Pee Wee Football

I agree as well, nice post.

I got hurt bad enough playing baseball to scare a parent or two, it happens.

Are you serious?

I didn't see anyone suggest keeping a kid in a padded cell all day.

My son plays baseball and golf, he rides his bike, scooter, skateboard, he roller skates, he swims, then he's ready to play. He is always in motion. He thinks video games and TV are "kind of boring".

What he doesn't do is have other kids charge at him repeatedly with the desire to knock him head over heels into next Tuesday.

Sometimes the effects of having your brain rattled around in your head repeatedly don't show up for years and years.

Ask Muhammad Ali.

I know, I know, that's boxing, not football. But football is a pretty violent sport.

Many years ago I read an interview with Bret Farve (? close enough, you know who I mean) in Playboy. Here was a man important enough to be given a feature interview. That's big. What did he talk about? Farting.

I guess that's when I started hating football. I don't want my son to grow up wasting his Playboy interview talking about farting.

But that's just me.

Hi Coach Tom. Welcome to A2K.

Thank you for posting.

What kind of questions should I ask? Other than Farve's farting habits I don't know enough about football to pose the right kind of question. My husband does but the idiot* is of the "GET HIM, KILL HIM" variety of football fans.

* Just kidding, sort of.

You've got the basic idea.

Let me run something about American football by you... The pro game and the game being played by major colleges serving as a farm system to the pros is violent amongst other reasons because of the way it is being played. Because of the zone pass defenses it takes a long time for quarterbacks to break in and basically learn when NOT to throw the ball. That means that nobody wants quarterbacks involved in running plays. That means that on any running play the offense is outmanned ten vs eleven since all the QB is contributing is a turkey imitation. That says that runners are getting hit by several people at a point of attack. On pass plays: QBs are getting killed being hit blindside by guys 100 lbs heavier than they are while waiting six or seven seconds for receivers to clear zones; receivers are getting hit by two or more people as they try to catch passes.....

Just once they tried to make a science out of American football, with a system which involved a running game so powerful that nobody could even try to use a zone pass defense against it, and which isolated defenders so totally that none of these many-on-one murder situations applied. This is what it looked like:

http://www.cstv.com/allaccess/player/07-oas-mediaplayer-okla.html?content=mms://a1981.v8108e.c8108.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1981/8108/v0001/cstvcbs.download.akamai.com/8108/open/okla/07-08/video/m-footbl/05may/20080523_1971_highlights.wmv&school=okla&

Oh Boomer - that was priceless! Whew...having to wipe my eyes.

Just do what is in your gut girl. Mo is yours. The fact is - he could get hurt doing any number of things. We decided to be cautious and keep ours out until after their growth plates are mature. But that is because we have had to deal with a lot of surgeries and casts and such already. Just don't want to have to do it any more unless it's absolutely necessary.

Fortunately for us...our guys love baseball. If they were just dying to play football it would be a harder call. Flag football seems to meet whatever it is they are desiring for now. And it works for us.

You do what YOU think is best for Mo. Your chances are good he may not get hurt but there is a slight risk he may. And it is pounding - over and over - he will come home bruised and sore. If it is worth it to him and you - don't worry about it.

My cousin is one of the smartest, wisest fellows I know. He played football from the time he was a peewee and plays for the Rams to this day. He is fine. He knows his career is 10 years and is happy with that. He will retire and be a highschool football coach and is content with that. But what I saw him endure over and over was hard to look at, broken jaws, turf toe and skin peeled back over most of his torso, many sprains and breaks...I can't even imagine how my aunt felt if I was moved to tears by some of his accidents. But he LOVES it. It is worth it to him.

You and Mo are the ones that can make this decision. As long as you are willing to deal with the consequences - whatever your choice - you will be fine.

American football....I dont know mach about it, but arent they all padded up as well as head gear??? if so, as long as the head is protected he should be ok. Kids are indeed quite hardy.
I take my 12 year old nephew to rugby 3 times a week, and when I take him, I get to watch the littleys who are about 4 years old playing 'Ripper Rugby' they play wearing sashes and god they are so cute to watch, these kids instead of tackling each other, they have to rip the opposing team members sash off, half the time its their own team members plus they all run the wrong way, but its all great fun!

The basic answer is that the kind of armor used is not adequate for the kinds of blows you're talking about.

Are you talking kids or adults here??? Cause I'm talking about kids.

The pads they wear in youth football is plenty adequate enough for the blows they take! They simply aren't fast enough or strong enough or big enough to do any kind of damage with all the pads they wear! If properly coached (which is the big key to all of this) the kids will be just fine.

Find out how long the coaches have been coaching. Talk to other parents of the kids who have played for those particular coaches and the organization in general. There are sure to be more than a few who are knowledgeable enough to help you out. Express your concerns to both league/organization board members and to the coaches of whichever team your son would be playing on. Ask whatever comes to mind and get answers that will make you feel comfortable with your decision, no matter what the decision is.

I can't speak to how safe your son would be not knowing anything about the organization or coaches in it. I can tell you that in 15 or so years of coaching, the kids I have been directly responsible for have never had an injury that they couldn't have received playing around in their back yard with their friends. If the proper techniques are coached for blocking and tackling (and any of the other contact that happens), then the kids do just fine.

By the way, there are more than a few sites out there where you can do some research to learn about the game and the techniques that are safe and should be taught to the kids. One place to look at is http://www.usafootball.com. (I have a membership, so I am really not sure what content is available without one, but it may be worth it to get a membership and check out as much as you can. There are other free sites out there, too.) Takes a bit of time and effort, but it is another avenue towards helping you feel more comfortable with your decision.