While the actual high school football season is still months away, spring football is a critical part of training for the upcoming season.
Not having 18 days of spring football to evaluate players has been difficult to many coaching staffs around the area, but they are getting used to coaching plays online.
"Being able to get online and being able to have some of those meetings and walk through drills and actually have a PowerPoint of what you are supposed to do and you have video that backs it up," Scott Stewart, Head Football Coach at Temple, said. "I mean, right now, that's not the way I want it. That's not the way most of our kids want it but we're taking advantage at the time we do have and trying to get that done."
The biggest key for players is simply making sure they keep their arms and legs in shape should two a days kick off in August. If not, that is where injuries show up more than anything else.
"If they haven't done anything, it's going to show up pretty early with the amount of injuries we see and everything," Ryan Tedford, strength and conditioning coach at Midway, said. "I guess make sure that they are staying active in some way. Something is better than nothing."
"I told them if you have an ax in the garage, don't even sharpen that thing, go swing it on pieces of wood," Stewart said. "Go hit a tire with a sledge hammer. I've seen some pretty creative stuff. It looks old school like Rocky out there in Siberia."
Many coaches around the country put in many hours throughout the year, which means spending quality time with their family is rare. Stewart and Tedford say spending time with his family has been very important.
"It's been great," Stewart said. "I've got to spend a lot with my children but I tell them all the time, the kids at school are family to me and not being able to get my hands on them everyday has been a struggle but I have really enjoyed my time with my three kids and my wife."
"Family time is something we devote our livelihood and other profession to other people's kids," Tedford said. "So it was kind of nice to be able to sit around and be able to enjoy our family as well."
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