August 30, 2012|By Katherine Dunn | The Baltimore Sun
Locally, many coaches said they would be fine with limits because they don't practice with full contact more than once a week after the season starts. Others, including Poly's Webster, would prefer it spread out over several days. He said his team only goes full speed about a half hour each day, but he feels they need that to practice the offensive and defensive strategies tailored for their next opponent.
At Westminster, coach Brad Wilson said when he started coaching more than 30 years ago, his teams practiced full contact four or five days a week. Not anymore.
"I think the game has changed," Wilson said. "We don't hit like we used to -- first, to look out for the safety of the kids and second, I don't think it's necessary. It's more teaching technique."
Wilson and most other coaches also rely on the certified athletic trainer, who is more knowledgeable about concussions.
For Gioia, athletic trainers play a key role in concussion management along with education and ImPACT, Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing -- a computer test that provides a baseline reading of cognitive functions that can be used after a concussion to determine when an athlete is recovered enough to play.
This fall, Howard County limited the number of days of full-contact practice. Football teams can practice in full pads three days a week but can go full speed only twice.
"Most of our coaches are more restrictive than that," Howard County coordinator of athletics Mike Williams said.
"They've been following what the NFL does and some of these other groups and it just protects the kids. You can't stop all concussions," he said. "You just can't do that when there's contact and collisions, but what you can do is limit the number of concussions by the proper fitting of certified equipment, by proper teaching of tackling and blocking techniques, by how often you go live full-speed hitting and by not using drills that are no longer appropriate."
katherine.dunn@baltsun.com
