The Breakdown on Travel 7v7
One of the fastest growing sports amongst youth athletes is 7 on 7 or 7v7. There are a lot of opinions about the sport, good and bad. However, despite a number of critics and skeptics the sport is growing every year and becoming a major tool for young athletes. I just completed my first year of 7 on 7 last month with my own organization (St. Johns Spartans) and I loved the opportunities it created for our kids. I have been sold on the importance of 7 on 7 since about 2015 even though it wasn’t as big back then. Around 2015 and earlier when 7 on 7 was first getting started it was reserved for high school kids. Now it has expanded all the way down to 8u in some areas. Here I will explain what 7 on 7 is and how it can be used to benefit players.
What is 7 on 7?
Since 7 on 7, better known as Travel 7v7, is still relatively new at the younger ages it’s best to explain what it is first. “It’s not real football” critics and analyst will say and they are correct. However, they leave out the truth. As a former player and current coach I can tell you that 7v7, or as we call it, “Pass Skel” is very important part of almost every practice. Football practices at the high school level and up are broken into the following structure:
Indy (work on position specific drills)
Inside (working on just the running game)
Pass Skel (7v7. Working on just the passing game)
Team (11 v 11. Running and passing is allowed)
Combines and Camps for high school athletes have thrown skill players into 7v7 action for years because its not meant to include contact. It’s a great way to see who can cover, run routes, and throw for the skill guys. Some players have climbed recruiting rankings rapidly as a result of their performance in these situations. This year, Travis Hunter went from the #12 player in 2022 to #2 as he tore up the 7v7 circuit playing for multiple teams. I watched him play at IMG and he’s a special player and leader. I loved how he conducted himself while playing with South Florida Express. He’s had multiple videos go viral and proved he can play on both sides of the ball.
Travel 7v7 has been around since about 2006 on a small scale but has seen most of its growth the past five years. Adidas has been a huge help as they have sponsored teams and even provided their own circuit similar to AAU. Pylon is the original 7v7 circuit to my knowledge but many others have popped up like Championship7v7, Battle, and NFA. Additionally, there are smaller ones in many different regions.
The biggest reason for the increase in 7v7 though is not the number of circuits. It’s the expansion from High School down to lower ages. Many organizations quickly realized their high school teams would be better if they started preparing the kids sooner on 14u, 12u, and so on. Basically, 7v7 is now the football version of AAU basketball. Tournaments offered every weekend with kids from everywhere competing and traveling. Travel 7v7 also has the same benefits and drawbacks as AAU basketball. Parents better know what they are dealing with and pick the appropriate situation for their child.
Why do travel 7v7?
First, football has changed. The days of just running the ball are behind us and teams in the NFL and College are throwing the ball a lot more. Some high schools and most youth teams don’t throw the ball much. 7v7 allows players to focus specifically on the passing game offensively and defensively. I’ve been to some youth games where the ball isn’t thrown 10 times total. For kids that want to play QB, WR, & DB they can go through a whole season without getting much passing action. 7v7 is a great environment for working on those skills.
The benefit for High School kids is that travel 7v7 occurs from January to May and that is the off season for high school football. It allows them to compete and get exposure to recruiting services and coaches outside of their normal season. It’s also off season for colleges and the time they get a lot of their recruiting done. It’s the ideal time to make a name for yourself if you haven’t already.
Additionally, playing for a local high school limits players to local competition. By teaming up with other talented players and traveling across their region or the country players get to compete against the best of the best. Essentially you give yourself a chance to take somebody’s spot or prove you deserve yours on recruiting boards and rankings. Being a unranked player and competing against current 4 and 5 star players is the ultimate opportunity. One good game and people will have no choice but to find out who you are. The first step in the recruiting process is people knowing you exist and 7v7 has become a great platform for those opportunities.
What the critics say about 7v7?
Despite its many benefits there are a lot of critics of 7v7. I’d say this is due to the culture of the 7v7 as it has grown. For many players and teams 7v7 is about the highlight. Their style of play chases highlights and ways to belittle their opponent. DBs playing over aggressively with tons of uncalled holding. Offenses running illegal formations and throwing tons of jump balls to post videos. And both teams with choreographed celebrations after each success. Also, there isn’t a lot of ‘loyalty’ in 7v7 as players play with multiple teams each week. There is a ton of cheating in 7v7 with older players playing down and kids switching teams during tournaments due to poor regulations.
Other than the cheating, I’d say the worst part is a lack of teaching and player development though. 7v7 started as a tool used during the normal football practice. Currently, the model for a lot of teams is to recruit talented players and just show up and play. Kids have to be ready to play because there is less teaching than a traditional football setting. It’s become a showcase for football’s best athletes rather than focusing on the player development. Offenses lack continuity and defenses just play press man with all DBs on the field for the most part. You can always tell the difference between recruited teams and true, built teams by their communication, ability to change schemes, and how they respond to adversity.
The Truth: What to expect
Exposure and opportunity. Those are the two guarantees of travel 7v7. The quality of each will be controlled by the program a parent places their child in. There are local teams, elite teams, and sponsored teams. Parents and players have to be honest and choose a situation they will benefit from. It’s a business decision. 7v7 is a tool and can benefit every player in the proper setting. Some kids are ready to compete and can play on elite teams or sponsored teams. Those teams have tryouts and/or hand picked kids from hours away or even another state some times. And yes, a random kid might show up one weekend take your kid’s ‘spot’. Don’t play on those teams and complain about playing time for your child. It’s your fault, not the coaches.
*Disclaimer every team with “Elite” in their name ain’t Elite. Our Spartans team knocked off 3 – 4 “Elite” teams in our 1st tournament. We are a local team that happens to have a few elite players. There is a difference. But I’ll address the misuse of that word another time.*
Our St. Johns Spartans program is a local team with local kids. We play a ‘National’ schedule because we live in Florida and many tournaments and teams come to us. We won a few tournaments last year and gave our local kids the opportunity to compete against some of the Nation’s top programs. Our players were beyond excited to be talked to by media services and do interviews during our first season. For us, watching a lot of our 15u players, who were on JV last season, go back to their high schools and start in their Spring games is what it’s all about. While exposure and opportunity are the two guarantees for any player that does 7v7. We add in player development as a foundation for our Spartans program to make 7v7 a winner for every participant.
It’s June now, so there are only a few tournaments left this season. But start looking at programs for next season now. Tryouts typically are in December for many programs as tournaments start in January. For High School athletes, choose programs that participate in Battle, Championship 7v7, Pylon, & NFA tournaments for the most exposure and competition. They offer younger ages too at all of those tournaments except NFA.
However, for players in middle school or younger focus on quality reps with quality coaching against quality competition. Winning 7v7 tournaments is not the goal. It’s fun for sure and I always want to win. But for the players, especially at the younger ages, don’t trade in reps, development, and competition for a trophy.
To sum it up, every QB, WR, RB, DB, & LB should be doing 7v7 in some capacity. It does overlap with AAU & high school basketball seasons but my oldest son played both this past year. If your child does multiple sports just manage it properly. But the opportunities provided by 7v7 are too great to miss out. See y’all next season. Until next time, B U!
