Safety in Youth Football

The safety of the athletes on our teams is of the utmost importance to our coaches and board of directors.  

Before the first practice all coaches (Head, Assistants and parent helpers) will complete the following courses taught by USA Football:

• Health and Safety – Concussion, heat related illness, sudden cardiac arrest
• Health and Safety II – Levels of contact, Emergency Action Plans
• Coaching 101-  Foundation for becoming a transformational coach
• Youth Contact – How to block, defeat blocks, proper shoulder tackling, and proper equipment fitting.
• Anti-Abuse – What to look for and how to report Abuse
• FDM – Football Development Model – How to teach contact in a way that meets and athlete where they are developmentally

·         Complete criminal background check

Safety in youth football has changed a lot in the last several years.   The USA Football certification gives the coach the tools and techniques necessary to create the safest environment possible.  The coaches will learn:

• ·         Principles of blocking and defeating blocks
• ·         Core techniques of proper shoulder tackling
• ·         Critical coaching foundations
• ·         Concussion Recognition and Response
• ·         Heat preparedness and hydration
• ·         Sudden cardiac arrest
• ·         Proper equipment fitting
• ·         Coaching 101

Heads UP concussion training is an online course that coaches take yearly.  The board and the coaches understand that concussions in all youth sports are a major concern for parents and athletes alike.   In this training the coaches learn:

• ·         How to recognize concussion signs and symptoms and how to respond
• ·         Understand a concussion and the potential consequences of this injury
• ·         Learn about steps for returning to activity (play and school) after a concussion
• ·         How to focus on prevention and preparedness to help keep athletes safe season-to-season

Levels of Contact

In 2015 USA Football announced guidelines for limiting contact during practice.   These guidelines were also adopted by the Holt Jr Rams program.   The guidelines created 5 levels of contact:

0.       Air            These drills have NO CONTACT

1.       Bags         Drill is run against a bag or another soft contact surface

2.       Control     Drill is run at assigned speed until the moment of contact; one player is predetermined the winner by the coach.  Contact remains above the waist and players stay on their feet

3.       Thud         The drill is run at assigned speed to competitive speed through the moment of contact; no predetermined winner. Contact remains above the waist, players stay on their feet and a quick whistle ends the drill

4.       Live          Drill is run in game-like conditions and is the only time that players are taken to the ground.

Air and Bags make up the majority of practice.  Both Thud and Live are considered Full Contact and are limited to 30 minutes per day and 120 minutes per week.