The purpose of this study was to extract current issues associated with the understanding of tackling techniques taught by college football coaches in Japan. The goal was to acquire fundamental information for a coaching method that would promote safe and effective tackling techniques. A total of 99 college football coaches from Japan (mean age 36.7±0.5 years) took part in the study. A questionnaire was conducted in order to understand key points that were considered important in their coaching methods. The results and observations can be summarized as follows.
1. Tackling techniques taught by football coaches in Japan often lead to concussions. This is due to coaching methods that focus heavily on tackling techniques with high concussion risks, and placing no importance on HUT-based tackling. In addition, their understanding of the “Hit” phase and “HUT” varies, leading to a greater possibility of teaching tackling with a high risk of concussion.
2. Regardless of factors such as age, the position taken as an active player, the instructor’s income, and coaching qualifications, coaches who do not have much player or coach experience have an increased tendency to teach tackling techniques associated with high risks of concussion and injury.
3. In order to prevent concussions and promote safer tackling coaching in Japan, it is crucial for coaches who have little experience in playing or coaching to have access to appropriate information and education opportunities, and for coach certification programs to be improved.