Many people only know about standard tackle football, but some players begin and further their skills through a seven on seven team. Seven on seven is essentially no contact football where skill positions can advance their skills in the off season to compete at a high level during high school ball.
Seven on seven is mostly for skill positions, running backs, defensive backs, receivers and quarter backs. Sevens help athletes develop their skills for the tackle season.
“Technique, because you can’t really hit in [sevens],” junior Tadd Mitchell said. “So you just gotta, rely on your technique to guard people and route people up.”
While high school ball is insanely competitive, seven on seven is more relaxed. By keeping the environment relaxed, athletes play freely with less pressure.
“It’s a little more unserious,” junior Travis Jeffery said. “So it’s just a little easier to have fun.”
Seven on seven helps athletes gain connections. These connections can be useful throughout college and further on to help athletes get sponsorships and brand deals.
“I would say, like, the behind the scenes work and all, like, the money that goes into it,” Jeffery said. “Just kind of all the connections that it brings through, like, clothing companies and sponsorships.”
Although both have their differences, they are essentially the same sport. Most seven on seven allows athletes to play more freely and have fun.
“It’s not, honestly, that much different,” junior Darian Webb said. “It’s just seven on seven is a lot more free, so you can taunt more and stuff like that.”
While standard high school football practice almost everyday. For seven on seven, there are no official practices, willing athletes just show up and play.
“Regular football is definitely a lot more intense,” Webb said. “Just because you’re hitting every play.
Many seven on seven teams have athletes from all over the nation. It adds to the varsity of skills athletes learn while playing sevens.
“Playing with players from a high school team, it’s just a little easier because of like the chemistry and then playing with players from like different states or just different high school teams,” Jeffery said. “it makes it a little bit harder because you’re not around them as much.”
Approaching seven on seven with the right mindset can make a big difference in how much a player improves before the fall season. It gives athletes a chance to practice, build confidence, and strengthen their overall skills.
“I would say that if you’re gonna be playing seven on seven to go into it with a mindset of improving yourself for fall season and to just focus on developing your skill set,” Jeffery said.
