Sliding is not protection. At no other point in life do we willingly hand responsibility for our safety to somebody else simply because there’s a rule telling them how they’re supposed to behave. So why do we teach quarterbacks to do it? When you slide, you’re trusting a defender running full speed, in the middle of competition, to perfectly control his body because the rulebook says he should. Take control of your own safety. Learn to attack defender halves. Understand leverage. Choose which half of the defender you’re attacking. Get your body out of the direct collision path and create glancing blows instead of square contact. Done correctly, you accomplish two things: Protect yourself by avoiding direct, violent collisions. Steal additional yards every time you finish a run. This isn’t about being reckless. It’s the opposite. It’s teaching quarterbacks how to control the contact instead of hoping the defender does it for them. Don’t surrender your safety to the rulebook. Learn how to protect yourself.