Talking to a local HS football coach today at my pool club, once again the HS season starts early. In fact sanctioned football practice with HS coaches involved for basic training drills starts next week, July 10th. I forget the exact date, but I remember back in ancient times team Captains would be running practice in early August with no coaches around then coaches were allowed and pads given out the last week in August.
NJ HS Football starts with Week Zero August 25th.
- Thread starter ruready4somefootball_rivals
- Start date
Great for those who will get full rides. Not so good for those who want to have summer jobs to save some money.
I agree, way too early and yes cuts down on making summer money. Pretty sure week zero started because of Covid and I'm not sure why they stuck with it. In fact most school weren't charging to get in because teachers were not required to be there yet.
High school teams have always been able to practice all summer. It's non mandatory. Nothing counts until the NJSIAA practice starts date of August 8th or 9th (can't remember the date this year). There are also now double zero and week zero games. Same as last year.
None of this is new.
None of this is new.
I beg to differ. I remember HS football always starting the week after students reported for school with season openers around September 10-14th. Summer practice with coaches never started until mid-August but you might be right that it was around before Covid. Not until last season was I ever able to attend a game for free because no staff always teachers weren't there to run ticket booths for week zero, that is most definitely new. Believe me, the coaching staff doesn't like week zero and now you say week double zero is crazy. Most schools are done with regular season games in late October with very few continuing Thanksgiving Day games.
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I graduated high school in 2003 and I practiced and lifted the entire summer, but nothing counts until njsiaa day.
Summer is a njsiaa free for all. I was a head field hockey coach the last few years. We began practices July 5th every year. My lacrosse team practiced and lifted all summer also.
As a football coach we began practices as soon as the meet of champions ended. Helmets would be distributed first and then all gear. We would attend events or camps that were full contact. But nothing mandatory began until early August.
My HS experience was from the 70's, lol. But seriously, I was really thinking about how soon the season starts now, not so much practice, which I remember being run by players. Am I wrong that until very recently HS regular season games didn't start until students were in class? In 2003, you're telling me football games started before students started class? No way I remember week zero ever being around before.
There weren't playoffs then. And Thanksgiving Day rivalries were supreme. Everybody lifted in the summer and there were no pad 7 on 7s in the evenings. But a kid could still have a summer job. I don't see how that's possible now.
Week zero has been around for a while now. Yes many high school games begin in August now. This is because they wanted to expand the playoffs, but not run into the winter season. Week double zero is beginning also.
Nothing is run by players anymore. This would be massive liability on someone. Summer weight room, summer practices, summer conditioning is all run by the staff. It is a massive commitment by the players and coach, but if you are not doing it you are behind.
We would have the entire base packages installed for football going into day one of practice. If you did not come all summer you better be an absolute stud or you were never getting a look.
The summer is going away quickly. The NJSIAA did meet with athletes a few years ago and they were very open that they would like year round contact allowed (like PA) but create a true dead period in the summer where nothing can be done.
When I scheduled summer workouts I would push for early as possible on Tues, Wednesday, Thursday. This allowed for kids to still go to work, but most were food industry employees so they could still work those easily, and it would allow them to go down the shore for 4 days at a time.
I am in transition to a new school, for teaching and coaching, and summer workouts have been going on for two weeks already. I am there 2-3 days a week.
How soon do you see talent in a kid that college coaches would be interested in? With recruiting sites like Hudl to showcase underclassmen, I would think it takes promoting responsibilities from coaches for the most part. Maybe just questions about work ethic?
For elite skill kids, we can usually tell starting in 8th grade that the potential is there (this goes for all 3 sports I am involved in). Highlight tapes are fun, but college coaches want to see kids play in full games, and live if possible at camps and or at a game. Highlights, unless you are special special, get your name on a list to be seen in person.
