Klayfish
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 19, 2016
The warnings about playing under 12 in other studies caught my attention. In other areas, tackle football may have been popular for the under 12 kids for years but its not something that has been here. When my sons played, they started with flag football at 5 and played until 6th grade (so about 12) when they started on the midget/pee wee teams and tackle. Now there are no local flag teams and they start right in on tackle. I would have an issue with that if my kids were those ages. My sons were able to learn the techniques of the game without the threat of getting hurt. It made them better players later on. I don't agree with playing tackle football at that young age and not just because of concussions. There is a lot to learn when learning the game but too many people focus on "hit 'em hard".
No, not at all accurate. Flag football (my boys tried it one year during tackle football offseason) has very little in common with tackle. We've seen kids who have been playing flag for a while and then come into tackle. They are not better players, they're actually significantly worse. There are very few techniques they learn in flag that translate well to tackle. In flag, they can't block, don't have the same formations, techniques and don't tackle. When they come into tackle, they are so far behind the kids who have been playing. They have no idea how to tackle properly, and that puts them much more at risk for injury (head or otherwise) than someone who has been playing tackle and knows proper tackle technique. They lower their head, use the crown of their helmet, or try to arm tackle (which can lead to arm injury).
The focus of youth football is not "hit 'em hard". I've heard the terms "Eyes to the thighs" "Get low" "Head up" "Wrap up" "Drive for five" so many times I hear it in my sleep. The kids are taught to aim low, have their head up, wrap their arms around the opponent. Many of them now even teach a wrap and roll tackle technique. Imagine how an alligator rolls its' prey, and it's a similar concept. Wrap them up low, and roll them down. Yes, sometimes they hit hard. As I said, DS10 has caused many kids to leave the game in tears. But any kid who tries to "blow up" another kid with a helmet first tackle, or arms at their side just trying to use their shoulder will get yanked out of the game so fast they'll get a concussion from the coach yanking them. So sure, hard hits are part of the game, but proper technique is FAR more important.
I worry far more about my kids playing lacrosse than I do the boys playing football. DS13 is defense in lacrosse, which is very physical. DD10 doesn't wear a helmet, as it's not part of the girls' game (which boggles my mind), and DS10 is a goalie...he comes home every single practice and game with bruises from being hit by the ball.