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I'm a freshman in high school going into sophomore year. I played on the freshman team this year and now it's onto JV. JV and Varsity practice together, so I will be with the varsity players also.

I am a tailback and this year was my first year of football. I was the hardest hitter on the freshman team, not including linemen because they hit harder due to their size, but anyways that means I can deliver a decent hit when I'm running and didn't really get knocked around so far.

But this year I will be running into the varsity defense and don't know what to do....I'm most worried about when we practice inside run because they will throw me in there and I'm gonna get hit. I know that there is no avoiding it, I just want some tips on how to survive as a little sophomore against big seniors at tailback.

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  • Welcome Sports SE! You had tagged football on this question, instead of american-football, to which I believe your question is pertaining. The football tag is for the sport you would call 'soccer', which the rest of the world calls 'football'. I have edited it for you. Please read the the description of the tag before posting your next question.
    – ʀᴇᴅ_ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ226
    Commented May 19, 2016 at 4:12
  • Also, I updated the title to be less specific to your circumstances, but to capture the general concept of what you will be experiencing to be more helpful to anyone who may be experiencing a similar thing. Feel free to roll back if I have changed the title too much.
    – user527
    Commented May 19, 2016 at 14:37

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There are several factors to consider in this situation:

  • The size of the varsity players who will be defending you in comparison to your size.

  • The amount of actual practice time that you will be with the varsity team.

  • Most High School football teams run "daily doubles" that focus on strength and conditioning as well as running plays. You shouldn't be thrown in right from the beginning to be "hit" by seasoned varsity players.

  • Speak to your coach. Most coaches are aware of smaller or younger players practicing and playing with older and more seasoned players.

Also, most High School practices do not consist of full gear hitting and practice every day. I believe that most teams practice without pads for 2 days a week to just run plays. Even with full pads, there shouldn't be blocking or hitting going on during practice like what will be happening during a game.

The best thing to do is to ensure that you are conditioned and strengthened to take a hit. Practice with a friend with full pads. Do some sort of drills such as "bull in the ring" with your friends.

Just remember that safety is the key and to not do anything that will endanger you or your friends.

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