Huskerboard Members: Would/Do you let your kids play tackle football?

[NUance]

A little drain bamage never hurt no one.

 

 

[MLB 51]

A little drain bamage never hurt no one.

 

 

Very sneaky.

[rawhide]

I've had 4 concussions and 1 depressed skull fracture with sub dural and arachnoid bleed. None from football. 3 from horse incidents Got to spend time at the Atkinson Hospital in 1967, 70.

 

1 concuss from syncope about 2 months ago.

 

The depressed skull fracture which almost killed me was from slow pitch softball. Of course the shortstop that threw the ball to first and impacted my head had a great arm "but I was safe"

 

 

Everyone has to make up their own mind about what they or their kids can or will do.

 

GBR

[N Sker]

I've had 4 concussions and 1 depressed skull fracture with sub dural and arachnoid bleed. None from football. 3 from horse incidents 1 from syncope

 

The depressed skull fracture which almost killed me was from slow pitch softball. Of course the shortstop that threw the ball to first and impacted my head had a great arm "but I was safe"

 

 

Everyone has to make up their own mind about what they or their kids can or will do.

 

GBR

SAFE is what counts. J/k, that there is brutal and unfortuante.

 

My kids have had more injuries on the trampoline than anything sports related. Me, however, only a broken middle finger in an attempt to dunk a basketball in HS. Apparently I needed more work on coordiating hands & eyes.

[NUinID]

My oldest son played football his freshman year, this year he did not go out. He just doesn't like it. He is not very athletic, didn't get to play much and decided not to go out. Being someone that coached HS fb for 20+ years it was hard to see, but I never want to push my kids to do something that they don't like. Now my 9 year old is fast as lightning and loves football more every year. I will definitely let him play. I will be more disappointed if he doesn't play because I know he can be decent, but it is his choice.

[NUinID]

I am amazed at how young some parents start having their kids play tackle football. Starting at age 7 or 8 (or even 9 or 10) really doesn't develop them to play when they are in high school. Those kids aren't learning any fundamentals or skills that can be carried forward to older ages.

 

I have a 6 year old son, and I won't let him play tackle football until at least the junior high level, and maybe later. Starting "late" won't hurt him any if he decides to play football in high school. If he is a good enough athlete, I am sure the coach will find a spot for him. In all honesty, my kid isn't going to play sports in college. I would rather he have a functional brain and body that he can use throughout his entire life.

 

Here is a pretty interesting article. Yes, it's from Deadspin, but it is relevant to this topic. http://deadspin.com/...roundtable-2012

 

 

I disagree a good dose of fundamentals starting at about 10 will help a lot of kids be better fb players in HS. Sure natural athletes don't need to start as early and they will pick it up easily, but a good program that keeps it simple and repedative can be very good.

 

Should a 10 year old no the differene between cover 1, 2 and 3 and know the difference between a combo block, g block and zone blocking? No, but a good dose of indi fundies will do wonders. I used to get kids in 9th grade that I literally thought had never even watch at football game before.

[Blackshirtsguru]

I have coached youth football for 21 years now. There are two HUGE problems as to why most kids I have seen over the years get injured. 1, Improper fitting equipment. Like some have previously stated, I have played against kids who's helmets are at times two sizes two big The problem is that some coaches do NOT know how to check to see if a helmet AND shoulder pads fit. I make sure I am at the equipment barn every year to fit as many kids as I can. Our league is really good about making sure we as coaches are educated on the equipment. Also, some leagues are using outdated equipment which I know at times is that their fault. However, I foresee shortly down the road that there will be new concussion rated helmet ratings implemented in EVERY youth football organization across the US.

