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lthough Jeff Boucher is now the Executive Director
of the american instructional football league, he
has coached tackle football for many years.
"My introduction to flag football was only a year ago
when we started the American Instructional Football
League," says Jeff. One of the reasons we started
it was because of the negative publicity the NFL is
receiving regarding concussions." Flag football is a
good way to keep kids interested in football and to
keep them safe at the same time.
Besides being safer than tackle football, flag football
has other benefits.
Kids can learn about the game and learn body
mechanics much faster in flag football than they can
in tackle football and at a younger age. According to
Jeff, the "aggression lightbulb" comes on at different
times for different kids. In a group of eight-year-olds,
for example, only a few of them might be aggressive.
The ones who aren't aggressive may be fearful and
resist learning to play tackle football because of fear.
Because there's no fear of getting hit, the kids learn
the game more readily; they understand it more
quickly.
Also, in flag football, players are not encumbered
by equipment. The pads worn in tackle football can
affect movement. A helmet may feel awkward or
restrict vision.
flag fOOtball anD self esteeM
