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Assistant Athletic Director:
AJ Martinez

Email:
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Department Phone:
512-471-5883

Department Fax:
512-471-6589

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Football Manual Off Season Regulations

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Off Season Regulations

Spring Training Practice Regulations

Spring Training Practice Regulations can be found in Section 1250 of the UIL C&CR and on our website here

Team Practice. School teams shall be prohibited from practicing team skills before or after school except during the specified practice dates and during the one allowable period during the school day.

Off-Season Participation. Varsity or non-varsity athletes shall not be required to participate in an off-season program on the day of an in-season competition.

Participation Requirement. Students shall not be required to participate in one school sport as a prerequisite for participation in another school sport.

Policies. Written school policies for use of facilities during the off-season, outside the school day, and during the summer months should be approved by the school administration and dispersed to all staff and students.

Off-Season Period Limits. Off-season activities are limited to one regular classroom period (max. 60 minutes) per day within which all suiting out, related activity, and redressing must occur.  (See Side by Side Manual for block schedules, etc.)

Power and/or Weight Lifting. Off-season athletes whose schools have an athletic period during the school day may not participate on power lifting teams unless weight training is provided for off-season athletes during the in-school-day athletic period.  It would also make it a violation for power lifting teams to be limited to athletes or to be required as part of an athlete’s off-season program.

A number of member schools have power lifting or weight lifting clubs. These clubs are involved in weight lifting tournaments or contests throughout the academic year. These guidelines are intended to control a problem that now exists as opposed to encouraging or requiring year-round workouts.  It is the intent to insure that the use of summer weight rooms is a strictly voluntary activity on the part of any athlete.

  • Schools may open weight training facilities for general student body use. Schools may NOT open weight training facilities for members of athletic teams only.
  • Supervision of the facility by faculty members is permitted for safety and security purposes. Supervisors may NOT provide specific sport team skills instruction for members of school athletic teams.
  • A schedule of when the weight training facility will be open should be publicized.  Schools may NOT set a schedule for members of athletic teams to appear at the facility at a particular time or have a sign-in sheet or check-in list for athletes.
  • It is permissible to have a supervisor of the facility provide instruction for proper lifting, spotting, care of and placement of weight apparatuses.  The supervisor of a facility may NOT require athletes to lift specified amounts of weight or require that they complete prescribed sets.
  • Schools may hire a coach or another faculty member to supervise the facility as outlined in #2.  This hiring or appointment must be approved by the superintendent or his/her designee.  Schools may have more than one school employee in a supervisory capacity at any one time.
  • Schools may provide a general weight schedule for students but may NOT provide athletes individual workout schedules which require activities to be at specified hours, specify a number of workouts, or designate specified groups of students to be involved at a certain time.
  • Weight training schedules provided to students may be sequential. Schedules may NOT be provided that include calendar designations requiring specific days for certain sequential activities such as July 1 upper body, July 2 lower body, etc.
  • Students may keep progress charts but shall NOT be required to turn them in to coaches.
  • If there is a report of a violation, the burden of proof to the contrary rests with the school or school employee.
  • If a large majority of a team is working out together, it could be considered strong evidence that it is a team workout and a possible violation.
  • All weight training facility use and policies must be approved by the superintendent or his/her designee.
Summer Strength & Conditioning & Sport Specific Instruction

Limitations: Sessions for both strength & conditioning and sport specific skill instruction may be conducted by school coaches for students in grades 7-12 from that coaches' attendance zone with a start and ending date set forth by the UIL calendar. 

  • Sessions may be conducted by school coaches only in the given time frame.
  • A strength and conditioning session shall be no more than two hours per day, Monday through Friday, and a student shall attend no more than one session per day.
  • Sport specific skill instruction may be conducted in addition to the strength and conditioning session(s), and astudent shall attend no more than 90 minutes per day of sport specific skill instruction with no more than 60 minutes per day in a given sport, Monday through Friday.

