Adapting 11-Man Schemes to 8-Man Football

Across the United States, approximately 1,161 teams are playing 8-man football. Compared to the approximate 16,000 11-man teams and another 700+ college teams, 8-man coaches are at a disadvantage when it comes to adding to their offensive and defensive systems. You can’t turn on the TV on Saturday and watch the local college team tear it up in the 3-2-3 defense. So, they have to be able to take new content from the 11-man teams and adapt it to fit their situation.

On this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by Coach Kenny Ridley as he discusses his path from college player to 11-man DC, and then the foot-first jump into the 8-man world and all the new challenges that brought his way. Coach Ridley discusses the origin of his defensive scheme, how he adapted 11-man fundamentals to the 8-man game, and he breaks down the basics of 8-man football to those of us who not had a reason to dig into it.