Proper technique helps kids avoid getting hurt. You lead with your shoulder. Even though this ball carrier surprised him, Brent was turning his head away at the time of the collision. And they couldn't run very fast. So it wasn't like Lawrence Taylor crashing into Emmitt Smith.
Experts believe that as many as one million kids play age-group football in the United States.
Some 170,000 kids play Pop Warner, which is similar in organization to Little League baseball. Pop Warner, which is for kids ages 7 to 16, has very strict safety rules against which all youth football programs should be measured. Frankly, many more of our kids get hurt riding bikes, climbing trees, or in-line skating than they do playing football. Pop Warner has never had a player fatality in its 67-year history. And studies show that most youth football programs are relatively safe.