As many of you know, I am a big proponent of using unique movements and games to help me decide who should play which positions as well as aid in player development and athletic conditioning. One of the best games to do this is Deer Hunter. This past weekend at the Coaches Clinic in Boston, a youth coach who uses the “Winning Youth Football” system shared with me his twist on my version of the game.
Why do we do that
Remember in football what we’re looking for is the ability for players to control their body, change direction and accelerate in very small spaces. The key to working well with this skill set is core strength, the power one has from the bottom of one’s ribcage through the upper thighs. Your best soccer players always have a very strong core.
How do we do it
The way we do Deer Hunter is to mark a 20 yard by 20 yard area with cones or shells. With a team of 24 players, place 4 “Hunters” in the middle of the arena, put yellow T-shirts on them to indicate to everyone that they are the Hunters. The remaining players are deer, the deer are spread across the square, and roam freely. Every hunter has a soft enerf ball, any one will do. On your account the game starts and the deer scatter. Hunters throw nerf balls at deer to knock deer out of the game. Once you hit the deer, go get a quick drink and sit around until that quick game is over and we start a new one. In most cases, hunters chase the deer and get very close to hit the deer with the ball. Only catchers are allowed to throw balls.
Hidden conditioning
As you might have guessed, everyone who explodes too fast does what? Very short stop and go to change direction. Sound like anything we do in football? In a very short time, you will be able to determine which players can change direction and acceleration, which players have body control and which players don’t. At the end of the game when you have 4 hunters hunting down the remaining deer, you will see some of the most amazing soccer action known to man. In addition to being able to tell who your athletes are really quickly, the kids get some great conditioning and have a great time doing it. They will relentlessly beg you for more of this game. When was the last time your kids begged for more conditioning?
New twist
What my Boston friend added to this game was that he put a bucket of cold water in the middle of the circle. Hunters were allowed to soak Nerf balls in cold water to add to the fun. I asked this trainer to email me so I could credit him in this post, but it’s 10 days later and still no email. Thanks boss, great idea.
Added benefits
We like to use this game at the end of the first workout. Not only does it help us with positioning, but it gets the kids excited to practice more than a 30-yard range. But of course we get just as much conditioning as we do with gassy guys, it’s just that our kids love it. Don’t even get me started on how much the parents love it too. When you coach youth football, you want them to be on your side, too.
You can do this game without nerf balls, just play it as a tag.
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