California just passed a new law that limits full-contact practices for high school football teams to protect us from getting concussions.
I’ve been playing high school football for three years now. And the feeling of actually hitting someone on the field is my favorite thing. I play nose-tackle and right tackle, which means I’m on the offensive and defensive lines. And I see contact every play. My high school football team has been limiting full-contact practices for years, even before the state changed the rules.
Instead of actually tackling during practice, we get in tackling lines to work on our form — but all we tackle is air. The reason people get injured in games is because we’re unprepared. Instead of limiting contact, I think there should be mandatory full-contact practices that teach players how to tackle correctly.
Contact is why I play the game. If I can’t practice it, how am I going to get better? And if I can’t get better, how am I going to be safe?