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In the "old days" of football, many teams began the first week of practice without any equipment. One team (whose Head Coach is still coaching) had his players run through all tackling drills without pads. His teams were fierce competitors, won many state championships and nobody walked away from playing them without an extra bag of ice in the tub following the game.
The mentality was one whereby with or without pads they were going to compete going 100% all the time and they did not fear anything (including injury). These days, the first week of practice is "Helmet's Only" which is done for heat acclimation.
The removal of shoulder pads and pants does not make a practice any less physical or competitive. Nothing could be further from the truth. The level of intensity should remain the same whether the pads are on or off.
We want all payers to step on the field ready to compete and this means being aggressive in all drills and plays. God calls us to do the same in life. It is written in Ephesians 6, we are to
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes".
We are called to wear the "belt of truth", the "breastplate of righteousness", the "boots of readiness", the "helmet of salvation", and the "sword of the Spirit". All of this is to equip us for battle against the enemy each day. However, it does not do any good to get dressed up for battle and watch idly as others do the work.
It is important to remember every day is a battle to become a better Christian warrior. You may find yourself at times without the full armor of God. However, you are to battle onward with what you have and give 100% in your pursuit of righteousness.
The result will often be more like a helmets only practice where you are banged up a bit more but are better prepared than you were before the practice.
As a team, we are either moving forward or we are moving backward. There is no such thing as consistency. The devil will up his game and so will your competitors. You need to keep moving forward and pushing through and some days will require a few more bags of ice!
