First of all when you read most rules, regulations, guidelines and laws by any government, business or organization, you can be certain to encounter poorly written text and screwy logic (recently, NFL new kickoff rules). The main things sought to accomplish is to try to control everything while leaving room for themselves to fudge forget forgo the rules when they choose, while claiming to do so for the good of players and the game.
Thank God we did not have these rules when I played high school football during 1979 and 1980. We had two a day practices in the summer, each of which must have lasted three hours. I don't remember days off, but we most likely had weekends off and dangerous weather days off.
I fully suspect these rules increase the chance of injury due to players not being able to “harden off” their bodies and their techniques under full contact conditions.
What follows is a small sample of the rules:
2. Preseason Practice. Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athletically related activities occurring during preseason practice prior to the first day of classes or the first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier.
3. Exception -- Football. [FBS/FCS] In football, on one day in every seven days during the preseason practice period (prior to the institution's first day of classes or seven days before the institution's first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier) a student-athlete’s participation in countable athletically related activities shall be limited to not more than two hours of off-field meetings or film review. Daily and weekly hour limitations on countable athletically related activities shall apply beginning with the institution's first day of classes or seven days before the institution's first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier.4. An institution shall not conduct more than a total of 75 minutes of full contact (tackling to the ground) within any one on-field practice session other than during the two permissible scrimmages; and
5. An institution shall not conduct more than two scrimmages during the preseason practice period. A scrimmage is a practice devoted primarily (greater than 50 percent of practice time) to 11-on-11, full contact (tackling to the ground) activities. A scrimmage counts as one of the eight permissible practices in full pads and may include more than 75 minutes of full contact (tackling to the ground).6. Daily and Weekly Hour Limitations -- Playing Season. A student-athlete's participation in countable athletically related activities (see Bylaw 17.02.1) shall be limited to a maximum of four hours per day and 20 hours per week.
7. Preseason Practice. Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athletically related activities occurring during preseason practice prior to the first day of classes or the first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier.8. 17.1.7.3.5.1 Exception -- Football. [FBS/FCS] In football, on one day in every seven days during the preseason practice period (prior to the institution's first day of classes or seven days before the institution's first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier) a student-athlete’s participation in countable athletically related activities shall be limited to not more than two hours of off-field meetings or film review. Daily and weekly hour limitations on countable athletically related activities shall apply beginning with the institution's first day of classes or seven days before the institution's first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier.
