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…
Fundamentals of Scholastic Coaching
SCHOLASTIC COACH IS A TEACHER FIRST. I have been “in the game” for many years. When I began my coaching career, you had to be a certified teacher in the school district in which you were hired as a prerequisite to coaching in that district…
Staying on Track – Recognition of Overtraining Syndrome in Endurance Athletics
For the endurance athlete,the management of training load and recovery is a concept that is not always optimized. In fact it is a paradox that for many athletes to be successful they need to “push the envelope.” When this idea is taken too far…
Greg Nixon’s Heart-Pounding Conditioning Workout
When Greg Nixon was a junior in college, he discovered that track, not football, was his true calling. Everything had to change— especially his workouts.
On the track, Nixon follows crisp white lines around a 400-meter oval. His path to…
Plyometric Exercises for Runners
Picture yourself on the starting line of a race. You’re in the blocks. You pull back to create eccentric motion in the lower leg before firing forward to victory. Now imagine yourself being able to shoot off even further. Want to know how? With …
Understanding and Managing Lactate
Despite prevailing misconceptions about what lactate is and how it’s made and used, lactate threshold continues to remain the gold standard for quantifying performance in endurance athletes and defining appropriate training intensities. In this…
Resisted & Assisted – A Strength Training Tool for Sprinters
In 1978 an article by Ozolin was printed in that year’s version of Sprints and Relays. In it, Ozolin identified the existence of a “speed barrier” for sprinters, which limited the potential performance of a sprinter, and recommended tools such as…
Best Track & Field Exercises You’re Not Doing
When you’re training for track & field events, it’s difficult to know which muscles to target. Sure, you should train your legs, but what if you want to get more specific?
Here are some exercises that develop the triple extension—movement at…
Track & Field Tips to Prevent Shin Splints
Ever wonder why that pain in your shin increases every time you finish a track & field workout? Aside from soreness, which you would feel in the belly of the shin muscle and still be able to move around, shin splints occur alongside or behind the…
Female Track Athletes: Prevent Hamstring Injuries With These Exercises
Nearly every athlete has been sidelined with an injury she didn’t anticipate. For female track stars and long-distance runners, the unexpected injury is often a pulled or torn hamstring, a muscle used extensively when running and one that is…
Exercises for Female Track Athletes
If you want to perform like a Ferrari, don’t train like a mini-van. Yet that’s what coaches who implement broad, sweeping training plans for their track teams are doing to their athletes, especially the females. The key to proper training?…