There has been a lot of talk in the football community about the issues that arise with the amount of concussions happening in the sport. A study by Headcase, an organization raising awareness about concussions, found that approximately 47 percent of all sport concussion cases came from high school football players.  Coaches should emphasize the correct techniques of tackling to kids playing football as soon as they start playing.

If coaches work with players at a young age on the fundamentals of tackling, then there will be a decrease in the amount of concussions in the sport.  Players sometimes hit or tackle as hard as they can instead of doing it properly, which results in a high chance of hitting their head and getting a concussion.

John Wise is a defensive lineman for California Lutheran University. He believes that coaches need to properly teach players how to tackle. This helps kids learn proper techniques and to help them stay free from injury.

A concussion causes swelling and possibly bleeding of the brain that can cause damage.  The function of the brain will not be as good as it was before the concussion, even when symptoms are gone.

The effects of concussions outweigh the need to make a big hit or tackle in practice or a game.  If players learn how to tackle or hit correctly but still choose to hit or tackle without proper techniques, then that is the fault of the player.  There needs to be more discussion and stress put on the fundamentals and effects of concussions to make sure every player understands the risk that comes with the game.

“I do believe they should emphasize the fundamentals of tackling at a younger age because it makes the game safer for both the ball carrier and person making the tackle,” said Cal Lutheran offensive lineman Brendan Hacker.

The safety of players should always come first and anything that could potentially cause issues to players should be illegal or should be changed.   Coaches of younger aged players should focus mostly on the fundamentals of the game and tackling, but it should not stop there.  As players get older and bigger, the significance of understanding concussions should increase.  Players in high school and college should be continually educated on the effects and new findings that come up about concussions.

Concussions in football is a serious and present issue within the football community. Training and protective clothing need to be improved. A football player’s shoulder pads and helmets need more work to help lower the possibility of concussions.  The player needs to understand that helmets and pads do not make them invincible.

Coaches and players need to learn more about concussions and implement the fundamentals at a young age about how to tackle or hit properly at an older age to reduce the risk.

Jack Hoy
Reporter