Faith Academy coach tackling football safety issue with camp
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
MARBLE FALLS — Football coach Russ Roberts is familiar with all the reports about the sport he loves. He sees video footage of players who are tackled or being tackled. And he realizes there’s a better way to properly tackle, land and even fall on a fumble.
That’s why he is teaching his Men of Faith Hitting Camp from 8:30 a.m.-noon July 15-17 at Faith Academy’s football field, located three miles east of Marble Falls on RR 1431. The cost is $40, and the camp is open to middle school and high school students, though Roberts said younger players are also welcome.
“This has been my dream,” he said. “This is what I wanted to do last year when I did my lineman’s camp. I enjoy teaching it. I’m doing my part to save football as we know it.”
Roberts, who was the head football coach at Faith Academy through last season, has been a football coach for 43 years. But he believes he’s qualified because of his stature as a high school player. Even though he only stood 5 feet 6 inches and weighed 169 pounds, he lined up as a defensive tackle. So knowing proper tackling techniques were key to his success.
The camp will cover:
- how to get hit
- how to fall
- how to hit a larger athlete
- how to fall on a fumble
- what is a block and why it’s so important
- blocking without hitting
- tackling
- how to tackle a really mean guy — “Somebody you’re terrified of,” Roberts said.
He will demonstrate the places athletes can be tackled and how to best protect themselves at the end of a play.
Campers will learn the proper techniques by using dummies, not live bodies, the coach said.
“If you want to use that technique to hurt somebody, you can. But you don’t have to. When a player decides he’s going to hurt somebody, that’s in here,” he said as he pointed to his heart. “We’re going to teach a technique that’s going to be effective.”
A scholar and historian of the sport, Roberts concedes today’s football equipment “right now is so much safer than it’s ever been. But people are still afraid to play the game.”
Roberts said he was inspired to teach the camp after reading reports from defensive passing coordinator Rocky Seto and head coach Pete Carroll, both of the Seattle Seahawks. The two have spent time researching the tackling techniques of rugby players. As a result, Carroll has narrated training videos that illustrate tackling without the high risk of injury.
“If we can’t get people to feel comfortable with the game, it’s going to go into regression,” Roberts said. “Right now, concussions have the attention of the public. We have to change the way we coach it.”
For Roberts, the camp is personal. He has a son who played and is now a head coach and has two grandsons. In addition, the sport has helped him provide for a family and allowed him to develop lifelong friendships. By helping others see there’s a safer way to play football, Roberts believes the sport will continue to thrive. And he is aware of what’s at stake if proper tackling, blocking and hitting techniques aren’t taught.
“It’s not enough to add it,” he said. “We have to win the argument or dads are going to be wiping their eyes because moms are going to make their sons quit playing.”
Email Roberts at russellrob4848@yahoo.com for more information.
jfierro@thepicayune.com