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Technical Training

Technical training is an important element in any training program. For a long jumper, it can take many forms. Some aspects are subtle and, at first glance, may not appear related to the technical model. I believe, however, that all training components can be linked in some way, and it’s simply a matter of perspective and deeper thinking that allows us to make the connection.

Throughout this article, I will discuss areas of technical training that I believe essential for the development of long jumpers. I will categorize each element and provide a clear understanding of how to build a comprehensive technical training system. I will also include a guide to long jumping technique and discuss important technical aspects as they pertain to particular drills and training methods.

Developing the Approach Run

I will begin with the approach run, the most important aspect of the long jump, from both a technical and performance perspective.

More than 95% of the distance achieved during the long jump is determined by the speed generated during the athlete’s approach. A successful approach run is complex and involves several distinct components. I’ll focus on the technical aspects of each training component.

Acceleration

As an absolute quality, the ability to accelerate plays an important role for maximum velocity. During an approach run, where most athletes are limited to 18-23 strides (35-55m), acceleration technique is considerably important. The goal is not only to achieve near maximum velocity but to do so in rhythm with correct posture and timing.

A jumper must accelerate smoothly and relaxed for successful transitioning during the final 10m and through takeoff. The ability to accelerate fast and relaxed while demonstrating upright running mechanics is key and requires considerable practice.

Depending on the time of year, acceleration sessions generally occur 2-3 times per week. Running at lower intensities is included on other days and serves well for rhythm, technique, and recovery.

Acceleration sessions require repeated bouts of sprinting over 20-40m performed at 95-100% effort. Relaxation and smooth sprinting mechanics are key and must transfer to approach running.

Max Velocity

Our goal is to develop athletes who will reach high maximum velocities without straining or demonstrating inefficient sprint technique.

As stated, horizontal velocity is the largest determining factor when achieving elite distances. Due to the technical aspects of the takeoff and flight phases, however, it is rarely possible or advantageous for athletes to reach 100% of maximum speed during their approach. Therefore, the relative approach speed becomes very valuable.

We know the approach velocities required to achieve certain distances, and we know the relationship between horizontal velocities and takeoff angle. Through maximum speed development, we can create a speed buffer. This buffer allows the athlete to achieve high velocities while maintaining optimal technique and focus without straining or feeling out of control.

Developing maximum velocity starts with the ability to both accelerate efficiently and maintain a high level of coordination and synchronicity over a 35-55m distance.

Fly sprints are particularly useful when focusing on max velocity mechanics and high-speed output in isolation. After a period of acceleration work, I gradually introduce fly sprints to the program. I like to use a 35m gradual acceleration (25m for women) into a 10-30m zone. I’ve found that 95-98% of max velocity can be achieved via a gradual (slightly sub max) acceleration while maintaining a smooth and relaxed sprinting technique. Fly sprints, my favorite method, closely resemble a long jumper’s approach.

I generally progress the speed program by including Sprint–Float–Sprints (SFS). SFS creates the perfect bridge between fly sprints and special speed endurance development that occurs next and last in the speed progression. I start around 90m total length and progress to 150m. The total length is broken down into sections. For example, a 90m SFS may include a 30m acceleration followed by a 30m float section followed by a final 30m sprint.

It’s important to understand the purpose and requirements of the float section. During the float, I cue the athlete to switch off the burners while maintaining as much speed as possible. The approach run requires relaxed and controlled speed. Achieving high speed in this manner is a skill, and the practice of smooth accelerations, fly sprints, SFS, and slower extensive tempo running sessions all contribute to development.

The final progression involves special speed endurance work. This follows two basic formats, one for short speed endurance and one for long speed endurance. A short speed endurance protocol could be 2x5x40m sprints at 90% with 2 min and 6 min recovery. One protocol for long speed endurance could be 4x150m sprint at 90% with 8 min recovery. Developing speed endurance enhances an athlete’s freedom when running at high speeds; another method to help improve high velocity sprinting while relaxed. Without specifically discussing sprint technique, we can see the common technical themes throughout all speed development methods as they relate to the long jump approach.

Approaches

Approach development becomes the focal point throughout the competitive period and special training phases. Here, the countless hours developing technique and sprinting speed are put to practical use.

The most important technical cue word is rhythm. Rhythm has a personal touch. A successful approach has a steady and consistent build of energy, and achieving this can be very difficult. It requires a certain connection to the approach and a high-level kinesthetic awareness. Both can be learned and practiced.

Approach development starts early in the program and should be a conscious thought during build ups, strides, accelerations, and fly sprints. Rhythmic sprint drills can also teach the gradual build.

Runway work is essential, and the volume and frequency of runway practice increase throughout the preparation and competition phases. Generally I start developing rhythm away from the runway because the takeoff board can be distracting in the early phases. After the initial rhythm isolation and transitioning and takeoff work, I gradually blend everything together via a combination of drills, short approach jumps, and full approach run-throughs.

Specific technical aspects of the approach are addressed in various ways because there are several components to consider. The primary areas of focus include:

• Number of approach strides
• Starting method
• Approach rhythm and style

Characteristics of good approach running include a tall posture, an elastic bouncy stride with a high front side action, and large overall amplitude. Ideally an athlete demonstrates an active build with no wasted strides. Strides are powerful, dynamic, and rhythmic. Correct energy expenditure is essential, and allowing momentum to carry an athlete is a specific skill. Throughout the season, these aspects are discussed and practiced hundreds of times.

I determine approach length and stride number largely based on the athlete’s ability to achieve their highest approach speeds. I decide this regardless of whether the athlete can successfully transition and takeoff at that particular speed. Maximum relative approach speed gives athlete the greatest chance of success and they will develop the ability to handle their fastest approach speeds over time. Optimal stride number often can be determined from acceleration and fly speed tests performed regularly throughout the preparation period.

Having determined approach stride number, we begin to develop an approach style. I prefer to use a similar approach style. Ideally, athletes practice a gradual and smooth acceleration through the board with specific stride characteristics. There are athletes, however, who have a strong ability to maintain speed without technical breakdown. These athletes may benefit from a slightly different approach rhythm. An altered starting method and more aggressive acceleration style may work best. It’s very important to experiment to determine which method works best for each individual. In this video, Carl Lewis demonstrates an ideal approach rhythm and running style for horizontal jumpers. Seoul 1988 Olympics.

Developing Steering, Accuracy, Control

I am a huge believer in approach skill and board accuracy. I mention the two separately because they are very different. Many jumpers have excellent approach accuracy and consistency but poor board accuracy resulting in a high fouling percentage. The consistent 1-inch fouler is extremely common among all levels in the horizontal jumping events. For those that fall into this category, I believe the issue is psychological.

Several common practices exist that create a fouling mentality, and I use several training methods to help combat the issue. I want to stress that these training methods are effective only if athletes make a conscious effort and demand the execution of legal jumps. Fouling is a psychological choice.

Here are psychological factors that contribute to fouling.

 

Many jumpers do several, if not all, of the above. Coaches often believe fouling requires moving the starting mark back a few inches. Sure, some athletes need more room to execute their ideal running style and rhythm and should move back their starting marks. But if technique and rhythm are ideal and an athlete is fouling by a close margin each time, moving the starting block simply takes the responsibility away from the athlete. This basically allows athletes to leave fouling, or legal jumping, to chance.

Here are several factors that contribute to legal jumping and approach and board accuracy.

 

Developing Approach Accuracy

Approach accuracy needs considerable focus throughout the yearly training calendar. I’ll describe important practices to consider during technical training.

Neither approach nor board accuracy is a blind act. They both require deliberate strategies and the use of visual guidance. In my experience, one of the more difficult habits to develop among jumpers is maintaining eye contact with the board. Maintaining visual focus on the target throughout all but the approach’s final stride significantly increases board accuracy.

1) Establishing a Phase 1 Mark

The approach is sectioned into three phases. The first two phases are controlled, deliberate, and practiced hundreds of times. For simplicity, a 20-stride approach for an elite male jumper will require a phase 1 mark at step 6. I like long powerful strides to establish the beginning rhythm of the approach run. I believe aggressive and long ground contacts are better for establishing a consistent rhythm. The athlete must hit the 6 step mark every time during all approach runs and jumps, both short and full.

2) Establishing a Phase 2 Mark

Phase 2 is the final controlled portion of the approach and sets up the all-important final 6 strides toward the board. The 14th stride contact establishes the phase 2 marker. Generally, since the athlete’s eyes are fixed on the takeoff board during this phase, the marker is for the coaches.

Consistency and accuracy during the first two phases will significantly increase effective steering during the final phase. Less error early equals less adjustment later.

Horizontal Jumps: less error early equals less adjustment later. Share on X

Develop Board Accuracy and Steering

Now that we understand what contributes to the fouling epidemic and how to fix it, we can discuss drills and training methods to develop the habit and skill of legal jumping.

To enhance the learning effect, I’m a big believer in practicing skills in various ways. Board accuracy is no different. Increasing the need to make approach adjustments forces the athlete to cognitively engage in the process of targeting.

1) Full and Short Approach Jumping (Varied Start Method)

During the Varied Start Method, the athlete first establishes an accurate approach mark, one where they can consistently hit the board with a rough variability of 10-20cm. With the starting mark established, the coach starts the athlete’s approach from a different mark, either forward or back within a 30-60cm range. From this new starting mark, the athlete is expected to maintain at least the 10-20cm board accuracy.

2) Full and Short Approach Jumping (Varied Targeting Method)

The Varied Targeting Method also promotes cognitive board awareness. Here the athlete starts the approach from an accurate starting mark and receives specific board targeting instructions. For example, during attempt 1 they’re asked to strike 30cm before the board, and during attempt 2 they’re asked to strike with a toe on the board. Coaches can use many variations.

3) Short Approach Jumping (Forced Legal Method)

During the Forced Legal Method, the athlete has no option to foul because the foul portion of the board is blocked. I’ve placed bright cones along the board’s fouling section to prevent the athlete from hitting it. Wood or other barriers can be used. It may sound dangerous, but in my experience, every athlete hits the legal portion of the board if the option to foul no longer exists. This echoes the fact that fouling is largely psychological.

4) Continuous Hurdle Jumps

I find continuous takeoff drills great for developing rhythm, timing, and elastic qualities. Randomly changing hurdle position forces the athlete to develop awareness and, over time, the ability to instantly adjust stride length with minimal loss of speed, rhythm, and timing.

These 4 methods are my go-to methods for working on board accuracy skill. At the very least, they can help shift focus from jumping distance to technique. But I don’t use them with all athletes, as some tend to overanalyze and the methods become detrimental. If the athlete has great discipline and focus, none of the methods are needed.

Developing the Takeoff

The Takeoff Model

The takeoff cannot occur without the penultimate stride. The two are essentially linked, and every action that occurs with either stride affects the other. We cannot talk about one without talking about the other. Therefore, we shouldn’t practice one without practicing the other. Certainly, the two have their own distinct characteristics, but it’s their connection that makes the technique whole. We should only isolate the movements for absolute beginners.

Here are my key characteristics for the penultimate stride and takeoff as well as commonly seen errors.

 

 

 

 

Takeoff Specific Drills

The following drills are excellent for teaching and establishing the correct movement programming and timing sequences to achieve these technical aspects. I will discuss how and where to implement these drills later in the article.

• Standing Penultimate: Penultimate leg bent at knee up, land with heal lead, roll on and off foot
• Continuous Knee Drive Drill: Drive free leg knee up and down with support leg stiff hopping forward
• 1 Step Takeoffs: Continuous takeoffs with 1 running step in between
• 3 Step Takeoffs: Continuous takeoffs with 3 running steps in between
• 5 Step Takeoffs: Continuous takeoffs with 5 running steps in between
• Alternate Easy Skip with Aggressive Skip: Drive knee on aggressive skip like a takeoff
• Power Skips: Alternate jumps working on knee drives
• Mini Hurdle Takeoffs: Work on penetration past hurdle
• High Hurdle Takeoffs: Work on vertical components of jump
• Penultimate Step Box Drill: Run penultimate off low box onto takeoff and jump
• S/L Depth Takeoff: Drop from low box into takeoff action
• S/L Depth Takeoff with Preceding Running Strides: As above with a run onto the box
• Short Run Jumps with and without Landing with and without Weight Vest: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc., strides
• Rhythm Runs with a Pop Up: 70-80% runs with a pop up at end

Video 2. Ivan Pedroso demonstrates the ideal long jump takeoff.

Developing the Flight

The Flight Model

Don’t overcomplicate the ideal flight action. The 2-and-a-half hitch kick is a poor choice for almost all jumpers. Simply put, few jumpers historically have achieved ideal landing positions while performing this technique.

The flight’s purpose is to counter forward rotation and set up an ideal landing position. In this regard, the flight can greatly impact the outcome of a jump. I find that a basic hang or 1-and-half hitch is ideal. Of the two, I prefer the hang; it’s easier to coordinate the ideal landing position during the simplest flight technique.

