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.
Pole Vault – Use Adrenaline at the Right Time!
We’ll assume the pole vaulter executes the Pole Vault Approach Run properly – maintaining erect posture as each stride bites into the runway underneath the knee. Our discussion begins at the next-to-last take-off step, where the Plant begins.
Discus Training Progression
A. THE GRIP
The fingers should be evenly spread and the last joints of the fingers should be placed on the rim of the discus.
The thumb should be placed on top of the discus for control. Some throwers prefer to put the middle finger and the…
Nutrition Checklist for Cross Country
The Cross Country Season is almost here! So before it begins, let’s talk about Race Day Nutrition.
Morning Races
For morning races, always eat something 2-3 hours before race time. Some toast or a bagel with some peanut butter is an excellent…
Race Day Preparation (for the High School Athlete)
A great performance always starts with great preparation. If you’ve followed the (proper) principles of training, you should be fit and ready for competition. Now comes the Race Day preparation that will bring your hard work to fruition.
Three Key Steps to Conquer Post-Season Pressure in Track
Unfortunately, many athletes and coaches approach the development of great pressure performance with the mantra ‘we’ll just continue to practice the play or skill ’till its automatic under pressure.’ And while there is a small element of truth to…
Helping Your High School Athlete Choose the Right College
College coaches across the country get emails, letters, phone calls and recruiting questionnaires from prospective-student athletes throughout the year. The recruiting process is a vital part of a collegiate track and field programs success…
Setting up the Border to your Season
My wife is an avid “puzzler” and we all know the first rule of putting together a puzzle is to find the corners. I once gave my wife a puzzle that did not have any corners or straight edges (It darn near drove her to drink!). Because she could…
The Power of a Positive Attitude
What would you do if you were diagnosed with cancer at the peak of your athletic career? While most young athletes will never have to deal with anything as weighty as cancer, this was the reality facing University of Minnesota senior cross country…