Very interesting. I would think Football would take slightly longer as kids bodies mature. Skill positions earlier but the big uglies I would think take longer,but you would have a better idea, I'm just guessing.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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If it leads to getting us to 1 true champ per group that is tremendous. Last season was a dream
Most kids have signs of who they are going to be in an early age. Most kids who end up 6 foot 7 320 and can move are not 5 foot 5 fat slow kids in 8th grade. There are always late bloomers, but that is the exception to the rule.
Thanksgiving games are an endangered species. Most teams who are serious about competing for NJ state titles have long cancelled their Thanksgiving Day games and instead play their rivals like the last game of the regular season at the end of October now.
You can see coordination and athletic talent early on. Between 7th and 10th grade you can have temporary differences basically because kids hit that growth spurt at different times. But the 8th grade late bloomer isn't 5'5" fat and slow. He's 4'11" and still coordinated. And then there's David Robinson who added 6" his plebe year at the Naval Academy.
Exactly. One of my high school players, who was extremely successful in college and played in the NFL for a few years and now in the CFL, was a skinny 8th/9th grader but he had elite coordination and agility from a very young age. He ended up being a 6 foot 190 pound WR/RB who ran a 4.4.
Not good for guys not going to
college at all as well.
All kids should get the summer off. Forget about the negative health effects of working out in July heat. Whose *** is grass WHEN one of these kids drops dead? Unfortunately we will be reading about one before you know it.
How does anyone think this is a good idea? I speak as a lifetime football guy.
I guess the whole NJSIAA and coaches wanting their student athletes to play multiple sports is over? It's crazy that teams are in helmets this early much less shells and full pads.
What do multi sport athletes do? I worked played summer league basketball (AAU) and HS team, lifted and would throw routes with receivers 2-3X/week (when available and without coach) and was able to have a social life. Now with mandatory coach lead practices kids can't be kids. And yet the NJSIAA initiated a shortened winter and spring due to burnout but allows for year round coach lead practices in football.
What do multi sport athletes do? I worked played summer league basketball (AAU) and HS team, lifted and would throw routes with receivers 2-3X/week (when available and without coach) and was able to have a social life. Now with mandatory coach lead practices kids can't be kids. And yet the NJSIAA initiated a shortened winter and spring due to burnout but allows for year round coach lead practices in football.
Main thing is to 1) Have a great Athletic Trainer who will tell even the toughest HC that their wet bulb machine (that measures the heat/humidity in the air temperature) is going off and practice is going to have to be delayed, postponed, moved indoors, or canceled. 2) To have precautions like having a cooler full of wet/ iced towels to cool off players on the sidelines during a game or at practice during breaks or a tub nearby in case something bad happens.
Main reality is that most places don't have those things unfortunately.
As a coach I always took every precaution in oppressive weather (no equipment/helmets, extra breaks and water etc.). But, I have been at many facilities as an admin where folks were business as usual and had to tell them no bueno.
I pray I'm wrong about things to come.
I was looking on Gridiron NJ yesterday and saw that some teams will be playing 2 regular season games in August, which seems bonkers compared to the 90's/early 2000's when the first game was typically the 3rd weekend in September (we were usually playing our first scrimmages August 20th or so, with our 'game scrimmage' being the 2nd weekend in September). My senior year ('97-'98) was the first year where I think the NJSIAA allowed 'mini-camp' (no equipment) in June of the prior school year (we had a 3-day camp with our coaches during June '97 that featured 9th-11th graders; obviously that year's seniors and the incoming freshmen (still technically in 8th grade) could not participate). July used to feature a 2-week conditioning camp (first 2 weeks) with team lifting throughout the month but the last 2 weeks of July were 'blackout' weeks where we couldn't do anything on the field and lifting was 'voluntary'.
Official practices started the first week of August (usually had 1-2 without equipment and then got equipment by the 3rd/4th day). 3rd full week of August was double-sessions with our first scrimmage usually being that Saturday...now teams will have played multiple games before school is even in session, which seems wild.
Joe P.
