So what do you get when you have 25 summer contact days for football, then the state association takes away 5 of those contact days (starting this summer)? So far the feedback from multiple high school head coaches hasn't been very positive this summer and trust me.....I've been asking a lot of them this summer.
The IHSA announced last December that they decided to cut the allowed summer contact days in football from 25 days to 20, pointing towards trying to help improve players mental health and try to allow them more down time in the summer months. The reduction in summer contact days was voted on and approved via a vote from it's membership (IHSA schools).
Summer has been a battle ground for high school football programs and coaches for many years now. Football has had to share time with its athletes who also take part in various other sports. most notably summer AAU basketball along with team basketball camps and also travel baseball.
So the feedback so far from the football coaches on it's reduced contact days?
"I have a hard enough time trying to get kids to be here in the summer when they are getting pulled away from other sports. Now I have 5 less days to work with, and when a kid now misses a contact day this summer for hoops or baseball, it has a much bigger impact. than last year."
"In a lot of ways we pretty much do very little now in June and instead we start our team camp more now in early July. June is just way too busy now between travel ball and basketball....kids are always getting pulled in other directions but June has been pretty exceptional."
"Football is always pointed out to be the most violent and more physically demanding sport we have. I don't know of one coach doesn't always want to do what's best by our kids. I just want to know how cutting off 5 contact days helps with health and safety for our kids. No one seems to want to answer that question."
One evident impact so far this summer has many high school coaches changing up how they operate in the summer contact day window. More and more high school coaches (especially in the greater Chicagoland area) have started to back away from things such as team 7on7 tournaments and instead are having more team practices with and against another school.
"We used to do quite a bit of the 7on7's because the kid really liked it, but now with 5 less days we decided to try more scrimmages and making sure we are getting in the work we need now and doing less event type of things."
"We didn't do any practices with other teams or any scrimmages last summer because I just wasn't sure how valuable they would be, but the more coaches we talked to the more we decided we needed to get more quality practices in and make sure we are using all 20 days as well as we can."
"I really think more and more coaches are going the way of the shared practices and this year it's been a big jump in school starting to do those. I definitely think the cut in contact days is playing a big factor. I know of a handful of coaches who host 7on7 tournaments talking about not doing them next summer, and that's shame. I enjoyed the events and just getting to see everyone again. I know our kids loved doing 7on7."
So what the impact going to be once the season gets here in 45 days from now? Again I'm not sure and neither do the IHSA head coaches and like everything else we will wait and see once the regular season gets underway. I can tell you that the feedback I've gotten from coaches state-wide has been pretty consistent and that is that they aren't thrilled this summer with 20 contact days.
Your thoughts? Post em here.
The IHSA announced last December that they decided to cut the allowed summer contact days in football from 25 days to 20, pointing towards trying to help improve players mental health and try to allow them more down time in the summer months. The reduction in summer contact days was voted on and approved via a vote from it's membership (IHSA schools).
Summer has been a battle ground for high school football programs and coaches for many years now. Football has had to share time with its athletes who also take part in various other sports. most notably summer AAU basketball along with team basketball camps and also travel baseball.
So the feedback so far from the football coaches on it's reduced contact days?
"I have a hard enough time trying to get kids to be here in the summer when they are getting pulled away from other sports. Now I have 5 less days to work with, and when a kid now misses a contact day this summer for hoops or baseball, it has a much bigger impact. than last year."
"In a lot of ways we pretty much do very little now in June and instead we start our team camp more now in early July. June is just way too busy now between travel ball and basketball....kids are always getting pulled in other directions but June has been pretty exceptional."
"Football is always pointed out to be the most violent and more physically demanding sport we have. I don't know of one coach doesn't always want to do what's best by our kids. I just want to know how cutting off 5 contact days helps with health and safety for our kids. No one seems to want to answer that question."
One evident impact so far this summer has many high school coaches changing up how they operate in the summer contact day window. More and more high school coaches (especially in the greater Chicagoland area) have started to back away from things such as team 7on7 tournaments and instead are having more team practices with and against another school.
"We used to do quite a bit of the 7on7's because the kid really liked it, but now with 5 less days we decided to try more scrimmages and making sure we are getting in the work we need now and doing less event type of things."
"We didn't do any practices with other teams or any scrimmages last summer because I just wasn't sure how valuable they would be, but the more coaches we talked to the more we decided we needed to get more quality practices in and make sure we are using all 20 days as well as we can."
"I really think more and more coaches are going the way of the shared practices and this year it's been a big jump in school starting to do those. I definitely think the cut in contact days is playing a big factor. I know of a handful of coaches who host 7on7 tournaments talking about not doing them next summer, and that's shame. I enjoyed the events and just getting to see everyone again. I know our kids loved doing 7on7."
So what the impact going to be once the season gets here in 45 days from now? Again I'm not sure and neither do the IHSA head coaches and like everything else we will wait and see once the regular season gets underway. I can tell you that the feedback I've gotten from coaches state-wide has been pretty consistent and that is that they aren't thrilled this summer with 20 contact days.
Your thoughts? Post em here.