Activities Allowed:

  • Strength and conditioning sessions shall include only strength and conditioning instruction and exercises.
  • No specific sports skills shall be taught and no specific sports equipment, such as balls, dummies, sleds, contact equipment, etc., shall be used.
  • Sport specific skill sessions may include specific sports equipment.
  • Contact equipment (restricted equipment) is not allowed.
  • School shorts, shirts and shoes may be provided by the school (local school option).
  • Sport specific skill instruction does not have to precede or immediately follow a strength and conditioning session.
  • Sport specific ic skill instruction does not allow for a school coach to instruct student-athletes in his attendance zone in grades 7-12 in non-school activities.

Attendance: Attendance shall be voluntary and not required in order to try out for or participate in any UIL activity.

  • Attendance records shall be kept, however, students shall not be required or allowed to make up missed days or workouts.

Fees: Fees, if any, shall be established by the superintendent and collected by the school.

  • Any payment to coaches shall be from the school and from no other source.

Important dates for coaches, athletes, and parents pertaining to Section 1206 (h) of the UIL C&CR:

Beginning Date for Summer Strength & Conditioning Programs and Sport Specific Skill Instruction:

  • Session may be conducted by school coaches starting on Monday of the first week school is not in session. Sessions must be conducted only on Monday through Friday.

Ending Date for Summer Strength & Conditioning Programs and Sport Specific Skill Instruction:

  • Junior High (incoming 7th and 8th grade) - Programs may run up to the Friday prior to the first day of school.
  • High School (incoming 9th grade through 12th grade) - Programs may run up to the day prior to the first day of school or the first day of the sports season, whichever is earlier. For athletes that participate in a sport that may start prior to thr first day of school (football, volleyball, tennis & cross country), those athletes may not attend a summer strength/conditioning program or sport specific skill session in any sport once their sport season has begun.
Off-Season Strength & Conditioning (during the school year)

Strength & Conditioning instruction sessions may be conducted by school coaches for students in grades 7-12 from that coach's attendance zone starting the first day of school. This is for sports in the off-season only.

  • A strength and conditioning session shall be no more than one hour per day outside the school day, Monday through Friday, and a student shall attend no more than one session of supervised instruction per day.
  • Sport specific skill instruction is prohibited during the strength and conditioning session.
  • Sports specific equipment (balls, dummies, sleds, contact equipment) is prohibited during the strength and conditioning session.
  • School shirts, shorts and shoes may be provided by the school (local school option).

Sport Specific Skill Instruction – During the school year, there is no sport specific skill instructions allowed for off-season sports, outside of the school day.

School Sponsored Camps 
SUBCHAPTER C: Athletics Section 1209: Non-School Participation

(c) CAMPS.

(1) Camps After The Last Day Of The School Year: baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball where school personnel work with their own students. After the last day of the school year in May, June, July and prior to the second Monday in August, on non-school days, all students other than students who will be in their second, third or fourth year of high school may attend two camps in each team sport, held within the boundaries of their school district, in which instruction is given in that team sport, and in which a 7th-12th grade coach from their school district attendance zone works with them:

(2) Camps During The School Year. A member school district is allowed to sponsor camps during the school year, outside the school day, for students in grades six and below. No student is allowed to participate in more than two school sponsored camps per sport/activity during the school year.

(3) Camps Described Above Shall Be Conducted Under The Following Conditions:

(A) Number of Days. Attendance at each type of sports camp is limited to no more than six consecutive days.

(B) Prohibited Activities. Students shall not attend football camps where contact activities are permitted.

(C) Fees. The superintendent or a designee shall approve the schedule of fees prior to the announcement or release of any information about the camp. The Texas Education Code requires school districts to adopt procedures for waiving fees charged for participation if a student is unable to pay the fee, and the procedures should be made known to the public. Fees for all other students shall be paid by the students and/or their parents.

(D) School Equipment. Schools may furnish, in accordance with local school district policies, school-owned equipment, with the following restrictions.

(i) Schools may not furnish any individual baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball or volleyball player equipment, including uniforms, shoes, caps, gloves, etc., but may furnish balls and court equipment including nets, standards, goals, etc., for volleyball, basketball and soccer camps.

(ii) For football camps, schools may furnish hand dummies, stand-up dummies, passing and kicking machines and footballs. Use of any other football equipment, including contact equipment, is prohibited.

