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Youth football needs to start embracing rugby more adamantly


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https://deadspin.com/youth-football-needs-to-start-embracing-rugby-more-adam-1848378608

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Late in the third quarter of last night’s Wild Card matchup between Arizona and Los Angeles, Rams head coach Sean McVay drew up a stretch play to the left side on 2nd & short. Left tackle Joe Noteboom sealed the edge and running back Cam Akers reached the first down line without being touched. As he turned upfield and headed inside the Cardinals’ 10-yard line, he was met by two-time All-Pro safety Budda Baker, who flung himself at Akers and saved a touchdown. Great tackle, right?

Baker laid on the turf mostly motionless for several minutes. He left the stadium on a stretcher in an ambulance, and while we were updated shortly after that Baker maintained movement and feeling in all of his extremities, it was still a scary sequence for people watching. Further review of the incident showed that Baker had received a concussion from a head-to-head impact with Akers.

It’s a common scene across the NFL — head-to-head hits that lead to serious injury, and every time they happen, we see the “rugby” narrative get tossed around. “How is it that these types of injuries almost never happen in rugby despite less protection?”

Despite studies indicating that injuries are sustained more frequently with rugby than football, the data is much closer than you’d expect for a sport that has its players continually bash into one another with zero pads on. Still, everybody agrees that the rugby-style of tackling is much safer than football. Some NFL teams have even made efforts to emphasize rugby-style form in the past in order to teach their players proper tackling form. Hell, Baker essentially admitted that rugby players perform better, safer tackles when he appeared on the Pat McAfee show a year ago.

That’s why it shocks me that Baker would perform a tackle on Akers like the one we saw last night. It shows just how ingrained poor tackling form has become into several football players’ mindsets. From when they first got into the sport at a young age, they were taught a certain way to tackle. They were brought up that way, earned scholarships playing that same way, essentially rewarded at times for maintaining these bad, unsafe habits. While it’s great to see NFL coaches and even some college coaches embrace the safety that rugby-style tackling can bring, it needs to be taught at a younger level. In fact, it should be the very first thing taught in youth football programs.

As YouTube football analyst Brett Kollmann stated in the earlier pinned tweet, rugby-style tackling puts an emphasis on not only tackling with the shoulder, but tackling behind the runner. This type of tackling prevents head-on collisions and even if the offensive player doesn’t lower their head prior to contact, the technique still prevents head injuries from being sustained from collisions with a player’s thighs. We know how meaty NFL players’ quads can get. Ramming your head into those while the player is running full force, while not as bad as helmet-to-helmet contact, can still cause serious damage.

If someone in a rugby match attempted to tackle an opposing player the way Baker did last night, they’d be benched immediately. Proper form and safety is so prevalent and constantly enforced in rugby, it’s honestly a shame football doesn’t treat it the same way. When Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll started putting an emphasis on shoulder tackling in 2014, their concussion numbers dropped drastically the following year. There’s clearly a positive correlation between this style of tackling and the severity of concussions in football. So, maybe if you’re thinking about signing your kid up for football this upcoming Pop Warner season, having them watch rugby would be the best way to keep them safe. Also, making sure the coaches teach the children this style of tackling will likely prevent these types of injuries in the future.

While obviously this technique won’t eliminate concussions in football altogether, it’s safe to say we, as fans, would like to see a world with as few moments like the one that happened with Baker last night as possible. Encouraging youth football programs to teach rugby-style tackling first and foremost would likely go a long way toward making that world a reality. 

Agreed.  And as an aside while at a doctor's appointment a couple of days ago the doctor and I were chatting about the NFL.  Doctor makes the comment "I think the NFL will be gone in next 5-15 years due to all the concussion lawsuits piling up". He then added:  "My spouse and I refuse to let our children play tackle football.  Too dangerous."

 

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How did you go from NFL football to youth football.  Do you have any youth data to back up the doctor's claims?  How do you know that rugby style tackling isn't already being taught at the youth levels?

BTW, this study published by the NIH says something very different about rugby risks.  

