It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I realized I could get an extra 30 minutes of rest between practices by sleeping in the locker room as opposed to walking back to our dormitory. 

Every minute counted during college football training camp. A 90-minute nap elapsed with the blink of an eye and it was time to walk back to the athlete complex for the second full-contact practice of the day. 

I loved the game. I enjoyed practice. But multiple weeks of “two-a-day” full-contact practices can greatly test one’s physical and mental desire.

I played for College Football Hall of Fame coach Mel Tjeerdsma at Northwest Missouri State University and remember that during my four years, our training camp schedules evolved to include more “walk-through”-type practices.

Through collaboration with his coaching and medical staff, Tjeerdsma found the right mixture that worked for our program. The extra rest and mental relief of knowing our bodies could heal brought a revived sense of enthusiasm and narrowed our focus much better than when we started our freshman season. This evolved because we were in great hands with our coaches and medical staff. The coaching profession continues to evolve and player health and safety is benefitting.

This came to my mind earlier this month when the NCAA and its Council’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) approved a proposal that, starting later this year, will prohibit multiple contact practices during the preseason.

From my perspective, this reflects a trend already taking place among many coaches, who have recognized the need to modernize the way they approach practicing, with player wellness at the forefront. 

I am seeing greater consistency in policies and a logical progression from youth through the NFL that strikes a balance for how much contact should be allowed at different and distinct levels of the sport.

For youth football, the idea of two practices a day is highly uncommon and at odds with the best practices established by USA Football and its practice guidelines for youth football. 

RELATED: USA Football's Practice Smart course

According to USA Football practice guidelines, two-a-day practices are to be prohibited and during the preseason, youth teams should practice no more than four days per week. Full-contact drills are limited to no more than 30-minutes in a two-hour practice. 

The work to reshape practice rules is a collaborative effort involving the NFHS, its member state high school associations and youth football leaders, who are all working diligently to find the right balance for how much contact should be allowed during the preseason. 

In July 2014, the NFHS spearheaded the effort to conduct a summit of its members, which led to a series of recommendations to enhance player safety. Consistent with the new college rule, these suggestions included allowing only one session per day with full-contact drills. 

It is important to note that in high school, every individual state association is responsible for setting its own policies when it comes to the frequency and length of contact in practices. 

However, the NFHS guidelines reflect a collaboration between coaches, certified athletic trainers and other top medical experts. Most coaches have been evolving their practices for years when it comes to length and the amount of contact needed to teach the proper fundamentals of blocking and shoulder tackling.  

The understanding of getting players “game ready” comes with a responsibility to give them an adequate amount of time to rest and recharge both mentally and physically, yet also have the time to teach the proper fundamentals of contact. Football continues to take the right steps forward.