By Bill Bradley, contributing editor
USA Football has become the first football organization to formally define "full contact" during practice sessions and has set a 30-minute time limit for full contact during practices, the youth football governing body announced Thursday.
These football practice guidelines from the sponsor of the Heads Up Football program are the first to be endorsed by national medical organizations, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM).
Time limits on contact in youth football practices have been announced in the past, but "contact" had yet to be defined.
The new guidelines also follow heat acclimatization procedures created by the Korey Stringer Institute. They include a recommendation on the amount of practices per week (no more than four during preseason and three during regular season). Two-a-day practices are prohibited at all times.
The guidelines state that youth athletes should be permitted to drink fluids at any time during a practice beyond designated breaks.
"The safety of every young athlete is a priority for the American College of Sports Medicine," ACSM president Dr. Carol Ewing Garber said in a statement. "USA Football's practice guidelines for youth tackle football, created in collaboration with medical leaders, marks a watershed moment for youth sports.
"Identifying guidelines for heat acclimatization and defining levels of contact with time limits are critical. Not only are young athletes safer by learning the fundaments in a smarter way, but monitoring levels of contact and heat acclimatization also advances their well-being. This is leadership one would expect from a national governing body of sport, and ACSM endorses these guidelines."
NATA president Jim Thornton said. "NATA has been a proud supporter of the USA Football Heads Up Football program and its specific focus on concussion awareness, Heads Up Tackling, equipment fitting and coaches certification.
"USA Football's new practice guidelines, as well as its Heads Up Football program, certainly reinforce our own safety messages and our commitment to keep young athletes as safe as possible. NATA applauds USA Football's continued work to advance youth sports safety, particularly for the young athletes who participate in tackle football nationwide."
American Medical Society for Sports Medicine president Dr. Chris Madden added. "The safety of our youth in sports is vitally important. AMSSM recognizes there is a limited amount of data available to guide proper heat acclimatization and to reduce head injuries in this young age group.
"We applaud USA Football for taking steps in the right direction with these guidelines, which are based on expert opinion, to help our youth stay safe during structured football practices. AMSSM is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all athletes, and our endorsement of these guidelines aligns us with USA Football in this important pursuit."
Also on Thursday:
- USA Football published a guide for "Levels of Contact" for practice sessions.
- The guidelines have been made available at USA Football's website (http://usafootball.com/practiceguidelines)
- USA Football also began offering a digital practice planner to inform coaches if a practice plan is within or beyond 30 minutes of full contact and help to structure their practices for safer instruction.
USA Football's Levels of Contact:
