Proposed bill in California would ban tackle football before HS

aka

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Why hasn't "the big one" dropped California into the Pacific yet...why??
 

divits

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In related news, California has officially changed their state motto to......

 

stephenPE

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I've long suspected many on here suffer from CTE...
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stephenPE

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You played tackle football as a kid, right? All the settled science I need.
Point set match...........but seriously but settled science seem to be at odds with most political or social convictions now.
All I have to go on is lettering in 9 times in HS sports (three in football) and observing kids 5-13 for 40 years in athletic situations. Whether you believe it or not there are developmental issues in cognitive domains AS well as physical ones. Organized sports used to start when kids got to high school or just a little earlier. Now too many moronic wkdend warriors want to relive (or live the first time) glory days through their kids as young as even 4 now. Kids that age no more need to pitch a hard ball around than Trump needs to lecture people on civility. I have seen begin banging heads in pop warner football at the age of 7 (peewees) and keep it up till 12 or 13. They get burned out. The best thing for kids to do is
go outside and play and learn to organize themselves. If that adults need to intervene 3 on 3 basketball or soccer or softball are good ideas.
7th grade is about the earliest to bang heads in football. AND it needs to be better than some of the coaching many kids get in middle or jr high.
I know many are well intentioned but good coaching is hard to find sometimes. It is hit or miss in many high schools.
on a side note Im watching "Come Hell or High Water" with Jeff Bridges and he just made the funniest soccer speech to his LEO partner about soccer. "just kick a ball and any 5 year old can do that. Sounds like some Comanchee invented it kicking around some skull" And then the small Texas town restarant scene is one of the best IVE ever seen.
Short answer to above. Quit trying to make kids into adults. Let them be kids and have fun. If you want to see how its done come get a visitors pass at my school one day and follow me for a few hours............
 

cover2

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I played midget football growing up and it started about 5th grade as I recall. I don't remember a lot of kids getting their bell rung as much as I recall some broken bones and soft tissue injuries, and there really weren't many of those. Just my opinion, but I think the kids were a little tougher back in those days ;)! There was a weight limit of 120 lbs, so the really big kids had to wait until Jr. High school to play if they couldn't cut the weight. In that way, I think it helped reduce the number of injuries involving hard contact. We were lucky to have some coaches that emphasized the fundamentals and being good sports was a requirement. The city recreation director was great and made sure to keep any of the over-zealous or down right crazy ones from coaching. I go back to being taught proper fundamentals, especially with tackling, as a reason there weren't a lot of injuries in that lower league. Have your eyes up and face mask on the football, contact with the shoulder, etc.

Some of what I see in the little leagues these days can be dangerous and it looks to be a result of having coaches whose mentality is to win at all costs. Living vicariously through the youngsters robs them of the opportunity to grow up learning the right (and safe way) to play the game and can thrust them too soon in a hyper-competitive situation which they most likely aren't ready for. If it hurts them physically and there is little enjoyment or personal success, they likely lose interest never to play again. I agree with @stephenPE that middle school (7th grade) is early enough for contact. But if you want to introduce it sooner, make sure your child has a coach that can teach him properly and doesn't overmatch him.

There's always going to be a risk of injury to the head and other body parts when playing football or any other sports involving bodily contact. I don't have a problem with those who don't wish to participate as a result. I do, however, have an issue with those who would seek to keep those from participating who want to.
 

biggator6

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That's why you see a lot of youth leagues starting to ban heading the ball.

Kids aren't allowed to head the ball until U12 already based on US soccer rules.

The issues with CTE and youth football aren't concussions... it's the constant sub-concussive blows to the head. In soccer/hockey/lax, you may get a concussion.. but you aren't being hit in the head in some way EVERY PLAY. Football is exactly that.

I have a friend who is an NFL coach.. his boys are not allowed to play tackle until HS. All of his peers say the same. They know.
 

cover2

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Kids aren't allowed to head the ball until U12 already based on US soccer rules.

The issues with CTE and youth football aren't concussions... it's the constant sub-concussive blows to the head. In soccer/hockey/lax, you may get a concussion.. but you aren't being hit in the head in some way EVERY PLAY. Football is exactly that.

I have a friend who is an NFL coach.. his boys are not allowed to play tackle until HS. All of his peers say the same. They know.
Limiting the head-to-head contact (or head-to-ball) in any sport makes sense. I'm not real familiar with research on cumulative effects of "sub-concussive" blows. How are they measured and a determination of effect made? Not doubting you, just interested to know more.
 

biggator6

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Limiting the head-to-head contact (or head-to-ball) in any sport makes sense. I'm not real familiar with research on cumulative effects of "sub-concussive" blows. How are they measured and a determination of effect made? Not doubting you, just interested to know more.

I'd have to relay the information from my wife (that's her field of expertise).. but it's why we're seeing such high rates of CTE in Football players compared to other sports, despite the concussions that are seen. Football is the only sports where there is some type of head blow almost every play for most players on the field. That's where the research is going - it seems to be a cumulative effect, rather than just the times you get your 'bell rung'.
 

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