Macy talking to the campers before the last day of camp starts.
Campers going through blocking drills on the sled.
A camper celebrating after getting in the endzone during the seven on seven game.
Drew Terhall
DailyAdvocate.com
ARCANUM — Arcanum’s practice field had a different group of football players doing drills this week. The Arcanum High School football program held a youth football camp on July 26-28. Arcanum head coach Matt Macy, along with his assistant coaches and players, ran the camp to teach kids the basics of football.
Macy said the camp had 70-80 kids each day. Broken down into four different groups, the campers had a chance to go through the same drills the players go through. They did route running drills, tackling drills and some had the chance to push the sled just like the offensive linemen do.
The coaches and players showed the campers the starting skills needed early on in a football career. Macy said if there was anything for the campers to learn from this camp, it would be how to tackle and block properly. However, the most important thing to Macy is for the kids to leave the camp wanting to play football.
”If they can take one skill away from that and have fun and like football when they leave this, that’s the goal. We want to get as many kids that love football and want to play as possible,” Macy said.
While some groups had both coaches and players teaching the campers, there were two groups that were only taught by just players. The players had the chance to decide what drills to run for the campers.
Macy said the players can benefit from teaching the campers drills that they had just went through these past few month. It’s a way for the players to fully learn about the drill and what they can get out of it.
It’s also a great way for the players to get involved within the community. They can make connections with the younger kids and help bring the community together, especially when the season starts.
“It’s good for the young guys who will come to games and say, ‘I know number 10, he was my camp counselor.’ I think that’s good community outreach,” Macy said.
The camp ended with some friendly competition. The campers were split into smaller teams to compete in seven on seven football games. The players had the chance to coach the campers during these games. It was an opportunity for the players and campers to share the joy that football brings them.
“My favorite part (of camp) is these competitions at the end. The older guys coaching the younger guys in these seven on sevens and going crazy and competiting is the most fun part,” Macy said.
Contact Daily Advocate Sports Editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]
