Practice Guidelines

Does anybody have something similar to this? In the past, other than 3 days of non contact, we simply were limited to 29 total practices before the first contest (scrimmage was counted as a practice)

Long Day / Short Day
South Carolina High School Football Pre-Season Practice Plan
(Endorsed by SCATA, Ad Hoc SCHSL Preseason Acclimatization Committee)
BACKGROUND: In the summer of 2009 the Inter-association Task Force for Preseason Secondary School
Athletics* recommended preseason heat-acclimatization guidelines for secondary school athletic programs to
minimize the risk of heat illness during preseason football practice.
PURPOSE: The intent of the following “exposure-based proposal” is to promote an acclimatization and
recovery model for SCHSL football consistent with the Inter-association Task Force guidelines that also
allows coaches to appropriately prepare their teams and fits into the current SCHSL’s preseason football
schedule.
PRACTICE TIMELINE:
 Days 1-2: 3 hours of Practice in Helmet and Shorts
 Days 3-4: 3 hours of Practice in Helmet and Shoulder pads permitted
o Contact with shields, dummies, and sleds permitted
 Day 5: 3 hours of Full Contact Practice in Full Gear permitted
 Day 6-14: Full Contact Practice in Full Gear permitted
o Must alternate days Long Practice Day and Short Practice Day
o Long Day: 5 hours of practice permitted
Divide the time to best benefit your program
Practices must be separated by 2-hours of continuous rest
Long Day can follow a Rest Day (even if the day before the Rest Day was Long Day)
o Short Day: 3 hours of practice permitted
Divide the time to best benefit your program
 Day 15+: Full Contact Practice in Full Gear permitted
o No restrictions on practice
NOTES:
 Current rule limiting teams to 29 practices eliminated.
 First practice permitted: Friday, July 27.
 Practice times (including warm-up, stretching, cool-down time, conditioning) shall not exceed 3 hours.
 All practices occurring Days 1-14 must be documented to show compliance.
 All athletes must complete Days 1-4 of the practice timelines before participation in full pads.
 Weight room activities do not count as practice time, but must be separated from practice by at
least 2 hours of continuous rest to allow for recovery.
o Exception: No continuous rest period is required if weight room activities are counted as a
part of the day’s allotted practice time.
 A Walk-through is allowed and does not count against practice time. Walk-through is defined as a
teaching opportunity with athletes:
o not wearing protective equipment
o not using sports-related equipment
o participating in an indoor, climate-controlled environment.
 Must have a Rest Day after 6 consecutive practice days.
 Scrimmages permitted on either a Long Day or Short Day. A scrimmage will count as 3 hours.
 All athletes must have a pre-participation physical exam before athletic participation.
 If weather/lightning postpones practice in progress, the practice may resume after a warm-up (20
minute maximum) and the remainder of allotted practice time may be completed.
*Inter-association Task Force includes – Gatorade Sports Science, Amer. College of Sports Med., NATA,
NSCA, US Army Research institute, Amer.Orthopaedic Society for Sports Med., Amer. Medical Society for
Sports Med., Amer. Academy of Pediatrics*