Huskers, other teams see rugby-style tackling as heady move

Serevi's Seattle-based company, Atavus, was founded in 2010 to promote and develop the growth of rugby in the U.S. It added a football division in 2015 to partner with college, high school and youth programs to teach rugby tackling.

Atavus is providing 400 hours a year of services, including the training of coaches, designing drills, detailed analyses of tackling execution in practice and games, and access to an online portal where staff can obtain reports and other materials.

Neuropsychologist Art Maerlender, a concussion specialist and associate director for Nebraska's Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, said keeping the head to the side when tackling is a "no-brainer."

[...] one of the main goals is to keep the head out.

Erik Swartz, a kinesiology professor at the University of New Hampshire, said more research is required before rugby tackling can be definitively deemed safer at all levels of football.

Variables such as a player's physical and mental maturity, experience, expertise of his coach and nature of prescribed drills could affect the player's ability to control his body while making a tackle.

Atavus president Ron Lloyd said football carries an inherent injury risk but that "anecdotal input" from client coaches has indicated fewer head injuries.

USA Football, the sport's governing body for amateur players, began teaching a below-the-waist tackling technique for the first time as part of its 2016 high school coach certification program.