Sunday, May 5, 2024
There were more than just the basics being taught at the Granbury Pirates youth football camp as campers and coaches began learning about each other June 7-9 at Pirate Stadium.
Both head coach Chad Zschiesche and defense coordinator Sonny Galindo agree they have seen a marked decline in players' football IQ levels and point toward technology and a more comprehensive range of youth activities as being the culprit.
"We want to get them off that technology. I think anytime you can get a kid to be active or buy into something outside of the norm, it is good for everyone. Football is just a way to do that or baseball and basketball. It's just a way to keep a kid motivated and be a part of something bigger than themselves," Zschiesche said. "All that's beneficial from the social aspect."
With more athletes showing up not knowing the terminology and the basics of football, coaches have had to make changes in their approaches to their craft.
"We have had to adapt the way we coach and teach and assume that they don't know what they don't know -- that's a favorite saying of ours (coaches)," Galindo said, "As teachers first, we're obligated to start at the very basic level and make sure they understand before we start spilling out stuff that we assume they understand."
On Tuesday, there was no lack of motivation as campers and coaches adjusted to the day's heat. Requests for water were met with a quicker than usual response because some of the athletes had just finished attending the nearby GHS Pirate baseball camp.
Zschiesche and head baseball coach Brad Eppler coordinated their times to allow players to attend both camps if they wanted and flip-flopped the athletes by age groups to get it done.
Perhaps the best thing about the GHS football camp is that players are rotated through several stations. Everybody gets a chance to tackle a giant rolling donut, pass the football, make a big catch, or recover a fumble.
The icing on the cake for the younger athletes is getting to perform in front of varsity players like Braydon Olthoff, who enjoys helping with campers, and he also gained an insight into what his coaches go through.
"It's honestly kind of motivating. I like seeing these kids coming out here to work, and they want to get better. And it's kind of like showing how our community is a big family and how we're growing and getting better. There's a lot of talent out here, for sure. We want them to realize that football is a fun sport," Olthoff said. "Sometimes it's hard to get the kids' attention, but this (helping coach) is enjoyable, and they enjoy it."
A byproduct of making sure football camp is fun is the fundamentals of the game are being applied with all of the drills.
"It's about the fundamentals," Galindo said. "They're not going to quit here, and they will be learning about the fundamentals until they graduate. The earlier we can get started and understand that fundamentals make you faster, the better off we are. If mistakes are eliminated, then we have a better chance of success. It all boils down to fundamentals."
Or it boils down to attending camps making you a better athlete.
"But I'd say as a general statement; they certainly have a head start. They've heard the terminology. They've done a few of the drills. They are being taught by the coaches they will learn from later. You have to be careful of the camps that you attend. You want to make sure that camp has a good coach to player ratio and that camp isn't in it for the financial aspect," Zschiesche said.
Russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 231
