Question about the new playing surface.

[wildcatbd21]

I am curios about how much adjustments our players will have to make to the new playing surface at the stadium. I know it is supposed to be fast and have a feel similar to grass. But, will it be easy for the players to get used to it and how will it affect their ability to stop and cut?

Also, will it be any different for our kickers to kick field goals off of it?

 

[Comebakatz3]

I don't see why they would have to make any adjustments. They already having a practice field with this surface, or similar, so they will know how it reacts and know what they can and cannot do on it. Also, I don't think it is that much, if any, different than grass so it won't change how they play on the road either.

 

[hmt5000]

We will practice on it and 2 of the practice fields are turf I believe.

 

[BlueRaider22]

Having played on that kind of surface myself, there is little adjustment to be make. It's very similar to grass......though it can have a "mushy" feel to it. Almost like grass when it's wet outside. The main thing they will have to adjust to is when the fall on it. It feels very similar to grass except the synthetic material can leave burns fairly easy.....like getting "strawberries" while sliding in baseball.

 

[TBCat]

Why do they say the playing surface is faster if it has a mushy feel to it. That seems like it would slow the game down more than anything else.

 

[BlueRaider22]

I don't know if people say it's faster. Old astroturf.....and other forms of turf.....sure, it is faster b/c it's like running on flat concrete. But this stuff is fairly close to grass. The "mush" comes from the fact that the "dirt" is ground up rubber material. It's not like running in mud, but rather like you're walking on a small amount of padding......it's not a lot of sensation....just a little.

 

[DaBossIsBack]

You have to wear shorter spikes on this surface. The shorter spikes are lighter and make you feel like you're running in tennis shoes.

 

[BlueRaider22]

Doesn't Bthaunert install turf or have some advanced knowledge of it? Where's he at?

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

I am curios about how much adjustments our players will have to make to the new playing surface at the stadium. I know it is supposed to be fast and have a feel similar to grass. But, will it be easy for the players to get used to it and how will it affect their ability to stop and cut?

Also, will it be any different for our kickers to kick field goals off of it?

Very little difference, "carpet burns" will happen some because when all is said and done its a big carpet. There isn't very much adjusting to do because it feels like a very plush grass field. If there was much adjustment to be made installing it most likely wouldn't be a school option, either all schools would have it or none would because it would be an unnatural advantage. Quite a few HS around here have installed the surface. One of my best coaching friends is still AD at one who has and he said they saved a good bit of money from upkeep, but the biggest relief for him was making sure the field was painted for games, no more sweating blood trying to get a field painted during a week of almost constant rain and showers.

As for as playing faster, probably not much difference on these surfaces because of the base and it has basically a grass lenght knap to it. In the old days of astro turf being put over concrete with almost no padding, it probably played faster than natural grass, but those things were pretty rare and no HS had them when I was still coaching so thats a guess.

 

[jrburt]

Very little difference, "carpet burns" will happen some because when all is said and done its a big carpet. There isn't very much adjusting to do because it feels like a very plush grass field. If there was much adjustment to be made installing it most likely wouldn't be a school option, either all schools would have it or none would because it would be an unnatural advantage. Quite a few HS around here have installed the surface. One of my best coaching friends is still AD at one who has and he said they saved a good bit of money from upkeep, but the biggest relief for him was making sure the field was painted for games, no more sweating blood trying to get a field painted during a week of almost constant rain and showers.

As for as playing faster, probably not much difference on these surfaces because of the base and it has basically a grass lenght knap to it. In the old days of astro turf being put over concrete with almost no padding, it probably played faster than natural grass, but those things were pretty rare and no HS had them when I was still coaching so thats a guess.

I think it is slower than a short Bermuda field. Spongy and rug burns are not much of a problem. The rubber pellets can be conducive to staff, but they are often applied to grass surfaces as well, at least at the high school level.

Dave

 

[bthaunert]

Doesn't Bthaunert install turf or have some advanced knowledge of it? Where's he at?

Right here. My knowledge of it is the process of installing it, although I use the fields for recreational purposes. I have been the project manager for 5 installations at Oregon. Just a couple points (some have already been mentioned)

1. UK already has both indoor and outdoor practice facilities that are turf (very similar product) so there is zero adjustment.
2. It is true that when it is first installed that it has a "spongy" feeling to it because all of the rubber/sand infill has not settled. That will happen over time through play and rain.
3. In the grand scheme of things, it plays so much like grass, that there is really no difference. The old school "astroturf" was so different than grass that it was very different and it could give the team that played/practiced on it regularly an advantage.

Hopefully that helps. I feel like Fuzz throwing out all of that into.

 

[TBCat]

Right here. My knowledge of it is the process of installing it, although I use the fields for recreational purposes. I have been the project manager for 5 installations at Oregon. Just a couple points (some have already been mentioned)

1. UK already has both indoor and outdoor practice facilities that are turf (very similar product) so there is zero adjustment.
2. It is true that when it is first installed that it has a "spongy" feeling to it because all of the rubber/sand infill has not settled. That will happen over time through play and rain.
3. In the grand scheme of things, it plays so much like grass, that there is really no difference. The old school "astroturf" was so different than grass that it was very different and it could give the team that played/practiced on it regularly an advantage.

Hopefully that helps. I feel like Fuzz throwing out all of that into.

Good to know.