2012.01.28
Taking big hits in youth football
Stefan Duma fits a child with a helmet. (Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech)
The smallest youth football players sometimes sustain hits to the head that equate to those seen in elite college athletes.
In a first look at the youngest athletes playing tackle football, a small Virginia Tech study recorded the force of head impacts on 7- and 8-year-old boys playing football on a Montgomery County rec team last fall.
“I think you could characterize several of the findings as very surprising,” said Stefan Duma, the Virginia Tech engineering professor who conducted the study through the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest Center for Injury Biomechanics.
Similar research has been conducted for a decade on adults, but as concerns about concussions have grown, the researchers focused on the impact facing the nation’s 3.5 million youth players. The researchers’ goal is to gather enough data to rate youth helmets based on how well they protect a child’s head. Duma has released adult helmet ratings last year.
Duma said the data collected invalidates the assumption that a smaller player won’t sustain a concussion because he isn’t as big or as fast as adult players.
“We have proven that to be false,” he said.
Read the rest of the story, and share your thoughts by commenting below.
Do you think changes need to be made in youth football? Should children spend less time hitting and tackling on the practice field?
I am surprised by the data, but accordingly, believe changes need to be made. During my 10 years of coaching children’s football I never saw a hit that I thought was dangerous. This data states otherwise and that seeing is not knowing. Certainly the hard hitting drills that are used should be eliminated in favor of more teaching of technique and skill in how to block and tackle. The hitting gives excitement to football, but well taught skills of blocking and tackling serve the player better in the long run.
Comment by Richard J Beason, CPA — January 28, 2012 @ 7:56 am
I know the city changed the way they allow the children to play. There used to be an age age AND a weight limit. NOW there is NO weight limit. This past year ages 9-10 I saw some kids weigh 65lbs to over 150 lbs. My son is 10 and weighed 108 lbs and looked small next to the boys who were 140lbs or bigger. When I played for Optimist years ago “GUTS” McCluland I played my 9th grade year and was 15 years old and the weight limit was 125 lbs.
I know football is a big boy game just saying times have changed.Getting hit my someone who is twice your weight can effect the hit.
Comment by Tripp Godsey — January 28, 2012 @ 8:50 am
Oh my goodness, Tripp. Guts was awesome. I cheered for Optimist and both my bros played and my dad coached with Guts!
Comment by belle — January 30, 2012 @ 5:54 pm