Canadian Football - Hands On
While the Canadians love their Hockey, in many areas of Canada, football is very popular. I had the pleasure of conducting a coaches clinic near Vancouver last week and then had the privilege of running a practice for a group of 5-6th graders the following evening.
It all started a few years ago when a coach by the name of Terry Hamilton brought the Single Wing Offense to British Columbia and the Vancouver area. Terry's team went 16-0 that season and won the coveted Provincial Championship. Others took notice of Terry's success and the following year there were about 25 Canadian coaches at my Seattle coaches clinic. The following seasonTerry's team again went undefeated and won the Provincial Championship, winning the title game 72-14. The real surprise that season were the Chilliwack Giants, who shocked everyone by rolling through the playoffs to their first ever Provincial Title at 5-6th grade. Chilliwack is the team that came down to Nebraska and played us last season, Single Wing versus Single Wing.
Lawrence Smith, the Chilliwack organizer for that trip graciously invited my family up to stay with them, put on a coaches clinic and spend time with his family in the unbelievable beauty and friendliness that is British Columbia. They seem to almost take for granted the beautiful snow covered mountain views you can see from their backyard. Same goes for a huge breathtaking waterfall and state park complete with signs to watch out for the bears just 5 minutes from their home. Another 10 minutes away we spent time at a quaint mountain village with a public swimming area and great local dairy and ice cream. More on that later, let's talk about some nuances and changes that make sense for Canadian youth football.
The Canadians play on a larger field, the Canadian field of play is 110 yards long by 65 yards wide, rather than 100 yards long by 53â..." yards wide as in American football. The Canadian endzones are 10 yards deeper than the American ones as well. The Canadians are allowed just 3 downs to make a first down and the defense must align at least 1 yard off the line of scrimmage.
It all started a few years ago when a coach by the name of Terry Hamilton brought the Single Wing Offense to British Columbia and the Vancouver area. Terry's team went 16-0 that season and won the coveted Provincial Championship. Others took notice of Terry's success and the following year there were about 25 Canadian coaches at my Seattle coaches clinic. The following seasonTerry's team again went undefeated and won the Provincial Championship, winning the title game 72-14. The real surprise that season were the Chilliwack Giants, who shocked everyone by rolling through the playoffs to their first ever Provincial Title at 5-6th grade. Chilliwack is the team that came down to Nebraska and played us last season, Single Wing versus Single Wing.
Lawrence Smith, the Chilliwack organizer for that trip graciously invited my family up to stay with them, put on a coaches clinic and spend time with his family in the unbelievable beauty and friendliness that is British Columbia. They seem to almost take for granted the beautiful snow covered mountain views you can see from their backyard. Same goes for a huge breathtaking waterfall and state park complete with signs to watch out for the bears just 5 minutes from their home. Another 10 minutes away we spent time at a quaint mountain village with a public swimming area and great local dairy and ice cream. More on that later, let's talk about some nuances and changes that make sense for Canadian youth football.
The Canadians play on a larger field, the Canadian field of play is 110 yards long by 65 yards wide, rather than 100 yards long by 53â..." yards wide as in American football. The Canadian endzones are 10 yards deeper than the American ones as well. The Canadians are allowed just 3 downs to make a first down and the defense must align at least 1 yard off the line of scrimmage.
No comments:
Post a Comment