Calhoun sees a benefit in physical practices

On Saturday, for the first time in training camp, Air Force football put on full pads for practice. That isn’t an insignificant thing for the Falcons.

Coach Troy Calhoun likes his team to hit in practice. Over the next month, the Falcons will test each other’s toughness every day in practice with physical drill after physical drill. Calhoun’s undersized teams are lauded for their fundamental play, and that comes from going all out in practice.

“Because of your body size, you have to be that good fundamentally,” Calhoun said. “I think you have to block the way you block on game day, and tackle the way you tackle, so I think you have to have a ton of contact here.”

The notion that teams have to go in full pads and hit every day of training camp has changed over the years. In the recent collective bargaining agreement, NFL players negotiated to eliminate two full-contact practices per day in training camp. The Ivy League recently announced it will allow only two full-contact practices per week during the season and one per day during preseason practices.

Teams usually cut back on contact in practice for health reasons. Former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan had his players go through very few full-contact practices to prevent injuries before the season started. Calhoun was an assistant under Shanahan for three seasons, but he didn’t think Shanahan’s camp philosophy would be a good fit at Air Force.

As far as the increased possibility of an injury, Calhoun simply feels injuries can happen anytime.

“It’s part of the game,” Calhoun said.

Air Force doesn’t go overboard with the hitting – the coaches normally don’t want full tackling in practice, although a player ends up on the ground once in a while. That’s tough to avoid when the team is in full pads and encouraged to be physical in practice.

San Diego State coach Rocky Long said his Aztecs do full tackling during preseason camp, until about 10 days before the season starts when they’ll do “thud,” which is hitting a ballcarrier and wrapping him up but not bringing him to the ground.

“I think the fundamental of tackling has deteriorated at all levels - high schools, colleges, and pros – I think it has deteriorated because we hit less in practice,” said Long, who is well respected for his defensive philosophies. “The only way to get better at something is to practice it, so if you’re not practicing tackling as much, you’re not as good of a tackler.”

Long said he thinks the mentality of not hitting much in practice started in the NFL, and he has seen it trickle down to all levels. As for the injury risk, Long and Calhoun are on the same page.

“People can get hurt anywhere,” Long said. “We’ve lost guys for two or three weeks because they turn an ankle in practice, and that has nothing to do with hitting.”

Calhoun sees benefits of physical practices in areas other than tackling fundamentals. He thinks the quarterback improves from being surrounded by a game-like tempo in practice. He feels running backs hold onto the ball better if they’re getting hit in practice, and defensive players are better getting the ball out.

Mostly, he didn’t adopt many of the NFL philosophies he saw because he thinks college players need live repetitions to improve. He said that’s especially the case at Air Force, where players can’t redshirt and they can’t enroll a semester early out of high school.

“Anytime you’re working at the college level, there’s a development factor that has to occur with 18 years olds, from the time they’re 18 to 22 years old, that’s different for a 25- or 28-year-old,” Calhoun said.