College Football: to protect players, Ivy League, which has to reduce contact

Change, to be implemented season go far beyond the rules that N.C.A.A. and is thought to be more stringent than any other Conference. The League will also review the rules for men's and women's hockey, lacrosse and football to determine whether there are ways to reduce hits head and concussions in these sports.

The new rules will be introduced as a growing amount of research suggests to limit full-contact practice can be among the most practical ways to reduce brain trauma among footballers. According to a study of three Division I College teams, was published last year in the journal of Athletic training, college players pass more of total hits to the head in practice than in the game.

"Because of the seriousness of the potential consequences, the Presidents are determined in the league needed to take preventive steps to protect the welfare of our student-athletes," said Robin Harris, the Executive Director of the Ivy League.

Under the new rules, teams will be able to keep full-contact only two practices per week during the season, compared to a maximum of five, according to the guidelines for the N.C.A.A.. Methods cannot have contact or live tackles the other days of the week, and no player may "be on the ground."

During the preseason, will act to keep only a full-contact meeting during day two methods.

In the spring, then the number of no-contact practices be increased to four from three. Above all, the number of methods with some form of contact reduced 42% compared with the N.C.A.A. borders.

An ad hoc Committee which included college presidents, athletic directors, coaches, team doctors and other medical experts creates rules after a nearly yearlong investigation, the League said. Although an exact link not defined between playing football and long-term effects on the brain's functions, are invited to a growing body of data Committee moving proactively.

The League is also like football coaches to spend more time stress and the teaching of technology in order to avoid helmet hits and show videos permissible and nonpermissible hits.

Some buses in the eight-team Ivy League has already limit the number of full-contact practice sessions and rules is to investigate and remove them from the game if they have suffered serious head hits or concussions. The new rules, but will prevent existing or new buses from adding full-contact practice, "said Harris.

"I am not sure is going to be any dramatic change, since changes in recent years to handle header items have changed dramatically," said Tim Murphy, coach at Harvard. "If we want young people to continue to fall in love with this great sport, we need to protect the athletes."

Murphy said to reduce contact during the week will not only reduce the risk of head trauma, but also keep their players fresher game days. Too much contact in practice may lead to diminishing returns, "he said. Murphy added that he did not believe that the more stringent rules will have any impact on recruitment.

For a full season of practice average each team that are tracked in the study published by the Journal of Athletic Training 2,500 total hits to the head which is measured as significant battles (50-79 g's of force) and about 300 hits in the head ", which was in the range hj?rnskakning-cause (80-119 g 's). Each team had nearly 200 law collisions measured over 120 g 's, which experts have likened to crash a car into the concrete wall at 40 miles an hour.

Ivy League has no League statistics on the number of concussions and head items that occur during practices or games because universities track them in different ways. But in more than 40 games including Ivy League teams last year, eight penalties were assessed for helmet hits or blows to the head. Four other penalties were provided for hits to a defenseless player. In all involved 0,18% of plays significant helmet hits or hits in the head, according to the Association's tasks.

Several schools and conferences have re-evaluated the protocols on head injuries in recent years, although restrictions on the practice carried out by the Ivy League is considered rare if not unprecedented.

"We have to worry about it, and it seems we should err on the side of caution," says Margot Putukian, Director of athletic medicine at Princeton University. My hope is that this will work at Penn State, too.