The Championship portion of the season requires an honest assessment of each athlete’s level of performance in order to address the areas in most need of specific targeting for the last 2-3 weeks. Analyzing the 200 and 300 meter split times of my 400m runners showed that all the men and women were hitting their target times at 200 and 300 consistently in the last 2 weeks prior to Conference Championships. In order to achieve the desired goal times for 400 and 200 meters and Conference and beyond, Specific Endurance and maintenance of Speed Endurance needed to be the focus of the Training Plan.
Specific Endurance for 400 was addressed utilizing Split 450, 400 and 350 meter runs with Full Recovery. Speed Endurance was addressed utilizing shorter (60-100m) sprints w/full recovery. Attention to block work, explosive strength and elastic strength continued on alternating days. Total volume was reduced by almost 50%.
The results at Conference Trials and Finals (Tu & Fri) were gratifying. The three women 400 runners finished 1,2 and 4 in the 400 and 4,5,6 in the 200 with time improvements over their previous seasonal bests. The two men 400 runners placed 7th and 8th in the final despite going into the trials ranked 13th and 17th out of 18 runners. Both had seasonal bests at 400. The Women’s 4x400 relay defeated the #1 ranked team in Nor Cal to win the Big 8 Conference title while the men placed 6th with a Seasonal Best. The three men 400 hurdlers qualified 1,2 and 4 in the Trials and took 1st and 3rd in the Final. One of the hurdlers tore his groin in practice two days prior to the Finals and could not run. He was the fastest qualifier from the Trials. After recording a Personal Best in the Trials, this was a cruel ending to his JC career. Both the other 400 hurdlers ran Seasonal Bests.
At the NorCal Trials the women qualified for the NorCal Finals at 400 with both running Personal Best times. Both 400 hurdlers qualified for the Final with Personal Bests as well.
Since NorCal Finals are this Saturday, I am confident that the training focus of the post season (last 3 weeks) has resulted in having the four athletes ready for a continuation of improvements in their 400 and 400 hurdle races.
I will be sure to update in the next post. In reflecting on this past season, I have realized some factors that have contributed to the improvements in times and also areas that might need more emphasis in future training plans. Sometimes coaches tend to overlook these factors when trying to develop training plans so I will briefly describe these important factors to consider when developing training plans.
1) Creation of a proper Mind-Set for practice and competitions. This would involve development of two interdependent factors: A) Physical Skill Development and B) Development of Mental Skills (ability to focus). Physical skill development should revolve around the teaching of specific movement patterns while the Mental sills would revolve around creation of task specific cues and positive self-talk to replace the negative self talk that all athletes struggle with.
2) Create a structured routine that starts with general skills and moves to more specific skills in both warm-up and overall training plan.
3) Involve the athletes in your plan. Explain the overall plan and the athlete’s role in getting the most from the plan. Make them responsible for actively learning the skills and understanding the importance that every drill/exercise/workout will play in the development of their fullest performance potential.
4) Learn about the athletes in the program. Coaches need to accept that athletes vary in physiology, psychology, motivation and emotional baggage. What may help motivate or encourage one athlete could adversely affect another.
5) Develop the coaching tools that work for each athlete. This would involve areas such as development of terminology that makes “sense” to each athlete. Finding the “Take Action” or ‘Task Specific Cues” that are specific to the needs/learning environment of each athlete.
My general philosophy is that Coaching/Teaching is a tool that allows a coach to transfer knowledge, guidance and life lessons to athletes while in the process of teaching them all the motor skills and developing their Bio-Motor abilities to the highest level possible.
Coaches can truly provide the pathway for athletes to attain their true potential and goals and maybe, through careful consideration of the individual needs of each athlete, save the athletes from themselves!
Combining sound, scientific principles with creativity to advance the Art of Designing Track and Field Training Programs.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
THE ROLE OF STRENGTH/POWER TRAINING IN SPRINT ACCELERATION
THE ROLE OF STRENGTH/POWER TRAINING
IN SPRINT ACCELERATION: PART ONE
In order for successful acceleration mechanics to be performed, the sprinter must execute a technically efficient and powerful start, so as to allow for the optimal body lean and posture necessary for a sound entry into the acceleration phase.
The role of Strength/Power Training in all phases of the sprint race cannot be underestimated. Any discussion of Acceleration Mechanics specific to teaching sprinters to properly execute the Acceleration Phase of the sprint race must take into account the relationship between proper mechanics and the strength/power required to do so.
In “The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling” (Dr. R. Mann, self published, 2007), Dr. Ralph Mann points out several elemental relationships between strength and the ability to be more mechanically efficient or productive in the various areas/phases of the sprint race.
