FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: LEARNING ABOUT TRAINING CAMP
We are about a month away from football season starting, which means it will be all I hear about when I am hanging out with the guys. Since I know as much about football as Magic Mike knows about wearing clothes, it is going to be a challenge to figure out what is going on without asking TOO many questions…..and feeling like a certain reality star trying to figure out if Walmart actually sells walls.
So what’s a girl to do? For the next month, Football In High Heels will cover different aspects of the game as I try and figure out what goes on and what it all means. The first topic will be training camp. What is it? Why is it important? Is it the equivalent of going to sleep away camp as a child?
When I first heard about training camps, I figured it was just the players preparing for the upcoming season. I was right—sort of. (Hey, the girl who can name every Dancing With The Stars winner and surviving Bachelor couple knows something about football? Maybe my friend is right and I know more about football than I thought! Shhh, don’t tell him!) It is actually similar to training camp for baseball and allows veteran players to get back into form, newer players to be evaluated and everyone on the team, new and old, to get used to working together.
So what else do they do? This is NOT the kind of camp where they sit around eating s’mores and singing campfire songs at night, although the image of the Manning brothers doing this is quite adorable. Instead, the teams spend their days doing scrimmages, two-a-days, going to meetings with coaches and teammates, doing drills and weight training. In my mind, it reminded me of doing Mini Boot Camp and Orientation camp when I was in the NJROTC program in high school. Hard work, dedication and very little time for anything else. (Not that I am complaining, I loved that part of my life!)
Now that I have a better understanding of what training camp is, I was left with even more questions—raise your hand if this is a surprise! I put on my best detective fedora (although it isn’t as cute and Neal Caffrey’s) and went to work figuring out what the rest of these foreign terms meant. (I swear, it is like playing a sporty, adult version of Blue’s Clues minus Steve, Joe and with three dogs instead of one!)
Scrimmage—What I thought it meant: I thought this was just another term for playing football.
What it actually means: Apparently, this has three meanings that I was able to find: 1. the beginning of each down of play, with the ball placed on the ground between the offensive and defensive lines with its longest axis at right angles to the goal line. 2. Engage in a simulated game. 3. a practice session or informal game, as that played between two units of the same team.
Two-A-Days—What I thought it meant: Two training sessions in the same day.
What it actually means: Hey, I got one correct!
Drills—What I thought it meant: Another term for practicing for the big game.
What it actually means: I couldn’t find an exact definition, but according to my research, I was not too far off the mark. Basically, each player practices moves for their role in the game. For example, the linebacker works on speed, agility and tackling, the quarterback works on things such as footwork and passing etc.
Now that I know more about training camp, it is now time to learn more about what each type of player does! Join me next time as I figure out if a tight end has a special role or he is just the guy with the best ass. Stay tuned!
