The first season of Hotfeet Fire Dragons 7v7 football is 2019 and we will grow from there. Get into the action by registering for the fire dragons youth 7v7 football club. To Learn more about the club check out the important information page.
7v7 football is very popular around the United states. Every team from highschool to college to professionals use 7v7 as part of their practices in order to work on the passing game fundamentals and schemes needed to be effective on game day. What people did is take that period and turn it in the the actual game that is played. The game is wildly popular in California, Texas and most southern states. However, rules vary from group to group. National Groups include Pylon 7v7 and National 7on7
7v7 or 7on7 is not flag football. There is no blocking, no tackling, no flag pulling and contact is not encouraged. The primary contact in the game is the one hand touch to mark a player down at the spot of the touch. The reason this is awesome is it encourages the game to continue playing fast which, is when the fun is happening. More plays, mean more routes run, mean more passes thrown and caught or defended, means more fun for all participants.
7v7 is actually 6v7 with 6 offensive players that are not part of the offensive line. The other 5 players of 11 man football have to be part of the offensive line and are not eligible to go down field when passing. There are 7 defenders that are normally working to defend the passing game. That is any combination of Linebackers, Corners and Safeties can be used to defend the pass. for example 3 linebackers and 2 safeties and 2 corner is on group or 4 linebackers, 2 corners and 1 safety.
The Hotfeet Fire Dragons 7on7 club is a grassroots club dedicated to building understanding of the game of football through participation in tournaments, and practices where size does not matter if you can throw and catch or even run in the right direction you can play. Yes you have to be able to run in the right direction. Nobody will throw you the ball if you are going the wrong way.
I have coached youth baseball for over 10 years and for many of those seasons I struggled with how to track who was where, when, and how many times one little guy, or girl was playing what position. The ages I am addressing in this post range from 3 yr old Tee ball through 9U travel ball. The reason for this range is because this is where most kids are being introduced to the game and really don’t have any ideas about positions they like. Yes, there will be that kid who does not want to be the catcher no matter what, but that is generally the exception. This time frame is the time for exploration and discovery. This time is also time for headache for coach if you are not prepared. You will have mom, dad, gramps and granny too, breathing down your neck because they came all that way and little Harry or Sally didn’t get to play first base as much as the other kids. What I have for you coaches is a simple method to track all of it and know what is coming next. We will start with the rotation matrix in this post. Another post will go into the benefits of batting the next kid up.
The rotation matrix as I like to call it is a simple way to track who is going and who has already gone. The process is simple but takes a little bit of thinking to set up. A key to success for this is to remove all players from your bench spots the next rotation. Another point to consider is if you have all players playing it may be simpler to swap major locations and only rotate high action spots like first and pitcher.
Illustration A the Rotation Matrix.
| Fielding Matrix | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |
| Player | Player Number | Positions Rotation for (2 innings) | ||||||||||||
| Brody | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 |
| Ben | 6 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 |
| Tyson | 7 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 |
| Broden | 8 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 |
| Tristan | 9 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 |
| Luke | 10 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| Garrett | 13 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 |
| Sam | 21 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 |
| Cal | 22 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 |
| Caden | 24 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Ryan | 27 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Texton | 35 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| Sam | 87 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
Illustration B Rotation flow diagram
As you can see from the rotation flow chart. Each position, even the bench positions are listed on the diagram and numbered to correspond with a position on the matrix. Notice that when a player goes to the bench it is only for a single rotation. Additionally, remember that it is important to keep kids moving and energized. That is why they move in a web from infield to outfield to out of the game. I have found that this type of movement keeps kids excited about where they are going next. The benefits are many with implementing this type of system for youth sports.
1. Kids stay engaged and are excited about where they go next
2. Parents can follow along and you have a written record of where all players are going.
3. you know exactly where to start for the next game
4. There is no argument about who is playing where next or complaints because the matrix ensures that all players will get a chance at all spots.
