5 BENEFITS OF KIDS PLAYING FOOTBALL. Flag football is one of the fastest growing youth sports, on its way to becoming a college sanctioned sport.
Football fields over 1 million high school student-athletes each year. Our love for football runs deep.
While research is being conducted to better understand football safety, it’s still a game with many physical and emotional benefits. Here are five benefits for kids who play football:
- Health benefits:
Football is a sport that requires speed, strength, and stamina. Players need to be able to run, jump, quickly change direction, and stop and start. This makes it great for cardiovascular health.
Practice drills, complex running routes and defensive techniques all help improve these skills. Plus, a recent study found that playing football has positive effects on bone strength.
- Teamwork:
Youth football is about more than just playing the game. It’s about teaching kids accountability, leadership, and the importance of positive sportsmanship.
Every position has a purpose, and to execute a play successfully, each player needs to fulfill their responsibility while working together as a team. This is a valuable skill that they can carry with them both on and off the field.
- Discipline:
Football players need to be highly disciplined in order to learn new routes, drilling them repeatedly, and executing the proper technique.
This work ethic that they develop from football practice will benefit them throughout their lives. This is one of the biggest benefits of playing football.
- Mental toughness:
Sports offer a unique opportunity to develop mental toughness. In football, players are confronted with challenges and setbacks on a regular basis, which provides ample opportunity to practice persevere.
Football requires players to remain calm under pressure and to focus during chaotic situations, both of which are essential skills for any individual seeking to improve their mental toughness.
- Socialization:
Football is a great way for kids to learn how to communicate and work well with others. After all, one player can’t do everything. They have to rely on each other, and what better way to make long-lasting friendships?
Layer this with learning to respect and receive direction from authority figures (aka coaches) and you have a range of socialization skills.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PLAYING FLAG FOOTBALL?
Flag football is a great option for kids who want to play a sport without the physical contact.
This non-contact sport requires no tackling, diving, blocking, screening or fumbles, and players don’t need to wear any heavy equipment like helmets or shoulder pads. This makes it a great option for kids who want to learn how to play and develop their skills without the worry of getting hurt.
- Accessibility:
Flag football is an inclusive sport that allows for female athletes to compete at the collegiate level. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) plans to launch the first college sanctioned women’s flag football league in the spring of 2021. This is a sport that anyone can play and enjoy, regardless of their gender identity.
- Learn the fundamentals:
Flag football provides kids with essential skills that directly transfer over to tackle football, such as catching, throwing, formations, routes, and defensive skills. For example, the way defensive players are required to square up their body and align their head and knees is the exact positioning needed to physically tackle an opponent.
Flag football doesn’t just prepare kids for tackle football – it helps them excel at it. By teaching the basic fundamentals of the game, flag football sets kids up for success when they transition to tackle football. So don’t buy into the myth that flag football is inferior to tackle football – it’s just not true!
- Easy commitment:
Flag football is a convenient sport for many families because leagues mostly only meet once per week. Most teams practice for 45 minutes before their game, which typically last one hour or less. If you’re looking for more playing time, some high-level competitive leagues offer extended playing time.
- It’s fun!:
Flag football is a load of fun. With fewer players on the field, there’s more engagement and a faster speed of play. Games are quick, competitive and every drive counts, especially in tournaments. It’s the version of football you loved playing in your backyard—why ever stop?