Here is why you shouldn’t subject your kids to showcase/combine culture.
“The NFL combine is the most widely known & prestigious ‘showcase’ in all of sports.
But even it fails to ‘showcase’ football skill/potential as the test do not reflect the demands of the game.
Parents, don’t buy into showcase/combine culture.
Buy into unending development.”
-Ray Zingler on X
I watch the NFL Combine like everybody else. And I enjoy it, too.
As a Sports Performance coach, I am naturally attracted to all things related to strength & speed.
And to see some of the world’s greatest athletes get into spandex and haul ass for a couple of hours on a rainy weekend is something that will always fit into the background of my schedule.
But I think as “cool” as an event as the NFL combine is, it doesn’t translate to on field performance, and I’ll debunk every test, very quickly.
When are football players ever running 40 yards in a given play? And if they are is it in a straight line?
Vertical and Broad Jump? Yes, they are great tests and displays of power, but have you watched an athlete in any football game be rewarded for max jumping height/distance from a stationary position?
3 cone and shuttle? “It’s about agility and change of direction!” Sure, but in a football game, does the athlete know the precise steps & “course” he will take to get to his desired location? Of course not.
And the bench test? Come on. Testing muscular endurance, risking technical breakdown, which increases risk of injury when football is a max strength/power sport? The plays usually last less than 6 seconds, how long does it takes to bench 23 reps? It’s stupid.
But the reason the NFL combine hasn’t changed the tests is because they are easy to quantify, and the “show”case isn’t for the athletes, it’s for the fans.
Front offices aren’t drafting on combine performance, they are drafting on film they have over the last 3-4 years where the players, ya know, actually played the game they are going to be (further) paid to play.
This is why I think Marvin Harrison Jr. sitting out of the combine was actually very wise. He spent his time becoming a better football player, not becoming better at trivial tests that don’t translate and, in many ways, are counterproductive.
Parents, just to shoot you straight. I understand the draw to the showcases and combines, but if they can’t “get it right” at the highest level, what do you think they’re after in the adolescent ranks?
$$$.
More development, less showcase.
