Like all other high school football teams this week, the Gardendale Rockets were out on the practice field on Monday, getting ready for a jamboree game against neighboring Mortimer Jordan on Aug. 20.

In years past, that would have meant long, hot days in full pads and helmets, often knocking heads with (or knocking down) teammates.

They still do, but there’s not nearly as much full-speed contact as before, thanks to new regulations on practices handed down by the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

The rules are pretty specific, particularly with the weeks leading up to the first game. In the first week, full contact wasn’t allowed until the fifth day, with just helmets and shorts the first two days and shoulder pads

In the next two weeks, alternating days with full-contact drills — no more than 120 minutes per week — are allowed, with an intra-squad scrimmage in the second week and either a jamboree game or the first regular game of the season in the third.

After that, teams are limited to just 90 minutes per week of full-speed contact drills.

The new rules started out as guidelines from the AHSAA in 2013, after a study by the National Association of State High School Associations. That study was an effort to see how changes to practice routines affected injuries to players, especially concussions.

The new regulations even go so far as to define a “thud” — any live action or full-speed contact with no pre-determined winner or without taking a player to the ground.

For Gardendale head coach Matt Plunkett, the changes aren’t that big a deal. He’s been implementing much of the routine since he came to the school in 2013.

This year, full contact takes place on Tuesday. Most other times it’s helmets and shoulder pads, shells and shorts.

“It’s about keeping the kids safe,” Plunkett said. “My mentality has always been, ‘Get my horses to the race,’ so I’ve never been crazy about contact anyway…. I don’t feel like [the new rules] affected us that much.”

Plunkett favors full contact early in the week, so that players will be used to it by game time.

“We’re still trying to get healthy from the previous game on Mondays,” he said. “I feel really good about these rules. I’m a big mental guy anyway, so [the new rules] aren’t a big deal for us.”