by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Developmentally Appropriate Youth Soccer Modifications Kindergarten-Second Suggested Soccer Modifications Keep practice and games to one session per week Limit the weekly session to no more than one hour Use fun and games to teach skills instead of drills Make sure all players have a ball and are involved in every activity Play small-sided games, and use subs as outlet pass receivers on the sidelines in the offensive third of the field to keep them involved Limit the season to 3 months Do not keep scores or league standings (1) Third-Fifth Grade Suggested Soccer Modifications Separate the games from practice Hold one practice and one game per week Limit practice and games to one hour Limit roster to 8 players Play 6 v 6 during games Use subs as outlet pass receivers during games Let the players take turns keeping score Limit the season to 3 months Do not keep league standings or have playoffs (1) Sixth-Eighth Grade Suggested Soccer Modifications Play small sided games of 8 v 8 Limit the roster to 12 players Allow all players to have equal playing time in all positions Extend the length of the game to 70 minutes Play 12 games over the course of 3 months Hold no more than two 90-minute practices per week Playoffs are OK, but use a round-robin style Let the players keep score De-emphasized league standings are OK (1) Other Information on Soccer Rule Modifications The US Youth Soccer Association has made rule modifications all the way up to the U12 age group in an effort to make the game more developmentally appropriate. Modifications include decreasing the number of players on...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Developmentally Appropriate Youth Hockey Modifications Mites Divide mites into a 5-7 year-old age group and an 8-9 year-old group at a minimum Hold only one hourly practice per week Limit season to 3 to 3 1/2 months Set up 3-4 stations throughout the entire rink where all players can simultaneously be working on different skills Scrimmage the width of the rink, not the length, and hold multiple scrimmages at once so everyone is involved Do not give the mites the leftovers when it comes to practice time. They may not understand why they have to wake up in the middle of the night to make it to a 5 am practice Allow all players to play all positions (1) The USA Hockey website offers material on skills progressions to help set up a developmentally appropriate program References (1) Bigelow, B., Moroney, T. & Hall, L. (2001). Just Let the Kids Play: How to Stop Other Adults from Ruining Your Child’s Fun and Success in Youth Sports. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications,...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Developmentally Appropriate Youth Football Modifications Youth 6-14 years of age should play non-contact, flag football Hold small-sided practices or games of 6 v 6 on one quarter of the football field; use all four quarters for multiple games at the same time Let the players create their own plays Get everyone involved in a minimum of 12-15 plays Teach only the basics of the positions and the basic skills Avoid the “3Ls”: Lines, Lectures and Laps (1) Examples of Modified Programs NFL Flag Football For kids ages 6-14; co-ed and non-contact NFL Ultimate This is a combination of football, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, hockey and basketball References (1) Bigelow, B., Moroney, T. & Hall, L. (2001). Just Let the Kids Play: How to Stop Other Adults from Ruining Your Child’s Fun and Success in Youth Sports. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications,...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Developmentally Appropriate Baseball Modifications T-Ball: Kindergarten-Second Grade Use kids as base coaches below 9th grade Use only 3-4 players in the field per batter to reduce standing around and boredom Play many mini-games at the same time Hold one practice/game per week Let the kids learn by playing Forget about the complicated schedules and uniforms By second grade introduce hitting a pitched ball, either by an adult or a machine (1) 3rd-5th Grades Play 9 on the field Allow all players to play all positions Give all players equal playing time Move into kid pitch, but limit the number of innings pitched to 6 per week Play a 10-game season that lasts about 3 months Limit practices to 1 hour Limit games to 6 innings Playoffs are OK for 4th grade and up, but NO ALL STAR TEAMS (1) 6th-8th Grades Increase season to 20 games over 3 months Include all teams in the playoffs (1) References (1) Bigelow, B., Moroney, T. & Hall, L. (2001). Just Let the Kids Play: How to Stop Other Adults from Ruining Your Child’s Fun and Success in Youth Sports. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications,...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Developmentally Appropriate Basketball Modifications Kindergarten-Second Grade Use a play group style of organization for this group Use balls that are 28.5 cm in circumference or smaller Baskets should not be higher than 6′ Limit practices/games to one session per week total Sessions should not last longer than one hour Limit the season to 6 weeks The majority of the focus should be on dribbling; most other instruction will be too advanced If “games” are desired, limit play to 3 v 3; use the subs as sideline players to inbound balls (1) Third-Fifth Grade Games should be no more than 30 stopped minutes; play no more than one game per week Limit practice to 60 minutes per week Game and practice can be combined to one 90-minute weekly session Baskets should be 8′ high for 3rd and 4th grades; 9′ high for 5th grade Use smaller balls NO CUTS Limit roster to 8 players During games play 3 v 3 so that every player gets many touches of the ball Limit the season to 12 weeks Let the kids keep the scorebook Do not have playoffs or keep league standings (1) Sixth-Eighth Grade Limit roster to 10 players max; 8 is ideal Play 5 v 5 basketball with all players getting equal playing time at all positions The basket should be 10′ high for the first time 6th graders should be practicing twice a week for 90 minutes max 7th and 8th graders can practice three times a week Do not use complicated plays Use man-to-man defense Limit the ration of practice to games to 2:1 Limit the season to...
