Starting this year, coaches will only have 15 minutes per week for live tackling drills during the football season and six hours total of tackling for all of training camp.
"Previously, we didn't have a pre-season restriction and we had a 90 minute per week restriction during practice weeks," said Kevin Carty, a coach and member of the NJSIAA executive committee.
Carty says New Jersey now has the strictest practice rules in the country.
"We're so much safer than ever because we have so much education and we've learned so much more about how to better take care of these kids," he said.
College and professional players do a lot of "thud" drills, where a player hits a ball carrier but doesn't take them to the ground. Carty says many coaches in high school have been doing this for years.
These new rules mandate and standardize practice going forward.
"Safety is our first priority," Carty said.
He hopes more parents feel confident in the changes and let their kids play.