5. This can be delegated to a parent helper to keep the rotation.
So there you have it in full flow. The matrix made following along and tracking where we go next easy for our team. We will use it again this season so that our players can be trained. The best part of this was that by the end of the season. I was able to see each kid in the positions several times and know where they had strengths that would help us at the state championships. What will affect this a bit is how you account for pitchers and the face that they may not make it through their 2 innings. We used this for all of our tournaments except for the last one where our parents knew
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Former Detroit Lion, Chicago Bear and Iowa Hawkeye Defensive Lineman Mike Wells shares the recruiting story of his son Logan who has signed with the Air Force Academy. This is truly a recruiting story of finding your true fit, which is hard. Mike says it clearly that finding where you’re supposed to be is tough but worth it.
There are several points that are important to take away from this story.
I hope you enjoy Mikes story and heed his warnings.
Find out more about JC Moreau and the Strength U
Beginning and end music by The Original Chu, Where I’m Supposed To Be
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How does a corn fed Midwestern Iowa girl end up at University of Tampa in Florida to play the new sport of Beach Volleyball? The great part of this story is that you get to listen to the amazing details as told from her mom Rachael Overton. Learn how they were able to use her camp and showcase experience to gauge her interest in playing division 1 volleyball and what allowed them to find where their daughter would truly be happy. Tampa is far away from Iowa but close to her heart and that is what matters. The happy relief can be heard in this mom’s voice as her hard working daughter has found a college home that suits her academically and athletically.
Take aways:
Rachel and family used NCSA more for the database which provided them contact information for coaches and data about majors
Finding a high level of competition helped them find the right level of college for their daughter who ended up not wanting the D1 life. like US News and Word Report Rankings
There are many resources out there that can provide information about colleges and their majors but it is important that you get a feel for the life of the school. If you can attend a camp to see if it is a right fit.
@hotfeetsports @thestrengthu @IowaRockets @prepdigia
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Recruiting Real Talk E5 Vball Game. Trevor Bollers and JC Moreau serve up an energetic interview with Lauren Hansen a 12 year expert that has helped many young athletes realize their dream of playing college volleyball. E5 pushes the show past basic recruiting into the world of club recruiting where everyone on the team is working for the same goal individually. We cover how to stand out in a crowd, the importance of positive social media and resources like universityathlete.com. Your job as a parent is to support and get educated about this world of college athletic recruiting. Discover how important body language is on and off the court, and grow your knowledge to help your favorite athlete reach their goal of playing at the next level. It is great food for thought so DIG in and enjoy the show. @hotfeetsports @thestrengthu @myrecruitingassistant @iowarockets #recruitingrealtalk
Football Camp Schedules are out. Get registered, get exposure, get noticed. Time to stand out.
Rivals Camp
https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-camp-series-presented-by-adidas-2018-faqs
The Opening
Under Armour All America – Schedule out soon
The USSSA 7U Coach Pitch Baseball field is marked differently than a regular diamond. Several of the lines are for player and coach safety. The other lines are for 7U baseball specific game play. Below you will see a diagram of the field and the line markings. I know as a coach I always needed this diagram to share with other coaches because most everyone coaching 7U have no experience with the game and field. I hope this helps get your team going. Check out the rest of the Hot Feet Sports 7U offerings and follow the link to our Store on Baseball Rampage for the gear you will need to have a successful season.
The 30′ Safety line is the primary safety measure for players and coaches. No one is allowed inside of the line. I have personally seen line drive hits by 7 year olds that could take a coaches head off. Many of my fellow coaches have been lucky to barely get out of the way in time to avoid being hit.
Game play markings are as follows
I hope this diagram is helpful to all of you coaches out there. Good luck on your seasons.
