The Sarasota Sailfish hosted their annual series of one-day football skills camps for kids ages 5-18, divided into 4 age groups on Monday and Wednesday of Week 8 and Week 9. Week 8 had camps for ages 5-7 and ages 8-10, while Week 9 feature more detailed skills camps for middle- and high-school football players. In the camps for the younger age kids, the various position groups took turns showing and telling the campers about their position and responsibilities and letting the campers practice some of the skills themselves. Kids got to try the ISFL combine drills like the 40-yard dash, 3-cone drill, and broad jump, see the stadium and locker room, and ask questions of the players. The Week 9 camps for older kids and high school football players were more coaching-oriented, with campers broken out by position groups for drills directly applicable to their roles on the field. Working with the defensive backs, Spike Daniels, Rocky Rhoads, Calvin Hobbes, and King Zeus taught players the finer points of defending in both man and zone coverage, before running through a series of drills to train agility and reaction time, like "Backpedal, Shuffle, and Break," and the "10-Yard Agility Box." Then the players took turns as defenders and receivers to practice tracking the ball in zone coverage with the "Stretch and Break," where a DB must quickly react quickly to attack the ball when the QB throws to one of two receivers. They worked on man coverage in the "Match Hips Drill" where players matched up one-on-one as receiver and DB, with the receiver attempting to get past the DB and the DB working to keep the receiver in front of him and match his movements and positioning. The camps are well-received and something the players enjoy doing each year to pass on their love of the game to future ISFLers!
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