JACKSONVILLE — Undoubtedly officials with the University Interscholastic League (UIL) subscribe to the theory of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Last November the UIL legislative council adapted a few new rules that deal directly with the way high schools in Texas can conduct their two-a-day football practices.

The revisions came following a recommendation by the UIL medical advisory committee

After record highs plagued the state last August, the UIL deemed it necessary to take preventative action against heat-related illnesses.

With most high school teams scheduled to gather on Monday to start their respective preparations for the 2012 season, the new rules will go into affect from the get-go, literally.

Football clubs are now not allowed to have two-a-day practices during the first four days of fall workouts (before, the UIL did not restrict when two-a-days could begin).

Another new ruling says that teams cannot stage two-a-days on back-to-back days.

When teams have two-a-day workouts, there must be a break of at least two hours between the two sessions  of the previous one hour break.

The policy modifications bring the UIL more in line with the NCAA guidelines governing two-a-day practices.

Athletic trainers at Jacksonville and Bullard High Schools agree the new rules are welcomed.

“Spacing out the practices, particularly early on, better allows the student athletes' bodies to recoup and it gives them more time to rehydrate,” Jason Kraus, head athletic trainer at Jacksonville High School said.

Jeff  “Doc” Shrode, Bullard High School's head athletic trainer had these thoughts on the UIL rule changes.

“I think that there are a lot of advantages to the new rules,”he said. “Giving the athletes more time to recover is totally beneficial.”

Shrode said that while the new mandates should help to reduce heat-related problems, the doesn't believe that they will reduce the number of injuries in general.

“The new rules will mean there are less problems with heat illnesses, but I don't (foresee) that they will translate into less injuries overall,” Shrode said.

Shrode stated that despite the implementation of the policy changes, that in his opinion athletic directors must be careful in the way they go about scheduling practices.

“I know some schools will be doing two sessions back-to-back,with the two-hour break, but that will actually put the kids on the field at a hotter time of the day than last year,” Shrode said. “Here at Bullard when we have two-a-days, we will have an early morning practice and the other late in the evening.

“It will make for a longer day for the trainers, but, it is a much safer way of doing things.”

According to Kraus, student-athletes should continue to follow individual guidelines set forth at their respective schools in regard to preventing illnesses caused by heat.

“We've been fortunate in the past here at Jacksonville to have not had any problems with the heat,” he said. “I think that is because we spend a lot of time educating our athletes on how to eat and drink properly and how important that that is when it comes to avoiding heat illnesses.”