Computer training baltimore

Not your father's camp: grass drills? Gone. Contact? Limited. Cozy small-college settings? Dwindling. Vince Lombardi probably wouldn't even recognize training

The objective remains the same, but the way teams use training camp has changed more in the last 40 years than the game itself.

Training camp has long been a means for coaches to evaluate talent and prepare their teams physically and mentally for the games that count. But with a dramatic increase in the intensity and duration of offseason conditioning programs, camp has become much more of a mental exercise than a physical one.

Gone are the days when two-a-day practices conducted in pads and with contact were as common as high humidity. Now, morning practices are usually the only ones conducted in pads; afternoon practices often are devoted to special teams, and contact is rare.

Training camp philosophies have changed a lot since the days when legendary taskmaster Vince Lombardi refused to allow his Packers to drink water during practice and regularly ran them into the ground with conditioning drills. Injuries were for sissies, and the only legitimate excuse for missing practice was a life-threatening illness.

"Back then, we came to train, mg camp to get into shape," says Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, a Hall of Fame tight end who played with the Cleveland Browns from 1978-90. "Two-a-days lasted two weeks. Now we don't have two-a-days. You never go in pads twice a day."

Lombardi's camps were legendary for their grueling nature. Players didn't train in the offseason--most worked second jobs because their football salaries were low--so getting in shape was camp priority NO. 1.

But Lombardi wasn't interested in just getting players in condition. He was intent on recreating the military atmosphere he experienced as an assistant coach at Army. It was boot camp, Lombardi style.

Players couldn't drive from Saint Norbert College to the practice field; they had to take the team bus. Meals were mandatory, even for the guys trying to lose weight. Helmets and shoulder pads were mandatory for every practice, and Lombardi ran the players through countess conditioning drills. His favorite was the grass drill, known to most players as the "up-down" Players would run in place, drop flat to the ground, jump back up and run in place some more. And more and more.

"Vince loved that drill," says linebacker Dave Robinson, who survived five Lombardi camps during 10 years with the Packers. "It was a great drill to watch, but the worst one to be in."

Lombardi often would Order his players to run to the far goal post and back at the drop of a hat, If they were breathing too hard when they got back, he'd chew them out for being out of shape and make them run more.

These days, players are expected to report to camp in shape. Much of the NFL focuses on the mental part of the game and preserving the body for the season. With a 20-game schedule (including exhibitions), burnout is a major issue. Teams that are fresh at the end tend to do best in the playoffs. So, non-contact drills aimed at sharpening reflexes and avoiding injury have become the norm. It's not uncommon for teams to go through camp without performing extensive wind sprints.

"The difference is that these guys are ready to go when they get there," Robinson says. "The one thing that is the same is you still have to get in hitting shape. You've got to get yourself in shape to hit and be hit. That hasn't changed."

Note to self: few laughs, some fun

Much has changed during the 46 years the Packers have used Saint Norbert College as their training camp, but some of the challenges facing each of the 10 head coaches who have been part of the association remain. When Vince Lombard took his team to the small Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, Wis., he had ideas about how things should be run and what he wanted to accomplish. Below are assorted notes Lombard wrote to himself in preparation for addressing the team for two of the camps he ran from 1959-67.

* Make (attend) all meals: 7:30, 12:30, 6:00.

* Ankles taped for contact work. Stiff fine--$250.

* Meeting every night except Sunday, possibly Wednesday ... 7:00 ... on time, fine.

* Curfew: 11 p.m.; 12 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

* Many interested in Packers ... everyone knows you ... mouth shut about operation and personnel ... speak freely and say nothing (to the media) ... (media) magnify everything ... molehill out of mountain.

* Certain places off-limits--Piccadilly, Colony Club, Mayfair. Use judgment about the others ... public eye ... public figure whether you like it or not ... act accordingly ... youngsters look up to you.

* All business. Few laughs and some fun.

* Saint Norbert: treat as you would your own home.

* Our most important task is to instill a spirit of victory. It is so easy to accept defeat.

* Contracts are confidential.

* Please do not use pool and TV rooms from 6:00 until 7:30 until (Saint Norbert) graduation.

* Watch dress in halls and dining hall Nuns (underlined three times).

* Park cars off street at night. Will get tickets. Park in lot where buses are!!

* Vitamins.

--Notes courtesy of the Packers Hall of Fame