The Michigan High School Athletic Association is the latest state governing body to reduce the amount of contact during high school football practice. The MHSAA has voted on a new rule that reduces the amount of in-season contact during practice from 90 minutes per week to 30 minutes.
Another change is that teams will get a maximum of six hours a week during the preseason, including scrimmages. Previously, teams were allowed one full-contact practice per day before the season began.
Earlier this year, New Jersey adopted similar rules that are aimed at reducing injuries.
Practice Like Pros, a nonprofit devoted to reducing injuries in youth football, cites studies that say 58% of concussions in high school football happen on the practice field, compared with 4% in the NFL.
