Sid: Fleck talks about the unique way in which he plans out Fall practice schedule

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Sid:

• Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck reported that the team will start its training camp the first week in August. “The way we run training camp, how we have our practice scheduled, I think here’s what I’ll say, rest is really important to me during training camp, and our players’ health is very important to me during training camp. So we’ve kind of done some unique things in the last two years [at Western Michigan] that we’re going to carry over here in the next few years to the University of Minnesota, and I think the players are going to really, really like it. It benefits our players’ safety, benefits our players’ health, and mentally and emotionally and physically. I think that is really, really important.”

http://www.startribune.com/surprise-to-see-wolves-trade-away-an-improved-ricky-rubio/432025743/

Go Gophers!!
 


My guess is less head butting, and more about technique. Kill and Clayes we're old time " ball "
coaches and we're pretty triditional. Plus, we are thin in some spots along with players coming back from injury. Why beat yourself up before the first game?
 

My guess is he starts fall practice earlier than most teams (Aug. 1st) and gives the players more days off during fall practice. Probably does less hitting and live tackling than Kill/Claeys as well, but days off is the primary difference.


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Some Day...Maybe said:
My guess is he starts fall practice earlier than most teams (Aug. 1st) and gives the players more days off during fall practice. Probably does less hitting and live tackling than Kill/Claeys as well, but days off is the primary difference.


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I don't believe that's difference. We had 6 days off previously and we had the benefit of starting a week later. (free time-arguably 12,13 days off) Now we start August 1. There were 5 two a day practices. I believe the difference will be eliminating those. To get 26 practices in the days off remain the same at 5 or 6 or whatever the math works out to be. But no two a days. Educated guess. Less hitting is very likely another difference, I agree. We had a scrimmage previously...will we now?
 


60's Guy said:
I don't believe that's difference. We had 6 days off previously and we had the benefit of starting a week later. (free time-arguably 12,13 days off) Now we start August 1. There were 5 two a day practices. I believe the difference will be eliminating those. To get 26 practices in the days off remain the same at 5 or 6 or whatever the math works out to be. But no two a days. Educated guess. Less hitting is very likely another difference, I agree. We had a scrimmage previously...will we now?
Click to expand...

I believe you are correct. Now that you said that I think I remember Fleck mentioning that somewhere prior. I guess they'll just spread things out more. I like that plan, think it's smart.


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60's Guy said:
I don't believe that's difference. We had 6 days off previously and we had the benefit of starting a week later. (free time-arguably 12,13 days off) Now we start August 1. There were 5 two a day practices. I believe the difference will be eliminating those. To get 26 practices in the days off remain the same at 5 or 6 or whatever the math works out to be. But no two a days. Educated guess. Less hitting is very likely another difference, I agree. We had a scrimmage previously...will we now?
Click to expand...

John Gagliardi at St. John's did not have tackling practices and the Johnnies did rather well - http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/8652164/john-gagliardi-st-john-retires-most-wins
 

hungan1 said:
John Gagliardi at St. John's did not have tackling practices and the Johnnies did rather well - http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/8652164/john-gagliardi-st-john-retires-most-wins
Click to expand...

Same to an extent with Bud Grant. People were initially freaked out about how late they came to camp and how ill prepared they were for their first preseason games (no, not that!), but the proof was in the pudding in their results. I've never researched it, but I wonder where he got that (i.e. from his mentor Paul Brown, or did he come up with that himself based on his observations as a player?).
 

I found this list of recommendations on an NCAA web site. I'm not sure if any of these are regulations, or just recommendations - but I suspect most schools are following something like this.

Recommendations
Preseason practice recommendations

Two-a-day practices are not recommended. A second session of no helmet/pad activity may include walk-throughs or meetings; conditioning in the second session of activity is not allowed.

The preseason may be extended by one week in the calendar year to accommodate the lost practice time from elimination of two-a-days, and to help ensure that players obtain the necessary skill set for competitive play.

