Flag or tackle football for kids before middle school

Midfielder10 · 07-02-2008, 11:31 PM

A woman in my neighborhood has a nephew who plays in the NFL and he said that he didnt start playing football until middle school and that he was putting his son in flag football because it was an easier way to learn the game.

So what's your opinion? Throw them into the fire or ease them into the game and let them play tackle in middle school?

droski · 07-03-2008, 08:48 AM

you have a huge advantage playing tackle going into HS rather than flag football IMO. it does of course depend on many factors including the quality of instruction. you don't want the kid learning inproper technique. I played flag football and loved it, but I was darn slow and knew I wouldnt' play for my HS team who is a bit of power down in So Cal. But i did try out and I do remember the guys who had played tackle since middle school were definetly many steps ahead of the rest of us.

Vol Mania 21 · 07-03-2008, 08:53 AM

droski, midfielder was asking if they should play flag or tackle before middle school. hahaha

lll Adidas · 07-03-2008, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midfielder10

A woman in my neighborhood has a nephew who plays in the NFL and he said that he didnt start playing football until middle school and that he was putting his son in flag football

Could you tell us who this guy is so we don't draft him to our fantasy football teams.

He must be a kicker.

droski · 07-03-2008, 09:21 AM

ha ha. didn't read that properly. nevermind.

MG1968 · 07-04-2008, 06:54 AM

maybe it's a good idea to start off playing flag football, especially for the younger kids whose skeletal and muscular development is still far from complete.

vol_in_ar · 07-04-2008, 07:01 AM

good point

**milohimself** · 07-04-2008, 01:53 PM

After playing through high school... Flag before middle school. I don't think kids bodies are ready for tackle football until around the sixth grade.

Midfielder10 · 07-04-2008, 03:51 PM

also that and the kids get burnt out of football is what i've heard.

Business · 07-05-2008, 04:22 AM

Don't let a kid throw a Curveball until he's on Varsity in High School. Nothing but fast and change.

Now, football, tackle always.

vol_in_ar · 07-05-2008, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Business

Don't let a kid throw a Curveball until he's on Varsity in High School. Nothing but fast and change.

Now, football, tackle always.

how bout pitch count?

Business · 07-05-2008, 12:19 PM

Pitch counts are a very individually based subject. Of course the younger they are the less they need to throw.

How much do you throw during the week? I think the more often you throw the more you can throw in a game. That might sound like a no non sense quote but there's actually coaches in lower levels of baseball that think kids must totally rest between starts. Kind of like going out to the golf course and not even bothering with the driving range and you haven't played in a couple weeks.

I'd say your average kid that has a coach, father, brother, etc. that knows what he's doing would be able to pitch the following with out killing their arm:

Little League: 60-70
Babe Ruth: 70-80
High School: 90

That's just ballpark numbers. Your going to have kids that can throw 100 pitches and have no damage or pain due to their proper mechanics, then you'll have kids that can go throw 30 pitches and be in pain for a week.

Also, always, always, always, run after you pitch, even if the kid throws a complete game he needs to run sprints, poles, something. I personally prefer sprint because the pitching motion is much like a sprint. You go all out for a little bit. Many coaches believe in distance running, but I just don't think it helps that much when it comes to pitching.

You have to get your legs used to using maximum force at small increments at a time. Distance running does not do that.

This has gotten long, but the main thing is this. If you keep your arm in shape while you're young, when you're in High School and possibly college you won't be waking up at 4am with needle pains going through your arm.

If you want some specific workouts or regimens PM me.

tkemo · 07-07-2008, 11:20 AM

Kids can't hit hard enough until middle school to do any damage to themselves. If they really love football they probably won't get burned out. I know on my jr high teams you could tell who hadn't played tackle before. The kids that had played pee wee wound up being the leaders on the team all the way through high school. I started playing tackle when I was 9 and would recommend it to anybody. I loved every minute of it.