Pulling a runner

how do you mean, pulling a runner? like literally?

i think he means tugging on their shirt. right?

Did this in a cross country race 20 years ago, after heading up a short hill and making a quick turn. The runner who I tried to pull threw this arm back and broke my nose. Go figure. Never did it again.

Monty

did you know him, or was he just a stranger?

i am guessing this guy means taking the kid out of the race during the middle of it, as in he is the coach and is upset with the lack of effort so to punish the athlete he is going to embaress him by pulling him off the track. i think this is a terrible idea and absolutely pointless. you start pulling a kid off the track, then he starts dropping out by himself. worst thing a kid can do is learn that it is ok to just drop out if he isnt doing well. let him finish the race and talk to him afterwards, maybe there was something you didnt know about, maybe he just had a bad day, whatever the problem is it pales in comparison to the mindset of it is acceptable to just quit midrace.

sum kid wrote:

i am guessing this guy means taking the kid out of the race during the middle of it, as in he is the coach and is upset with the lack of effort so to punish the athlete he is going to embaress him by pulling him off the track. i think this is a terrible idea and absolutely pointless. you start pulling a kid off the track, then he starts dropping out by himself. worst thing a kid can do is learn that it is ok to just drop out if he isnt doing well. let him finish the race and talk to him afterwards, maybe there was something you didnt know about, maybe he just had a bad day, whatever the problem is it pales in comparison to the mindset of it is acceptable to just quit midrace.

That's exactly what I mean. Thanks for the feedback.

if a kid is running like a nancy then by all means yank his ass off the track. for a real competitor/athlete, getting yanked is the worst possible thing and the best possible motivator. we need to cut this cuddly bs attitude about finishing races cause it's the "right thing."

rip, Totally agree. Sometimes it is about doing what is best for the program. It can be important for the rest of the team to see that lack of effort is unacceptable. I've coached many years and have done it once. The team captains thanked me, as did the young man pulled 2 years later.

The harshest thing I ever saw a coach do is this kid assed out of a race like a pussy with a lap to go. The coach sent another athlete to bring the kid over to him. When the kid was near the coach, the coach simply told him to take his singlet off, leave it with him, go straight home, and that he was a disgrace to the team.

I'd imagine pulling a kid off in the middle of a race would be much worse than what I just described.

If it's obvious, to you and the spectators, then you are doing a favor by pulling the kid. The longer they're out there, the more they embarrass themselves, whether or not they undersand that at the moment. I'd never pull a kid unless I thought they were running through acute pain that was asking for injury. I definitely disagree that it's about "the program."

Maybe we are each defining 'program' differently. I would think any coach would want to build character, loyalty, preparation, etc. etc. for 120 team members even if there is a slight chance it could hurt the feelings of one. As you said, you are doing the kid a favor as well. This is not to be used lightly, but definately has a place in my mind when the kid is doing damage to himself and even more so to all of his teammates and future athletes which is what I call the program. Maybe a poor example, but would a coach leave a basketball coach leave a player on the court who is so tired or mentally out of it that he/she is not trying or running up the court. No, the player would be pulled to come back at another time after the proper coaching mentally & physically.

I like the point that if the kid has already quit on the inside and although they are still running, you can tell on the inside they've quit, then maybe pulling them it right, so they can come back and do it better another day.

Also, what I'm talking about is a race, like a championship race, not just some dual meet or something like that.

I'm guessing it should be an absolute last resort, but it just kills me to see someone giving less than full effort in a race.

cio wrote:

but it just kills me to see someone giving less than full effort in a race.

How do you survive watching heats and rounds at Worlds/Olympics?

Asterix wrote:

cio wrote:

but it just kills me to see someone giving less than full effort in a race.

How do you survive watching heats and rounds at Worlds/Olympics?

They are giving full effort, they are being smart about their effort, they're not giving up, they're running smart.

I would think it depends on the kid and how you think he would respond. You know your athletes best, if he's the sensitive type and you think he would respond well to letting him finish the race and then giving him a talking to then that's the way to go. If he's the fiery type and you can motivate him by pulling him then maybe you should do that. It depends on the kid in my opinion.

Guy,

Very good observation. Thanks.

I am not sure about the message it sends. Part of it is the message 'I better run my best or my coach will pull me' but the other part is 'Im not running well, id better drop out before coach pulls me'. It might not be best for your athletes to be on the line thinking about you pulling them out. I would definitely agree that it is a last resort. Also I have always learned more from races i have done poorly in than races i have won. If you pull the kid, he may be more focused on you than on figuring out why he ran poorly. I believe that it is very hard for a runner to drop out in the middle of a race, until he actually does it. then it gets easier and easier. I know i said that before, but i feel it is the most important part of this issue. good luck with your kids.

How do you KNOW, that the kid your going to pull is not giveing it there best? Running allways looks easyer to the one's who are watching. If the kid looks like they are doging it, they why don't give it a try. The point of running at this level is for the kids to have a good time. Just becous it hurts your ego that one of your runners is not where you would like, is not a good reason to pull them.