Spring Football

 
football is physically demanding and high school kids NEED an off-season to prevent burnout. plus, athletes need to be playing other sports. believe it or not, playing a variety of sports can be best for a kid’s physical development. BTW, i’ve never been a fan of ANY year round sports for kids.
 
Not having spring ball is hurting some of our kids recruitment. I have coached in Florida with spring ball I've seen kids get recruited that if they were in Ohio never would have. You can play it towards the end of spring sport like other states where kids can still play baseball, track, etc. Even Indiana has summer ball.
 
Not having spring ball is hurting some of our kids recruitment. I have coached in Florida with spring ball I've seen kids get recruited that if they were in Ohio never would have. You can play it towards the end of spring sport like other states where kids can still play baseball, track, etc. Even Indiana has summer ball.
No wonder there's so many mediocre players on big 10 teams, half of them are from Florida!!!!!
 
Why not have spring football? Most sports are year-round except football; why?
Because it's stupid and not worth the time or effort. Kids can develop skills year round, coaching team schemes in April will not magically make them smarter in the fall if they already can't learn stuff through June and July.
 
Because it's stupid and not worth the time or effort. Kids can develop skills year round, coaching team schemes in April will not magically make them smarter in the fall if they already can't learn stuff through June and July.
You do have a point if a kid can't get it in April he most likely will not get it. But as a coach that's when you need to reflect and ask yourself how can i coach this better or if this scheme is right for this school.
 
Southern states have spring ball. Florida get 20 practices that includes a scrimmage game just like game conditions. 7 on 7 is years round around the country. There is no breaks anymore. Dec is it for most teams.
 
Spring ball help players get better and get recrutied because college coaches can see you play or practice which is better than just the eye test and film.
 
I see both sides of issue. When is too much too much of a sport. However, when every other sport is year round and not regulated much by OHSAA, then why limit football. Travel baseball volleyball and softball, baseball teams play a million games a year. So called OPEN gym for basketball which is just basically practice year round plus travel AAU teams have made eevry other sport year round, then why not football.
 
the off-season is better spent in the weight room, not on the turf. football players already spend countless hours during the summer practicing, compared to other sports. i’m pretty sure some high school teams spend more time together in the off-season than pro teams.
 
OHSAA simply doesn't allow it. In Kentucky you can join a 7 on 7 team and do a little travel to play other 7 on 7 teams in the winter and spring. I do think that type of program could be beneficial to recruiting. Just set it up like other club sports to limit the number of kids from the same HS. There are lots of high school softball players on out of state club teams as well as out of state players on top ohio teams.
 
I don’t understand why you can’t play travel 7v7 but can play AAU basketball. What’s the difference?
 
Surefire solution to the problem of dwindling numbers of players participating in football........ Make them play in the spring also. That'll sell it, and the numbers will be higher than ever. Sure. Maybe this topic should be brought up on the baseball and track forums to see how enthusiastically they support it.
 
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I talked to a DVI coach who said it is coming. Larger schools/college coaches are pushing for spring football in Ohio. Not sure if will pass, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the OHSAA is voting on the possibility.
 
Surefire solution to the problem of dwindling numbers of players participating in football........ Make them play in the spring also. That'll sell it, and the numbers will be higher than ever. Sure. Maybe this topic should be brought up on the baseball and track forums to see how enthusiastically they support it.
They wouldn't be made to play just as they aren't made to play AAU basketball, travel baseball, or club soccer. I dont think it should be school sanctioned, but a club like other sports with limited boys from a single school on each team.
 
I coach in South Carolina. We generally have something like May 1-21st to have up to 21 practices. Have the same rules for acclimation and are limited to no more than 10 padded practices. Rising 9th graders are not permitted any contact.

To be honest, we sometimes have too much time. Spring practice. You can coach all sumner. You could do 7on7 everyday but only 10 days vs outside competition.

We put offense in during spring. Start over from beginning in summer. Tighten it up during august. Also most schools have block scheduling with an athletic period. Theoretically you could practice year round if you did it during school day. At that point tve helmet, shoulder pads, etc become PE equipment. We don’t and nobody I’ve heard of does it for fear of burnout.

Also one of the remnants from the not too distant past of head football coach/athletic director is spring sports start first week of February which leaves teams waiting on winter sport athletes. Also the only sports males can play in fall are football, swimming, cross country and now adding boys volleyball. Spring sports are baseball, soccer, golf, track and boys tennis.

As a guy who only really likes football, it’s sometimes too much. Be careful what you wish for.
 
I grew up in a state with spring ball and though it was a lot of years ago (tighter shorts, high socks, shimmel t-shirts with Property of XXX printed on the front with big arse shoulder pads, pants that actually covered the knee and a center bar face mask), I do remember it was a grind and hectic time of year. The day before the first practice the pads and equipment were passed out and we always listened to the coaches gripe about doing this only to collect them in two weeks. I loved it, the weather was not oppressively hot, we started in pads, hit the first day and there seemed to be no pressure to prep for the first game as in the fall. To me it seemed we got a lot of things done and it was just playing the game, while the coaches were racking and stacking the roster for the fall.

However, it was a cluster when splitting time with baseball and jumping from one practice to another and missing football during baseball game days. As it was, boys soccer was in the spring, and all of those kids played football in the fall so they had the same issues as the baseball kids. But, we made it through and going back to reunions and keeping in contact with each other, Spring ball was a blast, memorable and "stress free".

Finally, looking at it many decades later, I dont think it improved us but it did break the boredom of working out in those age old past methods.

IMHO, Ohio does not need Spring ball. These kids today are a better athletes, for the most part (sorry for the caveat as I dont want to get toasted on now versus then BS), than the days gone by and if they choose to focus only on football. Kids today have established workout routines, camps, film study, etc and suiting up for two weeks really doesn't provide a benefit but can be detrimental if a projected starter is hurt and washed out for the upcoming season. Again, IMHO, nothing is gained by have Spring ball in HS than what schools have established for an off season routine, work outs, 7 vs7, camps days, etc.
 
If our initial reason for starting spring football is "getting kids recruited" then our priorities are seriously jacked up.

All spring football would do further insert a wedge between football and other sports. Forcing kids to specialize in a sport is dumb and goes against any scientific benefits we have uncovered through research.

"Because the south does it" is a another misguided reason for implementing spring football.
 
If our initial reason for starting spring football is "getting kids recruited" then our priorities are seriously jacked up.

All spring football would do further insert a wedge between football and other sports. Forcing kids to specialize in a sport is dumb and goes against any scientific benefits we have uncovered through research.

"Because the south does it" is a another misguided reason for implementing spring football.
This is perfect. recruiting and “because they do it in the big southern states” are literally the only 2 reasons I’ve ever heard people push for it.
 
I don’t see spring football in Ohio, but need 7v7. 7v7 is just skill development and wouldn’t hurt other spring sports
Hang on, let me go tell our baseball and track coaches that we’ll be needing their best athletes on Saturdays in May for 7 on 7’s…. Which they’ll also be doing all through June and July. I’m sure they’ll be on board with that because apparently it won’t hurt their sports.

dumb argument.
 
we don’t need spring football. back when most of us “old heads” played, we started football for the year the first monday of august. no summer workouts, camp days, etc. we showed up the first day and coach found out who was in condition quickly. now, coaches are with players all year round, outside of the month after the last game. i don’t see much benefit to spring football. i think it’s better for athletes and kids, both socially, mentally, and physically, to diversify what they do athletically and in free time.
 
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