"Heads up" tackling?

I rarely watch football so I just saw this for the first time.

OK-hitting with your chest instead of your head obviously decreases the compression on your cervical spine, but hitting with your head up is a perfect recipe for getting your head pushed backwards while your body goes forwards causing a whole new batch of risks including paralysis. The quick google shows mostly people saying compression is bad and having your head up avoids that, but no reference to the fact that they are creating a whole new very serious risk. The instinctual ducking of the helmet is to protect the head and neck, not just wanting to kill your opponent. Is there something I am missing?

The answer is always "HTFU." It's football, not "Futbawl." Oh, and berkeley the pre (premature injury) season btw. What a crock of E36 M3.

Whats next-"Heads up" boxing?

I play rugby, we teach people to get their head behind the opponents hip before the tackle.

I look at this, sort of the same way I do steroids. Honestly, if people are willing to do it, I say let them. I have no desire to do sports, and never really have. However- I figure that as a professional athlete, you ought to know of the risks before you get into it. It's like going to work at a steel mill, getting burned, and suing the place. YOU WORK AT A PLACE THAT DEALS WITH FREAKIN LIQUID METAL. You sign on, you ought to know life/career threatening injuries are a real possibility. And if someone wants to take the risk of their health/life to gain what might be an edge, so be it. Then again, I'm honestly curious to how far the human race is willing to stretch themselves in the name of meaningless achievement.

EricM wrote: I play rugby, we teach people to get their head behind the opponents hip before the tackle.

Chin on their chest or pointing to the sky during that tackle?

MrJoshua wrote:

EricM wrote: I play rugby, we teach people to get their head behind the opponents hip before the tackle.

Chin on their chest or pointing to the sky during that tackle?

It is behind their hip. Low, shoulder into their waist, arms around theis.

There was a story just today in the Chicago paper about a rookie that suffered a neck injury in one of the pre-season games by making a tackle by ducking his head and will now not play this season. No permemnent injuries but he can't play for a while so is out for the season.

MrJoshua wrote: OK-hitting with your chest instead of your head obviously decreases the compression on your cervical spine, but hitting with your head up is a perfect recipe for getting your head pushed backwards while your body goes forwards causing a whole new batch of risks including paralysis. The quick google shows mostly people saying compression is bad and having your head up avoids that, but no reference to the fact that they are creating a whole new very serious risk. The instinctual ducking of the helmet is to protect the head and neck, not just wanting to kill your opponent. Is there something I am missing?

You can spear your opponent to injury with a head down tackle. That is the "goal". The basis for heads up is that it is natural for the whipping action, which is not front to back, but a turn left or right, to take place over the compression of the spine and associated discs, which isn't natural. The compression of the discs lead them to slide out of place and cause the bone to slide as well which leads to the severing of the spinal cord in extreme cases.

Football is a dangerous sport filled with as many cheapshots you can get away with and not get penalized for doing them. It also won't change anytime soon either with the current crop of players that couldn't pass 9th grade math on their own with or without the head injuries.

When I played in high school they always preached heads up. Tackled someone with my head down once and instantly feel my mistake. When you put your head up there is a risk, but putting your head down is almost a guarantee for compression. Also, you spend a lot of time building up the muscle in your neck to prevent injury from tackling with you head up.

It seems counterintuitive but it actually works. Made hundreds of tackles keeping my head up with no issues, one with it down, and my neck was berkeleyed for a week.

In reply to EricM:

When I played rugby, we were taught to wrap your arms during a tackle as well. That way, you could control them as they went down and land on top of them so you could grab the ball yourself. Just putting your shoulder into somebody and blasting them (bumping) meant they could just get up and start running again.

I think less serious injuries occur during a wrap tackle.

This picture shows a good tackle:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipment/4204640.stm

This was advocating Jack in the Box, Rock em Sock em Robots heads up chin high stuff. Not-"Don't hit people with the top of your helmet". I understand that compression is bad. I understand the anatomy of the cervical spine. I understand that using your head as a weapon is bad and can paralyze you, but the stuff advocated in the commercial looked equally dangerous.

In reply to Brett_Murphy:

Chin is tucked.

Ok , you tackle with your head up in football because you have the shoulder pads to suport your helmet and keep it from rolling back too far. In the 80's, we wore neck rolls for thatpurpose. They do not teach proper tackling in peewee or high school and so by the time they get to the pros, they are only allowed so much contact acording to thier CBA. They never pratice proper technique

I was taught in ice hockey, if you are sliding head-first into the boards you are supposed to have your head up. Don't know why, but heard the hockey coaches as well as two different parents (one an orthopedic surgeon, the other a chiropractor) say to keep your head up.

In reply to MrJoshua:

Ah, I see what you mean now. Yeah, chin is tucked so you don't break your neck. Same with the Props and hooker.