Any football fan worth his pigskin has heard about the horror stories. Some, if old enough, have even lived though them.
Tales of football practices from decades ago talk of practices in the grueling summer heat with no water breaks, salt tablets given to players and the act of “toughening up” players with methods unthinkable today.
Legendary college football coach Bear Bryant in fact is believed to be one of the worst at this. The memorable story, so aptly described in Jim Dent’s book “The Junction Boys” talks of how Bryant took his first team at Texas A&M into the desert for what turned into a battle for survival — literally. Even during these different times, players subjected to these brutal conditions when it came to practicing football were truly fortunate to not suffer lasting damage.
How much have times changed today? Consider this: most high school players don’t even have to ask for a water break. If they need one, they are told to take it without asking.
That’s a far cry from the old days of Bryant and coaches of a different era who viewed water as a bad thing.
“I guess most of us have heard about those no water practices and giving players salt tablets,” first-year Winder-Barrow High School coach David Wagner said. “The big key is to keeping them hydrated with numerous water breaks. That’s what we always try to do.”
The advances in training techniques are also a plus for athletes today. You often hear people talk about the lack of air conditioning in most homes decades ago as well as no AC in the schools themselves. However, common sense should tell anyone that student-athletes, even ones who are young and, in theory, the best shape of their lives, need to be hydrated often during weather like what we are experiencing.
Watch scenes from an NFL practice some time and see how much water these players are given. It has nothing to do with toughness but rather common sense in my book. Even a few years ago a player for the Minnesota Vikings died after a practice session due to the heat.
The coaches locally constantly keep a watch on their players. Added to a staff of trainers, the coaches are much more cautious now and, quite frankly, use more common sense in this area. It’s one thing we should all be fortunate for.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
