---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you run the ball, you control the…"
description: "\"If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control the clock, you usually control the game.\" — Tiki Barber"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/tiki-barber-41598_balls_if-you-run-the-ball-you-control-the-cloc_2698676.jpg"
---

#  If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control…

![“If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control the clock, you usually control the game.” quote by Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/tiki-barber-41598_balls_if-you-run-the-ball-you-control-the-cloc_2698676.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/tiki-barber-41598_balls_if-you-run-the-ball-you-control-the-cloc_2698676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/tiki-barber-41598_balls_if-you-run-the-ball-you-control-the-cloc_2698676.jpg)

> “If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control the clock, you usually control the game.”

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Controlling the ball dictates the game’s pace and outcome.

**In simple terms:** Ball control leads to game control.

Key Takeaway

Master fundamental skills to dominate.

Themes

sports strategy control

Mood

strategic analytical

Type

sports educational

When to use this quote

- football
- team sports
- coaching

Key Concepts

kinetics game theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How to balance offense and defense?
- What other factors affect game control?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on ball may ignore defense.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/)

## Related quotes

> [Rushing the ball is all about ball control. If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control the clock, you usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/rushing-the-ball-is-all-about-ball-control-if-you-run-the-ball-you/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [I like to have the ball and control the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-moutinho/i-like-to-have-the-ball-and-control-the-game/)

[Joao Moutinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-moutinho/)

> [I can't throw myself the ball. All I can control is running my routes and making my catches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davante-adams/i-can-t-throw-myself-the-ball-all-i-can-control-is-running-my-routes/)

[Davante Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davante-adams/)

> [I always try to find the solution before I receive the ball. Afterwards, I have to control it and to pass it. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-kimmich/i-always-try-to-find-the-solution-before-i-receive-the-ball/)

[Joshua Kimmich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-kimmich/)

> [Sometimes in a match, when things get tight, you want to feel like you can swing out on the ball and still have control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-anderson/sometimes-in-a-match-when-things-get-tight-you-want-to-feel-like-you/)

[Kevin Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-anderson/)

> [When you control the ball you control the score](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pel/when-you-control-the-ball-you-control-the-score/)

[Pele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pel/)

> [We can't think that we can control the game for 90 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/we-can-t-think-that-we-can-control-the-game-for-90-minutes/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [There's times in games where I feel like I can manipulate and control the game by doing a lot of things. And then there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-griffin/there-s-times-in-games-where-i-feel-like-i-can-manipulate-and-control/)

[Blake Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-griffin/)

> [It is better when you play a desperate side, because you can control the game and the emotions more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deco/it-is-better-when-you-play-a-desperate-side-because-you-can-control/)

[Deco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deco/)

> [It's important to start games well and then we could keep control of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/it-s-important-to-start-games-well-and-then-we-could-keep-control-of/)

[Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/)

> [When I am in control of my game and my short game is on, I feel like I'll have a great chance to win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-thomas/when-i-am-in-control-of-my-game-and-my-short-game-is-on-i-feel-like-i/)

[Justin Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-thomas/)

> [When I was at Oklahoma, I always felt like I had to control the game because we didn't have great scorers. So, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-sampson/when-i-was-at-oklahoma-i-always-felt-like-i-had-to-control-the-game/)

[Kelvin Sampson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-sampson/)

> [In chess one cannot control everything. Sometimes a game takes an unexpected turn, in which beauty begins to emerge. Both players are always instrumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-kramnik/in-chess-one-cannot-control-everything-sometimes-a-game-takes-an/)

[Vladimir Kramnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-kramnik/)

> [I can control my attitude, and I can control my game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-woodland/i-can-control-my-attitude-and-i-can-control-my-game/)

[Gary Woodland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-woodland/)

> [You try to take advantage of taking control of the game when you know you may have guys on base and counts aren't in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cain/you-try-to-take-advantage-of-taking-control-of-the-game-when-you-know/)

[Matt Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cain/)

## More by Tiki Barber

> [My family is everything to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/my-family-is-everything-to-me/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [Marshall was a pioneering player. As a threat in so many different aspects of football, he revolutionized the way in which the running back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/marshall-was-a-pioneering-player-as-a-threat-in-so-many-different/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [You get held to a high standard, almost an unmaintainable standard, in the public eye that you don't even come close to touching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/you-get-held-to-a-high-standard-almost-an-unmaintainable-standard-in/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [People go through life and make personal decisions and sometimes they don't work out. I won't be the first person to be divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/people-go-through-life-and-make-personal-decisions-and-sometimes-they/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [I have a need to do something and know I can be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/i-have-a-need-to-do-something-and-know-i-can-be-successful/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [Rushing the ball is all about ball control. If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control the clock, you usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/rushing-the-ball-is-all-about-ball-control-if-you-run-the-ball-you/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [It's a basic, elemental universe, one of the last remaining zones where violence and domination sort out who is top dog. That's football's glory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/it-s-a-basic-elemental-universe-one-of-the-last-remaining-zones-where/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [Every day is an opportunity disguised as a challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/every-day-is-an-opportunity-disguised-as-a-challenge/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

> [I grew up playing sports. There is a clear line between success and failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiki-barber/i-grew-up-playing-sports-there-is-a-clear-line-between-success-and/)

[Tiki Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

[Explore all 10 Tiki Barber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiki-barber/)

## More Balls quotes

> [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/)

[Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/)

> [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/)

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> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [Play small ball. Get back to basics. I would say that you need to be a conservative, but you need to maintain your independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-tantaros/play-small-ball-get-back-to-basics-i-would-say-that-you-need-to-be-a/)

[Andrea Tantaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-tantaros/)

> [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/)

[Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/)

> [Maybe bring in sponge balls to learn the technique and gain that experience of actually challenging for a header.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/maybe-bring-in-sponge-balls-to-learn-the-technique-and-gain-that/)

[Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/)

> [I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-like-ren-descartes-theory-about-a-ball-of-wax-you-can-change-its/)

[Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Throwing a ball is not natural, whether it's overhand or underhand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-finch/throwing-a-ball-is-not-natural-whether-it-s-overhand-or-underhand/)

[Jennie Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-finch/)

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[Clinton Portis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-portis/)

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[Glenn Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-turner/)

> [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/)

Jerry Glanville

Browse all 3,005 Balls quotes

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