offseason football conditioning

[bigredbird]

I am curious what other schools are doing with their teams in the off-season?

[MountainTroll]

Can't do anything "with coaches" in the off season.

 

Fortunately, our guys have always been motivated to run and lift weights year round.

 

Also, starting with Hogan Whitmire, and continuing with Reese Phillips; our QB, center, and receivers have always gotten together EVERY Sunday afternoon, year round to run all the routes. Only takes about an hour and helps tremendously with the center/QB exchange and QB/receiver timing. The QB is the driving force in making this happen. He sets the time, is always there, and makes sure the receivers show up. Also helps to establish him as one of the team leaders.

 

This is the time of year when you learn which players are motivated and which ones aren't.

Edited February 11, 2012 by MountainTroll

[OldStoneFort]

As I understand it, football coaches are NOT ALLOWED on the practice field during the spring semester with his players and a football unless it is your designated two weeks of spring practice. I know some guys get by with it but that is my understanding of the rules. If so, how is it that some teams are practicing or 'conditioning' until 5PM every day?

[Cleggy]

Can't do anything "with coaches" in the off season.

 

Fortunately, our guys have always been motivated to run and lift weights year round.

 

Also, starting with Hogan Whitmire, and continuing with Reese Phillips; our QB, center, and receivers have always gotten together EVERY Sunday afternoon, year round to run all the routes. Only takes about an hour and helps tremendously with the center/QB exchange and QB/receiver timing. The QB is the driving force in making this happen. He sets the time, is always there, and makes sure the receivers show up. Also helps to establish him as one of the team leaders.

 

This is the time of year when you learn which players are motivated and which ones aren't.

 

 

Excellent post.

[innocent bystander]

As I understand it, football coaches are NOT ALLOWED on the practice field during the spring semester with his players and a football unless it is your designated two weeks of spring practice. I know some guys get by with it but that is my understanding of the rules. If so, how is it that some teams are practicing or 'conditioning' until 5PM every day?

 

You are correct on the point of you can't have a coach, a player, and a ball present or the Spring practice clock starts ticking. Some teams have skirted this by having their players doing very specific, football related "conditioning" drills without footballs. This is waaaaay in the grey area, and I think it is against the rule to even simulate plays in a team setting without a ball.

 

What you "can" do is lift weights, condition, agilities, etc. You can even break into "positions" and do drill work with coaches as long as there are no balls and it is not an entire "team" drill. I have seen quite a few do this especially leading up to Spring Practice where the coaches can have their drills installed already and not have to waste precious practice time teaching drills.

 

Pretty sure I am right about all of that, as that is how it has been explained to me by coaches who I think would know pretty well.

[innocent bystander]

As I understand it, football coaches are NOT ALLOWED on the practice field during the spring semester with his players and a football unless it is your designated two weeks of spring practice. I know some guys get by with it but that is my understanding of the rules. If so, how is it that some teams are practicing or 'conditioning' until 5PM every day?

 

You are correct on the point of you can't have a coach, a player, and a ball present or the Spring practice clock starts ticking. Some teams have skirted this by having their players doing very specific, football related "conditioning" drills without footballs. This is waaaaay in the grey area, and I think it is against the rule to even simulate plays in a team setting without a ball.

 

What you "can" do is lift weights, condition, agilities, etc. You can even break into "positions" and do drill work with coaches as long as there are no balls and it is not an entire "team" drill. I have seen quite a few do this especially leading up to Spring Practice where the coaches can have their drills installed already and not have to waste precious practice time teaching drills.

 

Pretty sure I am right about all of that, as that is how it has been explained to me by coaches who I think would know pretty well.

[MountainTroll]

Here is what's in the T$$AA Bylaws. Seems pretty black and white, but I'm sure many make it gray.

 

 

End of Dead Period until end of school .............Weight training/conditioning/open facilities permitted. No practice (exception: from January 1 until the end of school, 10 days of off-season practice and 2 scrimmages in a 15-day school period permitted).

 

End of School until Summer Dead Period ..........Weight training/conditioning permitted. No open facilities. No practice.

 

Practice – Coach and player(s) together with instruction, teaching, coaching, etc.

Open Facilities – Schools may use their facilities for students in their building prior to or at the conclusion of the school day. Coaches may serve in a supervisory capacity only. There is no instruction, no teaching, no coaching, etc. Coaches may not participate or play in any manner. It is a free play type atmosphere.

Weight Training / Conditioning – Must be a generic type program that would be beneficial to all students and not sport specific. Exception: In baseball and girls softball, players may throw to condition arms.

Edited February 15, 2012 by MountainTroll

[Iceman76]

Exactly true. We are doing our off-season training program which began after the 3 week dead period at the end of the season. The boys get together on their own and do conditioning drills that are football specific (They have cones and footballs). As long as there is not a coach supervising or on the field you are ok. Our training program is supervised by our strength coach who happens to be a football coach. That is OK with TSSAA. Weight training, plyometrics, ladder drills, etc. I have a specific question. When are all of you bringing the Junior/Middle school players into the conditioning program? We do our football middle school briefing in December after the dead period and start bringing them into the program in February. Our school system requires us to purchase a separate liability policy and we do not allow the middle school players to work-out or even be around the high school players until they are promoted to the 9th grade.

[OldStoneFort]

 

I can list about twenty schools in MIDDLE TN that are breaking the rules right now. Coaches have their boys stay after school to run pass routes, condition, work on kicking game, etc. I don't know if they are IGNORANT or MISINFORMED about the rules or just choose not to follow them. If ORGANIZED after school or in school practice is ILLEGAL, then a LOT of schools are in trouble if someone turns them in.

[innocent bystander]

Here is what's in the T$$AA Bylaws. Seems pretty black and white, but I'm sure many make it gray.

 

 

End of Dead Period until end of school .............Weight training/conditioning/open facilities permitted. No practice (exception: from January 1 until the end of school, 10 days of off-season practice and 2 scrimmages in a 15-day school period permitted).

 

End of School until Summer Dead Period ..........Weight training/conditioning permitted. No open facilities. No practice.

 

Practice – Coach and player(s) together with instruction, teaching, coaching, etc.

Open Facilities – Schools may use their facilities for students in their building prior to or at the conclusion of the school day. Coaches may serve in a supervisory capacity only. There is no instruction, no teaching, no coaching, etc. Coaches may not participate or play in any manner. It is a free play type atmosphere.

Weight Training / Conditioning – Must be a generic type program that would be beneficial to all students and not sport specific. Exception: In baseball and girls softball, players may throw to condition arms.

 

I have known several then that hedge a little on the "practice" definition. They don't use footballs, but definately instruction. They also watch film with students some during school, so that could technically be teaching/instruction. As for the weight training....hahaha. Show me a football program that opens their weight room up to the entire student body and is not football specific in their lifts.

[Indian]

 

I can list about twenty schools in MIDDLE TN that are breaking the rules right now. Coaches have their boys stay after school to run pass routes, condition, work on kicking game, etc. I don't know if they are IGNORANT or MISINFORMED about the rules or just choose not to follow them. If ORGANIZED after school or in school practice is ILLEGAL, then a LOT of schools are in trouble if someone turns them in.

 

 

Well, let's see that list.