Proper technique would have the shoulder pad into the hip (or lower) with the head up. This prevents head/neck injury and gives the tackler the best position to stop the runners legs.

Use the advice above and insure that he gets his head across the front of the opponents chest/body and explode thru with your legs, and remember to wrap up and drive your feet. Tackle with a purpose. And always practice and play with 120%.
Let me know if I answered your question.

Get your son off that team!

too much risk involved using that technique.I teach my boys to lower their body always keep head up lead / hit with your shoulders in chest. wrap up with both arms.

the technique has a bad reputation as seen but is in many ways safer. yet less effective it does have a place for defensive linemen and linebackers while stacking the hole, ask that he learns when to do what.

Just my opinon but this method is both dangerous and useless....if the other team is being told to lower thier heads and square up the shoulder pads...the child trying to tackle is not only going to get run over he is probably going to get hit in the wind bag with a helmet..... it wont take long before the kids dont tackle well or dont want to play with this technique....tell him to use some rescources like USA football and find some better methods....or i would be glad to email him some if you give me his email address.

Tiffani it's not the end all there is plenty of equipment out there to protect the midriff let me suggest a hex pad under garment with any of the many rib protectors our players were these and i haven't seen any injury's that have occured. I know it is a very unpopular technique"for good reason" but there are good arguements for both sides. don't focus on it any longer, get the equipment have him get motivated and get on with enjoying things agian.

As a defensive coach myself I always teach hitting around the hips and driving back with head up!!! I have seen the tackling that you have stated and it does nothing to stop the other player because any runner is going in low to bounce people off. It sounds to me you have a "Madden" coach out there that knows nothing about football.

God Bless and have a great holiday season.

wow!! he must be a rugby player. no you tackle behind the pads. i tell my kids to put your face(facemask) on the ball. that right there helps them keep thier heads up to avoid injury and automatically places the shoulder on the opponents hip. after that, you just stress the wrap up and keep your feet moving, its kinda like lift with your legs not your back rule. if your kid keeps that horrible technique he is gonna meet a running back who will shoulder charge right through him and most likely hurt him. if you don't get that coach to rethink his mechanics those boys are not gonna like the contact. my duaghter had that problem till i worked with her. after she practiced useing my put your face on the ball rule she became one of the most intimadating tacklers in her league.
p.s. if you think the kids get scared thier eyes will get poked just get them some eyeshields, they're like $15 in any sports store.

As a line man in a down position, sometimes chest to chest is recommended, especially in pass blocking and pass rushing. But for tackling, you lose a lot of leverage by going high. Shoulder to the gut is ideal for tackling.

This has been more good advice from your friendly neighborhood CroppieMan.
Go Pop Warner!

First get your son of that team before he hurts himself and ask to the coach or coaches to go back to POP WARNER and the basics all over again. That is just stupid! The pros don't tackle chest to chest. Take your son out fast he is being taught bad habbits.

I tell my backs it's all about leverage, and leg push low man always wins. If the defender is bigger and aggressive, and you're smaller, and faster I would recommend a (quick juke - a quick shoulder shimmy and spin), always keeping your legs moving staying low with your head up. Vision and awareness is very important. If you're a big back I would say lower your body, get lower than him keep your eyes forward (square up your man - shoulders and toes should be pointing forward, lunge forward pushing from your legs put your shoulder (NOT USING YOUR HELMET) into the defenders chest keep moving your feet. Some small backs can run as hard as a big back and some big backs that are very fast as well. One of the hardest things to teach is (elusiveness). I hope these tips will have you punishing the defense instead of them punishing you.

Good lord, have any of you been to a clinic in the last century?

The method is Chest to Chest and is being taught by every good College and High School in the country. It is safer, more effective and easy to teach. I coached Youth for a short time and have been coaching in High School for years; this is the way most schools are going.

Every clinic I have been to and every college coach I speak to endorses and teaches this method.

Before you tag a technique as ineffective or "dangerous" you should probably do your homework.

I am baffled as to why the coach didn't want to discuss various tackling techniques with the player's mom. (sarcasm, yes? ) Your 14 year old must have loved that.

