One idea I’ve been stressing to coaches this year is that workouts don’t teach the skill of acceleration (like this hurdle push drill does!). Or top end speed. Or sprinting in general. Instead, the ‘workouts’ we use in practice are the byproduct of specific skills we are trying to teach to our sprinters. This is…
Archives for speed training
Sprints & Hurdles Programs (on sale this week only)
If you coach the sprints and/or hurdles and you’re looking to up your game this spring, here is a list of the sprint programs and hurdles programs we have on sale this week. I listed them with the highest selling (number of units sold in 2012) programs first, so you can get a sense of…
Strength & Power Development (programs on sale this week only)
We have programs on sale this week — and you can’t get faster if you don’t get stronger. You can’t jump higher or farther if you don’t get stronger. Sure you can make improvements from cleaning up mechanics, posture and technique. But there’s a very low glass ceiling if that’s where you spend all of…
Jump Runs
It’s time for midterms in the wonderful world of coaching. Each semester, athletes are busy preparing for major exams and their schedules change. The combination of stress and lack of sleep impel most athletes to request alternative practice times, or the day off, to prepare for these grueling examinations. I have always preached the importance…
Workouts and Training During Breaks
For me, the holiday season or any extended break always brings about a sense of nervousness. It is less likely that I’ll worry if my wife will like the new pair of shoes I bought her, or how much snow I’ll have to shovel to clear the driveway. What keeps me up at night is…
Most Important Word in Speed Training
I recently heard Dan Pfaff talk about acceleration being a ‘complicated neuromuscular equation’ in speed training. I recently heard Boo Schexnayder say acceleration is about finding the ‘resonant frequency of oscillary patterns’ in terms of developing and improving the efficiency of locomotive mechanics. I recently heard Gary Winckler say, “90% of speed development is technique.”…
The Circle of Truth
I have received a lot of great feedback and questions about sprint workouts and the Master Class on the 100m. One question that came up a few times pertained to “runs” early on in the season. I was confused at first by these questions because sprinters go on runs every day. As a matter of…
Indoor Track Season: Week 1 of 13
Ah, yes! Track season! Simultaneously the source of great fun and great overwhelm. I’ve already posted my annual plan for the track season. But I thought I’d share my Week 1 microcycle. This is my plan for the first week of practice. Will it go this way? Not likely. But since I know the physiological effect…
How Tailwind Affects a Sprinter
In the wake of Hurricane Irene one of our volunteer assistant coaches asked me how I thought those 60-70mph winds that this storm created would help a sprinter in the 100m. We all know that a tailwind helps in a race. However…he was amazed that I answered by saying that it all depended on an…
This will make your life easier
My first job out of college was not coaching track, it was teaching a classroom full of kids with behavioral, social and emotional disorders. Spend a few full work days restraining a kid screaming racial slurs and trying to spit at and bite you for six hours and you quickly learn the art of patience….
Sprint Training – Energy Systems
Sprint Training – Energy Systems By Tony Veney 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 last year, you…
13 Questions (and Answers) with Boo Schexnayder
Jumps Expert Boo Schexnayder answers 13 popular questions from Complete Track and Field readers. Question #1: How do you increase the distance of the second phase of the triple jump? Coach Schexnayder: The second phase of the triple jump seems difficult to fix because it is a collection point for all triple jump errors. Any…