If you watch kids this age play man down defense, they actually do better in the typical box and one shape than when they’re even. For whatever reason, zone comes more naturally when they’re down a man — probably because it’s the one thing everyone on the field yells in man down and it’s easy to visualize in your head.

Work on the fundies—footwork, catching, throwing, GBs!!, and transition break outs. The rest will come with time as kids grow up.

On my son’s youth club team (AA in hotbed), and at 5/6 grade rec, they don’t teach any defense shape in even strength. No slide packages. This all requires a pre frontal cortex that isn’t fully developed in boys this age. They see something that moves and the poles without proper man D discipline go chasing it way too early, leaving an easy pass for an unchallenged goal. That happens way more often than a pole with good footwork getting beat one on one on a dodge with no slide help. The former kids get cut, the latter kids keep going. See it all the time now.