I see so many recent articles and even contact discussion on radio stations where people are suggesting tackles be stopped in rugby, or no headers in football. In my view there are changes needed in the games, however, these changes should not damage or harm the mechanics of the games that require contact. It is in my view substandard training, equipment failures that in certain circumstances lead to excess of injury.
In considering rugby kit and equipment used in training, the fundamental issue is the way in which training for contact starts, between the ages of 5 – 11 there should be no contact in my professional view. People may know it as flag football which is a safe none impact way of educating youth towards the fundamental basics of the game, I believe it is these stages of developing players at such a young age when you get to the ages of 11- 16 there should be a phased introduction of tackling but only against padded equipment as evidenced here Rugby Tackle Equipment | Tackle Bags | Tackle Pads | Rucking Shields (foams4sports.co.uk) ( I am not sponsored or endorsed by this business ). I use this as a means to evidence examples of what is available and what trainers should be looking for between certain age groups. I identified this kind of machinery for use in youth training Junior / Youth Rugby Equipment (predator.co.uk) (Not sponsored or endorsed) I think it is quite critical on age when deciding on using these specific pieces of equipment, if you bring this in too early at a young age, you will inadvertently put the player/young athlete at risk of incurring harm from impact trauma.
As explained within my earlier blogs the brain is still forming, growing, developing until adult age so a phased gradual introduction moving from padded equipment leading up to machinery would be a training regimen that needs to be brought in only at those set age group parameters. A structured and defined process if you will.
Once all of the above training basics have been conducted between those set age groups it leads into a phased introduction between 16-18 to tackling and scrums against human-to-human contact. All of these training events should be logged and a player/athlete diary event of what is done when, this is akin to a similar process used in Health and Safety executive diary management which created logs of events when they occurred and when training was conducted. The two-year contact training education or CTE for short would be used only to perfect and perform tackles, scrums in a safe and fit for sport purpose function before being signed off by a trainer. This aspect of the training should also include getting used to the protective body wear such as under armour and helmets.
I would say that as part of my research the rugby kit and alleged protective equipment is substandard and really is abysmally not fit for purpose, a neoprene style headwear is completely and inherently not fit for purpose and should be abandoned by all clubs in my view. This is one reason why I set about creating a new style kit which serves a better functionality towards achieving maximum protection whilst facilitating high impact absorption. I designed a new style kit universal in application that can achieve those impact forces whilst preventing change to the fundamental basics of the game. I have found it increasingly difficult in trying to get the designs before an athlete who has played the game to help me perform assessment analysis on a realistic reply. I need a retired or active player to have a look at the designs and tell what/how they think will work and what will not work. Any of those men/women who may read this and think they could simply have a look and tell me, please please do contact me on info@ctewellbeing.com in order to move this aspect of my life saving business plan forward.
The manner in which I designed the kit is to be universal and could be used across multiple contact sport platforms. Imagine if you will a body armour that can take high impact absorption and achieve your hardest hits whilst allowing you to train and move without restriction, I designed it for use across, MMA, boxing, UFC, wrestling, police, military, fire service, rugby, Bafa, NFL, NHL. The helmet on its own could form a unique stand-alone system for use in areas like cricket, Lacrosse, Hockey. It is next generation technology in the style, material used which has never been used before for these functions. It is this aspect of my business that Mark Sheahan leading inventor in residence at the British Library has been very supportive. Without people retired or otherwise having a look at it to tell me if it is feasible and would work in practical application, I am an impasse point.
My point on the contact, the fundamentals of training practice is where the changes need to occur, there is no requirement to remove tackles from the game, it is the equipment that should be put in place to achieve that one unique safety standard, and with the right education at the right ages with the safety protocol interventions will achieve the best results, how could we run test analysis, I would welcome or club or association allowing me to conduct research on this suggested method and simply assessing how/if it would work.
On the specific issue of football/soccer the game itself regarding headers of the football is much the same process. There is scientific evidence proving that specific sized football should only be used for training with that age specific group, for example, if you allow a young child between the ages of 5-10 to head an oversized adult ball than harm will occur in the brain.
If you make changes to the correct training regimen in football with the ball size for age specific groups this should facilitate necessary protections. Again, the process should be logged in a diary event to show the development stages of progression and introduce 11-16 moving into tackles skill which is the contact section associated with football. One thing I would say is that heading of the ball should only be brought in between the ages of 17-19 so you have a two-year training programme which specifically focuses on heading, if you implement this section of training whilst wearing a form of protective head gear would prevent CTE development.
You may ask how/what you would wear in football for that specific training section, out of the seven years in total I have spent researching the CTE subject, I looked at the chemical make up of the blood brain barrier, this is the section that acts as a buffer between the brain and the inside wall of the skull. It was this area that drew my attention to creating a helmet that achieves the same purpose, but only for use whilst in header training. I believe football/soccer should have its own stand-alone training sections and as you move through the training sections you fill out the diary and only on approval from a trainer should you be allowed to move through to the next section of training and development.
My point here is that football and heading does not need to change, it is the training and the kit around the game that needs to be changed as a means by which to effect the change. I did a further blog on changing the material make-up of the football which includes removing the bladder contained within the football. The fundamental reason why footballers will go on and develop CTE and other degenerative diseases is primarily due to a lack of awareness of CTE, heading the ball, substandard kit.
In my view if you change the makeup of the ball, this is one major area of the game that needs to change rather urgently towards prevention of CTE, the vast majority of the weight in a football comes from the bladder contained within it. It is clear that heading of the ball in my view does lead to CTE a fully researched evidenced opinion can be found on my research section of the website.
Obstacles don’t have to stop you, if you run into a wall don’t turn around or give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or get over it- Michael Jordan
Image credited to Ross Findon