Flag Football vs. Tackle Football
Critics on both sides say that the two are so different, are they? The biggest and obvious difference is tackling vs. grabbing for flags. Another is the safety factor. Kid’s bodies and minds are so vital and still developing that one hard hit can cost them for eternity. I didn’t have the chance to play tackle football until I was in middle school, but enjoyed it when I finally got to. During my high school days I was on the wrong end of a hit three times in three years. If I knew then what I know now I probably wouldn’t feel so old.
Anyways, I’m a firm believer in flag football starting the child at K- 6th grade. I’m a father of two boys myself, a 3 year old and 10 year old, and they have and will play flag. My number one reason is safety. Many coaches today focus on winning and not the proper techniques on how to do skill abilities. Tackling is one of the skills that is misdirected and many injuries occur because of poor tackling. Is it the kids fault? No, the kids do and learn from the coaches, so in my opinion it’s the coaches fault and parents need to invest time into making sure their coach is coaching properly. Like mentioned before, I coach flag football but my coaching style is very different because I care about the kids. I teach them the proper technique to breakdown in front of a runner, how to read an offence on defense, back peddle, and throwing and catching the ball. Critics say it’s just pulling a flag from a kid’s hip bouncing back and forth. OK, I agree, but what is the kid learning in the process, hand eye coordination. In my opinion this is a great tool to help a child in learn cognitively and socially.
Here is a video from Outside the Lines, ESPN that views this subject from both sides.
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