Here are the key characteristics of the flight phase as well as commonly seen errors.

 

 

Flight Specific Drills

Because the recommended flight drills require the preceding takeoff, we can use the majority of the takeoff drills listed. Raising the takeoff board during short approach jumps allows the athlete to achieve height with less effort during takeoff. This option is beneficial when more repetitions are required to work specifically on mechanics. Otherwise, I don’t use this option regularly with my athletes.

Developing the Landing

The landing phase changes more competition outcomes than fouling in my opinion. Many factors lead to a successful landing, and it’s not an easy technique to consistently perform correctly. As mentioned earlier, the execution of the flight determines much of what is achieved during the landing.

Horizontal Jumps: execution of the flight determines much of what is achieved during the landing. Share on X

Understanding how an optimal landing looks is an important starting point because many jumpers or coaches don’t appear to know or care.

The Landing Model

A successful long jump takeoff requires great hip displacement past the takeoff board. Obviously long legs help greatly, and this concept transfers to the landing. If great hip displacement occurs at both takeoff and landing, the jumper reduces the flight distance. This becomes increasingly important the longer the athlete jumps.

So, for the landing, the athlete must achieve the correct position before contact with the sand. Here we want a vertical, or slightly leaned back, torso with hips ahead of the shoulders. This allows the knees to fully extend before contacting the sand with the heels. At the instant of the heel strike, the hamstrings and glutes aggressively contract. This action combined with forward momentum forces the athlete’s hips to travel past the point where the heel strike occurred.

The correct landing action is essential but, without perfect timing, many errors occur. Here are the key characteristics of a good landing and commonly seen errors.

 

 

Landing Specific Drills

As with flight technique, practice methods that isolate the landing serve little to no purpose past the beginning stages.

Very early in development, several method drills can establish awareness of certain technical goals and expectations. Sitting on a chair while actively heel striking the sand, for example, can teach a young athlete to extend their legs and engage the hamstrings during the movement. We can progress this to a standing long jump exercise practicing the same movement. These type of drills, however, will have little carry over to event specific requirements if we don’t implement whole practice jumping.

 

The Technical Training System

During this article, I’ve discussed many training methods, drills, and exercises that help develop specific technical qualities. I’ve also detailed technical characteristics, common errors, and coaching cues.

In the world of Track and Field, drills, and there are hundreds of them, are the centerpiece of many training programs. Coaches will spend hours painstakingly researching, practicing, and creating drills designed to teach technical aspects of the event.

Unfortunately drills are often practiced with little to no realization of the drill’s actual purpose. Drills can be as irrelevant and meaningless as they can be masterful for skill acquisition. The most important aspect of any drill is how the coach or athlete identifies and connects fundamentals to the overall goal.

Drills can be as irrelevant and meaningless as they can be masterful for skill acquisition. Share on X

A drill by itself isn’t enough to teach a skill. Awareness must be established early in technical development about the purpose, goals, and outcomes desired from all drills and technical practices. As long as connections are made between each drill and the event’s fundamental requirements, we may see successful transfer.

The Periodization of Technical Training

Having established the ingredients of technical training, we must address long-term planning and progression. Important aspects of successful technical programs are the progression and timing of technical exercises and practice types. Just like speed, strength, and power development, technical training should follow a periodized plan. Basically, we should divide technical training into training phases that blend seamlessly with one another over time. Each phase will build on another, gradually shifting toward the big picture of the event specific requirements of speed, timing, and psychological stress.

General Preparation

Technical training begins, as does physical training, during the General Preparation Phase. Here we introduce technical models accompanied by partial drills and preparatory exercises. Video analysis work begins to provide a deep understanding of the end goal. I also include weekly visualization sessions of the whole skill (full event situation technique) during all phases of the year in gradually increasing and eventually decreasing amounts.

During this time, technical training’s purpose is to introduce and teach, not to spend an exhaustive amount of time perfecting these drills. Below is an example of a technical training session that’s incorporated into a 6-day training week. This particular session is specific to long jump but technical emphasis is also placed on sprinting, plyometric, weight lifting, and throwing sessions.

• General Warm Up, Static Flex, Sprint Drills: 10-15 mins
• Hurdle Drills
  Focus: Tall posture, hip extension, control, coordination, awareness
• 4x40m Build Ups
  Focus: Rhythm, long pushes, tall posture, bounce
• Walking Knee Drive Switches: 4x20m
  Focus: Rapid ground strike and knee drive, posture, control
• Alternate Skipping for Height: 4x30m
  Focus: Flat foot strikes, swinging free leg, posture, alignment, stability
• 4 Step Long Jump Takeoffs
  Focus: Tall bouncing approach, fast takeoff strike, hip displacement, aggressive free leg drive, tall flight posture

Specific Preparation

Specific Preparation begins the Integration Phase. Here the partial skills learned during General Preparation are progressed further to more closely resemble the event’s competitive demands. Full jumping from shorter approaches becomes the glue of all technical drills and must become a program’s focus. Top speed development begins during this phase, and we gradually introduce the full approach run.

Below is an example of a technical training session incorporated into a 6-day training week during this phase. During another day of the week, we begin full approach development by establishing steps, rhythm, and check marks. Typically, this begins away from the takeoff board.

• General Warm Up, Dynamic Flex, Sprint Drills: 10-15 mins
• Hurdle Drills
  Focus: Tall posture, hip extension, control, coordination, awareness
• 4x40m Build Ups
  Focus: Rhythm, long pushes, tall posture, bounce
• Continuous Takeoffs: 4x30m at 80%
  Focus: Rapid ground strike and knee drive, posture, control
• Short Approach Jumps: 6-12 jumps (6, 8, 10 strides)
  Focus: Full takeoff and flight, with or without landing, board accuracy, rhythm

Special Preparation, Competition

By this time, the athlete is gearing for competition and we’ve established a solid base of both physical and technical training. The athlete is now ready for competition intensity and has a strong understanding and awareness of their technical readiness. Short approach jumping remains the emphasis and the approach length becomes closer to competition distance.

Full approach sessions are also in full swing, and it isn’t uncommon to begin full approach takeoffs as well. I firmly believe that it’s very difficult to bridge the gap between increased sprinting speed and short approach technique without performing full speed jumps or, at least, takeoffs. During this phase, we only use partial skill exercises when issues arise and technical fixes are needed.

Below is an example of a technical training session that’s incorporated into a 6-day training week during this phase.

• General Warm Up, Dynamic Flex, Sprint Drills: 10-15 mins
• Hurdle Drills
  Focus: Tall posture, hip extension, control, coordination, awareness
• 4x40m Build Ups
  Focus: Rhythm, long pushes, tall posture, bounce
• Full Approach Runs: x6-8
  Focus: Check marks, rhythm, bounce, 11-1m speeds, transition
• Short Approach Jumps: 6-8 jumps (10, 12, 14 strides)
  Focus: Full takeoff and flight, with or without landing, board accuracy, and rhythm

Organizing the Weekly Program

I’ll close with a brief discussion about training structure as it pertains to technical training. It’s important to understand the context into which the sessions fit as part of the overall training structure. I will not go into great detail here. Instead, I’ll give several examples showing how the puzzle pieces can fit together.

 

 

 

Closing Thoughts

There’s a lot to consider when planning technical training, from exercise and drill selection to teaching strategies and ways to incorporate technical work into the weekly plan.

A successful program shouldn’t be determined by a single drill or series of progressions. More important is that we promote understanding and a self-correcting culture with our athletes. Coaches should teach drills they understand and that relate to the technical model. Always determine the purpose of an exercise and how it fits with the big picture before implementing it into the program. A drill is useless if the athlete doesn’t get it, and a coach must find a way to connect what the athlete is doing to what they think they’re doing.

Technical progressions are essential and should reflect the training of the particular phase. All training components should coincide and reflect the long-term plan. It,s important to be flexible and highly adaptive as an athlete rarely goes through a season following plan A. Coaching is a process of analyzing and adapting and requires a highly interactive approach on a daily basis.

Sometimes it’s OK to perform a drill that doesn’t make sense to anyone but the athlete. Legendary coach Randy Huntington once said, “Sometimes we do and say stupid things in order to get the job done.” Having worked with youth athletes for many years, I certainly echo these words.

As an avid learner, I spend much time reaching out to established experts on the horizontal jumps. I would like to thank several coaches for sharing their time and wisdom with me. I owe a lot of my development as an athlete and coach to them. Thank you to Randy Huntington, Mike Young, Jeremy Fischer, Dan Pfaff, Nic Peterson, Boo Schexnayder, and Carl Valle.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

 

 

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drjarodhalldpt.blogspot.se | by Jarod Hall

In the blogging world, us evidence informed PT writers have a tendency to sit behind our keyboards and pick apart topics we find to be problematic, sensationalist, dogmatic, and unscientific. As the end of the year nears and I look back at the progression of my writing platform, I find myself guilty of doing quite a lot of deconstructing without giving enough reconstruction. It’s a lot easier to tear down than to offer solid alternatives. This can often leave clinicians, especially those young in their careers without the experience to have developed a strong clinical process and sensitive BS meter, in a scary position of not knowing what to trust or where to look for education and mentorship.

With this in mind I decided to reach out to as many of the top clinicians and critical thinkers in the rehab world I could to get their best advice for clinical practice.

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9 tendinopathy truths that you MUST know

trustmephysiotherapy.com | by Peter Malliaras

There is a lot we do not know about tendinopathy, but there are some inalienable truths that you should know as a clinician and patient. (the references below provide proof).

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Why Most People Are Wrong About Injuries and Pain

simplifaster.com | by Lars Avemarie

Recent research has shown us that you actually can have pain in the body without anything being wrong in the area of that pain. You can also have “damage” and so called degenerative changes in the body without any pain.

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theconversation.com | by Michael Vagg

A paper was published and much discussed online recently, which demonstrates all the problems that I - and other critics - have with the way research is done and interpreted in the world of chiropractic. The study looked at the effect of chiropractic neck manipulation on people who have migraines.

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Three Reasons It Matters Why A Treatment Works

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Why exactly does someone feel better after massage? Or acupuncture? Or foam rolling? Or a chiropractic adjustment, or wearing K-tape, or doing mobility drills, or a hamstring stretch?

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This is one of the most important aspects of a research study, yet the most overlooked or ignored by researchers and readers. If you read studies or believe in science, keep reading.

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Science-based Theatrics in Physical Therapy

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Placebo and non-specific effects of physical therapy intervention have been popular topics in the recently in physical therapy discussions and research(1-3). Due to this clinicians now are realizing that a positive outcome is much more than the specific biomechanics or mechanical effects of the intervention being delivered.

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We’ve long blamed carbs for making us fat. What if that's wrong?

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It’s one of the most hotly contested areas of dieting: How much do carbohydrates matter when it comes to weight loss?

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No, It’s Not Your Opinion. You’re Just Wrong

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I spend far more time arguing on the Internet than can possibly be healthy, and the word I’ve come to loath more than any other is “opinion”. Opinion, or worse “belief”, has become the shield of every poorly-conceived notion that worms its way onto social media.

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The Rollercoaster of Professional Life

noinotes.wordpress.com | by David Butler

Forty years of practice beckons – what a rollercoaster! When I emerged proudly with my degree in the late 70s, all packed with Maitland style manual therapy, I was convinced I could fix all and sundry and I often opened a clinical conversation with “what can I fix today.”

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Explainer: What is Pain?

bodyinmind.org | by Lorimer Moseley

‘So what is pain?’ It might seem like an easy question – as Henry James said of attention – ‘everyone knows what it is’. However, the answer depends on who you ask.

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Visceral Manipulation…You Couldn’t Make It Up

edzardernst.com | by Edzard Ernst

Visceral Manipulation (VM) was developed by the French Osteopath and Physical Therapist Jean-Pierre Barral. According to uncounted Internet-sites, books and other promotional literature, VM is a miracle cure for just about every disease imaginable.

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When science- and evidence-based guidelines conflict with patient wishes

sciencebasedmedicine.org | by David Gorski

There’s a misconception that I frequently hear about evidence-based medicine (EBM), which can equally apply to science-based medicine (SBM). Actually, there are several, but they are related. These misconceptions include the idea that EBM/SBM guidelines are a straightjacket, that they are “cookbook medicine,” and that EBM/SBM should be the be-all and end-all of how to practice clinical medicine.

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Your Body is Not a Machine and I Am Not a Mechanic

physiologicalpt.com | by Chris Joyce

And if I could make the title longer: I do not treat with a “toolbox.” In fact, I’m nearly incompetent with anything more complex than a screwdriver and an Ikea desk, never mind the human body.

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Our world is awash in bullshit health claims. These scientists want to train kids to spot them.

vox.com | by Julia Belluz

Over my years in health journalism, I’ve debunked many dubious claims. I’ve discussed how to cover quacks like Dr. Oz and the Food Babe, and how to navigate a medical world so filled with hooey it can make your head spin.

But I wasn’t always fluent in the ways of detecting bull. My eyes were opened in my early 20s, when I met a group of researchers at McMaster University in Canada. They taught me about the limitations of different kinds of evidence, why anecdotes are often wildly misleading, and what a well-designed study looks like. This experience changed how I see the world.

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Cognitive bias cheat sheet - Because thinking is hard

betterhumans.coach.me | by Buster Benson

I’ve spent many years referencing Wikipedia’s list of cognitive biases whenever I have a hunch that a certain type of thinking is an official bias but I can’t recall the name or details. It’s been an invaluable reference for helping me identify the hidden flaws in my own thinking. Nothing else I’ve come across seems to be both as comprehensive and as succinct.</p

However, honestly, the Wikipedia page is a bit of a tangled mess.

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Measles is more dangerous than we thought, and vaccines are as safe as we thought

scienceblogs.com | by David H. Gorski

As hard as it is to believe, it’s been nearly two years since the infamous Disneyland measles outbreak, which occurred after the holidays in 2014. It was an outbreak whose spread was facilitated by unvaccinated children and that had far-reaching implications.

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Actually, Research Does Apply To Your Patients

physiologicalpt.com | by Kenny Venere

One of the arguments I see used as a way of quickly disregarding published evidence, particularly those with negative results, is the idea of internal validity coming at the expense of external validity — essentially that the trial is “too controlled”, not representative of the patients actually seen in the clinic and does not account for certain variables. This is absolutely true; there are plenty of issues with generalizability from research into practice. However, I am not convinced that this general argument is compelling enough to disregard the results of trials studying particular treatments.

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In Defense of Evidence-Based Practice

physiologicalpt.com | by Kenny Venere

Lately it has appeared en vogue to criticize the evidence-based practice movement in physical therapy. While it can be argued that there are a lot of things wrong with evidence based practice, many of the prevalent criticisms on social media seem to stem from limitations in understanding of what evidence based practice is rather than actual shortcomings of evidence based practice itself.

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10 Phrases to Teach a Parrot to Recite to Injured Runners

zerenpt.com | by Christopher Johnson

I’m strongly considering buying a parrot. Not only would a parrot be fun to have as a pet, but it would also prove invaluable in assisting me in helping runners seeking my physical therapy services. Considering that I often sound like a broken record when speaking to runners, I figured that it may be easier to train a parrot to recite several common phrases and mantras that I often use in the clinic. Ten key phrases that I would specifically teach the parrot, in no particular order, are as follows...

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Explainer: What is a Null Hypothesis

theconversation.com | by Paco Garcia-Gonzalez

At the heart of the scientific method is the process of hypothesis testing. Given an observable phenomenon in the world, a scientist will construct a hypothesis which seeks to explain that phenomenon.

The way hypothesis testing works is by setting up two opposing hypotheses. One, the “null hypothesis”, is the reference or baseline hypothesis.

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dcscience.net | by David Colquhoun

The responses seen in the group of patients that are treated with placebo arise from two quite different processes. One is the genuine psychosomatic placebo effect. This effect gives genuine (though small) benefit to the patient. The other contribution comes from the get-better-anyway effect. This is a statistical artefact and it provides no benefit whatsoever to patients. There is now increasing evidence that the latter effect is much bigger than the former.

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If we’re going to rely on science as a means for reaching the truth — and it’s still the best tool we have — it’s important that we understand and respect just how difficult it is to get a rigorous result. I could pontificate about all the reasons why science is arduous, but instead I’m going to let you experience one of them for yourself. Welcome to the wild world of p-hacking.

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trustmephysiotherapy.com | by Jo Nijs

Jo Nijs wanted to make a short online lecture about central sensitization. He will answer these two questions: 1. What is central sensitization and what are the underlying mechanisms? 2. For treatment purposes, does it matter wheter a patient with chronic pain has central sensitization or not?

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General Rules for Muscle Hypertrophy

drjarodhalldpt.blogspot.se

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Doctors still order imaging for low back pain, against recommendations

foxnews.com

Many doctors who order CT or MRI scans for patients with low back pain do so fearing that patients will be upset if they do not get imaging and because there is too little time to explain the risks and benefits of the tests, a new study found.

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10 mistakes I have made using a movement based approach

cor-kinetic.com

Why should we all move the same given we have different anatomies and different movement experiences? It is madness, in my opinion, to expect that we would or should.

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aeon.co | by David Colquhoun

The aim of science is to establish facts, as accurately as possible. It is therefore crucially important to determine whether an observed phenomenon is real, or whether it’s the result of pure chance. If you declare that you’ve discovered something when in fact it’s just random, that’s called a false discovery or a false positive. And false positives are alarmingly common in some areas of medical science.

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Think about the people at work who are part of your network — the individuals who help you improve your performance or provide you with emotional support when you are going through a tough spell. If you’re like most people, the colleagues who come to mind are those you get along with and who have a good impression of you. But has anyone in your network actually given you tough feedback?

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Until now…

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…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

 

Introduction

Field sports are sports such as soccer, rugby union and rugby league, Australian Rules football (AFL), Gaelic football and field hockey. They are characterized by a somewhat stop-start nature, varying movement speeds, multiple changes of direction and the execution of decisions and individual skills under conditions of game pressure and/or fatigue and in the case of some of those sports, the threat of imminent collisions. The nature of the movements in these sports requires the utilization, and therefore training, of all three energy systems (ATP-PC, Glycolitic/Lactic acid and Aerobic systems). However despite the often stop-start nature of these sports, which heralds an increase in anaerobic energy contributions (10), high-intensity aerobic power and conditioning can be critical for success in field sports (4).

The purpose of this article is to detail a number of methods to develop high intensity aerobic conditioning and describe the practical implementation and integration of these methods into the Preparation Period training for field sport athletes.

Recent applied research in aerobic training for field sports

Much research is now focused on Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS). Research shows that the amount of time spent at or above the 100% Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) appears to be the critical factor for improving aerobic power (5-15).

It has been determined that performing a number of short intervals at > 100% MAS was a more effective method of building aerobic power than the more traditional Long Slow Distance (LSD) training (14) (i.e. going for long road runs etc) or than attempting to train only one interval continuously at 100% MAS (13).

Specifically, an intensity of 120% MAS was determined to be the best single speed for short intervals that are followed by a short respite (passive rest) interval, based upon the fact that this intensity allowed the greatest supra-maximal training impulse (intensity x volume), in comparison to 90, 100, and 140% MAS (13). Especially intervals of 120% MAS for 15-30 seconds followed by an equal respite interval of passive rest and continuing on for 5-10 minutes.

A Japanese researcher called Tabata (14) also found that athletes working at 170% VO2 Max (the % MAS was not reported) for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds passive rest and continuing on this manner for 4-minutes produced excellent changes in aerobic and anaerobic power, better than performing LSD training sessions of 60-minutes at 70% MAS. However, the high intensity group also improved 28% in anaerobic performance while the low intensity group was unchanged. Accordingly, given the greater results and less time investment, it was considered that the high intensity training was much more efficacious than LSD training. This type of training is typically now known as the Tabata method.

The basis of all this recent research is that high intensity intervals of 15-30+ seconds, interspersed with 10-30 seconds of either low intensity active recovery (eg. < 40-70% MAS) or passive rest, continued in this manner for total set times of 4-10 minutes and repeated for 2 or more sets greatly enhances aerobic power and capacity.

It didn’t matter much if it was 20 seconds work, 10 seconds recovery, 30:15, 15:15, the research has kept pointing to the fact that training at or above 100% MAS was the key intensity parameter and how long you spent there was the driving volume parameter under-pinning improvements in aerobic power.

Consequently high-intensity interval training using intensities of 100% MAS to develop the ability to sustain high intensity efforts or intervals at 120%+ MAS to develop higher levels of MAS or enhance the ability to repeat high intensity efforts appear to be increasingly used in the training of field sport athletes (e.g. 1-15). The practical implementation of a number of these methods will be detailed below.

But what about the polarity of aerobic training? Isn’t that how the endurance athletes are training?

While true aerobic endurance athletes (e.g. distance runners, cyclists, triathletes etc) talk about the effectiveness of the polarity of training (using predominantly LSD < 85% MAS, with a portion, say 20%, of very high intensity training >92% MAS), it must be remembered that for field sport athletes, practical observation has shown that most of the skill and tactical training undertaken are at LSD type of speeds and heart rates. Thus, given that skill and tactical training with the sports coach is the major form of training performed by field sport athletes for most of the season and this training involves cardio-vascular stimulation at the lower end of the “polarity spectrum”, the role of the strength and conditioning coach is to provide a high-intensity stimulus to improve aerobic fitness.

I will give you an example. When I worked in professional rugby league, over the last few years all the players wore GPS for every field training session and for games. We know that in games the players, depending upon their position and role, cover about 100-110 m/minute. This is similar in soccer but AFL football average about 125-145+ m/min because they are allowed over 100 substitutions per game, so they go hard and then get subbed off for a short respite before doing it again.

But what distances do field sport athletes cover in skill/tactical sessions? Typically from my sport of NRL rugby league it is about 55-65 m/min (this is lower than soccer and AFL training sessions but in NRL the nature of the games are collisions etc). Typically performed skill and tactical training does not improve fitness but in its way it provides the polar opposite to the high intensity aerobic training I am about to discuss and it constitutes the vast majority of the training week for field sport athletes. Therefore when a strength & conditioning coach has access to the players for conditioning, they must utilize high-intensity methods, with relative velocities of 140-160+m/min (this is inclusive of the rest periods, so for example 15-sec at 5 m/s followed by 15/sec rest x 2 = 150 m/min). This then is the polarity of their training for field sport athletes – mostly the skill and tactical work is done at low intensity, so the specific conditioning must be done at high intensity.

Field testing of MAS – Measuring Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS)

There is some controversy about how to measure MAS for field sports (4). The MAS is physiologically defined as the lowest speed at which VO2 maximum (VO2 max) has occurred. In a laboratory this is measured with gas analysis while running on a treadmill, according to a number of accepted routines. However, some athletes can still run slightly faster than the first speed at which VO2 maximum has occurred without any change in VO2max ~ so there can be a slight difference in speeds at which VO2 max is occurring (but physiologically, the lowest speed at which VO2max occurred is the definition of MAS). This fact is one of the many confounding factors that sometimes cloud the issue of measuring MAS in athletes for the purpose of diagnosis and training prescription. Other simple ones include differences between treadmill running and running on a sports field!

Nonetheless for field sports, MAS should be assessed during running based tests. Over the years a number of simple running-based field based tests have been developed that correlate with MAS measured via the treadmill/gas analysis method(s). Some field tests are continuous, some are intermittent, some are linear running, some are shuttle-based running, some are incremental and some are steady-paced.

The most common field tests of MAS include the Montreal Beep test, the Multistage Shuttle Beep test, the YoYo IR1 test, time trials with set times (eg. 5-minutes or 6-minutes) or set distances that take the athletes between 5- to 7-minutes to complete (eg. 1200-m, 1500m, 2000-m). Some of these tests have been further modified, such as the Montreal test being altered to include 1-minute stages, rather than 2-minute stages and so on.

The choice of tests and their merits sometimes cloud the issue of measuring MAS in athletes and the pro’s and cons of each method is not the scope of this article.

In certain tests, the MAS is simply the speed attained in the final leg of the test eg. Montreal Beep test or YoYo IR1 test. However if the Multistage Shuttle Beep test is used, then this equation:

must be used to correct for the fact that the constant decelerations involved with shuttling/change of directions reduces the true MAS (8).

These tests give results expressed as km/hr, which will then need to be converted to m/s so that training distances can be easily calculated. For example, Level 12 Multistage Beep, = 14 km/hr * 1.34 = 18.86, minus 2.86 then equals 15.9 km/hr or 4.4m/s.

For a set-time trial MAS test, for example, a 5-min time running trial, determining the average speed is a simple process (eg. 1320 meters divided by 300 s = 4.4 m/s). The simple 5-minute time trial has been shown to correlate very highly (r = 0.94) with MAS (7).

If using set distances, the time taken to complete the distance should be between 5- to 7-minutes. For example, if an athlete ran 1400-m in 318-seconds, then the MAS would be 4.4 m/s.

So once MAS is determined, it is very easy then to prescribe training. An example of a simple 5-minute field test for a theoretical soccer team with disparate MAS scores is outlined in Table 1. Training prescription for the following methods will then be illustrated using these theoretical scores.

Different Methods of High-Intensity Training

Outlined below are a number of different methods that may be applicable to the training of high-intensity aerobic training for field sport athletes. They are presented in the order that they should be presented to the athletes.

Long Intervals

Long intervals (LI) of 60-seconds up to 5-minutes can provide a training impulse (volume x intensity) base before progressing to training of higher intensity. They are best used in the early Preparation period, because the underlying objective is to increase the volume of work performed at high intensity (> 92 % MAS) and as such may not integrate well with other training such as skill and tactical units. The lower the MAS score the athlete possesses, the more beneficial LI are as a training stimulus. Consequently, elite field sport athletes may spend less time (or even no time) performing LI as compared to developing or teenage athletes.

Typically these intervals would be completed at an intensity above critical speed (aka “anaerobic threshold” or about 85% MAS). The longer the interval, the lower the intensity, so 3-minutes @ 90-100% MAS may be a better upper limit of interval length. When performing multiple repetitions, it is very difficult to maintain a time limit of 66% of the interval best (ie. If an athlete can hold 100% MAS for 5-minutes in a one-off maximum effort test, they find it very difficult to perform multiple repetitions of 3-minute intervals at 100% MAS).

For LI the work:recovery ratios are typically above 1:1 (eg. 3:2) or, at 1:1. If the ratios go much more than 3:1, then typically for LI, the % MAS is reduced, to say <90%. As most LI are already just below the desirable 100% MAS, this is not a preferred prescription.

So 4-6 repetitions of 3-minutes at 95% MAS with a 2-minute recovery (1.5:1) or 90-s at 100% MAS with a 90-s recovery (1:1) are quite challenging prescriptions in the initial General Preparation Phase.

There may need to be variation in the length of LI’s and the scope for reducing LI length and slightly increasing % MAS clearly exists. For example, if LI were performed 3/wk, then one day may be:

• Day 1. (6 x 3-minute intervals at 92% MAS with 2-minute recoveries) x 2-sets,
• Day 2. (5 x 2-minute intervals at 96% MAS with 2-minute recoveries) x 2-sets, and
• Day 3. (4 x 90-seconds at 100% MAS with 90-second recoveries) x 2-sets, with 3-minute rests between sets on all days.

Thus the total training time for these three LI sessions (excluding warm-up etc) would be 63-minutes, 43-minutes and 27-minutes. In this scenario, the Day 1 session is of such magnitude and effort that realistically no other meaningful training in other units (eg. skill and team tactics) may be possible. However the Day 2 and 3 sessions, with reduced training impulse and duration, could involve other units such as skills or tactics as well as speed technique drilling before the start of the conditioning block. This is why this of type of training is really only recommended in the initial weeks General Preparation phase (unless the volume is severely curtailed).

Maximal Aerobic “Grids” Method

The Maximum Aerobic Grids Method is also termed the 100% MAS:70% MAS Method. Based upon French research, coaches have developed a system called (among other names) the Maximal Aerobic Grids (aka “boxes” or “rectangles” method). This entailed training initially with short intervals of 15-30 seconds at 100-110% MAS interspersed with 15-30 seconds of active recovery at 50-70% MAS, continuing on for 5-10 or more minutes.

For running training, implementing this method basically entails devising rectangular concentric grids of various dimensions that equal ~15-s at 100% MAS along the long side of the rectangle and 15-s at 70% MAS along the short side (see Figure 1). The fastest group are on the outside grid or running channel, with the slowest group along the inside grid. The coach can stand in the middle of the rectangle, but if two staff are available, one would monitor the finish point of each long side of the rectangle.

It can be seen from Figure 1 that a theoretical Group 1 runs 72 m in 15-s along the long side of the rectangle followed by 50 m along the short side and so forth. It takes 1 minute to complete one lap of the rectangular grid and this is completed without pause for 5-minutes initially and can be done for 2-4 sets with a 2-3 minute rest in between sets. The key point here is that each group has their grid based upon their own MAS capabilities ~ however, despite differences in MAS capabilities among large groups, each group should be at their respective corner of the rectangular grid each 15-s, which makes training compliance easy to monitor. The athletes are not allowed to speed up during the 70% sides to get a head-start on the harder sides – this just makes the grid an anaerobic threshold grid, something to avoid! This is enforced by making the athletes momentarily stop and hold the start position on the start of each long side of the grid.

When performing this drill, it is more practical to build up to 6, then 8-minutes and repeating for 2-4 sets (or build up to 10 minutes and performing 1-2 sets) rather than increasing the length of each 100% repetition to 30 s or more. It is difficult to do the running grids for 30s each side because you can physically run out of room to make a rectangle (eg. 30 s x 4.6 m/s means the long, 100% MAS side would have to be 138 m long, a distance which is hard to find on typical sporting fields).

Every 3-4 weeks it may be necessary to retest MAS or more simply to advance each group up to the next grid (which would be about 102-105% of their original or previous MAS). For example, the group that were running 63 m on their long 100% MAS side are sent up to the 66 m grid and so forth. This method is now used by many professional footballers in Australia with excellent results.

120% 15:15 Eurofit Method

This method was developed by French researchers and has been validated with professional soccer players during the pre-season (15), during the in-season (12), with younger school children (5) and teenagers (6). It is very simple to use. Again, in its simplest form, every athletes 100% MAS is determined and then increased by 20% (ie. 120% MAS). The athletes are lined up along a line and then run to the marker cone that represents their 120% MAS distance in 15 seconds. They rest there for 15 seconds and then run back to the start line. This process is repeated for 5-minutes initially, building up to 8- or 10-minutes, with only 1-2 sets being performed. Intensity can be increased up to 125 or 130% MAS after 3-4 weeks. Figure 2 provides a depiction of the simple set-up. Again, this is easily coached ~ all athletes must get to their cone on the 15 second mark, wait 15 seconds and on the return, they all hit the start line at the same time, despite different distances being covered.

Tabata Method

The original Tabata method is quite exhausting (at 170% VO2 max, % MAS unknown) and is typically only performed for one 4-minute set (14). As field athletes typically must compete for longer time durations, the Tabata protocol has been modified by coaches to be performed at an intensity of ~120% MAS. This allows the set duration to be increased up to 5-, 6- or even 8-minutes and be performed for 2-5 sets, allowing for more time to be spent above the critical 100% MAS intensity.

Figures 3 and 4 detail how this modified Tabata method can be implemented in a smaller area by implementing turns. In this example, the Tabata method is performed as 20 seconds at 120% MAS, done as 10 seconds out, 10 seconds to return, rest 10 seconds and repeat till 5- or more minutes are completed (Figure 3). The turn that occurs in the run makes this speed quite difficult to maintain and more sport specific for field sports. However it may be necessary to use a total distance that is 19-seconds at 120% MAS ~ reduce the distance by the equivalent of 1-s to allow for the deceleration and loss of running velocity involved in the turn. A further variation is to perform the 20-s drill as 5-s out and back, repeated (Figure 4). Turns are thought to increase the anaerobic energy contribution (10).

There may appear to be little difference between the Eurofit and Tabata methods, but the critical difference is the Eurofit is based upon a 1:1 (15-s:15-s) work ratio, whereas the Tabata method utilizes a 2:1 ratio (20s:10s). This apparently minor differential has a pronounced effect upon the accumulation of fatigue when multiple repetitions or sets are performed.

Unpredictable Tabata (or 2:1)

Another variation of the Tabata method is to maintain the 2:1 work/rest ratio and > 120 MAS but alter the length of the intervals to 8:4, 12:6, 16:8 etc.

One of the limitations of all the above conditioning methods is that there are predictable work periods. Athletes quickly adapt to some sort of pacing strategy or know when they are about to start their next effort.

With this second Tabata method the coach can set different coloured cones for each time/distance interval for each group. Upon the “Go” command, the athletes start their effort but not till about 2-seconds after the start are they given the command which will designate which cone they run to and return from. They do not know until that point will they be running to the cone designating 6s out and back, 8s out and back, 16s out and back and so on (see Figure 5). This strategy disrupts running rhythm and recovery strategies, entails reaction to situational commands and causes repeat high-intensity efforts to occur at less predictable times more than any of the other above high-intensity methods.

Periodization and progression of training across the Preparation Period

The training methods above have an inbuilt intensity progression as athletes work from < 100% MAS in LI, to 100% MAS in the Grids method to 120 and 130% MAS in the EuroFit and Tabata methods. The other variable for difficulty progression is the choice between the active recovery (at < 40% in LI, to 60-70% MAS in the Grids method) versus the passive rest inherent in the EuroFit and Tabata methods. Furthermore the Tabata method’s work:rest ratio of 2:1 may prove even more difficult as compared to the 1:1 EuroFit method. The second Tabata method with variable interval lengths may prove more even difficult for athletes but this may be due to reasons other than just physiological reasons. Introducing turns in the Tabata, or any method, will also cause an increase in difficulty as this increases the anaerobic contribution (10).

Training can be progressed via the systematic use of all of these different methods, starting with the 3-minute LI’s and reducing LI length to 60-s, then the 100%:70% grids method, moving to the EuroFit 120% MAS method and finishing with the Japanese Tabata methods within a training cycle. Each method can be implemented for 1-3 weeks before progressing to the next method or a weekly cycle can involve a number of methods (see Tables 1 and 2).

Within each 2-3 week mini-cycle, the typical volume progressions would also occur (5-minute sets building up to 8- or even 10-minute sets and/or 2 sets building up to 3 or 4 sets). Consequently when a progression to the new method occurs there is a marked decrease in volume, but an increase in intensity ~ this week serves as a “volume un-load” week (see weeks 4 & 7 in Table 2). Therefore as intensity initially increases with the introduction of the new method, volume is lowest, but builds up over time before implementing the next intensity progression, again with a lower volume.

Once an athlete has attained some training experience with these methods, weekly undulating periodization is also possible with one aerobic training day emphasizing increasing the time spent at ~100% MAS (and possibly also the time of each repetition spent at 100% MAS) via the grids method and the other training day spent emphasizing the time spent well above 100% MAS (ie. The Eurofit or Tabata methods) (See Table 2, Day 1 versus Day 3). This methodology is based around the Supramax methods DEVELOPING new aerobic power and improving the ability to repeat high-intensity efforts and the Maximal method, conditioning the body to SUSTAIN the current 100% MAS for longer periods. This within-week alternation of methods allows the athlete to toggle between milder active recovery (eg. 15 s @ 70% MAS or 90-s @ 40% MAS) and passive recovery (15-s rest).

An example of these progressions appropriate to the General Preparation phase is depicted in Table 2. If the GP phase is only 4-weeks long, then this might be modified such that LI, Grids, EuroFit and then Tabata methods are the predominant (but not only) drill for each week.

Integrating high-intensity aerobic training with sports training and small-sided games (SSG)

The limitation of the above methods is that there is still some ‘predictability” about them. Field sports often require intense efforts at unpredictable times and hence some researchers and coaches have advocated small sided games as a better alternative to traditional conditioning due to the “unpredictability” of games and the fact that games also develop sports skills and game sense. However the overload delivered by games by themselves is also unpredictable and depends upon the structure and rules of the games etc. I have data from that shows the athletes with the highest MAS covered the most meters in each SSG and had the most winning outcomes, so how would SSG improve those athletes with lower MAS scores?

My recommendation is that almost all athletes below the elite or professional level are better suited to using traditional conditioning methods as described above to develop greater MAS and fitness levels in the General Preparation phase, rather than relying on small sided games to develop aerobic fitness.

So what role do SSG play? For the elite performer, with GPS technology to monitor running workloads in real-time, plenty of assistant coaches watching, high motivation levels etc, SSG are great. But athletes below that elite level?

My experience has shown that conditioning-oriented SSG become more effective after the GP phase, once fitness levels have been established. Once a field sport athlete has attained an adequate MAS and is in the Specific Preparation phase or Competitive Periods of the sport season, then skill and tactical training must takes precedence. It is during the Specific Preparation phase that the alternating of 4-8 minute sets of the above conditioning drills with 3-8 mins of small-sided games is an effective conditioning/maintenance and sports skill development tool for field sport athletes.

As mentioned earlier typically skills are coached in relatively low stress situations (low heart rate, minimal fatigue, less than full speed or full-force opposition) which are fine for the initial skill development and tactical learning situations – the polarity of training readily suitable for GP training. But does this type of training enhance the skill or tactical sports performance of advanced athletes or mimic the game situations?

I find it akin to a fighter only hitting the heavy bag or the trainer’s pads and expecting to fight well in competition. Everyone looks good hitting the pads, but in real life competitive fighting situations, getting punched in the face alters everything, so sparring must be done in training! And must be done in a fatigued state on occasions.

So my recommendation is to utilize the above conditioning drills, conditioning-oriented SSG or game-scenario simulation SSG and lower intensity skills together in the SP phase and In-season periods. The authors’ experience is that the fatigue resulting from the performance of the above conditioning drills allows the head skill/sports coach to see fatigue related breakdowns in 1) individual skill technique, 2) decision-making or 3) inability to match the game speed, resulting in the effective dismantling of the teams’ defensive or offensive structure/patterns/formation the during ensuing skill- and small-sided games.