(iii) For baseball and softball camps, schools may furnish balls, bats, bases, pitching and batting machines, batting helmets and catcher protective equipment. Use of any other baseball and/or softball equipment is prohibited.

School Sponsored Camps- Frequently Asked Questions

Non-School Leagues, Camps & Clinics

Team Sports
Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Softball
In accordance to Section 1201, 1206 and 1209 regarding non-school competition (leagues, camps, clinics, clubs,
tournaments, 7 on 7, lineman challenges) coaches:

The C&CR prohibits the following:

  1. Shall not instruct any student in 7th – 12th grade from his/her own attendance zone unless the student is his/her own biological or adopted child
  2. Shall not schedule matched games. A matched game is a contest between TWO teams that is not apart of a league schedule or tournament.
  3. Shall not transport students.
  4. Shall not use school athletic equipment, school uniforms and school health/first aid supplies.
  5. Shall not use school or booster funds for any expenses associated with the activity.
  6. Shall abstain from any practice which would bring financial gain to the coach by using a students participation in a camp, clinic, league, or other non-school athletic event, such as a rebate for each player sent to a particular camp or from each player using a particular product (Section 120l [b, 9]).
  7. Shall abstain from any practice that makes a student feel pressured to participate in non-school activities (Section 120l [b, 10]).
  8. Should not participate with their athletes in the athlete's sport (Section 1206-i).

In accordance to Section 1209 regarding non-school competition (leagues, camps, clinics, clubs, tournaments, 7 on 7) coaches or a group of coaches:

The C&CR allows the following:

  1. Can supervise facilities.
  2. Can assist with organization to include, but not limited to: assignment of officials, helping to secure facilities, development of schedules, scheduling of facilities, assisting with registration process, helping to secure equipment.
  3. Can assist with the selection of coaches.
  4. Can assist with the selection of players.
  5. Can distribute information regarding the details of the non-school event for informational purposes. Distribution of such materials should be in accordance to the policies and procedures of the local school district.
  6. Can collect registration fees for coordination purposes only. No checks may be made payable to the school and no funds shall be deposited in any school account.

Individual Sports
Cross Country, Golf, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field and Wrestling (Guidelines are also applicable to team sports)
A. During the school year

  1. Coaches of individual sports are allowed to work with student athletes from their attendance zone in non-school practice during the school year with limitations. Coaches should be aware that any time spent working with a student-athlete from their attendance zone in grades 7-12, whether in school or non-school practice, will count as part of the eight hours of practice allowed outside of the school day during the school week under state law.
  2. Coaches should abstain from any practice which would bring financial gain to the coach by using a student's participation in a camp, clinic, league, or other non-school athletic event, such as a rebate for each player sent to a particular camp or from each player using a particular product (Section 120l [b, 9]).
  3. Coaches shall not charge a fee for private instruction to student-athletes during the school year. The restriction on charging fees for private instruction applies only to those students who are in grades 9-12, from the coach's attendance zone and participating in the sport for which the coach is responsible (Section 120l [b, 9]).
  4. Coaches should abstain from any practice that makes a student feel pressured to participate in non-school activities (Section 120l [b, 10]).

B. Outside of the school year

  1. Outside of the school year, the restrictions are somewhat reduced. Coaches are allowed to coach student-athletes from their own attendance zone.
  2. The use of school funds, school equipment, school uniforms or school transportation is prohibited. Exception: School administrators may authorize the use of facilities, including scoreboards, implements, cross bars, poles, discus, shot puts, nets, etc. for school programs which are open to all students.
  3. School coaches can work with students from his/her own attendance zone in summer recreational programs ( i.e. They coach in meets and tournaments with permission from superintendent or superintendent's designee).
  4. Coaches should abstain from any practice which would bring financial gain to the coach by using a student's participation in a camp, clinic, league, or other non-school athletic event, such as a rebate for each player sent to a particular camp or from each player using a particular product (Section 120l [b, 9]).
  5. Coaches should abstain from any practice that makes a student feel pressured to participate in non-school activities.

Non-School Participation- Frequently Asked Questions

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