IHSAA to ban 2 a days

wartknight

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Mar 24, 2006
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We've been focusing a lot on the top guys but this is going to kill the depth of a lot of programs. 2 a days are the time when not just the 2's, but the 3s on down the depth chart get the bulk of their reps for the entire season. Going to be tough to keep Johnny Thirdstring excited about football that way and then you are suddenly an injury or 2 away from a guy getting in who has barely practiced at all.
 

NATEizKING

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Feb 18, 2011
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Hilton
Hated that rule...mostly because I got a couple of em.

I played soccer four seasons a year since I was about 12, three seasons since age 7, and two seasons since age 3. I don't think I've had more than five in my life, with probably two or three in high school. I was a forward mostly though or midfield so you don't typically get too many. The rest of my team, however, probably averaged 2-3 a game during high school. It's just part of the game and a lot less significant than a technical foul which you would get nothing for in high school other than the obvious penalties. All the old folks have hated soccer forever though, so no surprises.
 

awd4cy

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Dec 29, 2010
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Central Iowa
It used to be the half, when did they change it? Either way, you shouldn't sit out at all for it.
I played from 07-10 and it was that way atleast my junior and senior year. I agree though that there shouldn't be a rule that makes a player sit out for a yellow.
 

NATEizKING

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Feb 18, 2011
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I played from 07-10 and it was that way atleast my junior and senior year. I agree though that there shouldn't be a rule that makes a player sit out for a yellow.

Well I'm glad they made it a little better, I graduated in 06.
 

Clonefan94

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Oct 18, 2006
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Schaumburg, IL
I hated two a days as much as anyone else, but I am not on board with this at all. When I was in school - graduated in '89, there was already a limit on how many hours a day you could practice. I want to say it was 4.5 hours, but no more than 2.5 in one practice, something like that. Sorry, could be way off, it was a long time ago.

Anyways, looking back at all the conditioning work we got in during those two practices, I can't imagine it's going to be any healthier to try to stick all that into one practice, and for 3 hours at a time? Wow? I would think they would be better off forcing more practices during the day. There is a certain amount of time you are going to have to spend on conditioning, or you just won't be ready. Seems that's just going to get compressed now. Plus, taking two, two hour practices and turning that into one, three hour practice, seems to be worse. Our practices were always spread so far apart that your body had plenty of time to recover by that evening. And that was still back in the days when you got on ten second (Counted) water break during the practice. And then in the end, compressing everything, are the kids even going to be ready for that first day? So much for recruiting in Iowa.

Oh well, obviously I'm no doctor, but this seems like it could hurt as much as help in the long run.
 

RotatingColumn

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Oct 21, 2008
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Pretty sure there's a work around this with an "optional" second practice called a camp. Or "non-mandatory" weight lifting after practice.
 

carvers4math

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Mar 15, 2012
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Pretty sure there's a work around this with an "optional" second practice called a camp. Or "non-mandatory" weight lifting after practice.

Totally agree with you. They have been doing "camps" and "open court/fields" or "non-mandatory" player-run practices as extra stuff all along. Teaches kids that rules are to be broken or bent at the very least cause football more important than everything.

One of the better athletes our school ever had was also a great student. Needed some help from the teacher in Calculus and only time the teacher had was after school. He got to practice on time as opposed to the 30 minutes early the coach considered on time. Instead of having him practice, the coach had him run for two and a half hours. Probably weren't many of our players who even could have done that.

I don't understand football coach mentality at all. I think the students need some protection but also don't think any IHSAA rule will provide it.
 

cloneswereall

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Aug 12, 2010
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The problem I have two-a-days is that HS football practices (at least in the Cedar Rapids area) have evolved past the 3 hour mark. Waste of time! What more do you need to accomplish by having 3+ hour practices...and then you feel the need to have the kids return later in the day for more? If two-a-day practices were 2 hours or less...I could understand. They are in HS! Let them have lives as well...HS football is becoming as much of a year-round sport as HS basketball is. That is not right...we wonder what happened to all of the 4 sport athletes...they are out there but many of their HS coaches won't allow them to play 4 sports anymore because their isn't enough time in a summer day to meet each coach's expectations!

How many football practices aren't 3+ hours long? I was a 4 sport athlete, and none of my practices were less than at least 2.5 hours (3 hours was the average).