"Brain, Neck & Spinal Cord injuries that result from initiating contact with the CROWN of the helmet while in the act of making a tackle, are NOT freak accidents, they are the direct result of a lack of proper supervision on the part of the coaches. These injuries are taught into the game, they can be taught out of the game!"
Hello everybody, Coach Bobby Hosea here. I hope everyone that participated in Tackle Football last year did so without any serious injuries of any kind let alone concussions.
Over the past 3 plus years since Brooke first invited me to share my knowledge about protecting players from avoidable brain, neck and spinal injuries that result from initiating contact with the CROWN of their helmet while making a tackle, I've notice how there is so much focus on concussion recognition but, very little (next to nothing) is being dedicated to the cause and prevention of football-related concussions. The focus is all after the fact. It's as if everyone thinks concussions can't be prevented.
It makes no sense to put a player back on the field after being cleared by a doctor without addressing the cause of the injury in the first place.
Here is a little story I would like to share with you. Last summer I recieved a call from a frantic dad, whose son was starting his high school football career as a freshman. The father, with fear and anger in his voice, told me that, "In the first 3 days in pads, we've had 17 conussions from the Frosh to Varsity, and the coaches are mad at the trainers because the kids aren't passing their "Concussion Prodical" tests to get back on the field!" He told me that the coaches never considered that maybe, the way they were introducing the players to tackling was at fault.
With 85% of all concussions occuring during practice, it is clear that the real problem lies with supervision. Not helmets, not the NFL. It's the lack of knowledge on how to properly prepare players to avoid needless injury. Concussions are unknowingly taught by coaches. The traditional "WRAP-EM-UP" tackling technique, antiquated tackling terminology and old school tackling drills that introduce kids to tackling are the primary cause for the millions of concussions children suffer every football season.
The solution is to have your entire football league HELMET-FREE-TACKLE Safety & Performance Certified through Train 'Em Up Academy. The answer is not yelling KEEP-YOUR-HEAD-UP louder than last season, nor instructing players to put their head to the SIDE or HEAD-ACROSS, because those instructions cause the head to go down and expose the top of the head to collisions as well.
The answer is to VERIFY that every Parent, Coach, Trainier, Athletic Director, Leaugue Commisioner, Game Official and Player can readily IDENTIFY & AVOID the physical mechanisms that lead to CROWN-first impact while in the act of making a tackle.
Beginning in May, I'm making availiable to individual football programs, school districts, and youth leagues a limited number of my HELMET-FREE-TACKLE Safety & Performance Certification Camps. It consists of a 3- to 5-Day IN-SERVICE from Train 'Em Up Acadmy as follows:
- A Community Tackle Safety Awareness Seminar: Get everybody on the same page about tackling safety (2-hours)
- Coaches' Tackle Safety & Performance Certification Camp: Classroom & On Field (6-hours)
- Players & Coaches Tackle Safety & Performance Camps: On Field 3-hour per Divisions / Total of 18 to 28 hours
- 3-Day IN-SERVICE 150 minimum to 240 maximum participants
- 5-Day IN-SERVICE 250 minimum to 500 maximum paricipants
We bring the expertise, knowledge, equipment, leadership and credibility that will guarantee you have done your due diligence to lower your athletes' exposure to upper torso injuries in 2012.
Please visit my website at www.TrainEmUpAcademy.org and see the June 2011 scientific research study that proves my tackling technique lowers helmet first impact by 43% compared to the traditional tackling technique.
Make Accountability Count in 2012. Join the Tackling Safety & Performance REVOLUTION. It has already arrived!