Official practices started the first week of August (usually had 1-2 without equipment and then got equipment by the 3rd/4th day). 3rd full week of August was double-sessions with our first scrimmage usually being that Saturday...now teams will have played multiple games before school is even in session, which seems wild.
Joe P.
Back around ‘81 you started 2-a-days about 2 weeks before school stated. One session in the morning and another in the afternoon so your day was pretty much shot as far as working which is why I only lasted one year. Do they still do 2-a-days?
But you still had 6-7 weeks. I don't know for sure, but I'd be surprised if they didn't have 2 a days. Ten years before you I actually had 3 a days, with a non-contact 7AM practice.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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I wouldve LOVED the new structure of the season if we couldve had it when I was in high school. NJ was wayyyyy behind the ball and one of the only states to not play down to a true champ for each group
I agree with playing down to group champions; it's just odd right now seeing teams play multiple games before school is officially back in session.
Joe P.
I remember some teams having triple sessions in the 2000's (8-10am, 12-2pm, 4-6pm). In the 90's we had 'classic' double sessions (8-10:30am, 1-3:30pm) with someone almost always throwing up the first day at the start of the second session because they woofed down too big a lunch in between practices...in my opinion two of the 'toughest' unspoken things you had to do during football were leaving an air-conditioned room to go to that first day of double sessions that was always somehow 8 billion degrees with 90% humidity and then when you had to sit on the grass during warm-ups on the first cold + rainy day of practice
Joe P.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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Things have changed alot.I remember some teams having triple sessions in the 2000's (8-10am, 12-2pm, 4-6pm). In the 90's we had 'classic' double sessions (8-10:30am, 1-3:30pm) with someone almost always throwing up the first day at the start of the second session because they woofed down too big a lunch in between practices...in my opinion two of the 'toughest' unspoken things you had to do during football were leaving an air-conditioned room to go to that first day of double sessions that was always somehow 8 billion degrees with 90% humidity and then when you had to sit on the grass during warm-ups on the first cold + rainy day of practice
Joe P.
1) You cant have true 2 a days any longer
2) “conditioning” is alot more functional now. If the coach has even half a brain, no one runs gassers any more. Gassers are counterproductive for teams. It hurts significantly more than it helps. Theres a big emphasis on tempo practice and thats where the conditioning is effectively done
One of the guys I coach with is a Functional Patterns trainer and he started shifting us more towards dynamic movement/ tempo conditioning a few years ago. We still run some conditioning at the end of practice but it's not as pronounced as it was was years ago.
...with the 'double sessions throw-up', that typically happened at the start of practice and usually after the person ate something like a giant sandwich 30 minutes before the start of the second session.
Joe P.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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Hawthorne (on the junior levels); this year will be my 10th season (started in 2011, took a 2-year break 2016-2017).
Joe P.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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2 additional weeks of ball? Sign me up. My soph junior and senior year we went a combined 31-4, went to 3 sectional title games and won 2 of them frankly we were bored. We pasted teams, we had very few teams actually stay in games with us. If we couldve scheduled a week zero game vs a south jersey power (we were north jersey) and then got 2 additional games after winning sectionals theres not a single kid who wouldnt sign up for it
I'm in favor of playing down to actual group state champions and not against Week Zero games at the tail end of August/ start of September. The 'Week Double Zero' is going to take some getting used to and I'm not sure if it's the greatest idea/option. I loved Thanksgiving football though even I was able to see that it had to be adjusted in order to play down to group champions; I don't think a 'Week Double Zero' is needed to continue to do such. It can definitely be me just getting used to this change though it seems odd to have teams playing 25%-40% of their regular season schedule by the first full week of September; in some cases teams will have played 7 games by October 6th, which would be exactly 1 month into the 2023-2024 school year.
Joe P.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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Week 0 and double zero isnt required. Schools have to opt in if they want games.
Thanks for the update/information; it didn't seem mandatory though a significant amount of teams are opening up on 8/25.
Joe P.