IHSAA Makes Change To Football Practice Rules
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
To be exact, “A proposal from the Indiana Football Coaches Association was approved unanimously that restricts contact drills. After Friday of week seven, a football team/player may participate in a maximum of two practices per IHSAA corresponding week involving contact equal to the ‘thud’ level drill or the ‘live’ level drill.”
We need to clarify a couple of things before proceeding; a ‘thud-level’ drill is defined as a contact drill where both players remain on their feet; a ‘live-level’ drill is self-explanatory. Week seven on the IHSAA calendar references what for almost every team would be the first game of the season.
As the parent of a football player, I look at these issues closely, but understand I hardly consider myself an expert on football and the link to concussions. Rather I like to think of myself as a well-informed parent whose education is always a work-in-progress. I consider what’s presented from all sides, separate face from fiction for myself, and proceed from there.
So to hear that contact is to be limited, by rule, once the games start, is a sweet sound to this parent’s ears. I know the game has evolved since my playing days.
When I was a kid, I had a football coach who preached hitting. If I made a mistake, I tried to compensate for it by just knocking the crap out of somebody in a different-colored jersey.
“Nice hit, Howe. Next time, hit the guy you’re supposed to hit, would ya?”
Back then, it wasn’t enough to hit a guy hard; we were always yelled at to hit harder, and our manhood was called into question if all we did was make the play. If I missed a tackle, there simply was no mercy headed my way. It we hit someone and they didn’t get up, well, the testosterone really flowed then.
I imagine some things never change, to a certain degree. Football coaches yell; that’s a fact of life that will never change (and really shouldn’t).
I think we’re passed the point where more hitting is better. Even at the high school level, the conditioning is better and as a result the hitting is higher-impact. I won’t foolishly state that the days of celebrating an injury to an opponent are gone from the football landscape; I will say there’s more sportsmanship today than at any other time in the history of the sport.
And as a fan, and a reporter, I enjoy a solid hit as much as the next person (after all, not all football fans are guys). But for even my most bitter rivals, I want the guy to get up. If that makes me old and soft, so be it. The best games happen when the best players from each team are on the field, each playing to the peak of their ability. Social media has made it so players from opposing teams are at least familiar with one another on a personal level, and in many cases they become friends. The most competitive people want to take on the best players around, not maim them.
The new rule will permit plenty of time to develop toughness before the season starts, and develop the talents of players across the board, now that there will be time in the season to place emphasis on fundamentals.
There’s no question the IHSAA did the right thing by listening to the coaches of its members, and it’s a step in the right direction. Improvements in equipment and, yes, even playing surfaces helps.
As a football parent, I understand no sport can be made injury-proof. I also fully appreciate the effort made by coaches, trainers and administrators to constantly make sure they do absolutely everything they know to do in making sports more safe for everyone.
Keep up the good work, people![[In-content Ad]]
To be exact, “A proposal from the Indiana Football Coaches Association was approved unanimously that restricts contact drills. After Friday of week seven, a football team/player may participate in a maximum of two practices per IHSAA corresponding week involving contact equal to the ‘thud’ level drill or the ‘live’ level drill.”
We need to clarify a couple of things before proceeding; a ‘thud-level’ drill is defined as a contact drill where both players remain on their feet; a ‘live-level’ drill is self-explanatory. Week seven on the IHSAA calendar references what for almost every team would be the first game of the season.
As the parent of a football player, I look at these issues closely, but understand I hardly consider myself an expert on football and the link to concussions. Rather I like to think of myself as a well-informed parent whose education is always a work-in-progress. I consider what’s presented from all sides, separate face from fiction for myself, and proceed from there.
So to hear that contact is to be limited, by rule, once the games start, is a sweet sound to this parent’s ears. I know the game has evolved since my playing days.
When I was a kid, I had a football coach who preached hitting. If I made a mistake, I tried to compensate for it by just knocking the crap out of somebody in a different-colored jersey.
“Nice hit, Howe. Next time, hit the guy you’re supposed to hit, would ya?”
Back then, it wasn’t enough to hit a guy hard; we were always yelled at to hit harder, and our manhood was called into question if all we did was make the play. If I missed a tackle, there simply was no mercy headed my way. It we hit someone and they didn’t get up, well, the testosterone really flowed then.
I imagine some things never change, to a certain degree. Football coaches yell; that’s a fact of life that will never change (and really shouldn’t).
I think we’re passed the point where more hitting is better. Even at the high school level, the conditioning is better and as a result the hitting is higher-impact. I won’t foolishly state that the days of celebrating an injury to an opponent are gone from the football landscape; I will say there’s more sportsmanship today than at any other time in the history of the sport.
And as a fan, and a reporter, I enjoy a solid hit as much as the next person (after all, not all football fans are guys). But for even my most bitter rivals, I want the guy to get up. If that makes me old and soft, so be it. The best games happen when the best players from each team are on the field, each playing to the peak of their ability. Social media has made it so players from opposing teams are at least familiar with one another on a personal level, and in many cases they become friends. The most competitive people want to take on the best players around, not maim them.
The new rule will permit plenty of time to develop toughness before the season starts, and develop the talents of players across the board, now that there will be time in the season to place emphasis on fundamentals.
There’s no question the IHSAA did the right thing by listening to the coaches of its members, and it’s a step in the right direction. Improvements in equipment and, yes, even playing surfaces helps.
As a football parent, I understand no sport can be made injury-proof. I also fully appreciate the effort made by coaches, trainers and administrators to constantly make sure they do absolutely everything they know to do in making sports more safe for everyone.
Keep up the good work, people![[In-content Ad]]
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