Board Drills - (NFHS/SMAC) and Commissioner Tackett recommend elimination

[FootballGuy2121]

KHSAA sent an email yesterday stating that board drills with OL/DL are now banned. Seems odd when it's a productive and safe drill. 

[ChiefSmoke]

Has anyone ever seen a board drill where the players lined up 4 yards or more apart from each other? 

I have not.

[Three Blind Mice]

2 hours ago, ChiefSmoke said:

Has anyone ever seen a board drill where the players lined up 4 yards or more apart from each other? 

I have not.

Every time I did it, I was lucky if there were 4 inches to fire out.  

[VF111]

43 minutes ago, Three Blind Mice said:

Every time I did it, I was lucky if there were 4 inches to fire out.  

This. I distinctly remember the light clicking sound of my helmet tapping the defender's as we both waited for the signal to unleash Armageddon on the two to three centimeters that separated us.

[Old606Guy]

It was an inane rule. I meant to post something yesterday and did not. I too have never seen a board drill where players were more than 4 yards apart. If they were backing up and taking a bigger run at someone, that’s on the coaches as bad coaches to not immediately correct it and ensure proper use of the drill. Board drills are used to teach players how to properly leverage and use muscles to drive aggressively. Full stop. If you’re a coach and letting players take 5,6,7 yard running starts in board drills, you stink at coaching and deserve to be called on it for failing your kids. But to punish the 99.9% of coaches who use it correctly is a knee jerk overreaction on the part of the Commish and his cronies. 

[theguru]

From another thread:

He (the Commish) sent this out this morning. Gone are the days of Oklahoma and board drills. 

The following contact drills, if a part of workouts and practice, should be totally ELIMINATED:

1. Any drill that promotes one-on-one tests of strength within an artificially confined area that does not permit the defensive player to angle their approach, shed the blocker, or take other evasive action;
2. Any Bull Rush when both the rusher and the blocker are aligned more than four yards apart in an effort to reduce closing speeds and unnecessary helmet contact;
3. Any full-speed head-on blocking or tackling drills in which the players line up more than four yards apart; and
4. Drills such as, but not limited to, Bull in the Ring/King of the Circle, Oklahoma Drill, Offensive Line/Defensive Line In-Line Run Blocking/Board-Drill, where there is a vertical push with the defensive player making no attempt to evade the block.

https://bluegrasspreps.com/forums/topic/256698-frank-riherd-steps-away-from-khsaa-scoreboard-to-due-to-health/page/4/#findComment-5290801

[Unrivaled97]

4 minutes ago, theguru said:

From another thread:

He (the Commish) sent this out this morning. Gone are the days of Oklahoma and board drills. 

The following contact drills, if a part of workouts and practice, should be totally ELIMINATED:

1. Any drill that promotes one-on-one tests of strength within an artificially confined area that does not permit the defensive player to angle their approach, shed the blocker, or take other evasive action;
2. Any Bull Rush when both the rusher and the blocker are aligned more than four yards apart in an effort to reduce closing speeds and unnecessary helmet contact;
3. Any full-speed head-on blocking or tackling drills in which the players line up more than four yards apart; and
4. Drills such as, but not limited to, Bull in the Ring/King of the Circle, Oklahoma Drill, Offensive Line/Defensive Line In-Line Run Blocking/Board-Drill, where there is a vertical push with the defensive player making no attempt to evade the block.

https://bluegrasspreps.com/forums/topic/256698-frank-riherd-steps-away-from-khsaa-scoreboard-to-due-to-health/page/4/#findComment-5290801

So can you just say that both linemen doing the drill are considered offensive linemen 🤷‍♂️ 

[theguru]

20 minutes ago, Unrivaled97 said:

So can you just say that both linemen doing the drill are considered offensive linemen 🤷‍♂️ 

I am a messenger only here, the real experts would need to weigh in. 

[WKY_Football]

Never count on Tackett & the KHSAA not sending an email out attacking football at any point and time. If Kentucky HS coaches do not start protecting football and having a true seat at the table this sport will be in deep, deep trouble in this state very soon. 

[SC Fball HC]

Just so we have all the facts this was not a memo generated by the KHSAA, it was part of a recommendation from the NFHS Sports Medicine Counsel.   I think our organization has a voice, sometimes we may have too many which is where things get muddied up!

[James Graham]

I don't know... I can see how the board still helps the young kids with their "base", but almost every major college in warm-ups now does their 1v1 run block just like 1v1 pass block and the defender is usually shaded in the position that player plays in their defense.  Obviously, there is no board.  It's actually much more realistic and seems to be allowed under the guidance being given.  

[TimeWillTell]

21 hours ago, WKY_Football said:

Never count on Tackett & the KHSAA not sending an email out attacking football at any point and time. If Kentucky HS coaches do not start protecting football and having a true seat at the table this sport will be in deep, deep trouble in this state very soon. 

If there's a mandate from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) why do the Kentucky coaches have to stand up? Don't you think coaches in other states have to stand up?

[theguru]

Directly from the KHSAA:

07/07/2026- Additional Guidance for Minimizing Risk in Football Contract Practice Drills

Following more than two years of review, the National Federation of State High School Associations’ Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (NFHS SMAC) has issued a specific list of drills deemed to need elimination (where they are still being conducted) to further minimize risk during contact drills. Though most of these drills are no longer part of the vast majority of today’s practice sessions, this reminder is essential to ensure everyone is on the same page about minimizing risk during preseason and in-season training. We are thankful that coaches, athletic administrators and medical professionals from throughout the country were involved in this important review.

Please ensure this is circulated widely to all involved in high school practices and competition, as well as to related middle school coaches and those involved at that level.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) has recommended that the following be distributed by member state associations to their member schools regarding football contact drills during practice. The intent of this guidance is to minimize risk and to reduce closing speeds in football contact drills and unnecessary helmet-to-helmet contact in football practice.

The following contact drills, if a part of workouts and practice, should be totally ELIMINATED: 

1. Any drill that promotes one-on-one tests of strength within an artificially confined area that does not permit the defensive player to angle their approach, shed the blocker, or take other evasive action;
2. Any Bull Rush when both the rusher and the blocker are aligned more than four yards apart in an effort to reduce closing speeds and unnecessary helmet contact;
3. Any full-speed head-on blocking or tackling drills in which the players line up more than four yards apart; and
4. Drills such as, but not limited to, Bull in the Ring/King of the Circle, Oklahoma Drill, Offensive Line/Defensive Line In-Line Run Blocking/Board-Drill, where there is a vertical push with the defensive player making no attempt to evade the block.

Distributed to the member schools of the KHSAA, including all football coaches, on 7/7/26 in a school year when official practice starts 7/10/26.

https://khsaa.org/07-07-2026-additional-guidance-for-minimizing-risk-in-football-contract-practice-drills/

[WKY_Football]

1 hour ago, TimeWillTell said:

If there's a mandate from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) why do the Kentucky coaches have to stand up? Don't you think coaches in other states have to stand up?

It’s not a mandate. It’s a recommendation. And as stated above, in a normal “board drill,” players are no more than at max 1-2 feet apart from each other. 
 

That is what I mean by standing up to it. Sorry for the lack of clarity. 

[theguru]

So is this a hard and fast rule with no exceptions that these drills are banned or is this simply guidance/a strong recommendation that these drills be eliminated? 

Huge difference!  Anyone?