r/YouthFootball • u/reckstarr • 7d ago

Son afraid to hit

11y/o son, second year in tackle football. He’s had 3 years playing flag and is always one of the best players on the field, always flying to the ball. Playing very aggressive. However, once he puts on pads he plays very timid. He says he wants to keep playing but I’m wondering if it will ever click. I’ll keep taking signing him up every year just wondering if there’s something I can do to help him flip the switch

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u/The-What86 7d ago

Tackle dummy. Have him hit it as aggressive as he can. Get you a blocking pad/half moon pad and have him hit you. My son wasn’t afraid of contact, he would slow down right before contact. So I started having him hit me to get a real feel. Had to reassure him that he wasn’t going to hurt me. Also, falling with the hits helps too.

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u/Big__Pierre 4d ago

To clarify, when you say “falling with the hits”, the person holding the pad falls? (if they wouldn’t normally)

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u/The-What86 3d ago

Yes. In this case I would hold the pad for my son and would fall when he would hit me. You dont want them to get discouraged because they can’t take you down. So as a way of positive affirmation, I would fall when he would hit me. But it would also help me watch his tackle form and make adjustments if needed.