SELECTING STARTING POINTS THROUGH TESTING

In my last blog I mentioned I would cover some circuit exercises for throwers as well as selection of testing methods for performance indicators for all athletes. It is best to test all the athletes prior to the start of training because their nervous systems will be fresh. This is important because most explosive strength and power levels will lag behind the training methods that are used to improve them. This is a phenomenon that sometimes develops a negative attitude towards training as athletes assume that, since they are training to improve their power and explosive strength, they will continue to see their test indicators go up. Endurance and Speed indicators can, and should, improve during the Fall, whereas Power and Explosive Strength will tend to go down or stagnate. This is due to the residual fatigue of the nervous system from the training methods used for their development.an Once the proper recovery intervals and reduction of volume is introduced, athletes and coaches can expect to see improvements in Power and Explosive Power Test results. Tests that prove to be great indicators of the Bio-Motor Abilities appropriate to all the strength/power/speed events (sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws) would include: 30m Sprint from standing or 3 pt. start, 30m Sprint w/Fly-in, 150m T.T. from standing start, Vertical Jump or Standing Long Jump, Counter Movement Jump, 5 second and 15 second Reactive Jumps. Obviously, there are some that are more appropriate for certain event groups. Throwers would not need a 150m T.T. but would benefit from improvements in starting speed (30m sprint from stand or 3 pt. start) and maximum speed (Flying 30m sprint). In addition, throwers would benefit from the longer Explosive Strength Endurance test involving Reactive Jumps over a the 15 second time test. However, all the tests would be beneficial for sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. Use of the Vertical Jump, rather than the Standing Long Jump, can be more accurate as Vertical Jump testing is much easier for the athletes in all events to perform as has far fewer skill variables that go wrong. Once athletes have been tested, it should be easy to see the strengths and weaknesses of each athlete. This also gives each athlete a starting point and provides motivation to attack training in order to improve performances on the next testing period. Also, these tests can provide coaches with a good guide to planning training. As it has been said, “If you can’t test it, don’t train it!” Training methods designed to produce positive adaptations in Strength (Absolute Strength/Elastic Strength/Strength Endurance/Explosive Strength/Explosive Strength Endurance), Speed, Power, Speed Endurance, and Postural and Core Strength can be planned according to the specific needs of each athlete as determined by their testing results. Imbalances in strength should also be addressed in the Fall training period. Without fail, attention to teaching proper activation and development of the glutes will prove highly beneficial. Plans that contain Squats, Lunges, S.L. Squats, Split Squats, Hip Extension exercises, and Bridge exercises emphasizing glute activation and development are appropriate ways improving glute balance and strength necessary for proper performance of all the speed and power events. Throwers, (especially in high school where the implements are not as heavy as college) can gain great benefit from the same type of training as that for sprinters/jumpers with few variations. Strength work in the weight room might include more specific upper body lifts in addition to the Squats, Cleans/Pulls, Deadlifts and box hops that should be done by the sprint/hurdle/ jump athletes. Explosive Power through Med Ball Multi-Throw and Multi-Jump/Throw exercises should be implemented for all event groups with specific event Multi-Throw/Jump exercises determined by event group. For instance, throwers would benefit from South African Med Ball Push Tosses while sprinters/hurdlers and jumpers would benefit more from Over-Head Soccer Push Tosses . Regardless of event, all athletes need guidance on proper posture. Use of backpacks, constant texting, poor sitting mechanics, etc. can predispose athletes to postural strength deficiencies that can lead to injury and /or result in poor event mechanics due to inability to maintain proper posture. I would highly recommend that coaches read “The New Rules of Posture” by Mary Bond (Healing Arts Press, 2007). As advertised, this book is a great guide on how to Sit, Stand and Move in the Modern World. I can promise that improvements and emphasis on posture will produce improvements in all the event areas. In closing, I would suggest coaches looking for great drills and exercises for throwers to access the videos of Werner Gunthor that appear in the Video Clips section in the left column of this blog page. Great stuff. More on Fall training in the next blog. Enjoy the Olympics.

