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Does Track Performance Indicate Football Success?


tomlandry

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Here are just a few of the overall boy's results I saw:

 

15-5A (ETSN)

 

1. Hallsville, 157; 2. Marshall, 100; 3. Longview, 97; 4. Pine Tree, 83; 5. Texas High, 66; 6. Sulphur Springs, 54; 7. Greenville, 35; 8. Mount Pleasant, 28

16-5A (ETFinalSocer.com)

1. John Tyler, 181; 2, Lufkin, 154; 3, Whitehouse, 111; 4, Nacogdoches, 65; 5, Corsicana, 39; 6, Jacksonville, 36; 7, Lindale, 30.

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This is my take on track and field.

 

The running part helps all sports not just football. Conditioning, commitment, discipline, mental toughness, and team work(aka:relays).

 

Field events are more for the individual aspect of athletics. Some team, points for the team

 

I used to think there was a connection of football success and track success. Not as much now.

 

As the old saying go, "Its all about the Tommy's and the Joe's not the X's and the O's" in football

 

For track, "You can't win the Kentucky Derby with a Jackass"

 

So, "EYE" say, if you got the athletes you will be successful no matter what sport.

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Does it guarantee football success? Of course not. But it comes way closer to helping than it does not. It seems pretty obvious to me that having hopefully a big majority of your skill kids out working on improving speed skiils for three months it is certainly not going to hurt, And anytime your kids are competing that is ALWAYS a plus. Especially when throwing in team building and bonding with coaches, As far as I am concerned it is a BIG plus,

 

But I am biased I am a huge believer that there is no better developer for your entire athletic program than having success in Track.

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Glimmer won District, boys & girls

 

Boys 155, C. Hill 128, Kgore 87, Gwater 76, S. Hill 62, Bullard 45

 

Girls 220, C. Hill 146, Bullard 90, S. Hill 69, Gwater 41, Kgore 35

 

Not sure how it happened as we never have any fast guys & since Glimmer & Bullard are in separate District for FB, it is impossible to compare

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I am a firm believer that one helps with the other. It should be mandatory to run track if you are playing football. IMO

What if you play baseball ?

 

Back on topic, I don't think track brings success to a football program. It helps with offseason conditioning, but most football programs are already doing that in the spring. I know that Bob Hayes, Ollie Matson, Michael Carter, James Jett, Michael Bates, were outstanding at football and track winning Olympic Medals. Here's where some of that information can be found, but they left of Michael Carter : http://bleacherreport.com/articles/231444-top-10-track-athletes-that-excelled-in-the-nfl .

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I agree it absolutely CAN be done. I have no kids still at home but when they were in school while they were good in baseball and softball they were still able to run Track, and participate in Ag and One Act Play and the bunches of other activities that make Spring the crazy time of year. It was the Track that made them better in Football and Basketball. I love baseball and softball but personally I do not think that those sports are as beneficial as improving their overall athletic ability as Track was.

 

While you CANNOT FORCE kids to run track you can dang sure make them go through the workout which is why I like backing off the weights just a bit this time of year as soon as Power Lifting is finished and emphasizing speed and agility during the athletic period. That way you can tell them "You don't HAVE to go to the Track Meet, but you HAVE gone through the workout and since you have done the work you might as well reap the reward like getting out of school early for Track Meets and meeting pretty girls from other schools". LOL

You HAVE to SELL Track to the kids. And that is a constant year around process and requires the support of the ENTIRE Coaching Staff. For starters the baseball and track HC's SHOULD be working together and set their schedules so that they do not step on each others throats when scheduling for each season. Some conflicts are inevitable but if every week you are forced to pick one or the other your coaches are not working together effectively. Especially in small schools kids should be encouraged to participate in as many activities as they are able. I used to LOVE this time of year because your kids came home exhausted EVERY day because they were busy doing constructive activities.

 

I have seen more than a couple on this thread saying various versions of "track does not help football". I disagree but maybe I am wrong, but just about EVERY other Coach and the VAST majority of AD's that I have EVER talked too believes that Track helps ALL sports so they would be wrong too. You can get things from Track that are more intrinsic. Does success in Track absolutely equal success in Football, of course not. But it dang sure does not hurt either. MANY of the benefits of Track are indirect, Besides building speed and agility Track teaches mental toughness better than ANY other sport. You build comraderie (sp?). When you line up for football in the Fall nothing helps more than knowing that the guy next to you sold out in Track just like you did. You cannot buy that sort of attitude with millions of dollars.

But finally the VERY BEST thing about track is that it builds confidence. In Track kids that never saw the field in football or was the 9th or 10th guy off of the bench in basketball can have success, Heck it is just about GUARANTEED! They may not win gold medals or make it to the State Meet but if they work hard and WANT to succeed they WILL in track. If you work hard you WILL improve. It is impossible NOT too. Plus in Track there is an event for EVERYONE! And in many cases all those kids who have never been any good in anything else will suddenly acquire the ability to be a contributor in other sports just because if they compete hard in track they WILL develop a mental toughness and a significant improvement in their athletic ability.

 

My current favorite example of how this does work is Shelbyville. They have an AD there now that REALLY pushes Track and its good friend Power Lifting and there improvement in those sports has led to some of their best football teams in memory. Coincidence? I think not.

Just my .02

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An athlete should be able to do both. My son in particular manages both and hasnt missed either a game or a meet. He is a starter in baseball as well as a state contender in track. It CAN be done!

I don't keep up with many baseball/track meet schedules, but I'm sure some could come in conflict. I know that if our manager found out we had even went swimming the day of a game we weren't allowed to start.

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Does it guarantee football success? Of course not. But it comes way closer to helping than it does not. It seems pretty obvious to me that having hopefully a big majority of your skill kids out working on improving speed skiils for three months it is certainly not going to hurt, And anytime your kids are competing that is ALWAYS a plus. Especially when throwing in team building and bonding with coaches, As far as I am concerned it is a BIG plus,

 

But I am biased I am a huge believer that there is no better developer for your entire athletic program than having success in Track.

Amen

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