Is face tackling legal?
 

Hi everyone,
I am a youth football coach trying my best to understand the game of youth football. I hope I am in the right place for this question.

I was with our youth football league president and commissioner and were interviewing a first time potential youth coach for 7-8 year old kids.

I asked him how he plans on teaching tackling. His response was that he was going to teach them to put their face right between their numbers.

I eventually revisited that statement and said that he should not teach tackling that way and it is dangerous and might even be illegal.

The president and commish both disagreed with me and said you could teach tackling that way and it is legal.

Is this legal? Does anyone know if this is described in the NFHS rules?

I tried searching in the nfhs site but was getting some kind of database error.

Thank you for your help.

Rule 9-4-3 Illegal Personal Contact
No player shall:
i. Initiate illegal helmet contact (butt block, face tackle or spear)

15 yds & possible disqualification depending if it's determined to be flagrant.

(this is from the 2007 book, so the reference number may be different in the new book)

Youth Coach
The method of tackling and blocking that you describe has been illegal according to the NFHS rules since about the mid 1970’s. Please see NFHS rule 9-4-3i.
Generally with this type of contact, it is the tackler or blocker who gets hurt, not the player being tackled or blocked.
Why someone would want to teach this method of tackling or blocking is beyond my comprehension.
For an example of what could happen, do a Google search on “Marc Buoniconti”, he is the son of former pro-linebacker Nick Buoniconti. Marc was paralyzed on a football field trying to face tackle a ball carrier.

Stripes1

It was still 9-4-3(i) in the 2008 book.

Also the current NFHS Rule book defines Face Tackling under NFHS 2-20-1.b (Illegal Helmet Contact) as, "Face Tackling is an act by a defensive player who initiates contact with a ball carrier with the front of his helmet".

This section also defines; a. "Butt Blocking" is an act by an offensive or defensive player who initiates contact against an opponent who is not a ball carrier with the front of his helmet.", and c."Spearing" is an act by an offensive or defensive player who initiates contact against any opponent with the top of his helmet."

As mentioned above these three distinctly different actions were prohibited by the NFHS more than 20 years ago and your applicant coach, as well as your league officers may be rembering what they were taught long, LONG ago.

It remains numbered 9-4-3(i) in the 2009 Book.

Also see: 2009 NFHS RULES BOOK 2-20-1(b) Face Tackling, and
2009 (or 2008) NFHS CASEBOOK 2.20.1 SITUATION A(a) and 2.20.1 SITUATION B for additional guidelines

Thanks for asking. As others have said face tackling has been prohibited for decades. I suggest you consult the NFHS Simplified and Illustrated Football Rules. I personally do not have available the latest copy but do know that it has contained an illustration of face tackling and probably has the same illustration in either the 2008 or 2009 version.

Best of luck. Face tackling is dangerous and your inquiry may have saved a young player from serious injury.

I have been coaching since 1984, high school varsity football in Southern Ohio. I have never seen face tackling called in a game. I have been to over half the playoff finals in those 25 years and NEVER seen FACE Tackling called EVER!!!!!
So while in theory your answer is Illegal, the method you are teaching is sound as long as you teach the kids to not put their head down but bull the neck, aim for the chest and make contact with their chest not their face.

I think the caveat here to Big John's method of tackling is the head can not be the first item of the tackler to make contact with the tacklee. The tackler can not lead with his head, imagining a kid with his arms to his side and his helmet drilling the opponent in the chest as the primary method of face tackling.

You might want to ask the prospective coach to demonstrate his method in a follow-up interview. He may just mean that he wants to teach the kids to wrap up and then drive thought the chest without using the helmet as a weapon. In his excitement, he may have just left off the pertinent and legal details.

Youth Coach,

the bottom line is this....is your prospective coach teaching initiating contact with the helmet or not? Once you get that answer, you'll be well on your way to making an informed decision.

As for the posted video, I noticed every single time the coach demonstrated the power step in, his head is down and forward. Then he does his "bite the ball" thingy and initiates contact. My worry about that is with the ball carrier most like closing at a rapid pace, contact may occur prior to "biting the ball" which leaves the youngsters he is teaching in a pretty vulnerable position.

And finally, just because it hasn't been called much in someones experience, does not mean you should ignore a potentially dangerous technique being taught.

Thank you everyone for helping out with this. Now my task is to inform my league pres. and the commish.

Unfortunately, they think that this is the proper way to teach tackling.

I understand that when someone is tackling that there is a possibility that the face mask might be involved.

My greatest concern is that coaches are teaching to tackle that way.

This is a perfect example of how the cycle of bad coaching comes around. I can see this new coach 10 years down the road telling a rookie coach that he needs to teach his 7 year olds to tackle with the face between the numbers.


Now I am off to try and explain and try not to lose my coaching position because of it...wish me luck and thank you all for your help.

You are still missing the point. Face to the numbers is not bad technique as long as you stress first contact with the chest. It doesn't matter what aim point you teach as long as you stress a body position that keeps the head out of the contact. See What you hit!

http://www.mhsaa.com/services/seewhat.wmv

"Is face tackling legal?"

Depends on what she looks like! ;)

In all 3 variations of "Illegal Helmet Contact", the key verbiage is, "initiates contact" with the front, or top, of the helmet. It's not rocket science, when these rules were created it was in response to an increase is very serious injuries to TACKLERS who were using their heads improperly.

The value of the rule is not measured by how many players are caught violating the rule, but in how effectively coaches teach players to avoid using the head improperly when making a tackle. Someone teaching aiming the head at center of mass to make a tackle, but simply relying on cautioning them to avoid making the initial contact with the head or face, is like handing a child a loaded gun, and cautioning them to be very careful.

