What Is The Earliest Age Kids Should Play Tackle Football?

Playing football can be one of the most enjoyable activities that a young person can undertake. However, the high rate of concussions and potential brain injuries has many parents feeling anxious about letting their kids participate in the sport. Studies by the Institute of Sports Medicine reveal that youth football injuries are significantly less than those suffered by older players.

Organized Divisons

No matter what age a youngster begins to play football, he should only play with youngsters of a similar age and size. According to the National Alliance for Youth Sports, youngsters who are between the ages of 5 and 7 have the motor skills that are needed to play football. If you have a 6-year-old who weighs 60 lb., you should be concerned if he is playing against kids who are 8 or older and weigh more than 70 lb.

Preparation

Youngsters who play tackle football have to go through at least one week of conditioning drills before they are allowed to put on their helmets and shoulder pads and hit other youngsters. The conditioning drills include sprints, endurance runs, pushups, burpees and bear walking.

Instruction

All players have to be taught the fundamentals of the game. They have to learn to block and tackle the proper way. Players must be taught never to do either of these activities by leading with their head because that's how devastating injuries occur. A coach must demonstrate the proper form and then watch the player attempt to execute and then the coach must make immediate corrections to help the youngster succeed and learn how to block and tackle correctly.

Motivation

Youth football is not about winning games, training young people to become professionals or winning college scholarships. It is about having fun, learning about team work and learning to compete. Parents or coaches who scream and yell at children are not helping them. The child should want to be out there on his own. If he is not, you should not force him to compete. If the youngster is constantly being pushed, prodded and yelled at, he can't have fun while participating in this support. Former Tampa Bay and Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy says coaches who are demanding and raise their voices when coaching young people need to re-examine their own motivation because they are not helping the young people they are coaching.