Tips on Youth Football Injury Prevention

Conditioning, Football Fundamentals and Body Control are the Keys

Coaching in youth football requires that the coach put his best effort in minimizing football injuries and putting the players in a position whereby the risk of a football injury is minimal. Injuries are a factor in all contact sports at all levels. Even in youth football its part of the game and a football season can be lost with significant injuries to key personnel.
Like a doctor that practices preventative medicine a youth football coach can kind of do the same thing. It all begins in football practice! An effective and proper warm-up, that will stretch out and warm-up the muscles. A solid conditioning routine that places the football athlete in the best possible shape, so that they can play at a high level. Practising fundamentals faithfully so that the youth football player has good technique, and by doing so minimizes the chance of injury.
Another good key is emphasizing body control at all times to the football players. That is on every play, every chance of contact, that the player is in control of his body with good technique and puts his body in a good position on every play to not only be effective fundamentally but also effective in avoiding injuries and at the same time effective in making a good football play! Some of the younger youth football players think they are indestructible and will launch their bodies in a reckless fashion into a ball carrier or on a block. This type of play needs to be addressed immediately by the football coach. Yea, it might be effective at the younger levels but if the habit continues they are setting themselves up for serious injury later on. They must be in control of their bodies at all times and the coach must be on top of it at all times! Effective management by the youth football coach in these areas will minimize injuries!

Cheers!