Today was the first day of the “Hitters” clinic for football.  Zachary was so excited to go all day and couldn’t wait until he could go.  He got dressed up in his football pads and such 2 hours before it was time to go, and we had to get him undressed so he wouldn’t spill or wipe stuff all over his new clean  uniform.  We wanted the grass to get him dirty, not his food.  🙂

When we got to the practice field, it was very hot and humid and we were sweating like crazy before the clinic even started.  He was a little trooper and did a great job!  It was really funny to see around 500+ kids that had never played before working with coaches in their small groups.

They started out with stretching exercises and practiced leg work to get quick on their feet.  Due to the heat, they had to stop and get water every 15 minutes or so.  Zach would come over to me because he can’t quite get his own helmet off his head yet!  🙂  He would drink and then go back, ready for more.  They practiced hitting pads and tackling.  The coaches kept driving it into them that they had to “hit, grab, drop, and roll” when trying to tackle and that when they were hitting, they couldn’t grab.  There were some confused faces on these little kids just going into first grade.  🙂

By the time they finished, Zach was totally exhausted, hot, and sopping wet from sweat!  The coaches promised a better day tomorrow because it will be cooler and less humid.  In addition to that, they actually get to hit and tackle each other tomorrow!  🙂  Zach was excited about that!  He’s not exactly the most agressive kid, but we’ll practice with him and teach him that it’s OK to hit hard in football!  🙂  Great job Zach!