June 14, 2012
The oldest and largest youth football organization Pop Warner has decided to limit contact during practices. In an effort to make youth football safer the organization will only allow contact drills to one-third of practice time.
Also banned is full-seed head on blocking and tackling drills when players are lined up more than three yards apart. This new rule will go into effect for the 2012 season.
The rule change is to make football safer but will it really make the game safer? Tackling is already poor and players don’t know proper technique and limited contact in practice early might make matters worse not help.
Research from Virginia Tech University swayed the organization to implement the new rule change.
Coaches will be allowed no more than 40 minutes of contact during a practice, or one-third of total practice time each week. The term “contact” means any drill or scrimmage in which players go all-out with contact, such as one-on-one blocking or tackling drills.
The second rule change prohibits full-speed, head-on blocking or tackling drills in which players line up more than 3 yards apart. Having two linemen in stances immediately across from the line of scrimmage from each other is allowed, according to Pop Warner rules. Coaches may conduct full-speed drills in which the players approach each other at an angle, but not straight ahead into each other. And there should be no head-to-head contact.
Tackling has become so poor it is actually leading to more injuries because kids are not learning to tackle the right way. Limiting the amount of full speed contact for blocking and tackling will only mean fundamentals will suffer more.
Because of ESPN and other media outlets constant wondering if kids should play has forced a knee-jerk reaction by Pop Warner.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID