Illinois Hall of Fame coach Tony Holler lays down the law as he sees it in his quest to promote sprinting. Periodization is one of his targets. He says there are just two seasons: football and track.
Read MoreWhy Do We Turn Left on a Track?
I often tell my athletes that track running is a lot like NASCAR—run fast, turn left, repeat as necessary. But why do we turn left on a track? The question may well be related to why we turn left in a lot of activities.
Read MoreApplying Science to Speed Training
This article highlights Ken Jakalski’s evolution to the Weyand/Bundle Speed Regression Algorithm in his efforts to provide guess-free time and distance goals for individual bouts of high speed sprinting. The author analyzes how his journey began in the mid 70’s when he first experimented with the evaluation indicators Russian coach Valentin Petrovski developed in training Valeri Borzov, the 1972 Olympic Champion in the 100 and 200 meter dash. While Petrovki’s projections were based on the actual performances of Soviet and foreign sprinters and adjusted over time, the Bundle/Weyand algorithm is based on extensive research revealing how the performance duration curve in sprinting is due to force impairment. It can predict high speed running performances with 97% accuracy.
Read More5 Criteria for Using Speed Training Devices
When selecting speed training devices for use in a sprint program coaches should consider cost benefit, their knowledge of the device and its application, the potential for injury, workflow efficiency, and assessment of the effectiveness of the device.
Read MoreThe Co-opetition Warm-Up
Co-opetition relative to our version of the Dynamic Warm-Up compels athletes to focus on the movements while concentrating on how the group leader chooses to execute them. They must be prepared to change speeds and direction based what the leader chooses to do. We have found that this focus on mirroring the movements and mechanics of the lead runner—or the runner right in front of them—is a better way for athletes to learn the more difficult activities in the series while achieving the much needed competitive arousal prior to a race and workout.
Read MoreHigh-Speed Sprinting Is a Horse of a Different Color
New research out of the SMU lab has now given us a much clearer idea of what should be taught. And what is even more interesting is that these mechanics are not anything new. These reflect some of my thinking relative to human and animal locomotion going back to 2001. However, as Dr. Mike Young notes, “Sprinting is an extremely complex motor task involving repeated rapid “switching on and off” of practically every muscle in the body.”
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