NFL

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

USA Football to train coaches in player safety under Heads-Up program

By: The Associated Press

Posted: 02/27/2013 9:03 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/27/2013 9:30 AM

INDIANAPOLIS - USA Football's youth player safety program takes a major step this weekend with the first workshops for its Heads Up Football initiative.

The national governing body of the sport in the United States will conduct the workshops Saturday and Sunday, with 21 trainers teaching the concepts of Heads Up Football to youth league leaders across the country.

Among the youth coaches taking part will be former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Buddy Curry; Chuck Kyle, head coach at Cleveland's St. Ignatius High School, winner of 11 Ohio Division I state titles and three USA Today national championships; and John Roderique, head coach at Webb City (Mo.) High School, winner of eight state championships and formerly an assistant with NCAA Division II national champion Pittsburg State University.

"Youth leagues have a tremendous opportunity in 2013 to adopt USA Football's Heads Up Football program," Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "USA Football has earned my trust — they put the safety of our kids first and offer the training youth coaches need to be exceptional teachers.

"All of us in the football community, at each level of the game, need to be committed to raising youth football's standards, and Heads Up Football does that."

Heads Up Football is a comprehensive approach to a safer game and features proper tackling techniques; education of leagues on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, concussion recognition and response protocols; and instruction on properly fitting helmets and shoulder pads

"Heads Up Football promotes a safer, better game," USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck said. "We are proud to have this group help us lead America's youth football community as Heads Up Football master trainers, helping to set the highest standards of player safety and coaching education in any youth sport."

In the program, coaches, parents and players are taught concussion-related protocols at the start of the season at a league-wide clinic, then have them reinforced throughout the season. Proper tackling without using the head is taught, as well.

The tackling technique was developed with contributions from USA Football's Tackle Advisory Committee. Members of the committee include Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, UCLA coach Jim Mora and former NFL running back Merril Hoge.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More NFL

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.