FALL TRAINING: Using Circuits to Introduce a Variety of Training Methods

As promised in the last Blog, this Blog will discuss using Circuits as a way of introducing the various training methods aimed at developing the Bio-Motor abilities identified as necessary for proper development of sprinters/hurdlers/jumpers. First, however, I want to emphasize the importance of SPEED by quoting a tweet from Vern Gambetta: “Use your speed or lose it. Perhaps no other quality is as easily lost as speed. Does not take much to maintain an edge in speed. Train Fast!” Remember, SPEED/STRENGTH/TECHNIQUE are the foundation blocks upon which improvements to sprint/hurdle/jump performances are predicated. Teaching is of primary importance in the Fall as development of proper techniques for sprinting, hurdling, jumping, lifting and performing all the exercises and drills will ultimately determine the mechanical efficiency of each athlete. Therefore, when using Circuits to begin the Fall, make sure that time between exercises in the circuit should NOT be short-changed. Making sure exercises, drills and runs are done correctly is more important than how fast athletes can get through the circuit. Advanced or Intermediate Athletes can be challenged through use of more advanced exercises OR more reps, not how fast they can fly through the circuit. Once an athlete cannot perform an exercise, drill or run with proper mechanics and speed, then that athlete needs to rest longer before continuing or cease the workout. Remember, this should not be a Boot Camp and we are not challenging the toughness of the athletes at the expense of teaching proper mechanics. Remember, we are developing athletes, not Marines. We should be trying to INSTRUCT athletes on proper performance techniques so they can become proficient in the SPECIFIC MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF THEIR EVENT. We must make certain that the SPEED of movement becomes of primary concern after proper execution of movement is achieved. SPEED is the BASE for SPEED in all events. Development of Circuits for use in introducing various training methods to develop the various Bio-Motor abilities is only limited by the imagination and education of the coach. Once the coach understands the methods that best develop the Bio-Motor Abilities required for improving sprinters/hurdlers/jumpers, they can put together Circuits that target one or more of the Bio-Motor abilities through use of specific exercises/drills that target those specific abilities. For instance, a SPEED Circuit could be developed to target Sprint performance factors such as Sprint Mechanics, Explosive Strength, Elastic Strength and Speed Endurance. Exercises and drills that target these abilities would be used in a circuit fashion to teach athletes proper execution and target development of the specific qualities of Sprint Mechanics, Explosive Strength, Elastic Strength and Speed Endurance. Below is an example of a SPEED CIRCUIT with this purpose in mind. SPEED CIRCUIT After a designed warm-up of running, mobility exercises, dynamic flexibility exercises and activation exercises for glutes and hamstrings, the athletes are ready for a Speed Circuit that incorporates the teaching of sprint mechanics with exercises and drills that develop Elastic, Core and Explosive Strength, Start and Acceleration type exercises, Explosive Speed Endurance and Speed Endurance runs. 1) Sprint Drills> performed for 30-40m x 2 each that might include….”A” Skips, High Knee Running, Right Fast Leg, Left Fast Leg and Alternate Fast Leg. These are followed by 2 x 100m at 65-70% (each athletes best 100m time divided by 65 or 70; example> 11.5 best time for 100m = drop decimal and add 2 zeros = 115000 divided by 70 = 16.428 or 16.5 seconds for each 100. Rest = 45” to start and can be dropped to 30” for advanced athletes. 2) Elastic Strength> exercises performed with proper technique and emphasis on minimizing ground contact time. Two to three exercises w/ enough recovery time between sets so that they can be performed correctly (3-4’). The exercises that could be used might include…,S.L. hops x 10-12 each leg with emphasis on short, quick hops so that ground contact time is as short as possible; D.L. Hops done in the same manner as the Single Leg hops; Ankle Flips (emphasis on jump rope-type jumps w/knees straight so that ankles are the only levers supplying power) 2 x 12 w/ 1’ between sets. 3) Speed Endurance> 4 x 100m at 75% (% = Relative Intensity=calculated with each individual’s best 100m time) w/ 30” between. Posture and correct sprint mechanics should be stressed. 4) Explosive Strength> Squat Jumps, Rocket Jumps x 2 sets of 15 each with 3’ between sets. 5) Sprint Starts/Accelerations> these might include drills like Hop-Hop Starts, Rolling Starts, 3 Point Starts x 3-4 x 15m w/ slow walk back. 6) Explosive Strength Endurance> Multiple Response Jumps like 12 inch to 16 inch bench or box jump-drop-jump-drop continuously fro 3 x 5 seconds (beginners or low fitness) or 3 x 10 seconds (Advanced). You can build these to 15 -30 seconds by the end of Fall. EMPHASIS= minimal ground contact time and triple flexed body position and blocking of arms. 7) Core Strength> Sprint Stance exercises, a variety of crunches, twists and back extension/hip extension exercises should be mixed and done for 12-25 reps per exercise (depending on strength levels)

