confirm that trying to just 'figure out' how to tackle/take a hit from 200lb kids in high school is EXTREMELY dangerous and scary. I would never let my kids play high school football if they had not played at least a year or two before high school. Unless they are the Kicker or Punter (maybe you could get away with it as a QB).

I coach Flag in the Spring and Tackle in the Fall with my 12-yr old & 8-yr old and I believe that playing flag helps the boys prepare for 'real' football - especially as they get older and LB's need to cover and the smaller kids can no longer get by playing non-skill positions. I don't think my boys will ever not play flag, but the talent level (competition) in flag is nowhere near the talent level in tackle, so it's not nearly as much fun for them.

My 12 yr-old son, who is one of the smaller kids on his tackle team, is a decent athlete but has always had more of the skillset of a DL/MLB (and OLine on Offense). Now that the kids are getting much bigger, there is no way he can play those positions anymore, and playing flag each spring has made the transition to positions that match his size much easier for him. This is his 6th year playing tackle football and he has never been injured unless you count getting your leg stepped on, etc as getting injured. The only injury he has ever had in his life was playing.........wait for it..............Soccer! My 8 year old has played 2 years and has not been injured unless you count being poked in the eye an injury (visor took care of that problem).

It's a touchy subject for me because I still resent my parents for preventing me from playing sports that I love so that they didn't have to miss an episode of MacGyver or Night Court. But from what I've seen and experienced, not letting your kids play football until high school is more dangerous than letting them play when they are kids. Flag can/will help them get better, but nothing else can really prepare them for the physicality of football at a high school level.