byuwolverine
Junior Member
Life is a game of inches --- Add them up in any aspect and there is your outcome.
Posts: 285
|
Post by byuwolverine on Aug 16, 2009 18:49:27 GMT -6
Coaches, We are a thin football team this year on both the JV and Frosh levels. 25-30 players for each squad.
Got so bad last week we did our last practice to date on Saturday (All Special Teams) in Shoulder pads, shorts, and, helmets. I liked the ability to get contact and get a good practice in.
Now my question is can we do this about half the time in regular practices and still get the necessary contact to keep up the intensity and fundamentals we want on game day, tackling especially.
Any comments are great!
|
|
|
|
Post by brophy on Aug 16, 2009 19:10:08 GMT -6
Yes
There is very little that NEEDS to be coached in full gear
|
|
rooster
Sophomore Member
Posts: 246
|
Post by rooster on Aug 16, 2009 20:20:27 GMT -6
During the season we wear shells on Monday and Wednesday with Tuesday being full pads. Tuesday is our heavy hitting day.
|
|
|
|
Post by blb on Aug 17, 2009 5:08:08 GMT -6
Did you mean 25-30 players on each team, JV and freshmen, or 25-30 TOTAL between the two? 25-30 is not a bad number to work with on a squad. There are varsity teams that would like to be around there.
As of Saturday we had 45 Varsity, 42 JVs (including a dozen or so juniors), 55 frosh. We are in Michigan also.
After first three days of no pads ("Conditioning") we wear full pads every practice during two-a-days but see nothing wrong doing as you described. Counting scrimmages will have only 13 practices in full pads prior to first game week.
In-season we go full pads Tuesday and Wednesday (Friday games). We are concerned about having fresh legs and being eager to hit on game night.
|
|
byuwolverine
Junior Member
Life is a game of inches --- Add them up in any aspect and there is your outcome.
Posts: 285
|
Post by byuwolverine on Aug 17, 2009 8:18:43 GMT -6
25-30 players for each team. Thats cutting it very close to not being able to field 22 players for scout and team O or D.
|
|
mhs99
Junior Member
Posts: 250
|
Post by mhs99 on Aug 17, 2009 9:44:45 GMT -6
Better question is what does our team do? We have 25 players total and traditionally have gone full gear and hitting M-W. We also have very physical doubles. How much do we tune it down in the preseason and during the year.
|
|
|
|
Post by xgozout on Aug 18, 2009 6:53:26 GMT -6
IMO you can do the exact same drills offensively in shells that you could do in full pads, with the exception of going to the ground. Defensive coaches will say you need to go full b/c of tackling and there is some truth to it I think. But for us, as we progress further into the season, I think our whistles get quicker anyway, so what's the point of full pads? The problem is, and I coach 9th graders, once you go out in shells, something in the brain just clicks. For example, this past Friday, we had no game or scrimmage scheduled and had a pretty tough 30 play intra/er (idk) squad scrimmage on Thursday so we thought we'd go shells on Friday. Worst practice so far, worse than any Monday or first day of school. For some reason, shells go on and it their brains it says, "today is not a work day." I don't know, it's probably their youth and lack of maturity. If you're varsity, go shells as much as you need to!
|
|
|
|
Post by coachbdud on Aug 18, 2009 13:17:26 GMT -6
We have always been full gear Mon-Wed, and then shells on Thursday...
We tried going helmets only on thursdays but then this became strictly walk thru, and the kids lost focus. So we switched back to going shells so we can still have some contact and keep things focused. Realistically you could get away with doing it half the time like you said
|
|
|
|
Post by airman on Aug 18, 2009 14:49:19 GMT -6
we practice all the time in helmets and shoulder pads. then again we are one of those {censored} passing teams according to most.
|
|
|
|
Post by outlawjoseywales on Aug 18, 2009 19:49:35 GMT -6
I became a proponant of helmet and shoulder pads instead of helmets only when one of my kids got a shoulder injury. I can't remember the exact play, but both Guards pulled and ran into each other.
There is no reason not to protect the shoulders too if there is any chance they might run together.
The only time I'm not allowed to be in shoulder pads is because the state of Florida won't let us be in them the 1st 3 days of Fall practice.
OJW
|
|
|
|
Post by cbroughton on Aug 18, 2009 21:12:23 GMT -6
We also were shells every day. You can coach butt and wrap up and not take live situations to the ground. We also work tackling drills etc... We also have players were girdles under their shorts so the only thing we do not have is knee pads. We do all same practice as we did in full gear, but in the players minds they are wearing shorts and not hot pants during August, Sept. when temp's are high.
|
|
|
|
Post by kboyd on Aug 19, 2009 10:28:58 GMT -6
I love the idea of practicing in shells and tried it two years ago. We had the absolute worst year in my 17 years coaching for injuries that season - had a back up first year D Lineman as my starting running back at the end of the season. We had injuries at every position and I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with practicing in shells but we are full equipment every day now except day before the game when we are in lights. Plus the kids wanted to be in full pads, which I thought was odd. Anyway that's my $0.02 on the matter.
|
|
|
|
Post by phantom on Aug 19, 2009 10:33:24 GMT -6
I don't like shells at all. With me it's all or nothing-full pads or no pads. IMO when they have shoulder pads they lose track and cut block and tackle low and I worry about safety.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachmacplains on Aug 19, 2009 21:16:18 GMT -6
We go full pads on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the season. We got away from full contact, full pads on Mondays as we were getting far more injuries on that day than the others put together....I'm not sure why that is, though I have a few pet theories. At any rate, we still go full pads those two days and go shells Mondays and Thursdays. Our practice injuries definitely decreased with this change. On those two full pad days we to full speed scrimmage work, with an early whistle. Also, as an added thought, it seems to us that if you take one less day a week to beat the tar out of each other, you will be more physically ready to go on Friday.
I tend to agree with the basic notion that you probably don't really lose anything by going shells, especially in drilling, though I still believe that when you go with full speed game simulation it doesn't help to get a knee smacked or deep thigh bruise due because the kids aren't padded up.
|
|
