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Message: [QUOTE="Hoov50, post: 1339068, member: 1056"] Many researchers and well respected coaches think that the advancement of helmet technology is part of the problem. Players don't believe they have to protect their head when playing, because the helmet will do it for them. Lou Holtz made the suggestion a few years back that he thought they should do away with face masks. The idea seems bizarre, but the idea does have some merit. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks did a study to find a way to teach safer tackling. They actually teach tackling the way it is done in rugby, because of the simple fact that in rugby players have to protect their heads because they don't have helmets. The Seahawks do complete all the way to the ground tackling drills with no pads on at all. Because of the way they teach it the tackling is effective and keeps players safer. There are several other factors to this, one, most of these guys have been playing football for a long time and are trying to unlearn old tackling techniques and, two, tackling someone in a controlled drill is much different than tackling someone in a game. Regardless, if these techniques were taught at the youngest level and reinforced throughout all the levels, the game would be safer without the need for more reals and better helmet technology. USA Football has taken a few steps with their "Heads Up Tackling" classes and technique, but they really aren't that different than what most of, and all the best, coaches have been coaching for a long time. In New York the NYSPHSAA is pushing for a limit on the amount of contact time in practices each week. I think it is a great idea, but I am not sure where they are getting their numbers from, since where I coach we do more live drills than most others and would be WELL under the time restrictions. Looking at the numbers proposed (which I don't have access to right now) I can't imagine many teams who would have to cut back on their contact drills. As cliche as it sounds a big part of the problem is also the media. Think of what plays make SportsCenter's Top 10 and what plays are replayed during games. In many cases it is the big hits, regardless of the technique used or legality of them. Young kids see this and want to emulate what they see and go for their own big hits, instead of relying on the tackling techniques that will keep them and their opponents safer. [/QUOTE]

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