Sport guide
Football — Tackle, for the parent in it.
Every read, drill, calendar, pathway, rule, and recruiting note we have on football — tackle. Use this as the front door.
63 pieces.
From The Drawer for football — tackle
Cost
What does football — tackle actually cost?
Pre-filled annual estimates by tier. Edit any line.
Pathway
Football — Tackle by age
What good looks like at 7, 10, 13, 15.
Calendar
The football — tackle year
Washington and Oregon high school football. Aug practice opens, Week 1 is the Friday after Labor Day, playoffs run November. The off-season is where the next year is built.
Rules
Rules at-a-glance
Five-minute primer.
Reads
Football — Tackle articles
Drills
Football — Tackle drills
31 drills total. Most recent shown.
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· fundamentals
2-Point Stance
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· fundamentals
3-Point Stance
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· fundamentals
Angle Tackle
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· fundamentals
Bag Tackle Progression
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· fundamentals
Ball Protection Tunnel
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· fundamentals
Ball Security Grip
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· fundamentals
Base Block
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· fundamentals
Blocking Mirror
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· fundamentals
Catch and Tuck
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· fundamentals
Catch on the Line
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· fundamentals
Contested Catch
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· fundamentals
Drive Block on Bag
The Sideline File
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Abdominal trauma: spleen, kidney, liver, and the hit that needs evaluation
Direct blows to the torso can produce internal-organ injury. The signs, the delayed-presentation pattern, and when the emergency room is the right call.
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Artificial turf temperatures: the burn-risk parents don't see
Synthetic turf can run 40 to 60°F hotter than air temperature. The skin-burn risk, the heat-illness contribution, and the practice-modification thresholds.
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Cleats and foot safety: metal vs molded, fit, and the growth question
When metal cleats are allowed, when they're not, and the fit rules that prevent the most common youth-sport foot injuries.
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Cold-weather practice: frostbite, layering, the temperature threshold
What an outdoor practice should look like below 40°F, when the wind chill makes it actually dangerous, and the layering rule for kids who run hot.
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Concussion: protocol, return to play, your state law
What a concussion actually is, what the trainer or coach should be doing in the first ten minutes, and how return-to-play works under your state law.
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Hand and finger fractures: the kid's growth plates change the math
Buddy-taping a 'jam' that's actually a Salter-Harris fracture can cause permanent deformity. The on-field triage and the X-ray threshold.
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Heat and hydration
What an August practice should look like under NATA's youth heat acclimatization rules. How much water, when. And the signs that say stop now.
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Heat exhaustion vs heatstroke: the line that matters
Both look bad. One is recoverable with rest and water. The other is a true emergency. The signs that distinguish them, and the protocol for each.
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Heatstroke right now: cool first, transport second
The protocol that saves lives in the August heat. Cold-water immersion before EMS transport. The signs that mean act now.
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Helmet, bat, and mouthguard certification: the stamps that matter
NOCSAE for helmets. USA Baseball and USA Softball for bats. State-by-state rules for mouthguards. What stamps to look for, what's expired, and what used gear is fine.
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Helmet recertification: the dates inside the shell
NOCSAE-certified helmets get reconditioned every year or two. After 10 years, they're done. How to read the stickers and when to replace.
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Humidity and dew point: practice modifiers when WBGT isn't on hand
WBGT is the gold standard for heat decisions, but most youth programs don't have a reader. Humidity and dew point are the backup metrics, and they tell you more than air temperature alone.
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Hypothermia on the field: recognize, warm, escalate
The signs the kid is past 'cold' and into hypothermia. The protocol that warms safely. When to call 911.
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Knee braces in youth sport: what helps, what doesn't
Functional braces, prophylactic braces, neoprene sleeves. The published evidence on what each does and when to use them.
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Mosquito-borne illness in outdoor youth sport: West Nile, EEE, and the basics
Outdoor practices at dawn and dusk during summer carry small but real risk of mosquito-borne illness. The repellents, the timing, and the regional patterns.
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Mouthguard fit: boil-and-bite vs custom
The 12-dollar option works. The 200-dollar option works better. The actual difference, and when paying for custom matters.
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Patellar dislocation: the kneecap is not where it should be
The kneecap slipped sideways and may have popped back. The on-field protocol, the imaging that matters, and the recovery picture for repeat dislocators.
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Pollen and allergic conjunctivitis: the spring eye-irritation kids underreport
Itchy red eyes during outdoor practice. The seasonal patterns, the over-the-counter management, and when to see a doctor.
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Rib injury and the splenic concern: the hit that looks like a bruise
A blow to the lower-left torso can be more than a bruised rib. The signs of splenic injury, the timeline to watch, and when the kid goes to the emergency room.
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Shoulder dislocation on the field: do not put it back yourself
The kid is in pain, the arm hangs wrong, the joint is visibly out. The protocol that prevents the simple injury from becoming a complicated one.
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Spinal injury right now: do not move the kid
Suspected cervical-spine injury on the field. The protocol that prevents the temporary injury from becoming permanent.
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Suspected concussion right now: same-day pull, written clearance
The first ten minutes after the hit. What the trainer, coach, or parent does in order. Sideline triage, not medical advice.
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Tick prevention and Lyme disease: the protocol for outdoor youth sports
The repellents that work, the post-practice tick check, the bullseye rash, and when a tick bite needs the doctor.
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Wet field decisions: when surface conditions make play unsafe
Standing water, soft mud, ice in cold months. The published thresholds and the questions to ask before a game starts on a marginal field.
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Wildfire smoke and AQI: when to cancel a youth practice
The AirNow AQI thresholds for kids, how PM2.5 affects developing lungs, and the practice-modification rule the EPA actually publishes.
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What's actually dangerous about youth football
The injuries that show up most often, the ones parents fear most, and the ones the data says matter. Heat, head, knees, in that order.