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At what age should linemen hit the sled ?
Can someone help me? I coach the line my kids are 6-8.Our head coach insist on takeing our kids down to the sled and left and right shoulder block.I prefer the step ,punch,and drive style blocking.First off i feel its a waist of time the kids cant move the sled if they stay square but if they turn to the side which we all no is wrong because liemen must stay square to block they move the sled a few inches.Some kids say there back hurts when they hit the sled and one kid cried that he hurt his back.I just cant get through to our head coach that they are not old enough for the sled my opinion is somewere between the ages 11-13 there ready and strong enough to hit and drive the sled but that is my opinion can i please get some more ?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by o_line_coach on -
If your head coach insists on putting 6-8 years old on a sled ask him what he thinks he's getting out of this. You don't put kids that age in front of a sled EVER. At least this is my opinion. I am just looking at Roger's latest catalog of sleds and chutes and their "youth" sleds are made for kids 6th through 9th grade. They promote a smaller version of their T-Pad sled for younger kids but the 3 man sled weighs in at 420 lbs!
At that age, keep'em working on a team mate, on youth dummies and things of that nature. First of all they have to learn to be unafraid of contact on a real body. They have to learn it the old fashion way - hitting people.
In my honest opinion your reasoning is the right one. Don't let them get on the sled. They'll hurt themselves more than anything. -
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Permalink Reply by Marcos Hoff on -
That does sound like a rather young age to put kids on the sled; however, rather than trying to make them drive the sled, try doing fit and freeze with first 2 steps. On first step have them cock their hands back and stay low. On second step strike the pads as if they're aiming for the armpits and make sure the back foot follows through at the same time while maintaining a low wide base. It's less punishment on them and you get to focus on good technique. I do it with my 12 year old son and he hits the sled harder than some of my 13 and 14 year old players.
Good luck
Marcos -
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