Boyle does pretty much exactly what @ChiefSmoke and his team does.

These threads with their "kids these days" tone always make me laugh.

 

Maybe it isn't that the kids are softer... Maybe more specialization leads to repetitive stress injuries. Maybe kids are bigger, faster, & stronger - creating more velocity and force at impact. Maybe, just maybe, Coaches have grown and learned what is necessary and what actually works, rather than going Bull-in-the-Ring for 30 minutes to "build toughness."

One day, every other week, during tackling circuit the team I coach practices tackling with no helmets or shoulder pads. Still plenty of force, pop, and physicality but teaching kids how to tackle without using their equipment as a weapon. Other then that we are shells Monday/Tuesday, 3/4 practice full pads Tuesday (other 1/4 with nothing for tackling circuit), then just helmets for walk through Thursdays and game simulation. Our team tackles just fine and we've only had one concussion the entire season and it happened on a punt return crackback. Still part of the game, just hard to coach a crackback feeling.

one of the things that I learned from Coach Hauck was to not lose your players in practice. We always did shed drill, every practice. Our only live hitting was a 5 minute goal line offense or defense practice. We form tackled a lot which did not require putting them on the ground. I would like to think it worked pretty well for us.

At Bellevue in 1979 we gave up 0 points in the 3 playoff games vs Nicholas County, Paintsville, and Richmond Madison.

These threads with their "kids these days" tone always make me laugh.

 

Maybe it isn't that the kids are softer... Maybe more specialization leads to repetitive stress injuries. Maybe kids are bigger, faster, & stronger - creating more velocity and force at impact. Maybe, just maybe, Coaches have grown and learned what is necessary and what actually works, rather than going Bull-in-the-Ring for 30 minutes to "build toughness."

 

Great post.

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).

 

Doesn't mean they are tougher. The rest of my post is not specific to Oldercoach's post.

 

My wife has trouble finding her keys sometimes. My daughter misplaces things more than I do. Neither of them ever played football.

 

I do believe that kids are safer today because of the measures taken. I am happy about that. I don't think they tackle any better than players did in the good old days. And I would say that our whole culture is softer than it was years ago. My generation was softer than my parent's generation.

Have you seen the Dartmouth team never tackles each other. Ever.

I have read all these posts and can't say that anyone is wrong in how they approach this topic. I am a former player and now the team doctor. We still go full pads on Tuesday-Wednesday and wrap up vs tackling to the ground. Our practices are dictated by the new rules regarding light thud, hard thud and "regular" contact. Our practices are tough and physical. Our head coach and I had a discussion regarding scaling practice contact back to lessen the physicality. I told him not to change anything because this is a contact sport and it is my opinion that the practice contact prepares you for the Friday night contact and lessens the chance of injury. Obviously, if a kid is banged up we lessen his contact but as a rule, 'you play like you practice'.

The one huge thing we are overlooking is that IF you allow your kid to play football the inherent risk of "football" injuries is present. IF you do not want your kids exposed to the risk of these types of injuries, do not let them play. Football is a tough and challenging sport and it comes with risk. If you do not want sore aching joints and scarred knees, do not play or allow your son to play. I do not say this as a judgement statement or as a sarcastic comment, just fact. I have had surgeries and have joint aches and would not change one thing. Football is a great sport and it comes with the chance of injuries. As so many of us were taught, 'football is the game of life', it has taught me so much more than I could ever give back to it. Many times I have been asked if it was worth it and I always answer, "I'd go back and play in a second!"

^ This!

I have read all these posts and can't say that anyone is wrong in how they approach this topic. I am a former player and now the team doctor. We still go full pads on Tuesday-Wednesday and wrap up vs tackling to the ground. Our practices are dictated by the new rules regarding light thud, hard thud and "regular" contact. Our practices are tough and physical. Our head coach and I had a discussion regarding scaling practice contact back to lessen the physicality. I told him not to change anything because this is a contact sport and it is my opinion that the practice contact prepares you for the Friday night contact and lessens the chance of injury. Obviously, if a kid is banged up we lessen his contact but as a rule, 'you play like you practice'.

The one huge thing we are overlooking is that IF you allow your kid to play football the inherent risk of "football" injuries is present. IF you do not want your kids exposed to the risk of these types of injuries, do not let them play. Football is a tough and challenging sport and it comes with risk. If you do not want sore aching joints and scarred knees, do not play or allow your son to play. I do not say this as a judgement statement or as a sarcastic comment, just fact. I have had surgeries and have joint aches and would not change one thing. Football is a great sport and it comes with the chance of injuries. As so many of us were taught, 'football is the game of life', it has taught me so much more than I could ever give back to it. Many times I have been asked if it was worth it and I always answer, "I'd go back and play in a second!"

This is more in line with how many schools go. Once the season gets rolling, Tuesday and Wednesday you go full pads, but you try to avoid full on take downs.