The Total Sports Development (TSD) football skills clinic is underway in Yelm as hundreds of incoming third to eighth graders from around the region are flocking to Yelm High School to enhance their football skills.
TSD has two clinics for student athletes, one for offensive position groups and another for defensive position groups. Across all age groups and talent levels, the sessions focus on building a foundational skill set, whether it’s footwork for running backs or tackling techniques for linebackers.
“I like their willingness to learn. I know it’s probably sucking water through a fire hose at this point,” Bryan Irion, camp director and YHS offensive coordinator, said in between offensive clinics, recently. “They’re here because they want to get better, and the fact that we reviewed from last week and they’re able to remember what we did and the key points says a lot about these kids.”
Every corner of the YHS football turf is covered by a position group during each session. Quarterbacks practice their three-step drop in one end zone, while wide receivers run stick routes in the other, and defensive backs improve their coverage skills on one sideline as linebackers learn to read the offense on the opposite.
Participants don’t just come from Yelm schools to learn from the YHS coaching staff. Student athletes from Eatonville, Tumwater, Lacey and Olympia travel to Yelm for the clinics with the eventual goal of trying out in August for TSD’s winter 7-on-7 program.
“I’ve been to a couple of camps before, but this one really helps me in learning about football and how to do certain things. I’m hoping to become an overall better player and support Yelm,” said Cedar Ogle, a homeschooled student from Yelm.
Irion spent the Tuesday, July 16, offensive session helping young quarterbacks, a group he said with whom he was particularly impressed.
“You get young quarterbacks, and all they want to do is just throw it as hard and as far as they can. These kids actually want to do the drills and the footwork and get better at the little stuff,” Irion said. “As a younger quarterback, that’s critical. The fact that they want to learn and get better is super cool.”
The four-week football skills clinic will continue through Aug. 1, and tryouts for the TSD 7-on-7 teams will take place on Saturday, Aug. 3.
