Do you think spring sports benefit football players?

[alabama mike]

The high schools in this part of the state are too small for kids to participate in only one sport, specialize if you will. Let the kid(s) play whatever sport they decide they want to play.

[55buckeyes98]

If the spring sports (baseball, lacrosse, track, etc.) has a lifting program in place that is legitimate then I think the football players should definitely play a spring sport... unfortunately in the long run most springs sports DO NOT have a legitimate strength program and some baseball programs, once the season starts, do not have a legitimate conditioning program either. I have mixed feelings on the whole subject.

[JabbatheDel]

I think that it is definately a positive that kids are active in the spring. However, I don't think it's a good thing that there is a topic on here questioning whether spring sports are good or bad for a player.

Too many kids run track that could help out baseball programs because they feel like it's going to make them better for football. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that why kids lift and condition 3-4 times a week all summer? And the truth is, the kids that worry about skipping out on baseball to better themselves for football probably are athletic enough to not miss a beat.

[55buckeyes98]

I agree that more kids should be involved in more sports... especially at the small school level... However because baseball plays too many games (up to 27) in a 6 week period, most baseball players in most baseball programs do not get a chance to work out at all. At the end of the season players feel like they lost all the gains they made throughout the year. There is a myth out there that baseball players shouldn't lift, when in reality they need to lift 2-3 days a week for about 25-35 minutes... not to maintain, but to continue to increase strength and especially for injury prevention. They do not have to go in and push themselves as they would in the off-season, but they do need to lift. I suggest that position players lift after their game and pitchers could lift the day after they pitch. Obviously the kids need to be properly supervised, observed, and put into a program that best suits their team. A lot of kids in Ohio really love football and when other sports do not make the same commitment to conditioning and strengthening their bodies they tend to navigate to sports that allow players to work out during the season. The coaches that have more strength and conditioning knowledge are the coaches that are going to have a better chance to get more kids out for their team, especially football players.

[chillout]

I think track can be a big help cause most of it is just running. Baseball isn't as much running but it still might not be the best choice. I'm not dogging baseball but I think it would hurt lineman or linebackers if they played. The weights would be better for the bigger boys rather than a spring sport IMO.

[lhsfan97]

I think track can be a big help cause most of it is just running. Baseball isn't as much running but it still might not be the best choice. I'm not dogging baseball but I think it would hurt lineman or linebackers if they played. The weights would be better for the bigger boys rather than a spring sport IMO.

weights would be better for the bigger boys?

I would have to dissagree with that statement. If you are a lineman track and field (shot and disc) is one of the best ways to work on footwork and explosion. If you have never watched the kind of workouts throwers do in practice you would have no idea of how much it helps linemen and any football player for that matter.

If people would go back through their schools history and pick out the best football players to ever compete at the school more times than not would you find that they competed in 2 or more sports. I will use lancaster where I went to school as an example.

Layfayette "Hack" Abbott class of 1914- College football All American @ Syracuse university.....competed in both football and basketball in high school

William Galssford class of 1932- College football all american @ University of Pittsburgh, former head coach at Nebraska.....played football and ran track in high school

Rex kern class of 1967- college football all american @ The Ohio State University, played pro football with the Colts..........Was a high school all american in football, basketball, and baseball.

Rod Stewart class of 1976- played football at kentucky and the San fransisco 49's......played football and ran track in high school (still holds 3 records in track)

Barry Walker class of 1982- played football as a running back at OSU.........played football and did track and field in high school (was state champion in the shotput)

Ben Gilbert class of 1996-played football @ Ohio State and also for the Indianapolis Colts.........played football and competed in track and field (two time state and national champion in the shotput)

Bobby Carpenter class of 2003 - played football at Ohio State and currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys......played football and competed in swimming and track and field in high school. bobby actually didn't even play football until the 7th grade. before that he played soccer. His father Rob (10 year NFL veteran and current head coach at Lancaster) said soccer was better for the physical development of an athlete at a young age and was more benificial than sticking them in a set of pads and teaching them to hit.

those are just a few examples I could think of off the top of my head

[TrojanXplosion]

^^^^^^^^^^
That is some nice information.

[The Riepo Man]

^^^^^^^^^^
That is some nice information.

What about Jim Thorpe...didnt he play like 4 sports before his Hall of Fame NFL career?

[chillout]

weights would be better for the bigger boys?

I would have to dissagree with that statement. If you are a lineman track and field (shot and disc) is one of the best ways to work on footwork and explosion. If you have never watched the kind of workouts throwers do in practice you would have no idea of how much it helps linemen and any football player for that matter.

I agree with that and that was what i was trying to say in a way, but i just worded it wrong and didn't proof read. I mean track would be better for lineman but weights would be better for the big boys over baseball. Sorry bout that =]

[Enemy of State_98]

I think running track to stay in shape for football couldnt hurt. I feel that kids need to play as many sports as they can.

[The Riepo Man]

I think running track to stay in shape for football couldnt hurt. I feel that kids need to play as many sports as they can.

I agree...kids should play as many as they can, besides plenty of athletes succeed in more than one sports and colleges like people who participate in more than one oriented activity