We may think of high school football players as invincible, but truth be told, they are open to learning how to play the game of football in a manner in which they are both competitive AND safe. The focus on safety was evident in every session and every drill at this year's Central European Football Camp hosted at Ansbach High School.
The camp, consisting of 283 players from Germany, England, Italy, Spain, France and Austria, concentrated on fundamentals, conditioning, group work, position skills and drills. The coaching staff infused safety throughout, and in particular, emphasized concussion prevention. In such a high energy sport, that emphasis can sometimes be overlooked, but that was not the case at this event.
"Football is a lot like war. As the years have gone by, the equipment got better and better, and we kept hitting harder and harder. We never adjusted our techniques, and we started seeing a ton more injuries," said camp director Coach Marcus George.
George was among 47 DoDDs and European coaches who staffed the clinic along with HeadsUp Football and USA Football guest coaches Michael Haynes and Chad Hester. Haynes, the son of Army and Air Force parents, is a former NFL defensive lineman who played five seasons with the Chicago Bears. Hester has nearly 30 years of coaching experience at the youth and high school levels, and has coached four undefeated seasons as a head coach and won six All-Central Texas Championships.
The determination toward safety was obvious on the field, and just as evident when the coaches spent late nights in a classroom with the HeadsUp team discussing concussion management, hydration and other important health and safety topics. A concussion (mild TBI) is a head injury from a hit, blow or jolt to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain.
"There's never been a safer time to play the game of football," said Hester.
This camp, in its 25th year, had returning coaches and players yearning to learn more about football fundamentals, competition and safety. With safety at this height, passerby might have thought they were looking at a bunch of basketball players! (Sorry guy/gal players -- FOOTBALL RULES!)
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