It’s going to be a while before Alabama will see the field again. The SEC announced Friday that all in-person athletics activities, including team and individual practices, meetings and other organized gatherings will be suspended through at least May 31 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The conference had previously suspended all such activities through April 15 but opted for the extension based on public health advisories.
Virtual film review that does not include physical activity will be permissible. As of now teams are allowed two hours of video meeting per week. That number will double to four hours effective April 6. Any such activity must be scheduled in accordance with the institution's established Time Management Policy and must not interfere with required class time for online instruction.
During a Thursday teleconference, Alabama head coach Nick Saban discussed his process in those meetings, stating that he is “not in any real hurry” to work on installations with his players but instead is using the video sessions to go over techniques and schemes.
“I think basically there are three parts to teaching: what to do, how to do it and why it’s important to do it that way," Saban said. "If we just take a single concept — like, for example, if we’re on offense and we’re teaching inside zone — we can take 30 minutes on teaching the techniques, the aiming points, the footwork, and then actually show the players video of doing it correctly or actually let them evaluate if the guy we’re looking at is doing it correctly or incorrectly.
"I think conceptually there’s a lot of benefit to it because we don’t have to hurry through it because (typically) we’re going through this install and then we’re gonna go practice in a half-hour so we got 30 minutes to meet. Then we’re gotta go on the field and then we gotta be able to go do this today. I think it gives the opportunity for the players to be engaged, No. 1, but No. 2, I do think it’s a slow process of learning that can be beneficial to them having a better understanding of concepts. We’re not in any hurry. We’re kind of taking it slow and so far it’s worked out really, really well.”
SEC member institutions will continue to provide their student-athletes with care and support to meet needs in areas including academics, medical care, mental health and wellness, nutrition and housing as needed.
“Our primary responsibility is the health and well-being and safety of our team, our staff and our families,' Saban said. "We're taking the necessary steps to protect all those folks the best we can. And hopefully, our fans are going to be safe, as well.”
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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