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Football Camp: One-a-Day Works Well for the Eagles
8/6/2015 3:16:00 PM | Football
The season opener at West Virginia is less than a month away.
Photo gallery | Buy season tickets | 2015 Schedule | 2015 Roster | Preseason Camp
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern's football players and staff must have been pleasantly surprised when they received this year's schedule for preseason camp.
They will have just one two-a-day and are not slated to don full pads until Aug. 15. All the practice sessions are scheduled for early in the morning or late at night.
It's a training philosophy coach Willie Fritz, now in his 23rd season as a head coach, has developed over time, and it is almost a complete 180 degree turn from the three-a-day sessions he went through as a player. The idea is quality over quantity.
"Part of it is training smart," said Fritz. "People were overtraining – getting less for working more. You have to start taking care of these guys' bodies. When you start getting tired, you get bad habits and you are more susceptible to injuries."
The Eagles' lone two-a-day will be Aug. 8, when they train at 8:15 a.m. before the Little Eagles Football Field Day and then come back for a night session at 7:45 p.m. Fritz says that particular night session will be more on the kicking game.
It's not all fun and games after the morning workout, though. After lunch, there are special teams meetings and weight training sessions and after dinner, more meetings and usually a walk through around 8:30 p.m.
"We won't have any equipment on, and we'll have a walk-through for a half hour or 45 minutes," said Fritz. "We'll install the plays we're going to run and the defenses we'll be using the next day and then rep them at a walk-through pace."
The student-athletes are up at 6 a.m. and at it until about 10 p.m. each day during camp. The one practice session is no picnic either. It usually runs over two hours and 15 minutes, and in South Georgia, it's still rather hot and humid at that time of day. The coaching staff expects maximum effort, and the players know there's no reason to conserve energy.
"Once you cross the bridge, you're running," said senior receiver Montay Crockett. "You leave it all on the field because you don't have another practice. You just try to keep momentum and push through because yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised."
Once game weeks roll around, Fritz will use the same in-season regimen the Eagles used last year. For a normal Saturday game week, the Eagles take Sunday off, lift, run and watch film on Monday and practice hard Tuesday and Wednesdays. They cut back Thursday and walk through on Friday. The plan worked very well last season as Georgia Southern went 9-3 overall and 8-0 en route to the Sun Belt title.
"You cannot be a top-flight athlete without proper rest and recovery," said Fritz. "Part of that is training properly."
Practice is scheduled for 8:15 a.m. Friday on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek. Dates, times and locations of football practices are subject to change and may be impacted by weather conditions. Practices are open to the public, but any filming, recording or photography is limited to members of the media only.
Georgia Southern won the 2014 Sun Belt title in its first season in the league, finishing 8-0 in the conference and 9-3 overall. The Eagles return 58 lettermen and 13 starters to the 2015 squad, were picked to win the Sun Belt in the league's preseason coaches' poll and are receiving votes in the USA Today Amway Top-25 Coaches Poll.
Fans can purchase 2015 season tickets and select their seats online, by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting the ticket office in the Cowart Building adjacent to Paulson Stadium (203 Lanier Drive). Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Season tickets prices start as low as $75 for all six games. Season ticket sales have exceeded last year's total and are expected to reach an all-time high.
Preseason Football Practice Schedule
8/7 - 8:15 a.m.
8/8 - 8:15 a.m. (Eagle Creek)/7:45 p.m. (Paulson)
8/9 – 7:45 p.m. – Paulson (night practice)
8/10 - 8:15 a.m.
8/11 - 8:15 a.m.
8/12 - 8:15 a.m.
8/13 - 8:15 a.m.
8/14 - 8:15 a.m.
8/15 – 9 a.m. (Paulson, Scrimmage, Meet the Eagles)
Hop on the Bus
Join the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation for its football bus trip Sept. 4-5, and watch the Eagles take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Click here for more info and to register online.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 8 - Little Eagles Football Field Day - Paulson Stadium - 11 a.m. (registration begins at 10 a.m.) - Boys and girls, ages 6-12, can attend a free one-hour field day hosted by Coach Fritz and the Eagles at Paulson Stadium.
Aug. 13 – Women's Football Clinic – Ted Smith Family Football Center – 6 p.m. – Ladies will learn Football 101, tour the Ted Smith Family Football Center and participate in field activities. There will also be door prizes, food and beverages.
Aug. 15 - Meet the Eagles Fan Fest – Paulson Stadium - 9 a.m. - Fans can watch the final football scrimmage of preseason camp at Paulson Stadium. Concessions, the Adidas Store and inflatables for kids will be available. After the scrimmage, at approximately 11 a.m., student-athletes from the football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball and cheer team will sign autographs on the North Concourse.
Aug. 17 – Day 1 – Paulson Stadium – 9 p.m. - Students will fill up the entire student section in Paulson Stadium for Day One to learn our traditions, chants, fight song and alma mater. Coach Fritz and Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein will speak at the event.