When the gun goes off, hiding behind a vague note of caution, doesn't provide very much cover. It won't work well when a player winds up in a wheelchair either. Coaching is teaching and in some respects there is significant responsibility and liability related to not only what is taught, but what is learned as well.

When these rules were presented, the problem was considered serious enough to suggest a warning that if the problem didn't reduce sufficiently in the first two years, serious consideration would be given to an alternate suggestion of removing face masks from all helmets as a way of deterring use of the head as a weapon.

What is the proper technique for tackling?

NFHS: 2-42 covers it pretty well, "Tackling is the use of hands, arms, legs or body by a defensive player in his attemptto hold a runner or bring hime to the ground.

NFHS: 2-20, "Illegal Helmet contact" expands on that to prohibit using the fron, or top, of the helmet as part of the process.

My guess is the prospective coach is an older guy like me, and that is how I was taught when I played (graduated high school in 1973) football. Some people just do not know rules are being updated for safety reasons.

We have found that eyes on the chest is the most likely way to get kids to keep their heads up and eyes open. When the eyes close the head goes down and the danger of neck injury increases. Even sliding the head to the side causes the head to drop. Shoulder tackling is not a good alternative because it also tends to cause the head to drop. The safest legal tackle is head up, eyes on chest butt low and make contact with chest, shoot the hands and grab cloth on the back.

I have been coaching through all of the tackling rule changes and have seen many form tackling techniques come and go. Any technique that doesn't have the kid's head up is dangerous.

Very well said! We teach "eyes on the numbers" when closing, and "eyes to the sky" on contact. We want contact chest to chest and wrap and grab cloth.

The thing that frustrates me as a coach is when the ball carrier is allowed to lower his head and lead with his helmet into the defender. That's every bit as dangerous and is hardly ever flagged in my experience.

From the Casebook
 

Perhap this Casebook play will assist in clearing the waters...

2009 CASEBOOK 9.4.3 SITUATION D (b)
Runner A1 breaks free beyond the neutral zone. (a) As B1 and B2 are closing to tackle him, A1 veers into B1 and deliberatly drives his helmet into B1's chest; or (b), as B1 and B2 attempt to bring him down, A1 lowers his head and drives forward for yardage and he contacts B1 and/or B2 with his helmet. RULING: Spearing by A1 in (a) as he uses his helmet to punish B1. It is a 15-yard penalty. If the spearing is flagarant, A1 must be disqualified. In (b), the lowering of the head to pick up additional yardage is not illegal unless it is done to punish an opponent or if he uses the helmet to butt or ram. The runner's normal reaction is to attempt to gain yardage when being tackled. The reason for including the runner in the spearing, butting, and ramming prohibition is to prevent him from using the helmet to abuse an opponent as well as protection of the player. The illegal helmet contact rules apply equally to all players

During the "runup" to the creation of the "spearing" penalty, which was the first of the illegal helmet related penalty situations to be implemented, there was considerable discussion about how to correct the problem.

When "spearing" was announced and defined it was announced as a temporary measure whose effect on results would determine if additional action was necessary.

Removal of face maskes was included as one of the more severe possible remedies if "spearing" and revised coaching habits did not reduce risk. subsequently "Face Tackling" and "Butt blocking" were specified and added to the prohibited lists

Does anyone seriously think they are going to remove face masks or, even sillier, go back to leather helmets? I mean really?

Here is a link to USA Football. It is a great organization that has tons of resources for coaches, officials, league commissioners, etc.

USA Football: It's more than a game

I would check it out. It has resources that deal with safety and responsible coaching. If I was involved with a youth sport, I'd make sure I was connected to one of these national organizations.

It seemed like a really radical suggestion back in the 1970s as well, but it got a lot of people's attention focused on the problem of serious head and spinal injuries.

The subsequent revising of the the teaching of some particularly dangerous tackling techniques, that were gaining popularity in that era, worked well enough to reduce the problem far enough that creation of the "spearing" penalty and subsequent expansion of "Face Teckling" and "butt blocking" were deemed sufficient rule expansions.

Can't believe it but for once I'm going to agree with Al.

Face masks were considered dangerous back in the late 60s because they were a lever that if pushed up with enough force could cause severe damage to the vertebra leading to spinal cord damage.

I witnessed such a tackle in 1968 and went to the funeral of a college player who I knew in 1967.

The response was a better design incorporating chin straps, better fit and padding on the lower back part of the helmet.

Have you been in that league for long? If this is your first experience with it, this should be very bad news for you. They're interfering in an ignorant and dangerous way with someone who knows more about football and/or body mechanics, namely you. And if they're doing that with you, they're probably doing that with all the coaches. Either organize a coup with the other coaches to overthrow them, or get out of there.

And I'll back up what was said upthread and add more. Before the present rules outlawing those forms of contact were adopted, serious consideration was given to outlawing face masks, not only because they posed a direct threat to the neck as mentioned above, but also because they made players overconfident and more willing to lead with their head into an opponent.

Also, I think some in this thread may be wanking the answer given by the coach being interviewed. I don't see why putting your face between the opponent's numbers should be read charitably as meaning simply "keep your head up". Go ahead, try to wrap an opponent while putting your face between the numbers without first making contact using said face. Nobody's shoulders are broad and flexible enough that they can both hit in front of your face. Pick one shoulder to hit with; I don't care how much it tends to make you lower your head, it's got to be safer than having any part of your head in the middle of your opponent's frame.

Robert in the Bronx