 

2. Improper coaching. I cringe every time I see a kid come in flying head first to make a tackle. It's usually the younger guys who are new to my team, I asked where they learned that and more times than none, they said "from my dad". I will never fault a dad for spending time with his son, teaching him the game of football. I Just hope that they teach them properly. You would be surprised how many coaches haven't attended one single coaches clinic and are coaching the boys incorrectly, Again, I am going to brag about my organization. We as coaches are required to attend (either online or in person) 3 different coaching clinics a year. I am a firm believer of learning new and safe techniques.

 

Anyways, that is my two cents on the subject.

[N Sker]

I am amazed at how young some parents start having their kids play tackle football. Starting at age 7 or 8 (or even 9 or 10) really doesn't develop them to play when they are in high school. Those kids aren't learning any fundamentals or skills that can be carried forward to older ages.

 

I have a 6 year old son, and I won't let him play tackle football until at least the junior high level, and maybe later. Starting "late" won't hurt him any if he decides to play football in high school. If he is a good enough athlete, I am sure the coach will find a spot for him. In all honesty, my kid isn't going to play sports in college. I would rather he have a functional brain and body that he can use throughout his entire life.

 

Here is a pretty interesting article. Yes, it's from Deadspin, but it is relevant to this topic. http://deadspin.com/...roundtable-2012

 

 

I disagree a good dose of fundamentals starting at about 10 will help a lot of kids be better fb players in HS. Sure natural athletes don't need to start as early and they will pick it up easily, but a good program that keeps it simple and repedative can be very good.

 

Should a 10 year old no the differene between cover 1, 2 and 3 and know the difference between a combo block, g block and zone blocking? No, but a good dose of indi fundies will do wonders. I used to get kids in 9th grade that I literally thought had never even watch at football game before.

Exactly, we had several who only went out their SR year because they were SRs. In a small town, anyone who went out likely played a position. Most of these guys had absolutely no business being on the football field.

[VA Husker Fan]

Me, however, only a broken middle finger in an attempt to dunk a basketball in HS. Apparently I needed more work on coordiating hands & eyes.

I'd always bang my ribs on the rim. They'd be black and blue by the end of the season.

 

 

Everyone has to make up their own mind about what they or their kids can or will do.

 

Agreed, and I don't think anyone has said otherwise, have they?

 

Blackshirtsguru, good perspective.

[Husker66]

my son plays defensive end/ defensive tackle....he has eliminated all sports except football and he trains 4 days a week in the off season in a gym that trains a lot of elite athletes in the area-and specializes in football.. i guess i dont really worry too much about consussions. i would after the first one though...

 

whats different now is when i played, our equipment wasnt anything like today...but we also didnt have kids as big and fast as they are now. i never trained with an ex nfl player...my son does.its a different game now...expectations are different. the o-line at his high school runs in the 260-280 range with a few over 300....the fastest punt coverage kid is a d tackle, comitted to Mizzou...he can out run the ball down field...really amazing how big and fast these kids are getting

[307husker]

I think it was Lou Holtz who has suggested that they take the facemasks off of helmets in order to reduce using the head/helmet as a weapon. It's an interesting thought.

 

Unfortunately, you can improve the helmets or the other equipment as much as you want but you can't do much about the fatty and fragile mass of neurons inside the skull. It wasn't designed to tolerate the acceleration/deceleration injuries involved in a contact sport like football.

 

As much as I love watching Husker Football, I hope my kids golf.

[redintampa]

I am amazed at how young some parents start having their kids play tackle football. Starting at age 7 or 8 (or even 9 or 10) really doesn't develop them to play when they are in high school. Those kids aren't learning any fundamentals or skills that can be carried forward to older ages.

 

As a youth football coach...I respectfully disagree.

[EbylHusker]

I only allow my 11 children to play Sarcastaball.

[Branno]

I definitely want my future kids to be involved in sports. Playing baseball from tee ball through High School was one of the highlights from growing up. That being said I'm going to be playing catch with a baseball and a glove, because that is my sport.

 

If they want to play football I won't stop them

[ShawnWatson]

Not only would I let my child play football. I would give them a concussion myself if they did not.