Below is the bylaw on practice allowance for Ca.. Do other states also restrict the number of practice hours allowed, and are they more or less restrictive?
[i]506. PRACTICE ALLOWANCE
For the benefit of the physical and mental health of our student-athletes, all practices (as defined herein) under the auspices of the high school athletic program during the season of sport shall be conducted under the following conditions (See also Bylaw 504.M.):
- All teams will be allowed no more than 18 hours of practice time per week and no more than four (4) hours in any single day.
(1) Multiple Practice Sessions
- Double day practices shall not be held on consecutive days.
- Must include a minimum of three (3) hours rest between practices.
(2) Golf Only
- In the sport of golf only, a team is allowed a maximum of two (2) days per week of 18-hole practice rounds. [Counts as four (4) hours]
- Any competition day would count as three (3) hours toward the allowable weekly and daily practice hours no matter the length of the contest(s). No practice may be held following the conclusion of any contest.
- Definition of Practice
(1) Any school team or individual activity organized by the coach that is intended to maintain or improve a student-athlete’s skill proficiency in a sport; AND/OR
(2) Any school team or individual activity that includes skill drills, game situation drills, inter-squad scrimmages or games, weight training, chalk talks, film review, meetings outside of school time (excluding parent meetings) that are implicitly/explicitly requ ired by the coach; AND/OR
(3) Any other coach-directed or supervised school team or individual activity or instruction for a specific sport (private, small group or positional instruction, etc.) AND/OR
(4) Any other team or individual instruction for a specific sport organized or supervised by any team member, or anyone else associated with the high school athletic program, team or school; AND
(5) Outside organization activity (club, etc.), shall not be used to circumvent these Bylaws.
- Other mandatory activities (including, but not limited to study hall, tutorial sessions, team dinners), shall not be considered part of practice time. These activities must be approved by the principal. Activities that would be included herein are exclusive to any activity already covered in C.(1)-(5) above.
- This Bylaw shall not supersede any School/District/Section policies that may be more restrictive.
- Penalties
Following the determination of a violation of CIF Bylaw 506, a loss of practice day(s) and/or other sanctions, for each practice session infraction, shall be imposed by the Section as deemed appropriate to the level, extent, and duration of the infraction(s).
NOTE: For purposes of this Bylaw, the season of sport begins with each team’s first day of practice.
Frequently Asked Questions - (FAQs will continue to be revised as needed and appropriate to assist schools in understanding the implementation of the Bylaw. Schools seeking additional clarification should contact their local CIF Section office.)
Q: Our football coach conducts a one (1) hour before school weightlifting activity in the weight room for football players. Does this count in the three (3) hours per school day practice limitation?
A: Before school activities that are NOT part of the curricularday are subject to the practice limitations. If the activity is organized and/or directed and/or supervised by any of the football coaching staff and only open to football players then YES it is considered to be practice and counted in the daily limit.
Q: Our football coach conducts a one (1) hour before school “Zero Period” weightlifting activity in the weight room for football players. Does this count in the daily practice limitation?
A: If “Zero Period” IS considered part of the curricular day then it does not count against the practice duration limitations.
Q: We have a one (1) hour (a) before school; (b) zero period; general weight lifting activity in the weight room, advertised to all the athletes in the school who wish to participate. The football coach supervises this activity. While it is advertised to everyone in the school, it is primarily utilized by the football players. Does this count as practice activity in the daily practice duration limitation?
A: (a) Before school is not part of the curricular day so activities during this time are subject to practice duration limitations. However, if the activity is a non-sport specific strength program, open to all athletes, it would be considered general conditioning and would not count as part of the practice duration limitations. As long asthe school has done their best to advertise and make it open to everyone, and it is not a non-football hostile environment, or is not located in an area where female or other sport athletes do not have access (i.e. access only through the boys locker room), regardless of who attends or who is supervising, the activity would not be considered practice and would not, therefore, count in the daily practice limitation. (b) If Zero period IS considered part of the curricular day then it does not count against the practice duration limitations.
Q: A (a) Volleyball or Football; (b) Cross Country; Coach tells their team members “just go for an hour run” as a team (or asindividuals) and then meet back in the gym to begin practice. Does that hour of just running count towards the practice duration limitation for that day?
A: Yes. This activity done as a team or as an individual and has been implicitly/explicitly required by the coach; directed and/or organized and/or supervised by the coach would count towards the daily practice duration limitations.
Q: A Basketball coach tells their team members that they are required to run a minimum number of miles each week on their own for conditioning. Does this count towards the practice duration limitations for any given day?
A: Yes, this would be considered an activity under C.(2) and (4) above because it was required and or implied by the coach forhis/her basketball team members to participate. If it was not implicitly or explicitly required by the Coach it would not count towards practice duration limitations.
Q: The Water Polo Coach establishes a swimming conditioning session (a) before practice each day (b) in the morning before school; (c) during “Zero Period”; Does this count towards the practice duration limitations for that day?
A: (a) Yes, swimming conditioning is directly related to water polo skill development, so this would count towards the daily practice duration limitations. (b) Yes, swimming conditioning is directly related to water polo skill development, so this would count towards the daily practice duration limitation. (c) If “Zero Period” is considered part of the curricular day it does not count against the practice duration limitations.
Q: A student plays volleyball in the fall and basketball in the winter. During the overlap time of those two (2) seasons is a student allowed to practice for four hours per day for volleyball and then another four (4) hours per day for basketball, for a total of eight (8) hours of practice on any given day?
A: No. During any season overlap period for any student-athlete, that student-athlete is still limited to a total practice time for both sports not to exceed the daily practice duration limitation [four (4) hours max per day and only 18 hours per week].
Q: A student plays baseball and tennis in the same season of sport. If they have competitions on the same day for both sports how would those hours be counted?
A: The total number of hours would be three (3) regardless of the total time of both contests (see Bylaw 506.B.)[/i]
