Ball State University Athletics
Ball State Football Spring Practice #11 Report
April 14, 2011 | Football
Ball State had its first Thursday Spring Practice of the season, moving Friday's session up due to incoming weather. Coach Pete Lembo discussed the day.
You went back to shorts and helmets today instead of full pads, what was the reasoning?
We like to go out in uppers for a number of reasons. First and foremost, if you are a Division I athlete, you should be able to play the game at full speed, keep your feet underneath you and stay off the ground. You find out quickly who can get this done when we are in "thud" tempo for team periods. We should be able to reduce injuries in practice this way. As a player, it always feels a little lighter on your legs when you are in shorts rather than full pads. It's probably as much psychological as anything else. But, if it helps the guys feel better and practice harder on our third day in a row, it's worth it. In addition, the NCAA requires that some of our spring sessions do not include full contact with tackling. Today's practice fulfilled one of those stipulations.
Three straight days of practice this week, how is the conditioning?
Our conditioning is improving, although I do not believe we are in the kind of shape we will need to be for preseason camp in August. We are in adequate shape for spring based on our limited depth in certain positions like the offensive line, defensive line and linebacker. The guys are getting a lot of repetitions each session. We try to keep everyone moving, everyone working, throughout each practice session. If we are highly organized as a staff, we should be able to get this done. You can get an awful lot done in two hours or so if everyone is on the same page and is hustling around. Improved conditioning becomes a byproduct of an up tempo practice. Once we get into final exams, the players will have a couple weeks to rest up before the summer strength and conditioning program kicks off. That is the critical time to get in shape before the start of preseason camp.
The new strength coach has been in place for a little time now, how are we addressing your needs in the weight room?
Coach David Feeley has done an excellent job converting the plan and structure of the strength program to an Olympic style. We believe in the constant development of our players in all areas of their lives. Their physical strength, explosiveness and flexibility are critical components to becoming a successful player on the field. We made some solid gains this winter and the guys are continuing to work hard and push heavy weights as the spring season has progressed. Coach Feeley felt like Monday was one of the best days since he has been here. That's a credit to our kids buying into his program, but also his ability to coach it with confidence. Nobody questions that Coach Feeley knows his stuff. He runs a tight ship in that weight room. Thanks to the generosity of some supporters, we will be renovating and refurbishing the weight room in May. Our veterans and new players will have a more impressive and more efficient facility to utilize this summer.
What will Saturday's practice plan entail?
We will do quite a bit of hitting on Saturday morning. We will have officials on hand. We want to cut the guys loose and let them play. Let's see who can handle pressure and make plays once the bullets start flying. Let's see who can make good decisions at full speed. Let's see what we have learned to this point. As always, we will mix in some special teams work in order to ensure that we keep evaluating players in that phase of the game as well. We need to get a few more live PAT/field goals on video to better evaluate our protection and block schemes.
