Coach's Guide to USA Football 14U Youth Tackle Football 2026

USA Football's Levels of Contact:

USA Football defines full contact as any drill or activity where contact happens at competitive speed, judged by the initial player-to-player contact, whether or not anyone goes to the ground.

USA Football recommends leagues prohibit these player-to-player contact drills:

• Board drill / OL vs. DL in-line run blocking with no run/pass or left/right option
• Bull in the Ring / King of the Circle
• Oklahoma drill
• Pods / 3-spot without a run/pass read

Also avoid any drill that:

• only teaches contact "down the middle" of an opponent, with no intent to offset the contact point;
• lets players win only through collision, not with speed or angles;
• is game- or pod-based with no game-specific reaction (a set ball insertion point, no run/pass option, no assigned gap);
• is full contact with more than a 2-to-1 player ratio.

These drills have high head-impact exposure and little carryover to real game skills.

No. USA Football recommends that practices with drills or activities considered full contact are not held on consecutive days, in the offseason or during the season. That includes the day after a game or live-action scrimmage.

USA Football says this lines up with NFHS and NCAA rules and recommendations and gives soft tissue time to recover.

A practical weekly pattern is to alternate full-contact days with days limited to air, bags and controlled contact.

USA Football recommends no more than one full-contact game or live-action scrimmage per week.

In the postseason, at least three days should pass between full-contact games.

Also count the day after a game as part of your contact plan: USA Football recommends no full-contact practice on the day following a game or live-action scrimmage.

USA Football recommends it:

• Non-contact, limited-contact and modified tackle game types (such as Rookie Tackle): all players should start from a two-point stance.
• Youth tackle at the Senior level: programs are encouraged to teach and use the two-point stance for offensive players.

Why: research shows players starting from a three- or four-point stance on or near the line of scrimmage take more repetitive head impacts. USA Football says all of its blocking and block-defeat techniques can be taught and applied from a two-point stance, and it prepares players to keep the head out of initial contact if they move to a three- or four-point stance later.

USA Football's practice guidelines put heat acclimatization first: introduce practice intensity and equipment gradually, and prioritize hydration, rest and safe conditions early in the season.

For a concrete schedule, the NATA-led Inter-Association Task Force guidelines for secondary school athletes use a 14-day acclimatization period:

• Days 1-5: an optional walk-through of up to 1 hour, at least 3 hours apart from practice.
• Double days: max 3 hours per practice, 5 hours total, with at least 3 hours' rest in a cool place between.
• One full rest day after 6 straight days of practice.
• Late joiners still complete all 14 days.

These are upper limits written for high school athletes; younger players should build up at least as gradually.

Follow the CDC HEADS UP steps:

1. Remove the player from play right away if they show any sign or symptom of a concussion after a bump, blow or jolt to the head or body. When in doubt, sit them out.
2. Check for danger signs and call 911 for any of these: seizures, not recognizing people or places, repeated vomiting, increasing confusion or agitation, loss of consciousness or trouble staying awake, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, a worsening headache, or one pupil larger than the other.
3. Tell the parents, and make sure a healthcare provider evaluates the player. Don't try to judge the severity yourself.
4. Keep the player out for the rest of that day and until a healthcare provider clears them to return.

Watch for: looking dazed or confused, forgetting plays or assignments, slow answers, clumsiness, vomiting and mood changes. Players may report headache, dizziness, nausea, vision problems, sensitivity to light or noise, or feeling foggy. Symptoms can appear hours or days later.

The CDC offers free online HEADS UP to Youth Sports Coaches concussion training.

Follow the default lightning policy from the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee:

• Suspend practice or play and take shelter immediately when thunder is heard or a cloud-to-ground lightning bolt is seen.
• Wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning before resuming.
• Any new thunder or lightning restarts the 30-minute count.

Plan ahead: assign someone to monitor the weather before and during every session, know your evacuation route and nearby safe shelter, review the plan with your staff each year, and explain it to players at the start of the season.