Is there a specific way to hit in American football that will give the target a concussion?

Asked by raven860 (2179

) October 16th, 2011

I was talking with a colleague about American Football (regarding injuries to the head specifically) and the topic came up about concussions. My colleague claims that there are specific ways to hit in Football due to which the target would get a concussion. I said most concussions probably come from accidents and are not intentional. He said that there still is a way to hit in Football that will give the target player a concussion. Is this true? Is there a specific way to hit in Football to give the target a concussion?

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4 Answers

A concussion generally occurs when the head either accelerates rapidly and then is stopped, or is spun rapidly. Any hit that does this is likely to cause a concussion but I wouldn’t say it was guaranteed.

Lightlyseared (34907

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There are a lot of hits in American football that are “likely to cause” head injuries, and for that reason have been deemed illegal. So intentional helmet-to-helmet contact on a tackle will be whistled (flagged) by the official and penalized.

CWOTUS (26102

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Spearing with one’s helmet into the helmet of an opponent carries a high likelihood, but not a guarantee.

zenvelo (39548

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Concussions have been the biggest concern in the NFL and most ways to cause them are flagged. Still, just players hitting their heads on the ground, especially if they’ve had a concussion before, could be harmful.

TheIntern55 (4260

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