Speed is king in all sports, but especially Pop Warner football. If you have a player who can’t be caught, you’ll have a great season without having to train a lot. If you’re up against a team with great speed, then you need a game plan.
How your speed matches his velocity will dictate how you design your defensive game plan. You have to devise a scheme to contain, or at least take advantage of, the fastest player on the opposing team.
I have become a great believer that there are no surprises as a coach. I think using heavy scouting, with full reports so you have an idea of what you’re up against. A comprehensive scan report is your most valuable tool.
As a coach preparing the game plan for the next opponent, the first question a defensive coordinator must ask is who is the fastest player on the other team. He will set up his defensive backs and ends based on this guide. The goal for him is to get his speed back off of his holding defender so he can run freely down the sidelines.
Your main defensive strategy should be to not let this happen. You must convey to your players that they must contain the speed of the runner. By using team defence, you will have your holding players force their quick run to the center of the field and back to where your other defenders are. You can minimize the speed advantage by forcing him to run into the center of your defense. It sounds easy, but believe me it is not. It’s not impossible and with the right preparation you should be able to pick up speed.
When laying out your defensive scheme, line up your defensive ends and cornerbacks a minimum of 4-5 yards closer to the sidelines than you would in your base set. This will make it difficult to run around the ends and get to the outside freely. This helps the wingers to see the game as it unfolds. When a runner sees a defender, his instinct is to run the other way, even if he’s back in traffic.
The opposing offensive coordinator quickly gets frustrated and has to redo his game plan live while the game is in progress. Even if he has a backup plan, it’s hard to adjust on the fly.
I’ve seen quite a few opposing coaches go into halftime, yelling at his speed, blaming the kid when he, as a coach, has no idea what’s going on.
In conclusion, the best way to negate speed is to make your opponent run into the middle. The other payoff is that you’re getting speed back where you have more defenders to help make the tackle.
