CFL Bans All Padding During Reg.Season Practices

[King Colt]

The CFL has passed a rule whereby the only padding players will wear is a helmet for practices. Immediately the question is will this result in an increase in injuries in the games? Why "train" for a game that contains hitting by banning hitting? Also, what does this do for the players conditioning? Someone said "in ten years we won't recognize football" and I believe it.  I see the NFL following suit here in the coming years unless the injuries pile up as a result of this rule change.

CFL ending full-contact padded practices during the season, effective immediately

Posted by Charean Williams on September 13, 2017, 4:31 PM EDT

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The Canadian Football League and Canadian Football League Players’ Association have agreed to no longer allow full-contact padded practices during the season, according to Dave Naylor of TSN. The ban, which is effective immediately, could have ripple effects beyond the CFL.

CFL rules previously allowed for full-contact practices during training camp, plus an additional 17 days during the season. The new rule only prohibits full-contact padded practices in-season, with hitting still permitted in training camp.

 

The safety rule, which the CFL is expected to announce later Tuesday, came from several meetings between the CFLPA and new CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie over the summer.

Per Naylor, the CFL also will announce an expansion of its regular season from 20 to 21 weeks, reducing the number of quick turnarounds between games. Teams now will have three byes instead of two, leaving the number of games each team plays at 18

[mikey287]

I'd like to entertain both sides of this before jumping to a conclusion, but my initial take is that this is really not smart and will serve to create more injuries. I have coached hockey for the last decade or so...seen at youth levels. Some districts/provinces/levels/etc. eliminated hitting below a certain age threshold. Coaches did not, therefore, put any emphasis on making or taking a hit...wasn't part of their game. When the good players moved up to the next level (where hitting was legal) and played against a more diverse talent pool of players who already know how to give and receive a hit, they got their clock cleaned...

 

Quickly became a safety issue. Parents reacted, etc. Learning how to hit at youth levels isn't about trying to inflict damage on another, it's part of the fabric of the game and it's teaching you how to protect yourself appropriately. 

 

I feel like they lessened practices to a degree in the NFL, and as a result, there have been more injuries...difficult to find a happy medium, no doubt, but very tough to practice in a completely different environment than a game. As someone who loves to simulate game scenarios in practice, this creates a serious dichotomy for the league and its players...

[ReMeDy]

8 hours ago, mikey287 said:

I feel like they lessened practices to a degree in the NFL, and as a result, there have been more injuries...difficult to find a happy medium, no doubt, but very tough to practice in a completely different environment than a game. As someone who loves to simulate game scenarios in practice, this creates a serious dichotomy for the league and its players...

 

Well look no further than the Colts. We were very non-committed to contact and look where that got us: We got soft, and more importantly, we forgot how to tackle. This lack of tackling shows up time and time again on film. We're one of the worst tackling teams in the NFL imo.

[Derakynn]

I think this is going to severely impact players that are trying to hone their skills to eventually move up to the NFL.

[King Colt]

I would like to hear from former players that lived for hitting.

[BloodyChamp]

14 hours ago, King Colt said:

I would like to hear from former players that lived for hitting.

 

Chuck Bendarik is spinning.