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26786902/

Results: The overall injury rate was 4.9/1000 AEs in football versus 15.2/1000 AEs in rugby: IRR = 3.1 (95% CI, 2.3-4.2). Game injury rates were higher than practice injury rates: IRR = 6.5 (95% CI, 4.5-9.3) in football and IRR = 5.1 (95% CI, 3.0-8.6) in rugby. Injury rates for the shoulder, wrist/hand, and lower leg and for sprains, fractures, and contusions in rugby were >4 times as high as those in football (all P ≤ 0.006). Concussion rates were 1.0/1000 AEs in football versus 2.5/1000 AEs in rugby. Most injuries occurred via direct player contact, especially during games. The rate of season-ending injuries (>3 months of time loss) was 0.8/1000 AEs in football versus 1.0/1000 AEs in rugby: IRR = 1.3 (95% CI, 0.4-3.4).

Conclusion: Overall injury rates were substantially higher in collegiate rugby compared with football. Similarities between sports were observed in the most common injury types (sprains and concussions), locations (lower extremity and head), and mechanisms (direct player contact). Upper extremity injuries were more common in rugby, and the rate of season-ending injuries was similar between sports.

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2 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

How did you go from NFL football to youth football.  Do you have any youth data to back up the doctor's claims?  How do you know that rugby style tackling isn't already being taught at the youth levels?

 

There are already youth programs that teach Hawk tackling which is tied to rugby style tackling.

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Was the original post out of a time warp?  Most, if not all, teams in the IEFA teach the rugby style of tackling made famous by the Seattle Seahawks.  I assume that's what foxbat is referring to as Hawk tackling.  We've been teaching it league-wide for 4-5 years.

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20 minutes ago, Grover said:

Was the original post out of a time warp?  Most, if not all, teams in the IEFA teach the rugby style of tackling made famous by the Seattle Seahawks.  I assume that's what foxbat is referring to as Hawk tackling.  We've been teaching it league-wide for 4-5 years.

Yes, I was referring to Hawk tackling rooted in the Seattle tackling regimen initiated there with Pete Carroll ... although Carroll was utilizing the early elements of the style back when he was at USC. 

 

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50 minutes ago, oldtimeqb said:

I agree with Foxbat and @Grover.  The opinion piece seems a bit dated.  My sons youth league has been teaching these mechanics for at least 4-5 years.  

Others are also requiring USA Football Heads-Up training too ... although I prefer Hawk tackling for protecting smaller players until they really get the techniques down.  Heads-Up has an element of the roll tackle approach; however, some of the first technique they teach, while keeping the head up and out of the tackle, can lead smaller, younger players open to getting freight-trained by larger players while they are learning the ropes.

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I guess Budda Baker wasn't taught rugby style tackling.

 

17 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

How did you go from NFL football to youth football. 

How many current players on NFL rosters did not play youth football, when the foundation of their skills coaching was lain?   Probably few to none.

 

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24 minutes ago, foxbat said:

Others are also requiring USA Football Heads-Up training too ... although I prefer Hawk tackling for protecting smaller players until they really get the techniques down.  Heads-Up has an element of the roll tackle approach; however, some of the first technique they teach, while keeping the head up and out of the tackle, can lead smaller, younger players open to getting freight-trained by larger players while they are learning the ropes.

Yes.  All the coaches are Heads-up certified.  I was going to post that it's Heads Up/ Hawk tackle technique but didn't want to open up a can of worms about the nuanced differences between the two. LOL  

Tackles are like snowflakes.  They are all unique and never happen the same way twice.  So teaching just "one way" to do it is short-sighted IMO. Dang it, I'm getting all philosophical again. 

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20 minutes ago, oldtimeqb said:

Yes.  All the coaches are Heads-up certified.  I was going to post that it's Heads Up/ Hawk tackle technique but didn't want to open up a can of worms about the nuanced differences between the two. LOL  

Tackles are like snowflakes.  They are all unique and never happen the same way twice.  So teaching just "one way" to do it is short-sighted IMO. Dang it, I'm getting all philosophical again. 

