Football is the most popular sport in the United States. Millions of children play in hope of becoming the next football star. Football is a rough sport, meaning injuries are bound to happen. Luckily, there are steps to take to help prevent these injuries while your kids are playing. Keep reading for tips on how to protect your children while they are playing football.
1. Education
Rules and Regulations
American Youth Football, Inc. updated the regulations and rules in 2017. Be sure your kids know the current regulations about penalties, flags, points, etc.
How to Tackle
Incorrect tackling is one of the biggest causes of injury in football. Be sure your child learns the proper tackling technique to prevent injury to themselves and their opponents. Teach your child to get low, keep their head up, and use their legs. Be sure that your child knows helmet to helmet collisions and pulling on face masks are strictly prohibited.
Sociality
Football is a team sport so be sure your child knows the importance of teamwork. They need to know how to deal with their team both on and off the field. Educate them about doing what is best for the team and being respectful of their teammates and coaches so they can learn and get along with others.
2. Training
Speed and Agility
Football coaches spend a lot of time training players to increase their speed. Speed and agility is a huge advantage and can be useful for all positions. For example, speed comes into play for running backs when they change the directions to trick their defender and score a touchdown. On the other hand, agility is extremely important for defensive linemen to improve their directional ability and quickness so they can disrupt the passing game or sack the quarterback.
Strength Training
As your child gets older, strength training should be added to their exercise regime to continue to develop their football skills. Strength training will depend on the position, but both the upper body and lower body should be worked on.
3. Proper Safety Gear
Tackle Football
There are about 9 million youth football players and over 275,000 injuries each year. It costs almost $1 billion a year for those medical expenses. However, if your kids wear proper gear, they can decrease their chance of injury. Here is a list of protective gear that children should wear at all times when playing football.
- Helmet
- Mouth Guard
- Body Pads and Gloves
Flag Football
Flag football does not require as much gear, but kids are more exposed to other kinds of hazards like scratching and eye injuries. There are 3 pieces of gear you should think of buying for your children before playing. Since players are not wearing a helmet, you should think about purchases goggles for your kids. If your kids need a prescription, Contact SportRx to customize them.
- Protective Sports Goggles
- Mouth Guard
- Gloves
