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?…
Complete Full-Year Workout Program for High School and Collegiate Sprinters
If you want to be the fastest sprinter on the track, you need to be explosive, propel yourself off the blocks and move your limbs quickly and forcefully. To improve these aspects of your sprinting, you need to commit yourself to a year-round workout
Get Faster and Prevent Injury With 3 Hamstring Exercises
As a runner, your two training goals should be to get faster and reduce the risk of injury. To accomplish both, you have to strengthen your hamstrings.
The hamstrings are a group of three muscles on the back of the thigh. They are a critical…
Hurdles – Start Acceleration – Rolando Greene
Coach Rolando Greene explains this Start Acceleration with a Demonstration
Hurdle Mobility Drills – Cliff Rovelto – Kansas State Univ.
Coach Cliff Rovelto explains Hurdle Mobility Drills with this demonstration
The Science of the 100-Meter Dash (and How To Get Faster)
It’s important to go beyond simple cues like “eyes down the track” and “knees up.” You need to understand the science and focus on the little things to truly run fast—something I didn’t do.
Read on to learn about the science of the 100-meter…
Tempo Runs
Tempo runs have long been a staple of distance training, particularly for those training for race distances of 3,000 meters up to the marathon. The physiological benefits of tempo running and other forms of threshold training are well documented…
Maximum Speed Track Workouts for Sprinters
To improve your speed during the season you have to do all-out sprints. Maximum speed workouts should be the backbone of your training. However, as your season progresses, you can challenge your body in ways that take into account the demands of…
How to Use Starting Blocks in Track and Field
Starting blocks are used in the sprinting events up to 400 meters and both hurdle races in track and field. The block start is broken down into three phases for the track and field runner: alignment, set position and start.