Tis the season to get out there and show what you’ve got. While the college guys are hitting up all star bowls and the NFL combine. The High school seniors are showing off their talents at the Under Armor All American and and the Army All American games as well as some states do their all star games early. The rest of the high school and JH world are hard at work trying to show early and often that they can compete against national talent. That is what this is all about in today’s day and age where sometimes its hard for a stand out athlete to prove that they are stand out because their only venue is 8 man football in small towns across the country. Since you are not attending IMG academy or, Bishop Gorman where can a guy go to compete. We have 5 chances for that comparison to happen.
These camps will attract players from across the state and the country depending on who is invited. Remember though to bring your A game and don’t be offended if you don’t get a lot of attention. People have their favorites, ranked kids and their own children at these camps. You coming in as a barnstormer looking to prove your self may not get the love you are looking for. No worries prove them wrong on the field.
The Regionals schedule has been posted but don’t run and sign up right away. Your first task is to get the hudl app. Problem being that for some sort of contract reason they only did it with IOS. Oh well so you have to find a friend with an IOS device then get your testing results loaded on to hudl. When that is done you are evaluated via the app. I am pretty sure they already have the analytics to alert them when a user has a top 200 score. The actual regional is now an invitation only party. So get yourselves in shape, practice the testing events, grab the app and show em what you got. One reason this camp is rated number 2 is because they don’t rely on HS coaches to do the work for you. This is an athlete centered process. Best of luck. https://www.theopening.com/
Rivals camp series is of course the competition to the Opening. Rival companies rival everything rival kids participating and battling for recognition. What is interesting about this camp is that it would allow students to self nominate. There is not a huge emphasis on testing data, it seems more focused on game film and coaches. That being said, this is another national select event. You need some recognition to get an invite. With Rivals camp registration is online but you also need to get that film sent over to them. They would like you to send an email to them. Check out the FAQ and get registered you could be the next big thing. https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-camp-series-presented-by-under-armour-2016-schedule
The FBU top gun showcase is a young camp in comparison to the others but it has a middle school twist to it. As more and more kids are working hard to improve skills the recruiting and getting noticed game has moved to middle school. This area is no longer reserved for the coaches kid that would get a scholarship offer when he is in eighth grade. Get out there and get noticed. http://footballuniversity.org/other-events/top-gun/
The NUC guys have been around for years and have a growing offering of camps and combine events. They are pushing the 7 on 7 world forward and helping kids get noticed across the country. If you are looking for an introduction to the competitive world or can’t travel that far NUC is a good alternative. http://nucsports.com/recruiting-events/
Sports Trainer Index is the name and helping kids land over 4 million dollars in athletic scholarships is the game. Lets recap the numbers shall we. I said over 4 million dollars in athletic scholarships for kids in all sorts of sports. The man behind it all is named Evan Turkish, he has engineered the contacts and alliances that are needed to even be relevant in the world of recruiting. Sports Trainer Index is not a big fish by any means. However, they are growing and growing fast.
In my interview with Evan, he explained that the original goal for the company was to provide a knowledge base of training resources in every city. His goal was not to build a recruiting service. It was to build a network of sports trainers that would help kids work toward their goal of playing at the highest level they possibly could.
With the goal in mind Evan put a strong list of training organizations together all over the country. He then started using the list to refer kids that were interested in working to getting better so they could be recruited.
The best things in life are free but training and recruiting are not. So lets look at the numbers and see why this affordable service is a great steal for families that are looking for help and guidance but don’t want to get caught up with hidden fees.
Your package fee is a one time fee that encompasses the relationship you have with STI. Things like phone conversation coaching or email response reviews all come with the base fee. What I have found through all of my research is that if you are thinking to start these processes in Junior year you would be miles behind. According to Evan “These things start around 8th – 9th grade. By junior year summer we are showcasing you in camps that match your goals”
Everything I have observed about STI has been solid support of the athletes and families that have signed up with them. I hope what I have seen stays the same as they grow. It is easy to lose sight of the primary goals when things get hectic. People start racing for profits and lose the point that it was about helping youth find a path to education.
The web site for them is www.sportstrainerindex.com. Best of luck with your recruiting journey.
