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Click here to see the video: Coaching Youth Football: Safety and Hydration

Dennis Hill: One of the most crucial aspects of athletes being prepared for football, is that they must be in good condition. So as a coach, we'll spend hours and hours in the preseason making sure that these young adults are adequately trained, that they not only know the skills, but that they have had plenty of time to stretch their muscles, strengthen their muscles and improve their coordination to avoid any sort of potential injury in the event of a collision on the football field.

Last, but certainly not least, is hydration. When football is going in the beginning of August and September, the temperature is hot, the humidity is high and these young men are out on the field spending a great deal of energy and body fluids, they must hydrate. Back in the old days, coaches used to take a water break every hour or so. We encourage our athletes to have a water bottle handy and nearby so that they are hydrated 100 percent of the time. Before practice we encourage it, during practice we encourage it and we always ask our athletes to drink at least a half gallon of water from the time they end practice to the beginning of practice the next day.

So let's just remember, a couple of key components of keeping students and athletes safe on the field. The first is that they have the proper equipment, the second is that they are properly conditioned, and the third is that they are properly hydrated at all times through the course of practice.