And FYI, the Pros do teach it in Training Camp. However, anyone who knows Football can tell you that what you see on Sundays is probably pretty bad technique; the pros don't tackle much in practice to avoid injuries. Their tackling is mostly atrocious at best.

What many clueless TV announcers would call a "good tackle" would get our kids a correction.

Yes true that clinics are using this method and labeling it a "safe" method. They're refering to the high percentage of wraping around and holding on to the running back, essentially using thier players as "mouse traps." Yes the pros have what i like to call "hit or miss tackles" but you try tacklng a 200+ lbs Running back running 4.4 speed at you using your "Safe Method". Thats a cracked sternum waitng to happen. When your talking about Kids from ages 7 to 16 you want form tackling. Get low, Keep your head up, lift with your legs. it's riddiculus!! what some people are saying. I think you should teach yor kid both and let him decide whats a better technique. I bet money he'd like my method better.

I went to a coaching clinic that taught this technique, by a couple of former NFL coaches and players. It is being utilized a lot. The point that seems to be missed in this whole discussion is the proper way it should be taught. You don't lead with the chest and hope the RB does as well. You still come in low, drive through the hips and lift. After an initial low contact the follow through direction is up and forward. this reduces the RB's ability to keep driving, increases the ability to wrap-up (try wrapping up when you are butting heads) and should decrease the tendency to dive at ankles, spear the knee or try and meet head to head. You END UP chest-to-chest. It is a hard technique to learn and time. Pop too soon and you end up too high, pop too late and it won't work. But any effective tackling technique is going to be hard.

And to some of the other detractors -

- a good open field tackle will often require a 'breakdown' which means you can't just run full blast into somebody and hope you hit on your shoulders or dive full speed for their ankles

- typical tackling techniques are either grab them around the shoulders and hang on or drop the head and ram them like a mountain goat - neither or which are terribly effective (or safe)

At least they are teaching tackling techniques, I have seen plenty of programs where they just let the kids do whatever they want with typically awful results. Football is not a natural sport, we aren't ingrained naturally with the skills to be successful, so this requires learning something new, going through an awkward stage, stumbling, making mistakes but hopefully getting better over time.

If the coaches won't help him learn the proper techniques (either too busy, asked at an inappropriate time, they don't know any better (unlikely), or just don't like your kids attitude) - do you own research there are a few resources out there can provide assistance. Don't be rebellious or disrespectful - find a way to be successful working with the coaching staff.

Remember these are life lessons he is learning - how is he going to handle this when he has a job and a spouse

the coach teaching this meathod needs to learn the proper way to tackle. This is ineffective at best. players should look to get their shoulder into the midsection of the the ball carrier, Keep his head up and to the side of the ball carrier, wrap with the arms and drive with the feet. trying to tackle chest to chest as many have said, is just going to get the defense hurt and they will not make many tackles.

Look up a dvd Safer and Surer Tackling by Coach Hugh Wyatt ... If you don't know this coach welllll my view of him and many many other's would put him as a Guru of football ... The trouble with some of your methods is just really one... Keeping the head up... You could try to get this point across till the cow's come home but come on guy's you know in the heat of battle it doesn't always come across like this... They will duck there head to much at a point that can cause MAJOR HARM... Ms Miller, your doing the right thing by asking but before you all run this guy out on the rail how about digging just a little deeper and try to get this dvd. I don't have all the fact's, but going out on the limb a bit, I would say he's looking out for your child's safety first and foremost ... Why he doesn't address this himself, well I just don't know, but at are parent meeting, things like this are ...

As always do you're homework and be informed on all techniques. I am one who loves clinics and continuous learning. Here's a video you can order from Coaches Choice: "Tackling Basics for Youth Football" Narrated by Coach Jon Cooper- from the Jim Rexilius- Youth Football Series. Topics Covered:

Fit Position, Proper Footwork, Movement, Straight-on tackling, Open-field tackling, Sideline tackling, Reacting and tackling, Shedding and tackling.

www.coacheschoice.com

Hope this info is helpful.

wat is his name????