In any given seven days following the five-day acclimation period:

Up to three days of practice can be live contact (tackling or thud).
There should be a minimum of three non-contact/minimal contact practices in a given week.
A non-contact/minimal contact practice should follow a scrimmage.
One day should be no football practice.
Difference from the 2014 guidelines:

Recommendation to discontinue two-a-day practices.
Recommendation to allow an extension of the preseason by one week. This requires a legislative change if the pre-season begins one week earlier.
Recommendation to reduce weekly live contact practices from four to three.
Non-contact/minimal contact practice recommendations have been added.
Non-contact/minimal contact practice recommendation the day following a scrimmage has been added.
One day of no football practice recommendation has been added.
Legislation 17.10.2.1. would need to be updated if the pre-season practice time begins one week earlier.
 



I do remember Kill saying just before the season started that he needed to give his players some rest as they were "dogged tired." Sounds like a lot of hitting, running, etc. and perhaps not staying sharp during the fall camp that could possibly cause injuries. I believe Fleck wants his players sharp, in shape, and not make "dumb" mistakes that often times plaques a team.
 

#2Gopher said:
I do remember Kill saying just before the season started that he needed to give his players some rest as they were "dogged tired." Sounds like a lot of hitting, running, etc. and perhaps not staying sharp during the fall camp that could possibly cause injuries. I believe Fleck wants his players sharp, in shape, and not make "dumb" mistakes that often times plaques a team.
Click to expand...

I distinctly remember the 2015 season, the year that the Gophers played against TCU in the second preseason game as being injury riddled. People where blaming the trainers, but maybe the two-a-days may contribute to the slew of injuries that they had that season. They had lackluster performance against Kent State and Ohio U. They finished 6-7 in the regular season, but they lose to TCU, Michigan, and Iowa by a TD or less. I am not making excuses for them, but the injuries piled up. The Michigan loss was Coach Claeys' poor clock management.

I think PJF is up to something that will help keep guys from being banged up before they played a game.
 

Bud Grant was heavily influenced by his time playing for Bernie Bierman, particularly in 1949.
 




hungan1 said:
I distinctly remember the 2015 season, the year that the Gophers played against TCU in the second preseason game as being injury riddled. People where blaming the trainers, but maybe the two-a-days may contribute to the slew of injuries that they had that season. They had lackluster performance against Kent State and Ohio U. They finished 6-7 in the regular season, but they lose to TCU, Michigan, and Iowa by a TD or less. I am not making excuses for them, but the injuries piled up. The Michigan loss was Coach Claeys' poor clock management.

I think PJF is up to something that will help keep guys from being banged up before they played a game.
Click to expand...


The Gophers don't play "preseason" games.

They play meaningful, count in the record, etc.. "non-conference" games.
 


metrolax said:
Bud Grant was heavily influenced by his time playing for Bernie Bierman, particularly in 1949.
Click to expand...
You are right. Although Bierman supposedly also limited contact practices, in general Bud said he used Paul Brown as an example of how to manage a team and Bierman as an example of how not to do it. Part of that I believe was the guys Bierman got after the war were not the same young kids he got before the war that would follow orders unquestioningly.
 


corcoran1 said:
You are right. Although Bierman supposedly also limited contact practices, in general Bud said he used Paul Brown as an example of how to manage a team and Bierman as an example of how not to do it. Part of that I believe was the guys Bierman got after the war were not the same young kids he got before the war that would follow orders unquestioningly.
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Agree. I remember reading somewhere that Bierman was known to keep them on the practice field for 3-4 hours. I also think that one practice a day is plenty. Holtz believed that teams either got better or worse every practice, they did not stay the same. I'm convinced that the high school team that I was on was often worse after our the afternoon practice of two-a-days than at that start of that practice. Do swimmers still do 2 workouts/day at some points of their season?
 

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