By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University football team has been lifting weights and practicing in small groups of players as the Bearcats begin initial preparations for the season that has been pushed into at least January of 2021 by COVID-19. "Pods" of four-to-six players have been the new normal, with the assigned groups staying together for both lifting and practice. At practice, time is spent on learning fundamentals without making contact.
Players and coaches could feel negative about all of the limitations they currently encounter. Instead, the Bearcats have adopted the idea that their "Gratitude is Greater" than any frustrations, restrictions, or problems they face.
"Gratitude to be practicing, gratitude to be weightlifting, gratitude to be involved with the sport that they love," Willamette Head Coach Isaac Parker said. "It's been frustrating, but the players just came from the alternative (no spring football, followed by a summer without football)."
That doesn't mean it's easy to adapt to the changes impacting sports this fall.
"The hardest part for both coaches and players has been redefining what football looks like in August and September," Parker commented. "Our instincts are to hurry up and prepare for a game. It was important to redefine things."
The football team reported to Willamette on Aug. 12 and began practicing on Aug. 14.
"I decided to break up our time into four quarters, just like a game," Parker said.
The 1st Quarter is the first half of the fall semester, the 2nd Quarter is the second half of the fall semester. During these two quarters, the focus will be on weightlifting and fundamental skills. The 3rd Quarter will be from January until February when the team will focus on the preseason and the possibility of a regular season, which we hope will involve several games. With a limited season, all players should receive an eligibility waiver for an extra year. The 4th Quarter will be the spring and summer months, as the team prepares for the 2021 season.
"We have a very young team," Parker said. "So we are talking about this year as a developmental year as we get ready for 2021." The Bearcats have 28 first-year and transfer players, plus two players who have re-enrolled at Willamette after missing last season.
So far, Parker has the team "majoring in the weight room and minoring in football," with the emphasis on improving strength. The players are lifting four days per week. Three of the same days also include practice time.
"We put our helmets on so we can see the field as we would normally and to build up our neck strength, but we still work on social-distancing at practice," Parker commented. "We're working on basic fundamentals, but it's just with no interaction." He explained that practices are more like shadow boxing rather than sparring with an opponent.
Practices have been held without player-to-player contact in the offensive and defensive lines. Offensive linemen and defensive linemen can use blocking sleds and pads and can focus on their own body movements rather than contact.
"Football is a full-body collision sport," Parker noted. Even so, he said that so much can be accomplished with all types of lifting, plus training to increase explosiveness, agility, and speed. "Most of the success of teaching is what happens before contact," he added.
"We can be more hands-on as coaches in the weight room (than during typical offseason workouts)," Parker said. "This is the extra time that we've always wished we had."
The coaches are gradually introducing concepts and working on details in the weight room and at practice.
"I want our student-athletes to be hungry for more," Parker commented.
