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Quiz the Coach :: Football Fears

Question by Somerandomdude45

I am playing Junior Varsity Football for my school next year and was worrying if I would get smeared. What’s the best way of getting smeared but not hurt

Football Follies

Bigger is Better

Sport of Speed

Encourage Contact

Hey Somerandomdude45… Let me start by saying “You will get SMEARED and you will get HURT!” I’m sorry to be so blunt, but it’s a fact… football is full of violence and injuries. The collisions that take place on a football field are so vicious that it’s very unpredictable what could happen to you in any given play.

Forget Football

The best way to avoid injury is to avoid football. You can still play football at the park with your friends, which is much more safe and much more fun. If you really are interested in a career of professional football as a player, coach, or trainer, then it’s a good idea to go out for Varsity, but you have to face your fears, because football is dangerous… period.

Football Physics

Bigger is Better

Imagine two wooden sticks. One stick is as strong as a baseball bat. The other stick is weak and soft. Now when you swing the sticks at each other, what happens? Obviously the baseball bat will break the soft piece of wood everytime. That’s also what happens when football players collide. The player with the stronger muscles and bones will almost always hurt the weaker player and an injury may occur with anything from a bruise to a broken bone. So if you are strong and healthy, you won’t have too much to worry about.

Speed, Balance and Agility

Sport of Speed

The other main factors that will keep you from getting injured are speed, balance and agility. Something going fast will cut right into something slower if the players are equal in all other factors (strength, balance, body weight). Balance is key if you want to use the strength of all your muscles in awkward positions. Agility will allow you to control your body in many different situations to avoid injury. All these factors can be practiced and enhanced so you can avoid injuries.

Fear Factor

Encourage Contact

Somerandomdude45… your biggest problem is that you have fear of getting injured. If you are worried about injury, your fear will hurt you on the field. Football is a game of violence and you have to be courageous to play it well. Fear will cause hesitation and distracting thoughts that could leave you vulnerable on the football field.