Is face tackling legal?

[Youth Coach]

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.

[Mike L]

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)

[stripes1]

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

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Mike L

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

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

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by mbyron

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.

[KWH]

Originally Posted by mbyron

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

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

[Ed Hickland]

Originally Posted by Youth Coach

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.

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.

[bigjohn]

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.

[HLin NC]

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.

[bigjohn]

YouTube - Coach Wright Tackling Progression

[Mike L]

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.

[Youth Coach]

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.

[bigjohn]

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

[jaybird]

"Is face tackling legal?"

Depends on what she looks like!

[bigjohn]

Thurmond Moore's Tackling Academy