OT: Bill to ban tackle football in NJ under age of 12 years old

[sunsetregret]

Asshat checking in here. It’s 100% great technique.

I agree. I coached for several years and come from a high school coaching family in Central NJ (father and uncle). I've never heard it referred to as "bite the ball," but we always coached putting your facemask on the ball (which sounds like exactly the same thing). If you put your facemask on the ball, it means:

1. You are not using your helmet to make contact with the body of the ball carrier,
2. You have your head up and neck is not exposed,
3. Your most likely point of contact will be your shoulder to the center mass (chest/abdomen) of the ball carrier,
4. Your legs are in a position to be what creates the force that moves the ball carrier to the ground (which means your only option is not an arm tackle), and
5. If you actually accomplish a direct hit with your facemask on the ball, you have an excellent chance of creating a fumble.

This is very good technique.

 

[mildone]

Progression, all of it starts out as nothing more than info you should know to strangulating regulation.
Cigarettes started as a warning from the attorney general, "may be hazourdus to your health"
Today restrictions on them are stifling. Yet they are legal.
I don't smoke!
Just an observation of progression.

Cigarettes are harmful to others around the smoker, so the laws prohibiting smoking advanced to a point that protected bystanders while never reaching the point of an outright ban. I'm okay with that.

On the other hand, banning tackling for kids under a certain age is basically government interference in the relationship between parents and their children. It could be argued that it's to protect kids from their parent's bad decisions (like child seat-beat laws). But there are countless choices parents make that are potentially risky or potentially ill-advised. Where do we draw the line?

In this case, I think it's a pretty clear case of government overreach. Freedom is hard. Embracing a free society means embracing greater risks. I'd rather see us more free with greater risk.