CTS
06-11-2013, 03:31 PM
UIL passes amendment limiting full-contact football practice
By Angel Verdejo | June 11, 2013 | Updated: June 11, 2013 11:34am
Limited full-contact practice during the football season is one step closer to becoming reality.
The amendment, which calls for no more than 90 minutes of full contact practice per player per week, was passed Tuesday morning by the University Interscholastic League's Legislative Council.
It now awaits approval by the Commissioner of Education.
For coaches who try and stay ahead of the curve, this just puts on paper what many are already doing.
"If you're a smart coach, you're basically adhering to all this anyway to keep your kids healthy," La Marque coach Mike Jackson said. "If you're trying to play a 16-game season plus two weeks of scrimmages plus another week, you look at the calendar and that's a long time to keep your kids healthy.
"If you're banging everyday, you wouldn't make it through a season."
Unanimously recommended by the UIL's Medical Advisory Committee in April, each athlete would be limited to 90 minutes per week of "game-speed tackling and blocking to the ground" during the season and playoffs.
If approved by the commissioner, the amendment will go into effect Aug. 1, four days before the season begins for teams that didn't hold spring practice.
The move comes six months after State Rep. Eddie Lucio filed a bill to limit football teams to one full-contact practice per week.
The 2013 football season begins Aug. 5 for teams that didn't hold spring practice, with the first day for any contact drills beginning Aug. 9. Teams that held spring workouts begin Aug. 12. Contact drills for these programs can begin four days later.
The 11-man state championships are Dec. 19-21, roughly 20 weeks after opening workouts.
Other recent rule changes include teams not allowed to hold more than one practice on consecutive days and days with multiple workouts requiring a two-hour rest/record period between practices.
The Medical Advisory Committee studied football at the college and professional levels in making their recommendation. The NFL limited contact practices in its latest collective bargaining agreement. The Ivy League did as well.
An issue is determining at what point limiting time could be detrimental to the athletes.
Football players not used to tackling and blocking may by harm's way during a game, just as conditioning prepares athletes to play a 48-minute game Jackson said.
"I don't know that line has been crossed or where it's going to be crossed," he said. "But you can't play football without acclimating yourself and your body to what you're going to have to go through."
But fans shouldn't expect too much resistance from many coaches, as football has evolved not only during games, but also in practices tactics for more effectiveness and limiting injuries.
"Twenty years ago, 30 years ago, it would have made a bigger impact," Jackson said. "This is just the way football has gone."
By Angel Verdejo | June 11, 2013 | Updated: June 11, 2013 11:34am
Limited full-contact practice during the football season is one step closer to becoming reality.
The amendment, which calls for no more than 90 minutes of full contact practice per player per week, was passed Tuesday morning by the University Interscholastic League's Legislative Council.
It now awaits approval by the Commissioner of Education.
For coaches who try and stay ahead of the curve, this just puts on paper what many are already doing.
"If you're a smart coach, you're basically adhering to all this anyway to keep your kids healthy," La Marque coach Mike Jackson said. "If you're trying to play a 16-game season plus two weeks of scrimmages plus another week, you look at the calendar and that's a long time to keep your kids healthy.
"If you're banging everyday, you wouldn't make it through a season."
Unanimously recommended by the UIL's Medical Advisory Committee in April, each athlete would be limited to 90 minutes per week of "game-speed tackling and blocking to the ground" during the season and playoffs.
If approved by the commissioner, the amendment will go into effect Aug. 1, four days before the season begins for teams that didn't hold spring practice.
The move comes six months after State Rep. Eddie Lucio filed a bill to limit football teams to one full-contact practice per week.
The 2013 football season begins Aug. 5 for teams that didn't hold spring practice, with the first day for any contact drills beginning Aug. 9. Teams that held spring workouts begin Aug. 12. Contact drills for these programs can begin four days later.
The 11-man state championships are Dec. 19-21, roughly 20 weeks after opening workouts.
Other recent rule changes include teams not allowed to hold more than one practice on consecutive days and days with multiple workouts requiring a two-hour rest/record period between practices.
The Medical Advisory Committee studied football at the college and professional levels in making their recommendation. The NFL limited contact practices in its latest collective bargaining agreement. The Ivy League did as well.
An issue is determining at what point limiting time could be detrimental to the athletes.
Football players not used to tackling and blocking may by harm's way during a game, just as conditioning prepares athletes to play a 48-minute game Jackson said.
"I don't know that line has been crossed or where it's going to be crossed," he said. "But you can't play football without acclimating yourself and your body to what you're going to have to go through."
But fans shouldn't expect too much resistance from many coaches, as football has evolved not only during games, but also in practices tactics for more effectiveness and limiting injuries.
"Twenty years ago, 30 years ago, it would have made a bigger impact," Jackson said. "This is just the way football has gone."