How much full contact can we have in practice?
Guideline- USA
- USA Football
- Youth tackle
- 14U
- 14 and under
- 2026 guidelines
- Coaches
USA Football's contact guidelines (updated 2021, recommended for all contact game types):
| Period | Weekly full-contact limit | Daily limit |
|---|---|---|
| Preseason (after the acclimatization period, before games start) | 75 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Regular season (once games begin) | 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
"Full contact" means Thud or Live: any drill where player-to-player contact happens at competitive speed, whether or not players go to the ground.
Pair these limits with the other recommendations: no full-contact practices on consecutive days (including the day after a game), and no more than one full-contact game or scrimmage per week.
USA Football's original 2015 contact guidelines were endorsed by the ACSM, AMSSM and NATA. Your league may set stricter limits.
Added 21 Oct 2026