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Cooling Down: Football teams face restricted number of two-a-day practices
BY Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
In response to growing concern over heat exposure, the UIL is tightening guidelines on the number of preseason practices high school football programs can hold each day.
The issue of keeping players and coaches from spending too much time in the sun has long been a concern, ramping up in recent years due to a number of heat-related deaths, including that of Prestonwood Christian Academy defensive coordinator Wade McLain last August.
Starting this year, traditional two-a-day practices, which were banned in the NFL's most recent collective bargaining agreement, are no longer allowed on consecutive days and prohibited during the opening four days of the preseason practice schedule.
That was the consensus among local coaches.
"That is not a problem at all and we've actually always been in coherence with just having one practice," said Jaydon McCullough, Plano Senior head coach. "We've always done that and called them 'stay days.' It was basically where we would do a practice then take a break and then do a practice. We've never had the traditional two-a-day where you come in the morning and then come at night."
During the four-day acclimatization period, contact drills are not allowed.
If multiple practices are held on a given day, the second practice must be a walkthrough or teaching period and cannot include any conditioning drills. Helmets are the only piece of equipment players can wear.
Even after the four-day acclimatization period, schools are not allowed to schedule multiple practices on consecutive days. Days with multiple practices are capped at five hours combined and must be separated by two hours of down time. The day after multiple practices are held, only one practice (no longer than three hours) may be held.
The UIL deems practice as anything with on-field work, skill instruction or mandatory conditioning, but not meetings, weight training, film study or voluntary conditioning.
"I understand [the reason for it], but the disadvantage is that you don't get as much on-field practice time as you normally would," Howard said. "But everybody is going to be on the same playing field."
UIL other safety concerns
Addressing practice concerns isn't the only step the UIL has taken in regards to football safety.
The organization has also addressed concussions.
Prior to Sept. 1, all coaches and athletic trainers must have completed two hours of training on concussions and the UIL has created a concussion acknowledgement form for all student-athletes in grades 7-12.
There will also be adjustments made for football helmets.
No longer can school districts use a helmet that is 16 years old or older. Districts must also ensure that any helmet 10 years old or older is reconditioned at least once every two years. There must also be records made available by the districts that state how old each helmet is and when it was last reconditioned.
"Anything that's going to protect the players I'm for," McCullough said. "Anything that'll protect them from injury or harm -- and there are safeguards in there to make sure they're not returning until they're completely healthy, so nothing further happens to them -- I'm all for that."
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