Does OTA football offer any real value? This question is common among many NFL sports fans across the world. In football, OTA has been around for many years. However, many Boston sports fans and other people from across the world didn’t know about it until 2011, when the collective bargaining agreement was signed. Ever since 2011, OTA has introduced tons of benefits for all parties involved, including the teams, media, and football fans.As you read on, you’ll discover everything you need to know about OTA in football, including its importance.
What is OTA football and how does it work?
OTA in football is an acronym that stands for “Organized Team Activities.” These activities are voluntary and often occur during the off-season. It’s the period where players get to work on their skills to get back to their best form.
OTA is one of the few segments that the football offseason is divided into. Although OTA isn’t compulsory, the good thing is that most players often attend them.
The NFL rules
According to NFL football rules, teams can engage in organized team activities for 10 days. The ten days can be broken down into three different phases.
- For the first phase, which falls in the first two weeks of the program, OTA football only focuses on strength, conditioning, and physical rehabilitation.
- The second phase falls in the next three weeks of the program. During this phase, teams mostly focus their activities on on-field workouts. The NFL rules don’t support live contact and team offense vs. team defense drills during this phase.
- The third phase consists of the next four weeks after phase 2. In this phase, teams are only allowed to perform certain drills, such as 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11. There’s zero room for live contact during this last stage.
What are the benefits of OTAs in football?
With everything said so far about the three phases of OTA football, one can safely say that Organized Team Activities are mostly about lifting weights, conditioning, and drilling. While you’re partially right, you need to understand there is a lot more to OTAs than the aforementioned activities.
- Camaraderie in sports is a term used to drive a team to greatness. Developing camaraderie means building the much-needed mutual trust and respect amongst every team player and other officials. With OTAs, a team can always develop camaraderie, which is key to having a good season.
- OTAs in football are very short but teams can always take advantage of these periods to review their base schemes. With this move, teams will be able to install new concepts and plays, which will help players get better for the coming season.
- Evaluating and understanding players’ conditioning is key to being sure a particular player is ready for the next season. With OTA football, teams can easily evaluate each player’s conditioning and make the best decisions.
Wrapping up
OTA football, or Organized Team Activities, is certainly a good thing for NFL players and football fans. Apart from helping players to work on their abilities and become better, OTAs also help teams to develop the best strategies and concepts for the coming season. You can learn more about OTA football on the official Lost in Boston Sports website.
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