Typically these three types of “breakdown” occur in the most fatiguing parts of real competition games but are not so well illuminated to the athlete or coach during “normal” lower intensity skill or tactical training sessions which are practiced in less fatiguing or stressful situations. Thus the head skill/sports coach can develop and implement intense small-sided games that challenge or illustrate which of these types of breakdowns occur (and to which athletes) for different critical game scenario situations.

So the S & C coach pre-fatigues the athletes so the coach can implement game situation simulation drills or SSG’s to see if there are any of the three “break-downs” and to whom.

It has been the author’s experience that the following combination of a 6-minute supra-maximal 120% MAS drill (e.g. Tabta or EuroFit), followed by a 6-minute SSG and a 3-minute semi-passive recovery (eg. stationary passing and catching of balls) without rest is very challenging to the athlete’s fitness and individual skill levels. When this is again followed by another 5 to 8-minute conditioning set and another SSG not only is the athlete’s aerobic and anaerobic conditioning and skill levels challenged but it may also display the athlete’s ability to maintain appropriate decision making and team structure during the second small sided game. An example of the Specific Preparation phase integration of conditioning sets, SSG, skill and tactical training is displayed in Table 3. In this training session, the goal would be for 30% of the total distance covered (excluding warm-up) to be performed at a speed above 4 m/s.

General Preparation versus Specific Preparation and high-intensity conditioning

By analysing Tables 2, it can clearly seen that the early General Preparation phase has more time devoted to basic training of energy system fitness. In comparison, Table 3, which outlines a Specific Preparation phase training session has only 1 x 5-minute set and 1 x 7-minute set specifically devoted to the above conditioning drills out of a total of 90-minutes.

So the basic summary is, in the GP spend more time improving MAS and allied energy system fitness with the above mentioned drills while the skill and tactical training is done at low intensity to ensure good learning. As fitness improves across the weeks, the amount of time spent performing conditioning decreases but the intensity of the conditioning drills and the skill/tactical training increases. By the time of SP, only a short amount of time needs to be spent performing specific high-intensity drills and they should be integrated with SSG and skill/tactical training.

Accordingly, in the SP or In-season, high-intensity aerobic conditioning drills can be seen as part of an integrated and coherent sports performance enhancement program that aids in the development or display of skills under challenging game simulation situations.

Conclusions

Experienced field sport athletes gain little in terms of enhancing their aerobic power from LSD training such as road runs at < 80% MAS etc. Training at or above 100% MAS has been shown to be more effective. The methods presented can be implemented in a progressive manner across a General Preparation Period.

The LI’s and Grids maximal methods outlined are thought to best condition athletes to be able to sustain high-intensity aerobic power for longer periods, which can occur with many field sports. The two supra-maximal methods are believed to be best for developing new levels of high-intensity aerobic power or to be able to repeat their high-intensity efforts.

Once an athlete is in the Specific Preparation Phase or In-season Period, total training duration devoted to high-intensity conditioning can be quite short ~ (eg. 1-3 sets of 4-10-minutes duration) and combined and integrated with small-sided games or skill and tactical training. This integration of training is highly recommended for field sport athletes to develop skill and tactical nous under fatigue and stressful situations akin to the real competitive environment.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

1. Baker, D. Recent trends in high-intensity aerobic training for field sports. Professional Strength & Conditioning. 22 (Summer): 3-8. 2011.

2. Baker, D. Cross-training workout: using high-intensity energy system conditioning for injured athletes. Professional Strength & Conditioning. 27 (Winter): 4-8. 2012.

3. Baker D. Non-running, high-intensity energy-system conditioning cross-training workouts for injured athletes. Journal of Australian Strength & Conditioning 21(4)5-13. 2013.

4. Baker, D. & N. Heaney. Some Normative Data for Maximal Aerobic Speed for Field Sport Athletes: A Brief Review. Journal of Australian Strength & Conditioning (in review).

5. Baquet, G, Berthoin S, Gerbeaux M and Van Praagh E. High-intensity aerobic training during a 10-week one-hour physical education cycle: Effects on physical fitness of adolescents aged 11 to 16. International Journal of Sports Medicne. 22:295–300. 2001.

6. Berthoin S, Manteca F, Gerbeaux M and Lensel-Corbeil G. Effect of a 12-week training program on maximal aerobic speed (MAS) and running time to exhaustion at 100 percent of MAS for students aged 14 to 17 years. Journal of Sports Medicine & Physical Fitness. 35:251–256. 1995.

7. Berthon, P., Fellmann, N. Bedu, M., Beaune, B., Dabonneville, M., Coudert , J., and A. Chamoux. A 5-min running field test as a measurement of maximal aerobic velocity. European journal of Applied Physiology. 75: 233–238. 1997.

8. Berthoin S, Gerbeaux, M, Geurruin F, Lensel-Corbeil G and Vandendorpe F. Estimation of maximal aerobic speed. Science & Sport 7(2), 85-91. 1992.

9. Billat, V and Koralsztein. JP. Significance of the velocity at O2max and time to exhaustion at this velocity. Sports Medicine. 22:90–108. 1996.

10. Buchheit, M. The 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test: Accuracy for individualizing interval training of young intermittent sport players. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 22(2):365-374. 2008.

11. Castagna, C., Barbero Á. and J. Carlos. Physiological demands of an intermittent Futsal-oriented high-intensity test. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 24(9):2322-2329. 2010.

12. Dupont, G., K. Akakpo, and S. Berthoin. The effect of in-season, high-intensity interval training in soccer players. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 18(3):584–589. 2004.

13. Dupont, G., N. Blondel, G. Lensel, and S. Berthoin. Critical velocity and time spent at a high level of O2 for short intermittent runs at supramaximal velocities. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology. 27:103–115. 2002.

14. Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki, M, Hirai Y, Ogita, F, Miyachi M and Yamamoto K. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2 max. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 28:1327–1330. 1996.

15. Wong, P-L, Chaouachi, A, Chamari, K, Dellal, A, and Wisloff, U. Effect of preseason concurrent muscular strength and high-intensity interval training in professional soccer players. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 24(3): 653-660. 2010.

Interested in new technology that pushes the envelope in strength, speed, and power training? Then this article is for you. It’s the story of how Malmö Sports Academy (MIA) in Sweden became one of the first users of the 1080 Quantum system. Today MIA uses the Quantum’s robotic resistance technology to train a group of 50 elite-level athletes across 17 different sports. Welcome to Sweden and the Malmö Sports Academy, the home of iconic trainer and coach Kenneth Riggberger and visionary general manager Jan-Olov Jakobsson.

In 2011, MIA and the then-startup company 1080 Motion agreed to deploy the first version of the Quantum system for comprehensive use. If you are unfamiliar with robotic resistance, Quantum technology requires some explanation. There are no weights, air cylinders, or other traditional hardware inside the unit. Instead, it has a powerful electric servo motor controlled by a computer. The result is a resistance training and testing device in which you control and manipulate resistance type, load, and movement speed to create training modalities not possible with other types of equipment.

A Variety of Uses

With the push of a button, for example, you can overload the eccentric phase of a repetition by up to 200% relative to the concentric load. You can do ballistic training at high speeds and loads for power maximization without dealing with a real mass that jolts joints and soft tissue on the rebound. The Quantum can be set up as an isotonic (constant load no matter the speed) resistance device free from inertia when rehabilitating athletes or if you’re into isotonic training at high speeds. Or you can use it in isokinetic (constant and typically low speed no matter the force) mode for max force development and hypertrophy. The system can even provide useful vibration for working on injured muscles and tendons.

The Quantum’s “ballistic” mode is unique. Used for training power and explosiveness, it is particularly valuable for MIA’s elite athletes. The great difference with other resistance technology is how this feature deals with inertia in the various phases of a repetition. Using the ballistic setting, the system behaves just like a regular mass as long as you are increasing movement speed in a repetition. This means the athlete must overcome the natural counterforce of inertia that the body must be proficient at handling when running, jumping, swinging a bat, or throwing a football.

However, there’s a major difference when the movement speed is leveling out or decreasing in that same repetition. The Quantum system takes away the “free ride” the athlete would normally get when working concentrically with a regular mass that has built up speed and momentum. As a result, the athlete has full contact with the resistance during the entire range of movement, independent of acceleration and deceleration.

If we talk about training as inducing neuromuscular stress, this is stress maximization causing the athlete to produce about 30% more average power compared to a repetition using the same load but with a normal weight. This increased intensity is fundamentally different from any other resistance training whether with a normal mass, air-powered isotonic system, bungee cord, or flywheel. Combine this with eccentric overload and you’ll realize this is new and exciting territory for strength and conditioning.

The Quantum system accurately measures how much force, power, and speed is created in every repetition with separate readings of the concentric and eccentric phases of the movement. With all things combined, it’s a unique training tool that provides real-time performance data.

Talking with Riggberger

The coach is at home on a Sunday afternoon when I interview him. I want to learn about his experiences in working with some of Sweden’s best athletes.

He takes me to the early months of 2011 when he experimented with the Quantum to understand how best to use it. At that time, only a few had been built and—unlike today—there was no broad knowledge base to lean on. Riggberger, like any strength coach working with elite athletes, has a tremendous responsibility to give them the best physical foundation to succeed in competition.

Being confronted with a new and potentially extreme training tool can present a dilemma. Even if you logically understand the benefits of a new training method, the last thing you want is to compromise your athletes’ next season or increase their risk of injury. Playing safe is natural, but at the same time, everything we do in elite sports is keyed to maximize the chance of winning.

Riggberger explains that the first time he tested the Quantum it took 3 minutes to realize its potential, but he needed several months of incremental learning to implement it since there was no experience with the system at the time. He adds, “We were the early explorers, but now there are more users like us. Research institutions have also understood this is something unique and are studying on the effects of this type of training.”

He also points out that the system needs to be applied appropriately for different levels of athletes. Since the Quantum is capable of making training more extreme than regular weight training (or less if the task is to rehabilitate), you have to know the limits of application in relation to individual athletes. There’s a huge difference between a youth athlete in early puberty and a D1 football player or sprinter competing internationally. The Quantum is like driving a sports car: Having 600 horsepower under the hood doesn’t mean you can go full throttle at all times. But when the road is wide and straight—pedal to the metal!

Riggberger states, “The Quantum is not to be thought of like traditional weight training. It’s easy to make that assumption when you use it for squats and presses because it looks the same to the eye. But other than the bar itself it has nothing to do with a regular weight that’s always influenced by the same rate of gravity no matter what you do. Just like any advanced form of training like plyometric jumps, you use it with great care and precision depending on the capability of the athlete.”

Getting Results

With the background of how Riggberger approached his new tool, I was eager to get to the heart of the story: what kinds of results has the Quantum delivered?

Like most coaches, Riggberger works with many athletes and has limited time for experimentation and documenting results. But he decided to systematically use the system for a specific purpose and document the results into published case studies with three elite athletes (a hurdler, a long jumper, and a discus thrower). Riggberger can discuss the first two while the third is still a work in progress. For the more scientifically minded reader, these and other studies and additional facts are published on 1080 Motion’s website.

Let’s look at the 110m hurdler (13.47). Riggberger wanted to explore his belief that the Quantum system can be effective for brief but high-intensity strength training during the competitive season. Extensive weight-based training within the season increases the injury risk and is a challenge to balance with other training and competition cycles. Riggberger hoped the Quantum system would reduce the athlete’s total training volume and injury risk while maintaining leg power performance.

The study lasted nine weeks, during which the only form of weight training was 6 sessions with single-leg squats, 2 sets of 5 reps on each leg. That’s an average of just one session per 10.5 days! The protocol was a concentric load of 119 kg/262 lbs with no speed limitation and 139 kg/306 lbs in the eccentric phase at 4 m/s speed. That implies a 17% eccentric overload and an exaggerated eccentric speed, causing the quad musculature to stretch more quickly compared to a regular barbell squat.

1080 Quantum provides precise control of resistance type, load, and movement speed. Share on X

Riggberger’s theory is that the ability to assist with speed in the eccentric phase creates a greater loading in the stretch-shortening cycle, thereby helping to maximize fast-twitch fiber activation. The 17% overloaded eccentric load contributes to this process. Since this is a very intense way of doing single-leg squat the athlete needed a 10-minute rest between sets. Riggberger kept track of the total training time and concluded that for each session the athlete only worked under tension for 8 seconds concentrically and 6 seconds eccentrically.

In total over the 9 weeks, the combined time under tension—concentrically and eccentrically—was no more than 1 minute and 26 seconds. Measuring the change in power with both the Quantum’s internal data and a separate bar speed encoder for verification, Riggberger concluded that concentric power had increased by 32% on the left leg and 35% on the right, with eccentric power increasing by 24% and 10% respectively. Peak velocity went up 29% and 11% percent while time-to-peak velocity improved by 12% and 19%. Riggberger also tested the athlete in four different jump tests and documented an across-the-board improvement.

Says Riggberger,“I was quite surprised to see this kind of improvement from such limited and infrequent training, especially in an athlete that was at a very high-performance level to start with. My goal was to be able to maintain power performance, but instead I got a major improvement”.

Video 1. High-intensity single leg squats. Isokinetic concentric phase and 17% eccentric overload.

Long Jumper

Riggberger’s second case involved a long jumper with a personal best of 8.25 meters (27.07 feet). The aim of the study was similar to the first case: verifying the effect of a short-duration/high-load strength program. Here the single-leg squat study lasted 3 weeks, with two sessions per week. The concentric load was 121 kg/267 lbs and the eccentric 141 kg/311 lbs. The results were similar to the hurdler: concentric power increased by 16% on the left leg and 12% on the right while time-to-peak-velocity improved by 38% on both legs.

Riggbergersaid, “Overall the results show greater improvements on the left leg. Since this is a right-leg long jumper, the right leg is naturally more developed so it’s not surprising to see greater improvements on the left where the relative improvement potential should be greater. It was still a big deal for me to be able to see a 12% power increase on the leg that hits the plank. It tells me we took a world-class athlete a good step further on his performance curve.”

I asked Riggberger to sum up his experience of implementing the Quantum system at MIA. “I’m confident to say at this time that there is nothing to compare with if you look at how quickly we get results from this system,” he noted. “I have developed a four-stage training model that we use broadly. It essentially starts with conditioning the athlete to greater intensity but at highly controlled movement speeds. From there, training progresses to greater intensity using a combination of isokinetic loads and high speeds. All the time we overload the eccentric phase to maximize the athlete’s ability to absorb the energy needed to explode concentrically.

“With this model, we get great and predictable results while reducing the risk for training injuries. Also, when I train sprinters and other sports where only one leg at a time is used, I exclusively do single leg strength training. I have measured this many times and can only conclude that two-legged training does not transfer optimally into single-leg performance. It’s a great tool for performing the more advanced single-leg power training using high loads and exaggerated movement speeds.”

Additional Perspective

After wrapping up with Riggberger, I called his boss, MIA General Manager Jan-Olov Jacobsson to get some perspective. I immediately sensed he is a highly energetic and forward-looking man who is very proud of his team. He explains how MIA is a major force for elite sports development in Sweden.

Commenting on the use of the Quantum, he explains, “We develop top talent, and we need state-of-the art-facilities and equipment to attract the very best to come here. The Quantum is an important part of the service we provide these athletes. This year we have also started to use the new 1080 Sprint system that uses the same technology but for up to 90-meter sprints.

“Sometimes new athletes and coaches are skeptical to new tools and methods, but once they start using the system, they tell us how the training makes them feel more explosive. It’s hard to put your finger on it, but it does something different that people like. Thanks to Kenneth’s hard work we have the numbers to prove that the system is superior at quickly building strength and explosiveness.”

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

 

This article is the second part of a mini-series on resisted sled sprint (RSS) training. Please read Part 1 first. This article will not deliver the ’best resisted sprint sessions for your athlete’, or ‘how to periodize your sprint program’. Instead, the article provides the basis for you to construct resisted sprint sessions based on the requirements of your athlete.

A Requirement for RSS Training?

A sprinting performance model contains a myriad of factors. However, we can generalize physical factors into two broad categories:

1. Physical output
2. Efficiency of physical output

Increases in physical output for improvements in sprint performance can be achieved through both ‘non-specific’ [1, 2] and ‘specific’ methods [2, 3]. Non-specific methods, such as general maximum strength and power training, may provide an efficient transfer to sprint performance for less-trained individuals. Less-trained individuals may require a foundation of general muscle force and power production that is best acquired by non-specific means. Non-specific means are also vital for improvements in lean muscle mass, training resilience and injury prevention. Specific means, such as sprinting, will likely have the greatest impact on the sprint times of well-trained athletes [4].

Improvements in the efficiency of physical output must be obtained by specific methods. Application of ground reaction force, rather than the magnitude of ground reaction force production, is a significant determinant of sprint performance [5-8]. In a mix of top-class (World or European medallists) and national level male sprinters, acceleration and maximal velocity performance were strongly related to horizontal force and the angle of force application [5]. Performance was not related to total nor vertical force, suggesting that maximal and vertical force production are key determinants of sprint performance in high-level sprinters.

Conversely, in physical education students, the vertical force at maximal velocity is a determinant of maximal velocity during a treadmill sprint [6]. Furthermore, many will quote Weyand et. al. [9] regarding the relationship between total ground reaction force and sprint performance. In this study, the fastest athlete produced 1.26 x the force of the slowest athlete, with total force predicting 39% of the variance in maximal velocity on a treadmill [9]. However, this study used male and female participants of whom produced maximal velocities of 6.2 – 11.1 m/s during a treadmill sprint. The large range in participant ability questions the validity of the argument that maximum sprint velocity is significantly related to the production of large ground reaction force. However, both studies demonstrate there is a certain level of force production, required for improved sprint performance, but it does not provide evidence that total force differentiates sprint performance between high or elite level athletes [5-7]. Although every athlete has individual requirements, traditional strength training for general or vertical force production has a significant role in speed development in untrained, novice or slower athletes. This is a general comment as each individual has their own requirements for improved sprint performance.

To continually chase vertical gains beyond a certain threshold with high-level athletes may provide a polish to the gym records board, but with little positive effect on the stopwatch.

Horizontal-based exercises provide a mode of resistance training that can develop both sprint specific force production and application. Resisted sled sprint (RSS) training emphasises the skill of sprinting, movement-specificity, horizontal force production and application. RSS training can be accurately manipulated by changes in intensity, volume and concurrent exercise selection. Therefore, there is a real opportunity to periodize and program RSS training with the same level of detail and accuracy that we commit to squat, deadlift, jump squat and Olympic lift variations. Sled load can be manipulated to influence horizontal force production and application, whilst sprint distance and number of repetitions will affect the ‘practice’ time of the sprinting skill. Simply, RSS training can be classed as both a skill and strengthening exercise, increasing the level of transfer efficiency to sprint performance from traditional strength and power training.

Physical output, Efficiency of Physical Output and RSS Training

Many RSS studies prescribe load as a % of body mass (%BM). However, I will attempt to interpret these data to provide RSS training recommendations for volume, intensity and concurrent training.

Figure 1 provides a general overview of the potential adaptations to RSS training. As always, general findings should be applied with caution – know your athlete, know what they have and what they require. Decide upon an adaptation and chase it.

 

A load of 10%BM does not provide a stimulus for enhanced explosiveness in the acceleration phase [10-13]. Horizontal ground reaction force is greater at RSS loads of 20%BM than unresisted sprinting (URS) and 10%BM [10], while a load of 30%BM provides a greater horizontal impulse than 10%BM [11]. Therefore, we are looking at heavier sled loads for enhancements in physical output.

The efficiency of physical output following RSS training may involve changes in foot-strike position, braking forces, ground contact time and angle of ground reaction force [11, 14-16]. It is hypothesised that RSS training may eventually decrease braking forces (vertical force), providing a foot strike more under the center of gravity and thus increasing the time for propulsive force production [15, 16]. Therefore, RSS training does not cause adaptations for longer ground contact times but teaches the athlete to use more of the ground contact time to create propulsive force. Compared to light sled or URS training, heavy sleds provide the athletes with more practice of horizontal force application [11]. There are two common coach issues with heavy RSS training, and I have attempted to provide a resolve for both of them in Table 1. Heavy RSS loads may also improve sprint specific rate of force development (RFD) [12]. Using heavier RSS loads to improve RFD for sprint performance may be superior to traditional vertical methods (Olympic lift variations, concentric jumps) due to the horizontal application of force in RSS training. The specific intermuscular coordination required for rapid horizontal force production in RSS training may have a greater efficiency of transfer to sprint performance than, say, the mid-thigh clean pull. Further research is required on the relationship between the development of resultant RFD, vertical RFD, horizontal RFD, horizontal force application and sprint performance.

 

While RSS training can overload the force component, RSS force production is significantly less than that of unloaded jumping, loaded jumping or heavy back squat exercises [17]. I do not recommend RSS training to improve maximum triple extension force production. RSS training has many uses, but there are more effective tools to improve maximum force production [2, 17]. Regarding the ‘horizontal versus vertical’ argument, one may discuss the use of extremely heavy horizontal exercises (sled push for strength, prowler push) as a replacement of traditional compound lifts. Although training programs are never so black and white, I’d like to see a research group really probe the difference in performance outcomes following either horizontal- or vertical-dominant training programs.

Force-velocity curve and RSS training

The balance between how load influences force and velocity can determine long-term adaptations to RSS training. Figure 2 proposes a force-velocity (FV) curve for resisted and assisted sled sprinting.

 

I have a problem with FV curves that are built without a ‘specific’ action in mind. The terms ‘strength-speed’ and ‘speed-strength’ are meaningless when used in isolation. ‘Strength-speed’ pertains to: “higher force, lower velocity than X”. ‘Speed-strength’ is the opposite: “lower force, higher velocity than X”. Without X, we have nothing. I believe an FV curve should revolve around the ‘specific’ sporting action one is trying to improve. In this case, our sport-specific action is sprint acceleration.

The proposed force-velocity curve centres on unresisted sprinting. ‘Strength-speed’ and ‘acceleration-speed’ involves an overload of the force component and reduces movement velocity. ‘Speed-strength’ and ‘speed’ work increases the velocity component and does not challenge peak force production. In agreement with previous FreelapUSA articles (The Sled: Resisted Sprint Training Considerations and Resistance Run Training: Thoughts, Observations and Guidelines), to run fast, you must train fast – likely > 90-95% of the best time for a given distance. As aforementioned, I do not believe RSS training with light loads adds a sufficient stimulus above that of URS training alone. Why go to the hassle of adding a sled when a standard URS session will do the trick? Therefore, true sprint speed training takes place below the threshold line. Speed training is not prescribed above the proposed threshold. Above the threshold, we are prescribing skill-practice and strength/ power training. As with the majority of sporting movements, performance can be enhanced by training at varying parts of the curve depending on individual athlete requirements.

Acute Program Variables

I wish to be conservative with recommendations when discussing intensity, volume and rest periods. Unless one has an excellent understanding of the athlete, the concurrent training and program goals – it is difficult to prescribe effective acute variables. Therefore, I have provided a range of options in Figure 3. These options are based on 11 peer-reviewed papers [3] and three years of UCD High-Performance Gym data.

 

Long-term improvements in sprint performance following RSS training likely requires >2 sessions per week for > 4 weeks [3]. Acute variable selection for RSS training (Figure 3) differs little from that of traditional power training. Higher intensities require lower volumes and vice versa. An athlete may initially experience neural adaptations such as improvements in trunk lean during URS and a subsequent improvement in the angle of force application during URS – although more research is required to test this hypothesis. Given the high importance of horizontal force application to sprint performance, neural adaptations may be the most favourable benefit of RSS training.

Sprint training adaptations are distance-specific [2]. For example, if sprint acceleration is the goal, I’d recommend working between 10 and 20 m with the appropriate sled load. UCD athletes have shown an ability to maintain 0-20 m sprint acceleration for 5-8 repetitions at 80% maximal resisted sled load (MRSL) and 10-12 repetitions at 30% MRSL. I generally prescribe RSS volumes based on these data as once an athlete begins to decelerate, the movement quality and power output have already declined.

If improvements in sprint speed are the key goal, I recommend never to ignore true speed training i.e. unresisted sprinting. Adaptations are specific. Heavy sled sprints will not make you slower, ignoring true speed training will make you slower! I truly believe that the most efficient transfer of RSS training to URS performance is achieved when both variations are performed within the same session. RSS efforts allow the athlete to understand exactly what trunk lean and horizontal application can feel like. Successive URS efforts allow the athlete to (a) attempt to physically transfer the feeling of RSS trunk lean to URS and (b) run fast and feel fast. RSS training may a potentiating effect on URS performance, but this is still in debate [18-20]

Your coaching eye is vital to RSS training. Like any exercise, a complete breakdown in RSS form and movement quality is unlikely to provide an effective motor pattern or speed/ power stimulus. Adjust your acute variables accordingly and don’t be afraid to swerve away from the planned session. Be a coach.

Cueing

RSS training provides the opportunity to continue emphasising your usual technical sprint cues. Whether you prefer internal or external cues, they can be directly applied to RSS training. As heavy RSS efforts are slower than traditional sprinting, athletes may find the ‘slow-motion’ of RSS useful to practice a specific cue. Cueing an athlete to “explode” from the start may be useful, especially given the extra effort required for initial acceleration at heavy RSS loads. This type of cue during heavy RSS efforts may also help increase long-term peak total and horizontal RFD and peak power. If the athlete understands RSS training is about trunk lean or horizontal force application, the athlete may try to exaggerate their forward lean during the sprint. This often leads to miss-stepping and a stutter-like sprint. I often ask these athletes to “allow the lean”, rather than “force the lean”. Finally, it goes without saying that athletes should be encouraged to provide maximum effort to RSS training.

Summary

• Resisted sled sprint training is a ‘specific’ method for improvements in sprint performance.
• Depending on sled load, long-term adaptations to RSS training range from decreased braking forces, an increased trunk angle, greater horizontal application of force and improvements in the rate of force development. These adaptations combine for greater sprint speed.
• Although RSS training is effective for improvements in sprint performance, it is just one very small tool in the toolbox. General or ‘non-specific’ exercises, lifts for maximum vertical force/ power and true speed training are vital elements of an athlete’s physical training program.
• If the goal is to improve sprint performance, do not forget to program for true speed work i.e. unresisted sprinting.
• When planning RSS sessions, coaches must manipulate load, repetition distance, session distance, cues and concurrent training to achieve eventually the desired adaptations.
• Unresisted sprint coaching cues can be used directly with RSS efforts.

All papers mentioned in this article can be found here.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Dr Eamonn Flanagan and Dr Brendan Egan for providing feedback for this article. A huge thank you to Maria Monahan of whom continually researches, applies and challenges RSS work at UCD High Performance.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

 

References

1. Seitz LB, Reyes A, Tran TT et al. Increases in lower-body strength transfer positively to sprint performance: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2014;44(12):1693-702.
2. Rumpf MC, Lockie RG, Cronin JB et al. The effect of different sprint training methods on sprint performance over various distances: a brief review. J Strength Cond Res. 2015.
3. Petrakos G, Morin JB, Egan B. Resisted Sled Sprint Training to Improve Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2015.
4. Young WB. Transfer of strength and power training to sports performance. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2006;1(2):74-83.
5. Rabita G, Dorel S, Slawinski J et al. Sprint mechanics in world-class athletes: a new insight into the limits of human locomotion. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2015;25(5):583-94.
6. Morin JB, Edouard P, Samozino P. Technical ability of force application as a determinant factor of sprint performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(9):1680-8.
7. Morin JB, Bourdin M, Edouard P et al. Mechanical determinants of 100-m sprint running performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012;112(11):3921-30.
8. Buchheit M, Samozino P, Glynn JA et al. Mechanical determinants of acceleration and maximal sprinting speed in highly trained young soccer players. J Sports Sci. 2014;32(20):1906-13.
9. Weyand PG, Sternlight DB, Bellizzi MJ et al. Faster top running speeds are achieved with greater ground forces not more rapid leg movements. J Appl Physiol. 2000;89(5):1991-9.
10. Cottle CA, Carlson LA, Lawrence MA. Effects of sled towing on sprint starts. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(5):1241-5.
11. Kawamori N, Newton R, Nosaka K. Effects of weighted sled towing on ground reaction force during the acceleration phase of sprint running. J Sports Sci 2014;32(12):1139-45.
12. Martínez-Valencia MA, Romero-Arenas S, Elvira JL et al. Effects of Sled Towing on Peak Force, the Rate of Force Development and Sprint Performance During the Acceleration Phase. J Hum Kinet. 2015;46(1):139-48.
13. Maulder PS, Bradshaw EJ, Keogh JW. Kinematic alterations due to different loading schemes in early acceleration sprint performance from starting blocks. J Strength Cond Res. 2008;22(6):1992-2002.
14. Lockie RG, Murphy AJ, Spinks CD. Effects of resisted sled towing on sprint kinematics in field-sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2003;17(4):760-7.
15. Cronin J, Hansen K, Kawamori N et al. Effects of weighted vests and sled towing on sprint kinematics. Sport Biomech. 2008;7(2):160-72.
16. Nogueira M, Viriato N, Vaz M et al., editors. Dynamometric analysis of resisted sled on sprint run. ISBS-Conference Proceedings Archive; 2011.
17. Okkonen O, Hakkinen K. Biomechanical comparison between sprint start, sled pulling, and selected squat-type exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27(10):2662-73.
18. Whelan N, O’Regan C, Harrison AJ. Resisted sprints do not acutely enhance sprinting performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(7):1858-66.
19. Smith CE, Hannon JC, McGladrey B et al. The effects of a postactivation potentiation warm-up on subsequent sprint performance. Human Movement. 2014;15(1):36-44.
20. West DJ, Cunningham DJ, Bracken RM et al. Effects of resisted sprint training on acceleration in professional rugby union players. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27(4):1014-8.
21. Bachero-Mena B, Gonzalez-Badillo JJ. Effects of resisted sprint training on acceleration with three different loads accounting for 5, 12.5 and 20% of body mass. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(10):2954-60.
22. Kawamori N, Newton RU, Hori N et al. Effects of weighted sled towing with heavy versus light load on sprint acceleration ability. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(10):2738-45.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I want to share experiences and anecdotes about the coaches who have given to me much of their time, energy, knowledge, patience, resources, stories, and honesty. I want to take the time to thank those who have been so generous with their time and hopefully, in the near future, I can pay it forward.

After serving as an assistant coach for ten seasons, including the past seven at Chapin High School, I now have the opportunity to lead the girls’ program. As our high school team enters the spring semester and begins to train for the upcoming 2017 season, the stories below serve as a guide that significantly impacts my daily coaching duties and my ever-evolving coaching philosophy.

Latif Thomas: Mentor

Last season, Latif guided me for an entire season and undoubtedly has had the biggest impact on my coaching philosophy. I’ve shared my experience with Latif in a previous article: “Changes I Made to My Team’s Sprint Training Program with the Help of a Mentor.” What I didn’t include in in that article was how I first met Latif in the summer of 2015 at his CTF Track and Field clinic at Harvard University. At the clinic, coaches are encouraged to roam around to different event groups and seek out information freely by talking to the other expert coaches leading the groups. Keep in mind that hundreds of athletes attend the clinic as well as dozens of coaches, so it’s safe to say Latif stays busy.

During a stop at the horizontal jumps session, I introduced myself to Latif and bombarded him with question after question thinking I needed to get every single one answered on the spot. And what did the guy hosting and responsible for the entire clinic do? He answered every question in detail for almost an hour, gave me his cell number in case I needed anything during my stay in Boston, and invited me to the “coaches only after-hours clinic.” Throughout the remainder of the clinic, he stopped by during small encounters to continue our previous conversations. Regrettably, I was not able to attend the after-hours coaches’ clinic because I had a 36-hour drive back to Texas with only two days to travel.

Months later, when I bombarded Latif with the idea of mentoring me, he replied to every email and agreed to be my mentor (I was relentless in asking him). Here’s the kicker. Latif is a coach first, but also an extremely savvy business guy. I offered to pay Latif along the way for his time and guidance, but he always brushed the payment suggestion aside. Latif has been paid several times to speak at clinics but never once did he charge me for his time and depth of knowledge. I’m an extremely loyal CTF customer because it has transformed our program. Latif continues to be a mentor, but more importantly, a peer and friend.

Best nugget of wisdom from Latif: His constant message is about getting kids to believe in themselves using what he often refers to as “Jedi-mind tricks.” Coaches must truly understand what is deeply important to each of their athletes. Only then can they have a true impact on their kids. Building this kind of genuine coaching relationship with athletes motivates them and allows them to grow and become their genuine selves.

Tony Holler: Generosity

Earlier in the same summer I met Latif, I started reading about this innovative “be activated” system (now called Reflexive Performance Reset) that allowed athletes to perform in an optimal state. Moreover, the more I read Tony’s articles about speed, timing, and sharing results with the world, the more I became intrigued with his teachings and philosophies. I quickly decided to attend the first Track and Field/Football Consortium in Chicago.

We all know people who post messages or thoughts on social media or preach a certain lifestyle, but their lifestyle doesn’t quite reflect their message. Read Tony’s political beliefs and messages on social media and add my experience with the man, and you’ll understand that he is a man of character and principle.

I arrived at the consortium ten minutes before it began because it was my first time in Chicago and I have a limited directional sense. Tony unexpectedly met me at the entrance, greeted me, introduced me to local coaches, and welcomed me into the auditorium. After the event had ended about 8:30 p.m. on a Friday, I was supposed to travel back to South Chicago for the night. But I was invited to eat dinner and talk shop with the coaches afterward. The event was held about 30-40 minutes away from where I was staying. When he heard I would have to go back at that late hour, Tony offered his spare bed in his rented hotel room for the night so I wouldn’t have to make the drive and could hang out with the coaches that night. Here is a man I had never met, never previously had a conversation with, who had zero knowledge of my background, and he allowed me to stay at the hotel he rented.

The next day, Tony and I had breakfast. I offered to pay, he refused. I offered to pay him back for the hotel. He again refused. He hooked me up with one of his PN Track speed camp shirts and, at the end of the consortium on Saturday, gave me a ride to the train station to Chicago and paid for my ticket because I didn’t have cash on me. I was the worst guest, having prepared poorly for my trip, and here was an Illinois track and field hall of fame coach displaying a form of humility and acceptance I was so fortunate to encounter.

Best nugget of wisdom from Tony: His athletes warm up explosively. Other coaches have often stated that nobody performs these dynamic warm up drills better than Tony’s sprinters. I preach to our sprinters every single day the importance of performing our warm up drills with purpose and intensity. Tony loves to feed the cats and then let them rest. Our sprinters now have every Wednesday off.

Gabe Sanders: Enjoy the Process

Gabe is currently the sprints/hurdles coach at Stanford University. I met Gabe at the 2015 CTF clinic and sat down to talk to him for about an hour in the hotel lounge. Gabe is a really smart guy, and the conversation was enlightening. What made the conversation valuable was that Gabe didn’t use fancy terminology or speak over me. He used terms and made references that made sense to me. As an educator, I appreciate a knowledgeable coach who can explain complex material in a manner which is easy to understand.

Coaches and athletes need to focus on the process and enjoy the experience. Share on X

While he was moving cross-country from Boston University to Stanford, Gabe took the time to return a call and gave me another hour of his time to help me with some training questions I had that evening. Since taking the coaching position at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Gabe has continued to offer advice. During the day, I will read a study or an article, and I will ask his opinion on the matter or his advice on a specific topic, and he usually responds within minutes. I consider Gabe to be one of the best collegiate coaches in the country. To have the opportunity to bounce ideas off of a track guru like Gabe is a huge blessing.

Best nugget of wisdom from Gabe: “Focus on the ride, don’t get caught looking at the horizon.” I learned from Gabe that athletes need to focus on the process, but I sometimes fail to do so myself. An athlete may have an off workout, an off day. Listen and be patient with athletes and their progress. Enjoy the experience and allow the athlete to do the same.

Ron Grigg: Pay it Forward

Ron, the director of women’s cross-country and track and field at Jacksonville University, is friendly, timely, and very open to sharing information. I attended Ron’s presentation at the CTF clinic two times because I was so intrigued by his use of so few drills, yet the athlete’s at Jacksonville have been very successful under his guidance. After viewing his “Horizontal Drills Simplified” presentation, I knew immediately that I had to share what I had learned and wrote my second article for SimpliFaster specifically based on these jumping drills.

When I cold-called Ron, he didn’t hesitate for one moment, and he answered every question I had for the article. Earlier this season on my way to my son’s tee ball game, he returned my phone call after I left a message, and we talked track and field for over forty-five minutes. Near the end of our cross-country season, I again called Ron at an agreed upon time, and we chatted for about ninety minutes going over long distance and mid-distance program design. He has returned every single email, sometimes within minutes, because as he stated, he is “simply paying it forward.”

Best nugget of wisdom from Ron: He is not an event coach, he is a track and field coach. Recently he emailed the following to me: “When we had two long jumpers at Olympic Trials, they called me a jumps coach, when we had two 800m runners at NCAAs, they called me a middle distance coach, when our 4×1 made NCAAs, they called me a sprint coach; but I just think of myself as a track and field coach. I like all events and the challenges they present with similarities and differences, and I like coaching all athletes who have similarities and differences in their physical and mental characteristics.”

Giving Back

These are the best of many nuggets of wisdom several coaches have provided me through the years. I’ve learned so many lessons from so many coaches—not just the ones I’ve listed here. Over the past few years, these fine men have truly ignited my passion for being a better coach and, more importantly, have shown how to be giving with time, think deeply, reflect candidly, enjoy the process, be kind, and pay it forward.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

 

I’ll start by making a confession. I’m a head track coach and I have almost zero track and field experience.

Feels good to get that out there!

My goal in writing this is to rid any coach of excuses. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve learned. Most importantly, I’ve asked questions. I’ve become a student of the sport and I feel that I’ve given my student athletes what they need to succeed. Since so my great people have given me help, I’ve decided it is time to “pay it forward” and give credit where credit is due. Hopefully, another young or new coach will find some inspiration. The following is a list of advice that has served me well so far.

