to the balll for a big play...thats the reward us coaches get.... kids love to play hide and seek...try this... tell the kids to run around until the whistle blows when it blows they have to freeze where they are...once they are spread out blow the wistle and have them close there eyes...pick one child and hand him the ball.... step out of the way and blow the whistle again...the kids now un freeze and find the kid with the ball and try to take his flag....the kid that gets the ball must run around and try not to have his flag pulled for as long as possible....use it at the end of practice fo the kids to have a bit of fun on the way out and the kids will be looking forward to that everyday....that becomes a great motivator...."if we do this we might have time to play the game so lets concentrate and get this done.....works better than reverse psychology LOL.... let me know how it works out for you...

Simple follow the ball drill. Hold a football out in front of you and have the kids move in the direction you move the ball.

Above your head - Run forward
At your side (down) - Back peddal
Out to the right - Shuffle Left (they wll be looking at you so its reversed)
Out to the left - Shuffle right

I dont know if thats going to stop them from pulling random flags but it should get them moving and reacting to the ball.

To teach them holes you can use spray paint on the ground or a strip of cloth that shows each kid where stand and number the hole onthe strip. You could also put stickers on the backs of your O line witht he hole numbers on there shoulders. A little out of the box but may just work.

I would hold a football in the air where each can see. I ask them to point to the ball and to follow it whereever it goes. As I walk around them I have them turn and follow the ball. They have to keep thei9r feet moving at all time in order to turn. Remind them to follow the ball through the drill . You can also use a ball carrier to walk around them and have them turn in the direction of the ball carrier. As they get comfortable with this drill, have them move toward the ball carrier in lanes.

as silly as this sounds it worked for us,we told the defence the ball was a cookie and everyone likes cookies right.by the first game allthe kids would yell get the cookie! and they did.must be a food thing.

hey lisa try puting on so colorful flags and tell them to pull the flag off the player with the ball and see do that work.

Hey try to practice run and catch drills and make believe that the quarterback is making a play and say hike. My gym teacher did it with me and my class and it actually worked. And they where the same running drills that the teams use in the NFL.