Installing a Middle School Defense

[@sruff76]

Great video coach! I coach 7th and 8th grade out here in California. Cover 3 spot drop is easiest to teach. Once kids learn the basics, you can add wrinkles such as clouding corners if you're getting attacked in the flats. Once kids now landmarks for zones, you can vary who drops where depending on your personnel and opponent formation/tendency.

[@free55]

Recently found your content, sir. Really excellent stuff to listen to going in to my 7th year coaching 8th graders. We run a field defense out of a single-high 4-2-5, and I have 2 check calls to the boundary, which apply to our field-side as well. Then there are 3 field-side exclusive calls in our pattern-match Read 2/Tampa invert or Robber 5 coverage. I install 3 stunts, 2 blitzes, + man and drop-zone coverage within the first week. I'll add wrinkles in progressively throughout the season to where the kids are now running the pattern-match concepts due to our repetition. Especially when our OC runs the Air Raid concept and adds his wrinkles progressively. I'm excited for this season, and grateful for your content 🙏 you helped me to solve a problem I keep running into: play fundamentals first!

[@CoachMac]

Nice!!! Thank You

[@LombardiXL]

Thank you coach. I think making a series of videos would help focus more on one specific area, allowing people to move to the next progression at their pace. I think this would make it more simple for kids to install.

[@CoachMac]

Yes sir, thank you

[@mjciavola]

You don't see anything about middle school basics on KZbin. This was very interesting and informative.

[@CoachMac]

Just an overview, need to get more specific. Tough in a 20 minute video

[@SoSmv]

Great video coach. Would you be open to doing one about offense?

[@CoachMac]

I can try

[@gregwitmer9217]

Very informative video. Thank you coach.

[@CoachMac]

Glad it was helpful!

[@keithcampbell5534]

Absolutely incredible advice!! Loved this video.

[@CoachMac]

Thank You!!

[@jdh_25]

Great video, thanks for the insight! Appreciate all you do!

[@CoachMac]

Thank You

[@joshuastorey2017]

Coach I needed this video last season!!!

[@CoachMac]

My bad Coach, i am sorry!!!

[@jimb2946]

Great stuff coach. I would love to see some more content on each defensive position group and coaching the defensive fronts/coverages

[@CoachMac]

I will see what i can do

[@wheelsoffpodcast]

This is what i did every year i was a middle school coach and what I relayed to my coaches as a middle school AD

[@CoachMac]

Absolutely love it

[@waymanscott9252]

Can you breakdown what type of player each linebacker and Defensive back a kid needs to be at the specific positions of this defense please?

[@CoachMac]

I can try yes

[@nicholasthrasher1620]

Any drawbacks to running a 3-3 stack at this level?

[@CoachMac]

No, certainly possible

[@laronnjones591]

Coach would you recommend this method for JV as well, or have you seen that most of your JV squads can handle pattern matching?

[@CoachMac]

Done it both ways, if they can potentially help Varsity at some point that season they need a basic understanding of Varsity schemes. But i have had seasons getting better results with spot drops and man stuff only

[@laronnjones591]

@@CoachMac Thanks. Appreciate that!