Football (Tackle)

To reduce the number of serious head, neck and spine injuries in youth and high school football, experts recommend that coaches stress the teaching of proper tackling techniques that avoid helmet-to-helmet contact.

The kind of football cleats that best suits your child depends on the position he plays, the surface on which he plays (grass or artificial turf), the amount of support and protection he wants against ankle injuries, how long he is planning to use the shoes and how much you want to spend.

While injuries - even of the catastrophic variety - cannot be completely eliminated from football, there are lots of things pro-active parents can do to minimize the risk. 

If you know nothing about football, then you're probably wondering what all that bulk is under their uniform jersey and pants.   Its all the equipment players wear to protect them as much as possible for injury.

Children can start playing Pop Warner football as young as five years old; due to their age and weight, they will be placed in the "tiny-mite" division. There are different age and weight divisions, which are intended to reduce the risk of  injury.

A description of football basics: the offense, defense, how points are scored, and the different positions.

Blowing cool, dry air flowing under and through football shoulder pads reduces core
body temperature and heart rate dramatically, thereby reducing the likelihood of heat illness,
says a 2008 study.

While deaths of football players from heat stroke are down (with only one during 2012-2013, compared to 5 in 2011 alone), eat stroke is an ever present concern in the sport because, according to an 2008 study by researchers at University of Florida, there are eight factors that make football players especially vulnerable to heat illness.