Your problem is not an uncommon one. I have seen many coaches from youth clubs, high schools, and even at universities decimate their players by having them go through a SEAL-inspired “hell week” for tryouts.

However, getting a coach to see the error of his or her ways can be difficult or impossible. I think trying to force a coach to change is not the right way to go and is often counter-productive. A better approach would be to try to educate the coach to the dangers associated with “hell week” tryouts, and the benefits that can come from adopting a new, more effective, science-based training plan.

The negative aspects of “hell week” are almost too numerous to list: increased incidence of muscle strains and tears, connective tissue damage, broken bones, heat stroke, losing players to injury, starting the season off poorly due to lack of fitness and lack of players due to injury, poor team morale/attitude, the inability to effectively train skill and speed because of excessive fatigue or muscle soreness, and an overemphasis on conditioning taking the place of needed training in strategy and tactics.

The positive aspects of an effective, science-based tryout would include the team being in optimum condition for the start of the season, a much lower incidence of muscle/ligament/bone damage, better team morale, more time spent on strategy and tactics, and better skills training (you can’t effectively train skills if you are tired!).

Below is some information which you can use to sway your coach to come back “from the dark side”.

Good Luck.

From Vern Gambetta’s excellent blog on training: http://functionalpathtraining.blogspot.com/2006/08/training-campspre-season.html
By the way, Vern’s book, Athletic Development: The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning, is an excellent look into the proper way to train athletes.

Research showing the negative effects of “hell weeks”
FOOTBALL TWO-A-DAY PRACTICES ARE DESTRUCTIVE
Mitchell, C. R., Hutchinson, A. T., Clark, M., & Crouse, S. F. (2001). Muscle power in collegiate football athletes before and after the two-a-day practice period. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(5), Supplement abstract 892.
Muscle power production in football players before and after a preseason two-a-day practice period was compared. Ss (N = 34) practiced ~6 hours a day for three weeks.
Muscle power and body weight decreased significantly over the training period. This raises the possibility of heightened injury rates or the development of overtraining. The value of two-a-day practices in football needs to be reassessed.
Implication. Two-a-day football practice “camps” cause muscular power to deteriorate and physically debilitate the players.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol101/mitchell.htm

“INJURY CAMPS” ARE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE IN TEAM SPORTS
Foster, C., Gottschall, L. L., Parker, S. E., Freeman, A., Brice, G., & Kline, D. (2000). Training patterns and illness/injury during a men’s collegiate basketball season. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32(5), Supplement abstract 1824.
The training patterns of, and illness/injury in, a men’s collegiate basketball team (N = 14) were monitored during a competitive season using the Session RPE method of monitoring exercise. Session RPE was also compared to a heart rate method of monitoring training. The relationships among training load, monotony, and strain, and the incidence of illness/injury were determined.
A high percentage of illnesses/injuries occurred in the fist two weeks, which coincided with high levels of training load and strain. During that period, more than half the players were ill, injured, or both. Reduced illnesses occurred during low strain periods (e.g., holidays). The heart rate method paralleled the Session RPE method of monitoring.
It was suggested that aggressive early season training was counter-productive because of the injuries that developed, and that both forms of monitoring training strain were effective.
Implication. Heavy early season training is harmful to athletes. A good label for such “camps”, which occur in other sports, particularly football, is “injury camps.” Increased injuries and illnesses are indications that training loads and strain are excessive.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol101/foster.htm

HELL WEEKS
Costill, D. L., & King, D. S. (1983). Workout evaluation. Swimming Technique, August-October, 24-27.
Costill and King directly commented on the value of “hell-week” programming where athletes are subjected to repeated days of intense and large volume swimming. Those experiences do not produce training effects because:
* recovery is not provided;
* their continuation is not possible because of the usual depletion of energy sources (particularly muscle glycogen); and
* the susceptibility of the athletes to injury is increased because of the deterioration in an athlete’s ability to repair minor tissue damage.
Implication.The practice of subjecting athletes to excessive amounts of training as a method for developing “character” or locating the “mentally-tough” athletes in a squad is irresponsible and could be construed as physical abuse. There is enough evidence to support the contention that “hell-week” forms of training are sufficiently threatening to the well-being of athletes that litigation asserting negligence on the part of a coach demanding participation in such an experience is a distinct possibility.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol13/costill1.htm

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thanks
Cam