With football season here I thought it would also be a good opportunity to brush up on some toddler defensive schemes and the keys to their implementation.
Some of these defenses are designed for close quarters containment of a single toddler, while others are more suitable for coverage in more open environments involving any number of toddlers.
Man-to-Toddler
Arguably the most challenging of all the potential defensive alignments, it requires fast reflexes and dogged determination. Your coverage responsibilities are fixed in a man-to-toddler alignment and you have no safety support. This defense should only be employed when you have limited personnel resources in relation to the number of toddlers.
Zone
The primary alternative to the man-to-toddler coverage scheme is zone coverage. This defense is best employed when you have willing support from grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends or even an unsuspecting family pet. In zone you have less specific coverage responsibilities other than to ensure nothing happens in your assigned area.
Toddler Two
With coverage responsibilities similar to zone, the toddler two is a simpler scheme that requires attitude and tremendous team speed to avoid any coverage breakdowns. The toddler two should only be relied upon with personnel capable of redirecting the toddler. Toddler two personnel is generally undersized for prototypical defensive schemes, but makes up for those shortfalls with speed and agility. Older siblings or cousins are ideal in the toddler two scheme.
Nickel and Dime Packages
Other optimal defensive alignments for child containment include the nickle and dime packages, assuming you have additional personnel to fulfill the necessary roles in coverage. It should be noted that this defense is best when trying to defend larger fields of play or multiple toddlers.
Three-Four, Four-Three and The 46
These defensive formations are primarily employed in close quarters with a limited number of toddlers. Under these schemes your personnel is brought closer to the line to prevent the run. The disadvantage to these schemes is when there is a break down in run support, which leaves you short in coverage as the field of play expands.
Keys to Success
One of the true keys to winning against the strong minded toddler is to remain flexible with your game plan and allow for multiple formations.
While it can be tempting to stick with a favored base defensive alignment, the opposition’s willpower and ability to out scheme you should not be underestimated. The most important aspect of implementing any one of these defenses is to fully assess the skills of your personnel.
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