Playing and Practice Seasons
NCAA regulations limit the length of playing and practice seasons. The following are permissible activities for enrolled student-athletes:
During the Playing Season
Student-athletes may engage in only 4 hours per day and 20 hours per week of countable athletically related activities. A countable athletically related activity is any activity with an athletics purpose involving student-athletes that occurs at the direction of or supervised by one or more institutional coaching staff members (including strength and conditioning coaches).
Outside the Playing Season - Academic Year
In sports other than football:
- Student-athletes may be required to participate in up to 8 hours per week of required strength and conditioning activities and individualized skill instruction.
- No more than 2 hours of the permissible 8 can consist of individualized skill instruction. No more than four student-athletes may be involved in skill instruction at all sites combined at any one time.
- Student-athletes must be given two days off from required activities per week.
In football:
- No skill instruction is permitted outside of the playing season in football. However, game film review may be required for up to 2 of the 8 permissible hours per week.
- Spring practice may occur for up to 4 hours per day on 15 designated practice dates.
- Student-athletes must be given two days off from required activities per week, even during spring practice.
Outside the Playing Season - Vacation Periods
In sports other than football:
- Student-athletes may engage in voluntary workouts at Athletic Department facilities. The University's strength and conditioning coaches (and NOT any countable coaches) may design and conduct specific workout programs for returning student-athletes, provided those workouts are entirely voluntary and are conducted at the request of the student-athlete.
- In individual sports (cross country, track, and golf), student-athletes may also engage in voluntary one-on-one workouts conducted and supervised by an institution's coach. If the workouts take place at a facility that charges a fee, the student-athlete must pay the fee in the same manner as any member of the general public.
- In sports with a safety exception (field events for track & field), countable coaches may be present and provide safety and skill instruction when a student-athlete uses equipment related to the sport. More than one student-athlete may be present for this instruction. However, the coaches may not conduct the student-athlete's workouts.
In football:
- During 8 designated weeks of voluntary summer conditioning activities, strength coaches may conduct strength and conditioning workouts for student-athletes. No countable coaches may be present and strength coaches may not report back to countable coaches. In addition, student-athletes may work out at their discretion outside the 8 hours per week. No countable or strength coaches can be involved with these workouts, except that strength coaches may monitor the facility for health and safety purposes.
- Outside the 8 designated weeks, student-athletes may work out at their discretion. No countable or strength coaches can be involved with discretionary workouts, except that strength coaches may monitor the facility for health and safety purposes.
Please review the Defining Countable Athletically Related Activities information sheet for more information.
