Over the past few years when the NFL training camp begins, Colts fans, like myself, have grown to expect the unexpected from Colts Wide Receiver, Reggie Wayne. Not only do we expect the unexpected, but we expect training camp to start off in a fun way.

You see when Reggie Wayne reports for training camp, he just doesn't report. He shows up in a dramatic, fun fashion. Over the years he's reported to camp in hunter's gear, in a dump truck wearing a hard hat with a reflective construction jacket, in army fatigues flanked by military personnel, in a health line helicopter with a recovering patient, and this year driving an Indy Car completely decked out in a blue racing gear and a custom Colts racing helmet.

The appearances usually have a meaning or focus behind it for the upcoming season, but mainly it is just fun and cool. It's a great lesson to youth football parents and youth coaches. Even professionals like Wayne, realize one important thing. Football is a game and mean to be fun. Here are 4 ways you can keep it fun for your youth football players.

1.     Surprise them. While doing the exact same drills over and over again, can give a player the repetition necessary to become good, it can also become boring. Try to mix up practices, drills and what you do with your kids on the football field. Wayne has the element of surprise down.

2.     Never forget football is game. You've seen the videos and read the stories of parents and coaches taking it a little too far and sometimes resulting in some harsh words or even hard fists being thrown. That is no fun at all, especially for the kids. Keep in mind at all times football is a game, and youth football is a game for the kids.

3.     Don't take yourself too seriously. I can remember football coaches as a kid always having a scowl on their face. It was like it was part of their uniform. To coach youth football you had to grab your whistle, your coaching shorts (I grew up in the 80s so they were tight coaching shorts), and last but not least put on your scowl. Smile a little, enjoy yourself, and do something out of your comfort zone.

4.     Create games within the game. Reporting to work is what Wayne does each year. But while reporting to work, it's as if he tries to beat himself at reporting each year. It's kind of a game within the game. Make practices fun, by creating small competitions that get the results you want in maybe a different way.

While starting a new football season is probably exciting, I'm sure those first days and weeks of training camp are hard. Maybe this is Wayne's way of lightening it up to help him and his teammates push through some of the roughest days of the season.

Be a lot like Wayne when you approach the game with your kids and football players. Keep it light, while still putting in the work necessary to get better.

What is one more way you can keep it fun for your youth football players?

Jackie Bledsoe Jr. is a writer, blogger, speaker, husband and sports parent of three. He's played sports for more than 30 years, including the collegiate level, while coaching youth sports for the past nine years. He's the author of The Family Leader Manifesto. You can read more from Jackie by clicking here to subscribe to his blog.