I like this idea and approach!  Starting from the idea of protection and safety with kids before getting to the take-down part really backs up this ideology too.

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Think Hawk/Rugby are solid techniques and will extend the game for longer. Think a majority of HS programs have adopted something along those lines.  

Let’s not kid ourselves and think that pro’s aren’t of the mentality that they will do anything (think of the extreme examples we’ve seen) to win, especially in the playoffs. So they could be taught rugby style tackling from the womb and still put themselves in harms way. That’s just the way some competitors are built. 
 

I am not saying Baker or anyone else that has suffered major injury had it coming. Never put that evil on anybody Rick Bobby. They, pro football players and really any football players/ parents of football players, know the risk now. It just gets increasingly more impactful (in terms of literal force) the older the bodies and better the athletes get. 

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What's hard to get away from is that players feel protected by their helmet.  MOST of the time, they can let their head get involved in a hit or a tackle with no major ramifications.  Rugby, due to the lack of helmets is not the same way.  Get your head involved in the tackle and immediate pain and probably stitches is sure to follow. 

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5 hours ago, Muda69 said:

How many current players on NFL rosters did not play youth football, when the foundation of their skills coaching was lain?   Probably few to none.

 

Bunmi Rotimi and Tom Brady make up at least two of the few.  One of those names sounds familiar, I think he plays for the WFT.  Not sure about the other guy.  Heard he was maybe a late round draft pick way back in the day, but not sure what became of him.  He'd be in his mid-40's now, so he's probably selling boat insurance or used cars somewhere.

There may be a couple others out there, but I imagine they are few and far between. 

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7 hours ago, Muda69 said:

I guess Budda Baker wasn't taught rugby style tackling.

 

How many current players on NFL rosters did not play youth football, when the foundation of their skills coaching was lain?   Probably few to none.

 

It's not fair to say he was never taught the proper technique. Just because he chose not to use it, does not mean it was not taught. 

 

While they may not have been taught in youth football, I am willing to bet they were taught in either high school or college. This style of tackling has been around for years now. When Bob Davie was the DC at Notre Dame, he was teaching it. I had a coaching video from that era of teaching techniques. That was in the mid 90's.  Holtz' last year there was 96, so it was before that. Also, the coaching videos that we as Indiana coaches are required by the IHSAA (that the NFHS produces) to view have been teaching it for at least 10 years now. 

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If receivers are going to drop the ball, why teach how to catch? If linemen miss blocks, why teach blocking? If QB's are going to miss throws or throw picks, why teach passing? if running backs are going to fumble, why teach ball handling? 

Sorry, could not resist. 🙂

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3 hours ago, Irishman said:

Interesting logic lol 

Obviously Budda Baker didn't use that technique and it cost him a concussion, and possibly more health issues later in life.   

Coaches bench receivers for dropping passes, do they not?  Coaches bench lineman for missing blocks, do they not? 

Should coaches bench players who don't follow the properly taught tackling techniques?  And if the answer is yes, do they?  Really?

 

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20 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

Obviously Budda Baker didn't use that technique and it cost him a concussion, and possibly more health issues later in life.   

Coaches bench receivers for dropping passes, do they not?  Coaches bench lineman for missing blocks, do they not? 

Should coaches bench players who don't follow the properly taught tackling techniques?  And if the answer is yes, do they?  Really?

 

Yes, coaches do bench them, but some coaches do not. Baker made a bad decision in how he tried to tackle......benching him was not necessary. 

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11 minutes ago, Irishman said:

That said, if a coach benched players for mistakes, the team would get a penalty for not having enough players on the field for a play lol 

Reminds me of what a ref told our youth league coaches once when he was explaining how games would be called.  He said, at this age group, there's a penalty on EVERY play ... and usually more than one. :classic_laugh:

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Let's say a high school safety prevents a go-ahead touchdown by their opponent as time expired in the 4th quarter, but does it using a non-approved tackling method that puts him and/or his opponent at the risk of incurring a real concussion.  Would he be berated by his coaches after the play, or carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates?

 

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