Sept. 6, 2004

In-Season
A student-athlete's participation in countable athletically related activities (see 17.02.1.1) shall be limited to a maximum of four hours per day and 20 hours per week.

Golf Practice Round Exception. A practice round of golf may exceed the four-hours-per-day limitation, but the weekly limit of 20 hours shall remain in effect. A practice round played on the day prior to the start of a collegiate golf tournament at the tournament site shall count as three hours, regardless of the actual duration of the round.

Competition Day
All competition and any associated athletically related activities on the day of competition shall count as three hours regardless of the actual duration of these activities.

Practice may not be conducted at any time (including vacation periods) following competition, except between contest rounds or events during multiday or multievent competition (e.g., double-headers in softball or baseball, rounds of golf in a multiday tournament).

Preseason Practice
Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athletically related activities occurring during preseason practice prior to the first day of classes or the first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier.

Vacation Periods and Between Terms
Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athletically related activities occurring during an institution's official vacation period.

Weekly Hour Limitations - Outside of Playing Season
Only a student-athlete's participation in the countable athletically related activities specified in (c), (d) and (e) below shall be permitted. Participation in such activities shall be limited to a maximum eight hours per week, of which not more than two hours per week may be spent on individual skill workouts set forth in (e) below and 17.1.6.2.1. A student-athlete may not participate in any countable athletically related activities outside the playing season during any institutional vacation period (e.g., summer, academic year).

17.1.6.2.1 Skill Instruction. Participation by student-athletes in individual skill-related instruction [including the activities set forth in 17.02.1.1-(f)] in sports other than football is permitted outside the declared playing season, provided not more than four student-athletes from the same team are involved in skill-related instruction with their coach(es) at any one time in any facility and the student-athletes request the instruction.

17.1.6.2.2 Conditioning Activities. Conditioning drills per 17.1.6.2 that may simulate game activities are permissible, provided no offensive or defensive alignments are set up and no equipment related to the sport is used.

17.02.1.1 Countable Athletically Related Activities.

The following are considered countable athletically related activities and must be counted in the weekly or daily time limitations specified under 17.1.6.1 for Divisions I and II:

A. Practice, which is defined as any meeting, activity or instruction involving sports-related information and having an athletics purpose, held for one or more student-athletes at the direction of, or supervised by, any member or members of an institution's coaching staff. Practice is considered to have occurred if one or more coaches and one or more student-athletes engage in any of the following activities:

1. Field, floor or on-court activity;
2. Setting up offensive or defensive alignment;
3. Chalk talk;
4. Lecture on or discussion of strategy related to the sport;
5. Activities using equipment related to the sport;
6. Discussions or review of game films, motion pictures or videotapes related to the sport, except for the observation of an officiating clinic related to playing rules that is conducted by video conference and does not require student-athletes to miss any class time to observe the clinic; or
7. Activities conducted under the guise of physical education class work (e.g., any class composed of or including primarily members of an intercollegiate team on a required attendance basis or where the class utilizes equipment for the sport);

B. Competition;

C. Required weight-training and conditioning activities held at the direction of or Supervised by an institutional staff member;

D. Participation in a physical-fitness class conducted by a member of the athletics staff;

E. In Division I and II sports other than football, participation outside the institution's declared playing season in individual skill-related instructional activities with a member of the coaching staff and that occur at the request of the student-athlete (see 17.1.6.2.1);

F. In Division I and II individual sports, participation outside the institution's declared playing season in individual skill-related instructional activities with a member of the coaching staff except for individual workout sessions during the summer that occur at the request of the student-athlete; G. Required participation in camps, clinics or workshops;

H. Individual workouts required or supervised by a member of the coaching staff except for those sports subject to the safety exception. A coach may design a voluntary general individual workout program for a student-athlete (as opposed to a specific workout program for specific days) but cannot conduct the individual's workout;

Sports with a Safety Exception:
A coach may spot or provide safety or skill instruction but cannot conduct the individual's workouts:

1. Crew-When the student-athlete uses rowing equipment;
2. Swimming and diving-When the student-athlete is engaged in swimming and diving;
3. Synchronized swimming-When the student-athlete is engaged in synchronized swimming;
4. Track and field-When the student-athlete is engaged in field events;
5. Water polo-When the student-athlete is engaged in water polo; and
6. Wrestling-When the student-athlete is engaged in wrestling.

I. On-court or on-field activities called by any member or members of a team and confined primarily to members of that team that are considered as requisite for participation in that sport (e.g., captain's practices);

J. Visiting the competition site in the sports of cross country, golf and skiing;

K. Use of an institution's athletics facilities when such activities are supervised by or held at the direction of any member of an institution's coaching staff. Facilities may be reserved for such use during the academic year. It is not permissible to reserve facilities during the summer, except in Division I and II, to participate in permissible individual workouts in individual sports at the request of the student-athlete(s);

Involvement of an institution's strength and conditioning staff with enrolled student-athletes in required conditioning programs. Strength and conditioning personnel may monitor voluntary individual workouts for safety purposes.