When fall workouts begin, teams can’t practice for more than three hours, with up to a one-hour break, on days when there is one practice. If teams want to hold two practices on the same day, they can’t work out for more than a total of five hours, and there has to be at least a two-hour break between practices.But coaches are now able to work with their athletes over 18 spring practices and through summer strength and conditioning and sport-specific skill instruction.
“I have no desire to go back to the old two-a-day practices,” Flower Mound coach Brian Basil said. “There is enough time to have players in shape and have base offense, defense and special teams packages installed.” Melissa coach Matt Nally said the pros of two-a-days were building mental and physical toughness and putting athletes in an adverse environment daily and watching how they reacted to failure and rose to success. But the cons — safety and the wear and tear on the body — outweighed that, and Nally doesn’t think it’s necessary to practice twice a day.Advertisement
With the Dallas area in the midst of a heat wave, the temperature is forecast to be 106 degrees Monday, and the temperature is expected to be over 100 every day this week. Imagine trying to practice twice a day in those sweltering conditions, especially as coaches have become more vigilant about preventing rhabdomyolysis, a stress-induced muscle disorder that struck several athletes at Rockwall-Heath in a much-publicized case this offseason.
“Kids don’t like two-a-days, and coaches don’t like two-a-days any more than the kids,” Forney coach Jeff Fleener said. “I don’t believe in two-a-days. I’m one that believes in taking care of their bodies, especially early in the year, in order to have them at full strength for longer throughout the year.”