Developing Horizontal Force. The approach should provide the jumper with horizontal momentum and velocity. This assists performances in events with great horizontal components. This horizontal velocity also eccentrically loads of the muscles of…
Discobolus
Old may not be quite the right word in the above title. Ancient may be the better word to describe twist in the context of this article. The most accurate Roman copy of the Greek original, Myron’s Discobolus circa 450-460 BC, “…is today…
High Jump Landing Drill – John Gartland – IN State Univ.
Coach Gartland explains and High Jumpers demonstrate this Landing Drill
Hurdle Landing Drills – Doug Case – Univ. of AR
Coach Doug Case explains and Hurdlers demonstrate these Landing Drills
Restoration and Recovery – Will Freeman
Coach Will Freeman discusses the importance of Restoration and Recovery
Acceleration Drills with Cliff Rovelto – Kansas State Univ.
Coach Cliff Rovelto discusses Acceleration Drills
800-1500M 8 Lane Tempo Run – Rose Monday
Coach Rose Monday discusses this 8 Lane Tempo Run
Hurdles Form Training Drills – Karim Abdel Wahab – CO State Univ.
Coach Karim Abdel Wahab explains and players demonstrate these Hurdles Form Training Drills
Track Exercises that Build Explosive Muscle
If you are a sprinter, jumper or thrower, you need to be explosive. Without this essential attribute, you will be left standing on the blocks, miss your jump height or fail to match your opponents on your throws.
The key to getting more…
Ties that Bind
After over twenty years as an athlete and coach in the sports of cross country and track & field reflecting on my experiences, both positive and negative, has helped me understand what it is I do and where my greatest successes have been…
Warm Ups for Sprints and Hurdles with Cliff Rovelto – Kansas State Univ.
Coach Cliff Rovelto discusses warm ups for sprints and hurdles
High Jump Takeoff – Short Approach Drill – John Gartland – IN State Univ.
Coach John Gartland explains and high jumpers perform this Short Approach Drill
Women’s Track Workout: Increasing Speed in the Weight Room
Over the course of my career, I have had opportunities to work with some very talented female track athletes, including NCAA Championship Qualifier and Academic All-American Jenna Caffrey (Iowa State). One overarching theme I’ve seen: no elite…
Ground-based Exercises to Aid with Acceleration
Acceleration is a force characterized by pushing. To accelerate forward an athlete must impart a backward force, a push, into the ground. The stronger the force is applied (with optimal technique), the faster the athlete accelerates. Force should…
Warm-up and Cool Down – Two Crucial Details on Race Day
In thirty years of coaching successful distance runners I listened to, read about, or discussed with colleagues the merits and shortcomings of many different types of training programs. Many people, athletes in particular, seemed to spend…
Projected Maxes: A Safer Approach to Maxing Out
In order to monitor progress in the weight room, it is necessary to devise a safe and accurate testing procedure. Single repetition maxes are the most frequently used form of testing and monitoring progress. In single repetition maxing, heavy …
Pre-Season Conditioning
The key to a successful track and field season can be made or broken in the first 35% of the season. Most training theorist state that the general preparatory facet of the season should be between thirty and forty percent of the overall season.
Properly Programming and Scheduling In-Season Weight Training
For the most part, certain sports have it easy when it comes to in-season weight training. Football has games on Friday nights so weight training on Mondays and Wednesdays makes perfect sense. For many other sports like track and field…
Using General Strength in the Training Regimen
General Strength exercises are exercises that develop strength, using the athlete’s bodyweight as the sole load or resistance. In general strength work no external loading is applied. General strength exercises can run the gamut from simple…
7 Awesome Medicine Ball Drills to Increase Speed!
Here is a quick tutorial on physics. Newton’s third law of action reaction basically states that when ever there is a force applied, there is an equal and opposite reaction meeting that force. This is the concept I use medicine ball training to…
IRON – The Missing Nutritional Link to Performance
Coaches, athletes, and athletic trainers are bombarded with copious recommendations regarding the perfect formula and factors that will be conducive to optimal performance. Some of these contain fallacies that can stump the individual as to which…
Sprint Training for the 100/200 Meters
Many coaches believe that athletes are born “God-Given” SPEED and nothing can be done to change it. As a coach with over twenty years experience at the high school, junior college and university levels, I strongly disagree with this statement, to…
Sprint Training – Energy Systems
At the beginning of each track season, you sit down and evaluate the returning and the incoming talent. The thoughts eventually shift to the top sprinters and the expectations we both have for the upcoming season. If girls or boys ran 12.5 or 11.0…
Starting Blocks (4-Point Start)
Starting block work is considered the most important tool in sprinting events. Many novice sprinters are anxious with starting block work. It definitely is a tool that doesn’t allow much room for error; however, once perfected it will indeed help…
Developing Speed: A Neurological Approach
There are many methods for developing speed. An athlete’s ability to accelerate and sprint is based on the ability to generate large force production in the lower musculature extremities. Evidence-based literature suggests that “high resistance…
Objectives…Middle Distance and Distance Running
1. Must build strength.. Not talking about bulk
A. Includes strength from weights and resistance and strength in running. This is a necessity.
2. Must increase endurance. This is a must and we must continue to build up what we have.
Utilizing Both Time and AT to Become a Better Distance Coach
Coaches always ask what I consider to be the most important component(s) of a successful distance program. I have six that I know are truly important. They are: caring about each particular runner’s well being, developing a program for long term…
Cross Country: What Are Your Objectives?
Countless articles have been written that outline training programs that could lead to successful and championship-driven cross country seasons. However, before the coach can implement any plan, he or she must assess a myriad of factors. It is…
Fixing the Second Phase in the Triple Jump
The Problem
The second (step) phase, is the typical trouble spot in triple jumping, and anyone who has coached the event has experienced the frustration that comes with it. To truly understand step phase problems, the coach must understand…
Progressions to Obtaining a Proper Power Position in the Shot Put or Discus
Start by getting in a toe heel relationship with your feet. For a right-handed thrower the toe of the left foot (blocking foot) should be aligned with the heel of the right foot (throwing foot). Feet should be approximately shoulder width apart.