Pre-season Football Practice

Long Day / Short Day

South Carolina High School Football Pre-Season Practice Plan

(Endorsed by SCATA, Ad Hoc SCHSL Preseason Acclimatization Committee)

BACKGROUND: In the summer of 2009 the Inter-association Task Force for Preseason Secondary School Athletics* recommended preseason heat-acclimatization guidelines for secondary school athletic programs to minimize the risk of heat illness during preseason football practice.

PURPOSE: The intent of the following “exposure-based proposal” is to promote an acclimatization and recovery model for SCHSL football consistent with the Inter-association Task Force guidelines that also allows coaches to appropriately prepare their teams and fits into the current SCHSL’s preseason football schedule.

PRACTICE TIMELINE:

• Days 1-2: 3 hours of Practice in Helmet and Shorts
  • Divide the time to best benefit your program
• Days 3-4: 3 hours of Practice in Helmet and Shoulder pads permitted
• Contact with shields, dummies, and sleds permitted
  • Divide the time to best benefit your program
  • *Note: Shoulder pads are not permitted before Monday, August 4, 2025
• Day 5: 3 hours of Full Contact Practice in Full Gear permitted
  • Divide the time to best benefit your program
• Days 6-14: Full Contact Practice in Full Gear permitted
• Must alternate days Long Practice Day and Short Practice Day
• Long Day: 5 hours of practice permitted
  • Divide the time to best benefit your program

▪  Practices must be separated by 2-hours of continuous rest

• Long Day can follow a Rest Day (even if the day before the Rest Day was Long Day)
• Short Day: 3 hours of practice permitted
  • Divide the time to best benefit your program
• Days 15+: Full Contact Practice in Full Gear permitted
• No restrictions on practice

NOTES:

• First practice permitted: Thursday, July 31, 2025.

• Practice is defined as a period of time a participant engages in a coach-supervised, school-approved, sport or conditioning-related physical activity.

• Practice times (including warm-up, stretching, cool-down time, conditioning) shall not exceed 3 hours.

• Three days between scrimmages and jamborees.

• All practices occurring Days 1-14 must be documented to show compliance.
• All athletes must complete Days 1-4 of the practice timelines before participation in full pads.

• Weight room activities do not count as practice time but must be separated from practice by at least 2 hours of continuous rest to allow for recovery.

• Exception: No continuous rest period is required if weight room activities are counted as a part of the day’s allotted practice time. (i.e. lift for 1 hour then practice for 2 hours; or practice for 2 hours and then lift for 1 hour)
• A Walk-through is allowed and does not count against practice time. Walk-through is defined as a teaching opportunity with athletes:
• not wearing protective equipment
• not using sports-related equipment
• participating in an indoor, climate-controlled environment.

• Must have a Rest Day after 6 consecutive practice days.

• Scrimmages are permitted on either a Long Day or Short Day. A scrimmage will count as 3hours.

• All athletes must have a pre-participation physical exam before athletic participation.

• If weather/lightning postpones practice in progress, the practice may resume after a warm-up (20 minute maximum) and the remainder of allotted practice time may be completed.

*Inter-association Task Force includes – Gatorade Sports Science, Amer. College of Sports Med., NATA, NSCA, US Army Research institute, Amer.Orthopaedic Society for Sports Med., Amer. Medical Society for Sports Med., Amer. Academy of Pediatrics*