This may seem like an odd question but do your teams truly tackle at practice? I know some teams do not for the fear of injuries but I believe that is a mistake. When game time comes the kids don't know how to tackle and wrap up.

I know a few schools that the kids do not wear full pads any days of the week. It is shells all week. Obviously, you are not full out tackling if you are in shells. These teams that I have seen that do that still thud and go full speed but they do not take each other to the ground. They wrap up and run their feet.

 

Other teams I know of where full pads every day of the week except Thursday. I think this is a little excessive. But I do agree that not tackling in practice has shown a decline in tackling on Friday nights. But at the end of the day, if you get your players hurt in practice then you don't have them on Friday nights anyway so it is a catch 22.

I know a few schools that the kids do not wear full pads any days of the week. It is shells all week. Obviously, you are not full out tackling if you are in shells. These teams that I have seen that do that still thud and go full speed but they do not take each other to the ground. They wrap up and run their feet.

 

Other teams I know of where full pads every day of the week except Thursday. I think this is a little excessive. But I do agree that not tackling in practice has shown a decline in tackling on Friday nights. But at the end of the day, if you get your players hurt in practice then you don't have them on Friday nights anyway so it is a catch 22.

 

This is what DeSales does. As a 2-A school, they are always one or two injuries away from having a MUCH different team. They still focus on wrapping up and it is full speed. Everything but going to the ground.

We try to practice tackling without going live against another person and taking them to the ground. We also try to go full speed in Team Defense but wrap and stay off the ground. Drill work with dummies and sleds are also an option. The best time for live tackling to the ground is spring.

I don't think there is a need to do a lot of full-speed, full-contact, tackling. There are plenty of ways to practice proper technique with well-designed drills.

We always went full pads on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

I don't see how you could go all week without actually tackling.

 

Toughen up.

We always went full pads on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

I don't see how you could go all week without actually tackling.

 

Toughen up.

 

Different day and time, kids get hurt easier and aren't as tough.

Different day and time, kids get hurt easier and aren't as tough.

 

This is admittedly coming from an old fossil....."with lots of exceptions, kids today are bigger, faster, stronger and better coached than the good old days (a.k.a. when I played).

A good coach should be able to teach tackling without full pad, full contact.

 

And, as a whole, athletes on every level today are bigger, stronger and faster than they were even 20 years ago. Besides, tough is a relative question. I've seen teams I could categorize as tough, get absolutely destroyed by teams that aren't nearly as tough.

 

 

I wouldn't even dream of faulting a coach for attempting to limit injuries in practice. You get the wrong kid hurt, and your "good season" turns into a "good, it's finally over" season.

We never did actual live tackling but when we did do live hitting (hit and wrap up but not take to the ground) it was always the starting defense against the scout team offense. It was rarely one defense against one offense.

However, when Dale was not pleased with the effort of full speed no tackling he would turn it into full speed tackling.

I'm shocked. When I played, we went full pads, every day and killed each other in practice. Some of the hardest hits I took my whole career were in practice. We had maybe one day a week that was only shoulder pads and helmets.

 

Of course, back then you could also get stabbed on the bottom of a pile too. Different times I guess. :idunno:

I'm shocked. When I played, we went full pads, every day and killed each other in practice. Some of the hardest hits I took my whole career were in practice. We had maybe one day a week that was only shoulder pads and helmets.

 

Of course, back then you could also get stabbed on the bottom of a pile too. Different times I guess. :idunno:

 

And that's why my shoulders ache every day, I have 3 mangled fingers from dislocations I learned to reset my self (because I was so "tough"), and likely part of the reason why I forget where I leave my wallet and car keys from the night before. Every day hitting benefits no one, doesn't make anyone tougher, and only wears you out physically and mentally. That's not to say you should never hit or tackle in practice...you do need to do some live work, especially in the beginning of the year to acclimate. But full live tackling in season more than every now and then hurts your team more than it helps it.

This comes down to kids and parents being soft. JMO.

Clearly. We didn't read the post above us.

 

And that's why my shoulders ache every day, I have 3 mangled fingers from dislocations I learned to reset my self (because I was so "tough"), and likely part of the reason why I forget where I leave my wallet and car keys from the night before. Every day hitting benefits no one, doesn't make anyone tougher, and only wears you out physically and mentally. That's not to say you should never hit or tackle in practice...you do need to do some live work, especially in the beginning of the year to acclimate. But full live tackling in season more than every now and then hurts your team more than it helps it.

 

This comes down to kids and parents being soft. JMO.

 

If I'm a parent, I want my kid as safe as possible. Plenty of ways to practice tackling without beating brains in 4 days a week. If, in week 6, your team isn't tackling well, 10 hours of practice a day isn't going to make the difference.

 

It's about what's best for the kids. They're not in a toughman competition, they're trying to win football games.

 

I'd sure like to have gotten hit a lot less and have a few less dizzy spells and do simple things like find my keys all the time, even if it means keyboard warriors like you thought my coaches were soft.