Inside the Life: Importance of practice

By Jordan Moore on November 10, 2009 10:08 AM | No Comments

Throughout the season, USCRipsIt will be taking you into the off-the-field life of a player, showing you what goes on behind the scenes through "Inside the Life." In this weekly series written by staff writer Courtney Kalisz, we'll bring you into the daily life of a player and reveal the details that fill a student-athlete's schedule while off the field. Here's a feature about the high level of practice for USC's football players:

In between the walls of a nondescript rust-red fence, members of the USC football team come to practice. At USC there is no high-tech field or state-of-the-art training facility. But there is Howard Jones Field, a modest, understated practice facility lodged between McDonald's Swim Stadium and Dedeaux baseball field. And that is all that the Trojans need.

At USC, it has never been about flashy facilities. For the USC football players and staff, it has been about working hard and pushing themselves to be the best team they can be. The legacy of great accomplishments and drive to win speaks for itself. At practice, it is impossible to miss the motivation and intensity on the field. All of the coaches are highly engaged in every aspect of practice.

To the Trojans, every drill counts as an opportunity to be better. So it is no surprise that every aspect of every practice is carefully planned out. Practice is very fast-paced and consists of many different segments. Practice starts with walk-thrus, followed by stretching. The players are then broken up into position-specific groups. After that, the team is separated into scout team drills to sharpen their skills. Eventually, all of the players come together for a team drills segment.

The practice environment is very inspirational. All of the athletes motivate each other by being the best they can be in every drill. The competitive nature of the players inspires hard work all around. The coaches are heavily involved in practice in a hands-on way. If you ever attend practice, don't be surprised to see Coach Carroll throwing passes to the players. The interactive approach is very successful, and it is clear that everyone on the field is fully invested in the success of the program.

In between the walls of Howard Jones field lies a combination of hard work, sweat and passion for winning.

- By Courtney Kalisz, USCRipsIt staff writer

University Southern California Trojans

Inside the Life: Importance of practice

Inside the Life: Importance of practice

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