If you want to be head and shoulders above the competition when you try out for a football team this fall, then think with the former and tackle with the latter.
“The most important thing for a young football player to learn is proper tackling,” says Gene Washington. He’s an executive with the National Football League and a guy who used to avoid defenders as a star wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. “You never want to lead with your head, even if you feel secure and safe in a helmet. You tackle by hitting an opponent squarely with your shoulder and your head safely to the side.”
The same advice goes for flag football: Keep your head up while pursuing a ball carrier.
In any case, it’s likely you will get smacked in the head – or even fall on it at times – while out there trying to imitate Bears players like Rashaan Salaam or Chris Zorich. So get properly fitted with your most important piece of equipment, the helmet.
The National Athletic Trainers Association, which includes trainers from the top pro and college teams, has some basic tips for getting into headgear:
– Look for the “NOCSAE” seal, which guarantees your helmet has been approved for use by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. Every NFL player has the same seal in his helmet.
– The helmet shouldn’t wiggle too much when the face mask is pulled up and down or rotated side to side. You want a snug feeling without any scraping of skin on the forehead.
– Push down on the top of the helmet. The pressure should feel like you are wearing a crown; there should be no pushing on the front or back part of the head.
– Make sure the ear holes are over your own ear openings or slightly above them so you can hear the QB’s signals and your coach.
– There should be room for two or three finger widths between the tip of your nose and the face mask, and about two finger widths between the eyebrows and beginning of the helmet.
– Always wear your chin-strap while playing (remember that if you snap off one side while on the sidelines).
– Plus, wear a mouthguard at all times on the field. You don’t get a second chance with permanent teeth. Besides, making those form-fitting mouthguards can be fun.
AND FROM THE NECK DOWN…
Once you have your head, er, helmet on straight, don’t forget the rest of you. It pays to be careful about any injuries, says Dr. Mark Hutch-inson, director of sports medicine at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
“Pros might be able to play hurt because it’s their job and they can’t make an injury worse,” he says. “But kids are still growing. They need to be careful they fully recover from an injury or run the risk of permanent changes in how they grow.”
Hutchinson points out one not-so-smooth move some players make: removing thigh pads from pants to allow easier running. Bad idea, Mr. I’m-So-Cool-Nobody-Can-Catch-Me. …
“If you get hit hard on the thigh, you can get a deep bruise that stiffens up the whole leg for weeks,” Hutchinson says.
