I just wanted to see if anyone else has any thoughts on the way there are too many on side kicks in 6 man football. I truly believe that the UIL needs to look into doing a study to see how many of our athletes (young adults) get hurt each year from on side kicks. I know there is always a risk of injury involved when playing in sports especially football. To me it is not necessary for teams to continuously do on side kicks, especially when teams are in the lead. This is high school football, not the pro's. The only time you see the pro's doing it is when they are losing in the game. The UIL needs to change the rule in six man football to only allow on side kicks in the event a team is losing. This in my opinion will reduce the number of injuries that occur in six man football. It is not fair to have a almost defenseless kid, knowing he has to get the ball, get injured during these on side kicks. They have to go for the ball or the other team recovers it. If you watch the game tapes these defenseless kids going down for the ball are getting speared from the opposing teams doing the kick offs. It is just a matter of time before someone gets a life long injury or worse even be paralyzed or even death. Why not reduce some of the threat by only allowing on side kicks when they are losing in the game. I believe if you ask most of the fans you will come to find not too many fans like the on-side kick anyways. I always hear fans chatting in the stands on their dislike of the on side kicks by either team.

Anyway just wanted to see if there was anyone that felt the way I did about on side kicks. I really think the UIL needs to do a study on this issue. I was really tempted to write the UIL myself after seeing a few injuries this past football season resulting from on side kicks that were not necessary.

The UIL meets in June and in October. Request a spot and make a presentation. However, might save you a little time. In Texas the rules we follow in football are NCAA and the UIL makes the exceptions that high schools will follow.

I think that many teams onside kick because they do not have a kicker that can kick the ball out of the end zone. Any kick that can be returned in sixman is a threat to be a touchdown, thus make the receiving team work to get the ball and not have a chance to return it.

As to injuries, do your research and have all the information available when you make your presentation to either UIL or NCAA. You may perhaps get your wish as it looks like NCAA is trying to turn football into "touch", at least with some of the suggestions they have made recently. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the Rules committee.

Good luck with your endeavor.

Part of the problem is that the officials interpret rules that allow the receiving team to have an open shot at the kicking team in the zone between the kicking team and the live ball (10 yards). Lots of opportunities for cheap shots.

Key thing I think is that officials need to blow the play dead as quickly as they can when a guy falls on the ball.

Other option, and it's been discussed about injuries in kickoffs in NFL and College, is to get rid of the kickoff altogher (or just make it at start/half) and give the other team the ball on the 20. Not sure I like that idea, but it's been discussed.

The League suffered highly from this very point.

I have personally never seen an injury occur during a kick-off. IMO, everyone needs to remember that this is a contact sport. If you don't want to see hits & hard tackles, watch baseball.

Dancing is a contact sport.

Football is a collison sport.

I agree that the officials need to be quicker with the whistle and that itself could solve the problem.

Watch baseball.....funny. We all know this is a contact sport and you will see hard hits and hard tackles, nothing wrong with that. We are talking about high school football here and I am talking about a defenseless player who is falling on the ball during an on side kick. I do not think it is fair for the guy recovering the ball to be open to a cheap shot and risk injury. These are young kids who have bright futures ahead of them and the last thing they need is to live with an injury the rest of their lives.

It is a parents worst fear.

There is no incentive in 6-man to not onside. In 11 man if you are unsuccessful on an onside the receiving team gets great field position. In 6-man an unsuccessful onside will give the ball to the opposing team at about the 35. Without a good kicker, most teams will bring the ball back that far on a regular kickoff. The only way to discourage onside kicks would be to move the kickoff back from the 30 yard line. I don't really see that happening.

I have a son playing varsity football, and 2 others that will play JH next season. I understand about the fear of injury, but even a rule against all contact, except 2 hand touch, would not prevent all injuries.

Been watching 6man a long time.
Can't recall a life changing injury
sustained exclusively from an onside kick.
And like the smart guy said,
there is no advantage to not doing it.

Our son played all sports
from 6th gr.up
and NEVER got hurt.
Played 2 games in CTSMFL
and got a debilitating injury
and more debt than I've EVER had.
So,
it appears that HS ball is not the ball to stay away from.

I'm not following.....are you saying you want high school football to be like the pros?

I've read an article saying that the NCAA is considering changing it's rules on kickoffs to help avoid injuries. It seems the kickoff is the most dangerous play in the game. They were talking about moving the kick off up five yards, making the defenders be closer to the line to start the play, and moving the ball up to the 25 for touch backs. The NCAA had decided that it wants touch backs. Thats why they are moving the kickoff up to have a greater chance of getting the ball in the end zone and spotting the ball on the 25 to make it less appealing to return the ball from the endzone. Having the defenders closer to the line gives them less of a running start, so less momentum before they contact the receiving team.

How about this, when one team scores the other team gets the ball at the 30.

While we are at it we should change the 45 point rule. If one team gets to far ahead the other team gets to keep the ball until they score enough points to make the score look better.

When I read that article, the first thing I thought about was how many more onside kicks are we going to start seeing. Why kick it deep and risk giving up a TD to just give your opponent the ball 10 yards deeper than where they'd get ball on an onside kick?

If a parent is so worried about their child getting hurt, then don't let them play the game.

They've changed the rules enough already. I guess the soccer mom generation has finally taken over.