Hope all are well.
I wanted to share some important information with all of you regarding player safety and concussions. If I can enlist your help in reinforcing what I am about to share, we can enhance the experience for all. The more eyes and ears we have on our boys – and girl – in pads this season, the better.
First – some Football 101.
There is no getting around the fact that football is a contact sport. We spend the entire first week of August conditioning – getting their bodies ready for the rigors of the game when the pads go on. Then, everything we do going forward from both a conditioning and fundamental standpoint is designed to strengthen and train them for the various types of impacts they will give and receive during the course of a practice or a game. This year, we also introduced several core strengthening exercises and drills during camp, and many of the teams continue to use them to this day. While we cannot guarantee that there will never be an injury – we can do certain things that will help reduce and prevent the likelihood of injury.
One very important aspect of this preparation involves getting all of them to play in a proper football position. You might have heard a coach barking “keep your hips down”. Aside from the fact that the main source of football strength originates from your hips and core – when your hips are low – your head is up.
This does two things. First, you can see where you are going and what is coming after you. This is especially important in a game situation. If your head is down, you are not going to be aware of anything but the grass. Your head will not be on a swivel. You will miss the opponent lining you up for the big hit.
Secondly, and more importantly, when your hips are down and your head is up – your neck is bowed. From a physiological and football playing standpoint, this is the safest way to block and tackle. Blocking and tackling with your head down increases the potential for severe injury. If you want a crash course on really poor tackling technique – watch an NFL game. It is amazing that they aren’t carting more players off the field every Sunday.
When our kids play with their hips low and head up, they can better execute a proper tackle, helping to stay clear of the opponent’s helmet, neck and shoulders. Referees are making more calls on high tackles this year – and rightly so. We have already had several face-mask, tackling around the head and horse collar calls. These are all the result of the player not being in the correct position on the field and playing too high.
Back in the day when I was playing football, blocking was done primarily with your shoulders and helmet. Today, the rules favor using leverage, hand placement and footwork. Technique on the line is very important – not just brute strength. The helmet is used as a protective device as it should be - instead of a weapon. Again, hips down and head up make for a superb blocking foundation.
Players running with the ball also need to maintain a correct body position. They too need to stay low. Running up and down makes you a bigger target. Plus, when 3 or 4 opponents wrap you up and the pile goes over, the helmet tends to be the highest point – and the last thing to hit the ground. A player’s head bouncing off the turf can lead to a concussion.
Coaches in our program that see anyone playing with their head down will warn that player to correct the situation immediately. If it continues, that player can expect to find themselves on the sideline. Anything you can do to help reinforce the importance of hips down and head up is greatly appreciated.
Sound fundamentals in the area of tackling and blocking are one way to help insure safety. Proper fitting helmets are a key element as are the mouth guards our players wear. Mouth guards – while protecting the pearly whites – actually work with the helmet to absorb or dissipate the impact to the head in a collision. The custom mouth guards we provided free of charge through Dr. Abraham are designed to help in this regard. If your player is currently using a boil and bite mouth guard, and it looks a little worse for the wear, ask for another one. We have more. Every little bit can help. Chinstraps are also part of this system as well, and we need to make sure that they are worn snug too – high and tight.
Despite our better efforts, there might be a situation during a practice or game where a player suffers a concussion. It might be the result of a helmet to helmet collision, the head hitting the hard ground, or perhaps a knee or foot striking the helmet. There are 22 bodies flying around the field on any given play, and things can and will happen. Whatever the case, we all need to be on the same page to insure the safety of the stricken player. Under no circumstances do we want to put them in a position to absorb more harmful impacts and turn a bad situation into a tragedy.
A Concussion Fact Sheet I received through the AAYFL is posted on the Cardinal web site. Coaches should never try to diagnose this type of injury – and neither should parents. This is something that is better left to medical professionals.
Once a player has been diagnosed with a concussion, they should never be rushed back into practice or games. Depending on the severity of the concussion, it may take several days or weeks for the trauma to heal. There is no hurry to get a youth football player back into pads. There will be plenty of football left for them to play.
Quite simply, “When in doubt, sit them out.”
