I think it's a big advantage, because you simply get more realism for field vision and speed on the field than you do in the gym. What do you think?

One of the biggest advantages there is in Kentucky high school football.

I would think it does.

I agree that it is an advantage year round.

Helps baseball and softball even more, giving them a place to practice in the early spring when it's wet and sloppy outside.

 

In all seriousness, are those two weeks of spring football that vital to a programs success at the high school level. I know it's another evaluation period, and you can put some basic things in, but are seasons really made or broken in the spring??

Helps baseball and softball even more, giving them a place to practice in the early spring when it's wet and sloppy outside.

 

In all seriousness, are those two weeks of spring football that vital to a programs success at the high school level. I know it's another evaluation period, and you can put some basic things in, but are seasons really made or broken in the spring??

 

I'll say it.

 

No.

I'll say it.

 

No.

 

I don't know that it is make or break... But it is important - especially for new staffs.

Big advantage, even more so if indoor.

I'll say it.

 

No.

 

With so many kids playing spring sports...it is NOT make or break by any means. Coaches can work with kids anytime out of pads anyway. Too much emphasis placed on spring ball. IF we ever get to a point where we can scrimmage, then I think it really does mean something.

With so many kids playing spring sports...it is NOT make or break by any means. Coaches can work with kids anytime out of pads anyway. Too much emphasis placed on spring ball. IF we ever get to a point where we can scrimmage, then I think it really does mean something.

 

^^What he said, especially the last part.

I don't know that it is make or break... But it is important - especially for new staffs.

 

I agree with that.

 

More than anything, it gives you an IDEA of what you have to work with for the coming year. Who can do what? We can do what? What we can't do (or might need to put on the back burner)? Etc.

 

It gives you an idea more than anything.

 

Personally, I think it's a great period to work on a lot of individual work, especially for your linemen. I know a couple places where they have so many kids playing baseball (one school in particular, of the 9 baseball starters...guess how many were football kids? That's right. All 9), which a good amount of those were/are skill kids; that it more or less has become a Linemen Mini-Camp so to speak. Fun times.

Wow, I really expected to get flamed for questioning spring ball. I do agree that it is a big help for new coaching staffs. But I for the most part feel spring ball is kind of unnecessary, and a bit of overkill at the high school level.

I think 10 days in pads and teaching can really help a player develop. It can especially help at places like Mason County where we still have some catching up to do, compared to other places that have been playing football for 50 + years.

 

But, those advantages do not outweigh the benefits and once in a lifetime opportunity for a kid to play baseball, tennis, or running track. If they want to do those sports, now is the time.

 

They started spring ball in 98 and it has helped us close the gap substantially.

There's a huge change in a kid from say, Sophomore year to Junior year--and for some their big 'change-year' is between Frosh & Jr.

 

He might've been undersized and/or behind a stud player last year. Spring allows that kid to get 'first team reps' for maybe the first time so you can get a better sense of where he fits varsity-wise prior to summer practice.

 

We don't do much of a depth chart between the end of the season and the next spring, but the one we make coming out of spring practice is very important: it sets who starts off getting most reps in June 7on7 work and then in actual team practice starting July 15.

 

The other big benefit of spring practice is that it allows you to work on 'wrinkles' in a full-pad football situation more than you'd be able to in July or thereafter. For instance, one year we knew to compete w/ CovCath, Highlands, etc., we needed to do something they weren't ready for, so we knew we'd be running true Single-Wing against them. We used the spring to work on it live against a defense, film it, analyze the film, etc. Got to see some things that worked and some things that needed 'tweaking.' Got enough done that spring we were able to keep it 'in our back pocket' for 6 games until we played our 1st district game vs. CovCath. I don't think we'd have beaten them if they'd been able to prepare for it or if we hadn't had those 10 days in the spring to work out the kinks.

A lot of schools (most) at the 1A and 2A level do not even have Spring practice because there is simply not enough players not in a Spring sport to make it worthwhile.