Aug. 22 - Erk Russell Classic – Paulson Stadium - 5 p.m. – The fourth annual Erk Russell Classic has North Oconee High School taking on Coffee County at 5 p.m. and Statesboro facing Burke County at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern's football players and staff must have been pleasantly surprised when they received this year's schedule for preseason camp.
They will have just one two-a-day and are not slated to don full pads until Aug. 15. All the practice sessions are scheduled for early in the morning or late at night.
It's a training philosophy coach Willie Fritz, now in his 23rd season as a head coach, has developed over time, and it is almost a complete 180 degree turn from the three-a-day sessions he went through as a player. The idea is quality over quantity.
"Part of it is training smart," said Fritz. "People were overtraining – getting less for working more. You have to start taking care of these guys' bodies. When you start getting tired, you get bad habits and you are more susceptible to injuries."
The Eagles' lone two-a-day will be Aug. 8, when they train at 8:15 a.m. before the Little Eagles Football Field Day and then come back for a night session at 7:45 p.m. Fritz says that particular night session will be more on the kicking game.
It's not all fun and games after the morning workout, though. After lunch, there are special teams meetings and weight training sessions and after dinner, more meetings and usually a walk through around 8:30 p.m.
"We won't have any equipment on, and we'll have a walk-through for a half hour or 45 minutes," said Fritz. "We'll install the plays we're going to run and the defenses we'll be using the next day and then rep them at a walk-through pace."
The student-athletes are up at 6 a.m. and at it until about 10 p.m. each day during camp. The one practice session is no picnic either. It usually runs over two hours and 15 minutes, and in South Georgia, it's still rather hot and humid at that time of day. The coaching staff expects maximum effort, and the players know there's no reason to conserve energy.
"Once you cross the bridge, you're running," said senior receiver Montay Crockett. "You leave it all on the field because you don't have another practice. You just try to keep momentum and push through because yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised."
Once game weeks roll around, Fritz will use the same in-season regimen the Eagles used last year. For a normal Saturday game week, the Eagles take Sunday off, lift, run and watch film on Monday and practice hard Tuesday and Wednesdays. They cut back Thursday and walk through on Friday. The plan worked very well last season as Georgia Southern went 9-3 overall and 8-0 en route to the Sun Belt title.
"You cannot be a top-flight athlete without proper rest and recovery," said Fritz. "Part of that is training properly."
Practice is scheduled for 8:15 a.m. Friday on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek. Dates, times and locations of football practices are subject to change and may be impacted by weather conditions. Practices are open to the public, but any filming, recording or photography is limited to members of the media only.
Georgia Southern won the 2014 Sun Belt title in its first season in the league, finishing 8-0 in the conference and 9-3 overall. The Eagles return 58 lettermen and 13 starters to the 2015 squad, were picked to win the Sun Belt in the league's preseason coaches' poll and are receiving votes in the USA Today Amway Top-25 Coaches Poll.
Fans can purchase 2015 season tickets and select their seats online, by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting the ticket office in the Cowart Building adjacent to Paulson Stadium (203 Lanier Drive). Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Season tickets prices start as low as $75 for all six games. Season ticket sales have exceeded last year's total and are expected to reach an all-time high.
Preseason Football Practice Schedule
8/7 - 8:15 a.m.
8/8 - 8:15 a.m. (Eagle Creek)/7:45 p.m. (Paulson)
8/9 – 7:45 p.m. – Paulson (night practice)
8/10 - 8:15 a.m.
8/11 - 8:15 a.m.
8/12 - 8:15 a.m.
8/13 - 8:15 a.m.
8/14 - 8:15 a.m.
8/15 – 9 a.m. (Paulson, Scrimmage, Meet the Eagles)
Hop on the Bus
Join the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation for its football bus trip Sept. 4-5, and watch the Eagles take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Click here for more info and to register online.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 8 - Little Eagles Football Field Day - Paulson Stadium - 11 a.m. (registration begins at 10 a.m.) - Boys and girls, ages 6-12, can attend a free one-hour field day hosted by Coach Fritz and the Eagles at Paulson Stadium.
Aug. 13 – Women's Football Clinic – Ted Smith Family Football Center – 6 p.m. – Ladies will learn Football 101, tour the Ted Smith Family Football Center and participate in field activities. There will also be door prizes, food and beverages.
Aug. 15 - Meet the Eagles Fan Fest – Paulson Stadium - 9 a.m. - Fans can watch the final football scrimmage of preseason camp at Paulson Stadium. Concessions, the Adidas Store and inflatables for kids will be available. After the scrimmage, at approximately 11 a.m., student-athletes from the football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball and cheer team will sign autographs on the North Concourse.
Aug. 17 – Day 1 – Paulson Stadium – 9 p.m. - Students will fill up the entire student section in Paulson Stadium for Day One to learn our traditions, chants, fight song and alma mater. Coach Fritz and Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein will speak at the event.
Aug. 22 - Erk Russell Classic – Paulson Stadium - 5 p.m. – The fourth annual Erk Russell Classic has North Oconee High School taking on Coffee County at 5 p.m. and Statesboro facing Burke County at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
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