How to Prepare for Youth Football

So your child wants to play some football. Most youth programs graduate from flag to contact football around age eight. At this point you can start looking for a program that will help your child stay physically active, learn new skills, practice teamwork and build self-confidence.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Make sure it’s your child, not you, who is interested in playing football. He will have more fun if it’s his own passion.

2. Encourage good nutrition (and lots of water), daily exercise (walk that dog) and enough sleep at home (9 to 12 hours a night).

3. Check all the gear. Helmet and padding should be snug without being constricting. Shoes should be broken in before practice begins. Have extra mouth guards on hand.

4. Work on strengthening exercises, but forget the push-ups. Make things more fun by having Bear or Crab races. For the bear crawl, your child is racing on all fours. As a crab, he is also on all fours, but facing up.

5. Set up an obstacle course in your backyard using hula hoops, jump ropes and cones. This can work on coordination, speed and strength all at the same time.

6. Show your child how to run fast by lifting his legs and increasing his turnover. The track can be a fun place for kids because they can easily measure their accomplishments as their fitness increases.

7. There’s no substitute for plain practice. Basic ball-handling skills (catching and throwing at different angles) will build coordination and hand grip.

8. Keep things light and lively. It’s a long way to the NFL and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be a fun journey.

Tips & Warnings

• Encourage another important skill: teamwork—in your everyday life—by coordinating yard work, cleaning up toys or planning a party.
• Get a check-up from your child’s doctor before undertaking any new physical activity.