8) Speed Endurance> 4 x 100m @ 80% relative intensity w/ 30-45 seconds between each (depending on fitness levels) Obviously this is just an example of a Circuit you could use that would target the various components necessary for improving SPEED and sprint/jump/hurdle performance. Exercises, number of reps, etc. need to be dictated by the fitness and talent levels of the individuals it is designed for. Taking adequate time to teach each of the exercises and drills should not be of concern. Constant feedback and cues will help athletes to learn correct execution of the Circuit and allow for future Circuits to be done with less teaching time and more intensity. Next Blog will cover Circuits for Throwers, Performance Testing and the need for a comprehensive approach to Strength Training for all athletes.

PREPARING FOR FALL TRAINING: The Starting Point

In my last Blog, I set the stage for planning a Fall Track Preparation Program through asking a series of questions with the principle one being “What specific Bio-Motor Abilities need to be addressed in the training plans for sprinters/hurdlers and jumpers ?”. In retrospect, I would replace the word addressed, with “developed”. So, in order to “develop” the proper Bio-Motor Abilities for Sprinters/Hurdlers /Jumpers we should start with identifying them. Sprint/Hurdle and Jump performances are largely dependent on the foundational element required in the three event categories: SPEED. In order to develop or improve SPEED, we must improve 1) Stride Length and 2) Stride Frequency. Making a list of Bio-Motor Abilities required for improvements in these two components of SPEED will give us a starting point for the areas we will want to focus on in the Fall Program. STRIDE LENGTH + STRIDE FREQUENCY Strength + Technique + Flexibility Coordination + Speed + Specific Endurance Now we can further identify specific elements of each of the above Bio-Motor Abilities as shown below: STRENGTH + TECHNIQUE + FLEXIBILITY Maximum Strength > Sprint Mechanics> Specific Mobility> Elastic Strength> Hurdle Mechanics > Explosive Strength> Jump Mechanics> Core Strength> Lifting Technique> SPECIFIC ENDURANCE Glycolytic Short Speed Endurance> Anaerobic Short Speed Endurance> Speed Endurance> Long Speed Endurance (Special I,II)> Specific Endurance> Explosive Strength Endurance> This list is sufficient for most coaches to use as a guide for planning their Fall Program. Close examination of the interdependence of the required abilities to overall performance should reinforce the importance of SPEED, TECHNIQUE and STRENGTH as the main focal points of EACH week during Fall. In addition, TEACHING of movement patterns need to produce efficient mechanical efficiency in Sprinting, Hurdling, Jumping and Lifting techniques SHOULD BE THE GOAL. In order to properly develop the critical Bio-Motor abilities, while teaching and/or reinforcing good mechanics, the coach must identify basic, intermediate and advanced exercises/drills/training methods that best develop SPEED, STRENGTH and TECHNIQUE. These drills, exercises and training methods are the tools with which the coach will build the Fall Training Program geared towards the needs of his/her INDIVIDUALS. In the next Blog, I promise, I will share Circuits that can be used for General Development of SPEED, STRENGTH and TECHNIQUE. These Circuits are a great way of introducing all the elements of training for each of the Bio-Motor abilities and providing a means with which coaches can challenge Intermediate or Advanced athletes while spending more teaching time with beginning athletes.

