Should I be Worried about Concussions in Football?

The hottest topic of debate around tackle football is head injuries and – specifically – concussions in football. It has reached the point where even the word concussion is enough to scare a parent towards flag football and away from tackle football. Football coaching has significantly changed to prevent head contact in practices, with physical […]

How to Decide on the Right Football League for my Child?

Football continues to surge in popularity at the professional and college level. At the youth level, however, tackle football has seen a decrease in popularity as parents have become more and more worried about injuries to their children, especially concussion due to them not getting the right football coaching on their tackle technique. According to […]

At what age should my child start Tackle Football?

Football is America’s game and has been the sport of choice for so many youths, middle school and high school players for generations. There are tackle leagues around the country for kids as young as 5. As indicated by a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are around 250,000 youth football players from […]

5 Essential “At Home” Exercises to Stay Conditioned During This Time

Young athletes often worry about how they’ll keep up with training during the off-season. Right now, times are even more challenging with access to facilities being restricted and social distancing being put into practice. While there are a number of ways to ensure that your athlete copes best during this period without falling behind with […]

Can rugby shoulder football’s concussion issues?

Dr Bennet Omalu in the Film Concussion (2015): “All of these animals have shock absorbers built into their bodies. The woodpecker’s tongue extends through the back of the mouth out of the nostril, encircling the entire cranium. It is the anatomical equivalent of a safety belt for its brain. Human beings? Not a single piece of […]

Athleticism vs Skill

In my professional rugby career, there were almost always two schools of thought related to players. Those who believed that natural athleticism honed and channelled in the right way in training could be superseded by individual skills development in terms of time, effort and energy. Then there is the second, where athleticism and physical dominance […]

Celebrating One Year at Tackle Smart Sports

A year ago we founded Tackle Smart Sports to bring safer tackling techniques, that can be trained in a controlled environment, to the football playing capital of America. We strive to teach kids the techniques that will help them tackle safer as well as land more tackles to be more successful players.  Watch this video […]

Girls That Play American Football. Why Is Not That Common?

When girls think of a sport they’d like to join, a few things may come to mind. Soccer, martial arts, softball, tennis, basketball, and the like. But one sport notably off the list of many girls’ dream sports? Football. Sure, they might toss around a football with dad in the yard sometimes, but many girls […]

How To Safely Train During The Summer

Training during hot weather puts extra stress on your body and, if you don’t properly prepare, it can result in serious illness including heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Yet, the summer is an important time for young athletes to train and training during heat can actually produce a number of benefits. […]

What Are The Chances Of My Child Becoming A Professional Athlete?

As youth sports become increasingly competitive, more and more parents believe that their child will go pro and actively work toward their child becoming a professional athlete. A 2015 study found that 26% of U.S. parents of high school athletes hoped that their child would become a professional athlete. In contrast, however, the data shows […]