Courtney Cox/KPCC

A Martinez braces for the inevitable against Dave Marks, the coach of the Glendale Tornadoes pop warner football team.

Courtney Cox/KPCC

Dave Marks, the coach of the Glendale Tornadoes pop warner football team.

The issue of head injuries and sports has become a heated topic. Researchers are learning that even seemingly moderate impacts to the head can have far more lasting effects than previously thought. 

That's causing many to wonder if one of the most violent sports, football, can change and become safer. 

Because of this, across the U.S., coaches at the youth and high school level are learning and teaching a new tackling technique, known as “Heads Up Football,” geared to have players tackle with heads up, instead of using the helmet as a battering ram.

Take Two's A Martinez met one of these Heads Up coaches on the gridiron to see what goes into these new techniques.