All sports · Sport guide
Football — Tackle, for the parent in it.
Every read, drill, calendar, pathway, rule, and recruiting note we have on football — tackle. Use this as the front door.
92 pieces.
From The Drawer for football — tackle
Cost
What does football — tackle actually cost?
Pre-filled annual estimates by tier. Edit any line.
Pathway
Football — Tackle by age
What good looks like at 7, 10, 13, 15.
Calendar
The football — tackle year
Washington and Oregon high school football. Aug practice opens, Week 1 is the Friday after Labor Day, playoffs run November. The off-season is where the next year is built.
Rules
Rules at-a-glance
Five-minute primer.
Reads
Football — Tackle articles
age 13-14 · Sep 4, 2026
What has to be turned in before the first day of football practice
Four forms have to be signed before WIAA football practice opens in August.
age 11-12 · Aug 29, 2026
Making it fun for everyone when your own kid is struggling
Your kid's struggle is real. Practice still has to work for the other fourteen.
age 11-12 · Aug 29, 2026
The kid on your team who is mean to your kid
One kid on the roster keeps freezing your kid out. You coach them both.
age all-ages · Aug 16, 2026
Your hungriest player needs a second track
Feed a talented kid's hunger for more without taxing the rest of the roster.
age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026
How to build a football highlight film that actually gets watched
A coach decides whether to keep watching in the first few plays. Everything after that is either building the case or losing it.
age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026
Football recruiting isn't one process, it's five
The recruiting calendar your family reads online was written for skill players. Linemen run on a different clock entirely.
age 11-12 · Jun 11, 2026
After a football game: what to say on the drive home
Three words that work every time, and everything else you should probably not say.
age 5-7 · Jun 11, 2026
First Season of Youth Football: What the Parents Need to Know
Flag until they're ready, tackle when you're sure, and what to ask any program before your kid puts on the helmet.
age 5-7 · Jun 11, 2026
Flag football rules for parents
How the game works, what the flags mean, and what parents usually get wrong.
age all-ages · Jun 11, 2026
Football concussions: what parents need to know
The symptoms, the protocol, and why 'he seems fine' is not a safe call.
age 13-14 · Jun 11, 2026
Football film study: what it is and why your kid's coach is talking about it
Why coaches watch film, what they are looking for, and how your kid can actually use it.
age all-ages · Jun 11, 2026
Football parent sideline behavior: the rules that actually matter
What you do on the sideline is part of your kid's game experience, whether you realize it or not.
Drills
Football — Tackle drills
31 drills total. Most recent shown.
· fundamentals
2-Point Stance
· fundamentals
3-Point Stance
· fundamentals
Angle Tackle
· fundamentals
Bag Tackle Progression
· fundamentals
Ball Protection Tunnel
· fundamentals
Ball Security Grip
· fundamentals
Base Block
· fundamentals
Blocking Mirror
· fundamentals
Catch and Tuck
· fundamentals
Catch on the Line
· fundamentals
Contested Catch
· fundamentals
Drive Block on Bag
The Sideline File
Abdominal trauma: spleen, kidney, liver, and the hit that needs evaluation
Direct blows to the torso can produce internal-organ injury. The signs, the delayed-presentation pattern, and when the emergency room is the right call.
Artificial turf temperatures: the burn-risk parents don't see
Synthetic turf can run 40 to 60°F hotter than air temperature. The skin-burn risk, the heat-illness contribution, and the practice-modification thresholds.
Cleats and foot safety: metal vs molded, fit, and the growth question
When metal cleats are allowed, when they're not, and the fit rules that prevent the most common youth-sport foot injuries.
Cold-weather practice: frostbite, layering, the temperature threshold
What an outdoor practice should look like below 40°F, when the wind chill makes it actually dangerous, and the layering rule for kids who run hot.
Concussion: protocol, return to play, your state law
What a concussion actually is, what the trainer or coach should be doing in the first ten minutes, and how return-to-play works under your state law.
Hand and finger fractures: the kid's growth plates change the math
Buddy-taping a 'jam' that's actually a Salter-Harris fracture can cause permanent deformity. The on-field triage and the X-ray threshold.
Heat and hydration
What an August practice should look like under NATA's youth heat acclimatization rules. How much water, when. And the signs that say stop now.
Heat exhaustion vs heatstroke: the line that matters
Both look bad. One is recoverable with rest and water. The other is a true emergency. The signs that distinguish them, and the protocol for each.
Heatstroke right now: cool first, transport second
The protocol that saves lives in the August heat. Cold-water immersion before EMS transport. The signs that mean act now.
Helmet, bat, and mouthguard certification: the stamps that matter
NOCSAE for helmets. USA Baseball and USA Softball for bats. State-by-state rules for mouthguards. What stamps to look for, what's expired, and what used gear is fine.
Helmet recertification: the dates inside the shell
NOCSAE-certified helmets get reconditioned every year or two. After 10 years, they're done. How to read the stickers and when to replace.
Humidity and dew point: practice modifiers when WBGT isn't on hand
WBGT is the gold standard for heat decisions, but most youth programs don't have a reader. Humidity and dew point are the backup metrics, and they tell you more than air temperature alone.
Hypothermia on the field: recognize, warm, escalate
The signs the kid is past 'cold' and into hypothermia. The protocol that warms safely. When to call 911.
Knee braces in youth sport: what helps, what doesn't
Functional braces, prophylactic braces, neoprene sleeves. The published evidence on what each does and when to use them.
Mosquito-borne illness in outdoor youth sport: West Nile, EEE, and the basics
Outdoor practices at dawn and dusk during summer carry small but real risk of mosquito-borne illness. The repellents, the timing, and the regional patterns.
Mouthguard fit: boil-and-bite vs custom
The boil-and-bite option works. The custom option works better. The actual difference, and when paying for custom matters.
Patellar dislocation: the kneecap is not where it should be
The kneecap slipped sideways and may have popped back. The on-field protocol, the imaging that matters, and the recovery picture for repeat dislocators.
Pollen and allergic conjunctivitis: the spring eye-irritation kids underreport
Itchy red eyes during outdoor practice. The seasonal patterns, the over-the-counter management, and when to see a doctor.
Rib injury and the splenic concern: the hit that looks like a bruise
A blow to the lower-left torso can be more than a bruised rib. The signs of splenic injury, the timeline to watch, and when the kid goes to the emergency room.
Shoulder dislocation on the field: do not put it back yourself
The kid is in pain, the arm hangs wrong, the joint is visibly out. The protocol that prevents the simple injury from becoming a complicated one.
Spinal injury right now: do not move the kid
Suspected cervical-spine injury on the field. The protocol that prevents the temporary injury from becoming permanent.
Suspected concussion right now: same-day pull, written clearance
The first ten minutes after the hit. What the trainer, coach, or parent does in order. Sideline triage, not medical advice.
Tick prevention and Lyme disease: the protocol for outdoor youth sports
The repellents that work, the post-practice tick check, the bullseye rash, and when a tick bite needs the doctor.
Wet field decisions: when surface conditions make play unsafe
Standing water, soft mud, ice in cold months. The published thresholds and the questions to ask before a game starts on a marginal field.
Wildfire smoke and AQI: when to cancel a youth practice
The AirNow AQI thresholds for kids, how PM2.5 affects developing lungs, and the practice-modification rule the EPA actually publishes.
What's actually dangerous about youth football
The injuries that show up most often, the ones parents fear most, and the ones the data says matter. Heat, head, knees, in that order.