PREPARING FOR FALL CONDITIONING

Around this time of the year, coaches are ready to start planning their Fall Conditioning Programs. In a past Blog, I talked about developing a Training Philosophy with which to use as a guide towards the process of athlete development. Vern Gambetta’s recent Blog concerning the coaches’ role in this development makes it clear that coaches need to grow and develop the same as athletes grow and develop. Gambetta points to a model created by British coach Frank Dick, thirty years ago. In Sports Training Principles, Coach Dick outlines the process of athlete development in four steps. 1) Basic Conditioning and all that it implies 2) Basic Technical Model (of the specific event movements) 3) Appropriate Advanced Conditioning 4) Specific Advanced Technical Model I have used this model unknowingly for over two decades but what I thought was important to share is the emphasis on having no specific timeline to accomplish these steps. Once athletes master one of the steps, they proceed on their own timeline towards the mastering the next step. It is the coaches who provide the motivation to begin the movement through each of the steps towards successful accomplishment of four basic stepping-stones towards mastering their event. Another great point that is made is one that the coach’s role should change in the process. It should evolve from that of a teacher and guide to one of mentor or consultant. My philosophy of coaching has always been to teach the “event” in such a way as to develop each athlete as both an athlete and a “prospective coach”. When you look at it in this way, there can be no timeline for mastery, just a continual growth of both coach and athlete that literally has NO FINISH LINE. So, what does this have to do with preparing a Fall Conditioning Program for your athletes this September? To answer that, you must ask yourself these questions: 1) How practical is your program? Can it be done within the confines of your physical environment, available equipment and amount of time allotted to train? Can it meet the varying needs of all the individuals in your program in respect to developing the Basic Conditioning and teaching of the Basic Technical Model? 2) Does the training fit the people you are coaching or are you trying to make the athletes fit the training? Can you develop different levels of conditioning activities to challenge different levels of fitness and talent? Can you pre-test athletes in order to group them according to the fitness levels most common to your group of athletes? 3) Do you have alternate plans to address situations you might encounter? Can you spend more time teaching a beginning group while intermediate and advanced groups have specific activities that can be accomplished with the leadership of older athletes? Some very wise person wrote “What is crucial is not the technical ability, but the imagination in all of it’s applications”. As coaches, the more we study, read and educate ourselves in the scientific and technical areas of coaching, the better able we should be to “create” different ways of applying the knowledge we have. There is no “one size fits all” way to do anything. Each coach has to learn to master their own environment by applying the scientific principles of training in ways that “fit” their environment. This is the challenge; to grow as a coach in much the same manner as the athletes themselves. So, these are things to think about before sitting down and planning another Fall Conditioning Program. Do you really want to have Sprinters and Hurdlers run Cross Country? How many throwers do not compete in a Fall sport and if so, are there simple, additional things that might be beneficial for them to do that won’t interfere with their Fall Sport? What specific Bio-Motor Abilities need to be addressed in the training plans for sprinters/hurdlers and jumpers ? My next Blog will cover ways to develop specific Bio-Motor ability Circuits for Sprint/Hurdle/Jump types as well as provide examples of beginning, intermediate and advanced circuits to better meet the needs of the various fitness and talent levels of athletes specific to the high school ages.

REACTIVATING THE BLOG Now that I have finished my book; THE ART OF LONG HURDLING: A guide to racing and training for 400m Hurdles, I am ready to start posting training material on a weekly or Bi-Weekly basis. I encourage any of the coaches who have purchased my books to send training questions (as specific as possible) to me via twitter and I will do my best to post blogs related to those questions.