I get letters objecting to the ways their children are being coached by adult volunteers. One, last week, was particularly alarming. It seems the football coach for their nine year-old had instructed them to hit the opposing players so hard that they would never want to play football again.

What a terrible way to teach. I hope this is an exception in the "win at all cost" coaching philosophy a few volunteer coaches use in teaching their players.

Little league baseball was born back in 1939 and has been an accepted part of the American scene for nearly nine decades. Football, for athletes of grade school age, came along several years, later and with a bit more controversy. I recall Life magazine pointing out some potential serious drawbacks. Life drew attention to the "win at all cost" pressures and effects of injuries on children whose bones are not yet fully formed.

More recent criticism came from psychologists who were later joined by high school and college coaches who claimed that poor coaching in junior leagues teaching mistakes that are difficult to correct in later development.

Whatever truth there is in the attacks of those detractors, youth football is here to stay. If you don't believe that, take a look around your neighborhood, after school hours, some September afternoon. Not only are there great numbers of children participating, but you will see many parents watching and cheering them on.

These days, many youngsters, aspiring to play the game in high school or college, are afraid if they do not begin in the youth leagues, they won't have the edge on experience. If that doesn't bother Junior, it often bothers Dad.

My purpose is not to argue the merits of whether children should or should not get into football when they are nine years old. My goal is to list some principles that should be followed by those who do.

Kids learn habits in those early years, and good or bad, those habits are likely to stay with them. Many parents, including those who are pressed into coaching, know little more about the game than the thirty or so youngsters standing before them that first day of practice. What both parent and child know is a confusing display of football ranging from Alabama's crunching wishbone offense, Notre Dame's T-formation, or Miami's devastating variations from the pro set.

So what's wrong with college or professional football? There is nothing at all. In fact I love to watch both; however, the players are products of individual and team development built on as many as ten years experience for the average college ball player.

Parents, whether you are coaching or not, you should know the fundamentals of football and how they should be taught. That is if you want to insure your potential grid hero gets his experience the right way. As a parent, you should also be interested enough to make sure your child is being taught correctly. This Web site is not for the advanced, but a grade school primer on football for youth leaguers, their coaches and parents.