Dr. Mann cites three specific examples of this Strength/Mechanical Efficiency relationship affecting a proper Sprint Start and the ability to perform a successful acceleration phase.
1) Greater strength allows for the athlete to produce greater horizontal forces in the Start (pg. 52).
2) Greater horizontal force produced at the Start allows for the sprinter to stay lower at the Start (pg.52).
3) Success in the short sprint race is determined by the ability of the sprinter to generate great amounts of explosive strength at the proper time. (pg. 91).
Mann’s analysis of sprinters found that weaker athletes tend to “pop up” during the Start because lesser amounts of horizontal force produced at the Start creates the need for the athlete to move the center of gravity vertically in order to maintain balance.
Given the need for the “falling or leaning” body position to properly execute a successful acceleration phase, block start mechanics must be incorporated into the drills used in teaching proper acceleration mechanics.
Glen Mills, coach of Usain Bolt and many world-class sprinters, alluded to the role of strength in the acceleration phase (termed Drive by many coaches) in an interview where he echoed the statements by Dr. Mann; “…the athlete has to stay in the crouch position while developing maximum power. If the athlete does not have the strength to carry the drive phase long enough then it has to be aborted so he can go into the transition earlier.”
Incorporation of relevant MAXIMUM STRENGTH (also termed Static), EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH (also termed Dynamic) AND ELASTIC STRENGTH development exercises into the overall sprint-training program cannot be argued in view of the proven interdependence between Strength and the ability to optimally perform the proven principals of Sprint Mechanics in all phases of the short sprint race.
Since Part 4 of this Acceleration Article will deal with Elastic Strength (or Plyometric Training), this section will focus on Maximum Strength and Explosive Strength Training exercises proven to be relevant to proper execution of Start, Acceleration and Maximum Velocity phases of the sprint race.
Both Maximum Strength and Explosive Strength exercises must be used in order to address both Intramuscular and Intermuscular coordination factors. Through the proper mixing of Maximum and Explosive Strength exercises, Recruitment, Rate Coding and Synchronization can be optimally developed through use of exercises that coordinate the amount of force, speed of movement and precision of movement patterns applicable to effective sprint mechanics. Use of exercises that cover the entire Force-Velocity Curve, with an emphasis on moving the curve to left over time, cannot be done with a proper mix of Maximum, Explosive and Elastic Strength exercises.
There seems to be a considerable amount of confusion among coaches about the need for Maximum Strength exercises to be included with Explosive Strength exercises in the training of sprinters. The idea that lifting heavy loads in a relatively slow manner is of no use to the high speed movements of sprinters needs to revisited in light of the specific research findings provided in “Strength and Power in Sport”, (P.V. Komi, IOC Medical Commission, 1992). Some of these specific findings are listed below.
1) High threshold Fast Twitch Glycolytic (FTb) Muscle Units are NOT recruited UNTIL force exceeds 90% of Maximum Strength (pg. 250).
2) Training with high velocity movements increases high velocity strength (pg. 263).
3) The load to be overcome and the movement time are the main factors in developing Rate of Force Development. If the load to be overcome is light, IRFD (Initial Rate of Force Development) predominates. If the load to be overcome is high, then MRFD (Maximum Rate of Force Dev.) predominates. For movements with a duration of 250ms or less (sprinting), BOTH IRFD and MRFD are the main factors (pg. 381).
4) Maximal Strength and Power are not distinct entities. Maximum Strength is the basic quality that influences power performance (pg. 383).
5) Improvements in Power have been shown to result from high intensity strength training, jump training under increased stretching loads and movement specific exercises requiring muscular coordination training (pg. 384, 385).
6) The use of training methods involving, maximal and near maximal contractions, cause a remarkable increase in RFD accompanied by an increase in movement speed (pg. 392).
7) RFD directed training should take precedence in the Preparation Phases but not be completely eliminated at any time of the training year (pg. 392).
Understanding the neural adaptations to the various strength training methods will allow for an intelligent selection of specific exercises and their proper integration into the overall training plan of each individual.
Strength/Power Training Plans must address the training age of the individuals within the sprint group. Beginning/Novice sprinters require different considerations than Intermediate and Advanced athletes. For example, research shows that Maximum Strength increases will also lead to increases in Power and the ability to generate force at fast speeds, especially in less experienced athletes. Training plans for Beginning/Novice athletes should contain more emphasis on Maximum Strength development and the teaching of proper lifting mechanics.
PART TWO: IN FUTURE POSTING