Becoming a Coach

In August 2010, I found myself in a back-to-school faculty meeting where I was asked if I was interested in the job of head coach of the boys track team. I was teaching at Madison High School (in Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, MO), with a total student population of about 180 students (down from a peak of 700+) and around 15 faculty members, many of whom taught multiple grade levels. Madison had no football program (it was cut in the early ’90s) and just the remains of a 440-yard cinder track that looked like a lazy river after spring showers.

Basically, there was no one else interested.

I played football and participated in my high school’s powerlifting team. I loved training. I saw the connection between track and field, and football, weightlifting, power, and sprints.

My favorite high school teacher, a football and powerlifting coach, once gave me advice on coaching.

“Do you love (insert sport here)?” Yes.

“Do you love kids?” Yes.

“Then that’s all you need. Programs change all the time. Fundamentals are always the same. You’ll get more out of fundamentals, passion for the sport and a love of seeing kids making themselves better. You can learn everything else later.”

Rest in peace, Coach Welker.

So when I was offered the coaching position, I thought, Why not?

Learn From Your Mistakes

I frequently buy books and, back then, one of them was the (then) newly published book, “The 4 Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss. It was (and is) a fantastic resource, with the author exploring strange and unusual health and fitness protocols that follow a basic premise: Use the minimal effective dose.

It’s funny sharing this story. I should feel embarrassed saying I designed a track program around a mainstream gimmicky health book, but check this out: It features some basic protocols that any reader of SimpliFaster, ITCCCA (Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association), and their great writers would recognize. While it’s in a different form, it shares a lot of the same concepts.

Barry Ross, deadlifts, and ASR sprinting? Check.

Forty-yard dashes? Check.

Muscle activation for the psoas and glutes? Check.

Focusing on acceleration to improve a short sprint time? Check.

Getting rid of needless static stretching and “speed drills,” and instead focusing on hip mobility? Check.

I’ve always viewed myself as someone who goes against the grain. I’m a person who has a degree in art and is also a former meathead, after all. I found the ideas in the book interesting, and I designed a program around it. I was ready to start training my athletes.

“You aren’t doing enough running.”

“You are in the weight room too much.”

“Cahokia runs hills until they puke.”

“You need to get them in shape.”

The criticism came quickly, but not from the athletes themselves. It came from the principal, from the athletic director, from other coaches and adults. (I will add that, in the future, my athletic director would support all my crazy ideas. These included speedsuits, making my own schedule, adding a full indoor schedule that included traveling 2 and 1/2 hours to Mahomet Seymour in the middle of the week, and making sure we had plenty of money for the state championship.)

I would love to tell you that I stuck to my guns, but I didn’t. I folded under the pressure. I Googled “how to train sprinters,” and immediately began Clyde Hart-style programming. The 2010/2011 season was different. There were not as many resources online as there are now, at least for free.

The team was OK. A sophomore sprinter ran 11 minutes, 14 seconds and went to State. He set the school record in the shotput, as well, with 46 feet, 5 inches.

But we ended the year injured. My 4×100 relay’s third leg pulled his hamstring the week of Sectionals. We did lots and lots of stretching, jogging (to shake it out, of course) ice, and ibuprofen to get him fixed (I’m laughing to myself as I type this). He ran 44.8 and missed qualifying by a few tenths.

Allow Your Athletes to Guide the Program

So, what changed in 2012?

I will give credit where it is due and it falls on that injured third leg… Andre Berry.

When the 2012 school year began, Andre was in my homeroom class. He lamented how the previous season had ended. You see, Andre Berry was hurt at the end of every single one of his high school seasons… two hamstrings and an ankle. He was a stud in junior high track, and he wanted that mojo back.

Andre flat-out told me, “I want to go to State my senior year in all three sprint relays with my friends.” He also told me he didn’t want to go to all those “weak” meets (our schedule had been terrible, dominated by triangles and quads). He wanted to go where the big schools ran; he wanted an off-season program.

In our area, we were surrounded by a hotbed of track talent. East St. Louis and Cahokia were immediate neighbors. So were Edwardsville, Belleville West, and Triad—perennial state contenders and champions. Teams across the Mississippi River weren’t too bad, either. Current Dallas Cowboys running back, Ezekiel Elliot, was dominating the sprints in Missouri at this time.

I looked at Andre and said what came naturally to me: “OK. Let’s do it.”

Other than one 4×100 barely making it the year before I took over and few individuals here and there, Madison hadn’t sent a decent group to State since 1992 and hadn’t qualified all three sprint relays since 1988. This wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

As coach, I felt an immediate responsibility.

Learn From Those Who Are Already Successful

I began by looking at those “big school” schedules. What are the best meets? Just by chance, and just because I live in the Edwardsville School District, I went there first.

Wow.

Coach Chad Lakatos keeps an excellent webpage, and I used it to write down their schedule. By strange coincidence, I met Chad a month later at a neighborhood pig roast and talked to him briefly. He told me to contact him if Madison ever needed a race. He had no idea how much I would wind up bugging him. Like, a lot. I STILL contact Chad for meets and advice.

I’m sure Edwardsville knows this, but some schools can’t stand them. A coach in Madison County, who shall remain nameless, told me, “I don’t need to see Edwardsville and their eight assistant coaches jumping up and down and shouting every time they win a race.”

Well, why not? What would you want to see if you were a high school kid: Your coach jumping up and down when you bust your butt or standing with their arms crossed, lamenting all the reasons they can’t possibly compete? Because that’s one thing I noticed. Edwardsville coaches always say encouraging things and give feedback to their athletes after a race… no matter what place they come in. Heck, Edwardsville congratulates other team’s athletes and offers them feedback!

You can choose to be jealous of other coaches, or you can try and learn from them. Share on X

Edwardsville jump coach, Carry Bailey, passed along one of my athlete’s names to a college coach. Throws coach, Matt Martin, offered advice to Alton’s throws coach, Eric Dickerson. East St. Louis has a reputation for being distant and cocky. Yet, their former assistant coach and new head coach, Ramon Johnson, found a college for Madison’s Andre McGill to run at after high school. Previous head coach, Barry Malloyd, gave encouragement and offered Madison meets. I guess as a coach you can choose to be jealous or you can try and learn.

I should also add that Coach Willie Byrd of Cahokia Wirth-Parks Junior High gave me some fantastic advice in that terrible 2011 season. Coach Byrd’s athletes hold several all-time records in junior high track. These include Marlon Brady (50.89 in the 400m), Marquis Murray (15.15 in the 110 hurdles), 1:34.61 in the 4×200, and perhaps most mind-blowing, 3:32.59 in the 4×400. (The same group has the all-time seventh grade record and, for a brief time, held the No. 1 4×400 time in the 2013 Illinois outdoor season, running 3:23 in an early freshman-sophomore meet.)

Coach Byrd said to focus on the athletes who show up and want to be there. He asked how many athletes I had that were truly dedicated, and I responded, “Maybe six.” His reply stuck with me: “That’s all you need. Six athletes. That’s two relays and a couple of individual champions.” Ha! Just that easy, right? He acted as if six might be too many athletes. He added, “These in-season meets don’t really mean much. It’s state that matters.”

Focus on the end of the year and your championship meets. May matters; not April or March.

Train Smart

While I was looking for their schedule, it was another tab on Edwardsville’s website that caught my eye: “Speed Training.” There I saw that Edwardsville timed and ranked 40-yard dash times. They ran A LOT of 40s. It seemed like they did this the most. That, and something called “The 23-Second Drill.”

I was curious about this drill, so I began Googling. I couldn’t really find anything until I stumbled on a Let’s Run message board where somebody mentioned Tony Holler and Chris Korfist. Never heard of ‘em; back to Google. Then I found them—clinic notes from both coaches on the ITCCCA website. (On a funny note: I didn’t know for quite some time about Coach Holler’s connection to Metro East head coaches.)

Here they are, the exact documents I came across: Sprint Training 101 and Speed Development 2011. These became my Bibles.

I decided to train ALL my athletes like they had hamstring and ankle problems, even if they didn’t. Share on X

I had one more thing that concerned me: Andre Berry and his injury-prone ankle and hamstring. After looking at rehab procedures online, it seemed that both problems are usually caused by weak, inactive glutes and a lack of mobility in the hips. Interesting.

Since I was the only coach, I decided that I would train ALL my athletes like they had hamstring and ankle problems.

So, we made use of Madison’s ancient Universal Gym. We did single-leg kickbacks on the leg press and one-leg deadlifts on the bench press station. We did kettlebell swings and one-leg squats. And we did tons of hip mobility drills.

 

Armed with my printouts of “Sprint Training 101” and “Speed Development 2011,” we headed to the long downstairs hallway and began running 40s all winter. When the temperature was above 48 degrees, we went outside and did 23s. It was like a random “wild card” workout. I also added drills from NFL Combine guru Joe DeFranco’s “Top 9 Drills to Improve Acceleration Technique.” I ranked times and jumps and posted them on my classroom door. Kids made bets and talked trash. They recruited each other.

Promote Your Team

I set up a Twitter account. We finalized a better schedule and ordered fresh new uniforms. Our schedule looked like we were in Class 3A and part of the dominant Southwestern Conference.

At the Southwestern Illinois Relays held in March, Madison was ready for our coming out. We were the only Class A school competing, and we finished sixth in the 4×100 (44.36) and fourth in the 4×200 (1:32.47). Not bad at all. Our sprinters were fourth and eighth in the 100m. Our high jumper hit 6’4” and finished third. The newspaper headline in the local journal read, “Madison emerges as Class 1A threat.” The kids were stoked.

 

A few weeks later, we were at Edwardsville’s invitational and I met Tony Holler for the first time. He walked up and told me Madison had some great times and that he was looking forward to seeing us run. What power Twitter can have! Here was a coach from a large Chicago team telling me that he was looking forward to seeing our team—athletes from a small school no one has ever heard of—compete! He told me I could contact him anytime. I’m sure he was just being nice and pleasant, but I took him up on that. I’ve bugged the hell out of the poor guy. Like, a lot.

A few days later, Madison won the Madison County Small Schools Championship. Not only did we beat the other small schools, but we beat many large school teams as well. Times were dropping. I posted one of my favorite pictures on Twitter that night, of the team gathered around the revolving team plaque for county champions.

 

So how did the year end? We ran 43.67 and 1:31.95 to qualify for State. The 4×400? Our anchor quickly coughed up a lead and then came roaring back in the final 30 meters. It was the first time since 1988 that Madison sent all three sprint relays to State. Andre Berry ran on all three relays, and we were county champions. A healthy and happy Andre Berry got his senior wish… a trip out of town to State to compete with his friends.

Keep Moving Forward

This advice might sound simple. However, after that great 2012 season, the core of the team graduated. With 180 students, it can be challenging to “reload.” I heard it all year long. I still had my 11.1 sprinter, but few people around the school had hope for the team.

Except for me and my athletes.

How did we respond? Well, I kept learning and asking questions. I went to clinics. I networked with other coaches. My athletes worked both hard and smart. I’d recruit anyone in the halls: “I will find an event for you that you are good at.” While I didn’t make promises, I would claim, “I can’t guarantee you’ll be ‘fast’, but I will make you faster.”

The 2013 team repeated as county champions and we were actually faster than 2012, going 43.60, 1:30.82, and 3:30.67. In 2014, the team was the fastest I had ever coached and they made the most noise at State. The following year, Andre McGill become a state champion and drew interest from Illinois.

I truly believe that when you have a fun program that the kids enjoy, the recruiting takes care of itself. We had no booster club, so I bought a Freelap Timing System with my own money. Timing and ranking your athletes allows you to place them in events where they’ll be successful. They’ll see small but measurable progress. And when your athletes are happy, feel good, and feel fast, magic happens.

I don’t write this to brag about myself. I still consider myself a novice coach. If anything, I write this to brag about my athletes and their accomplishments. Even with my inexperience, a lack of facilities, no assistant coaches, no booster club, and a small school size… they were able to succeed. If I can do it, anyone can! If you want to have a great track program, I am proof that it is obtainable.

You always have a choice over the kind of coach you want to be. Share on X

I had a choice after that first disastrous season. I could collect a stipend and coast by on raw talent or I could do right by my athletes and students. I’m still amazed that many track coaches seem to not know what “Google” or “Twitter” are. You can be that grumpy coach that complains about Edwardsville and Cahokia. Or you can ask questions and learn from the best you can find. Remember, you always have a choice over the kind of coach you want to be.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

 

Resisted sled sprint (RSS) training is an effective method to improve linear sprint performance – but how do we load the sled?

This article will provide an overview of the current methods of sled load prescription for resisted sled sprint (RSS) training. We are at a very early stage of quantifying the potential of RSS training for improved sprint performance. However, before we can effectively apply RSS training with our athletes, we have to understand why and how we are loading the sled.

The Benefits of Resisted Sled Sprint (RSS) Training

Physical training improvements in sprint performance can occur via two general means:

1. Increase in physical output
   • e.g. increase production of triple extension force/power
2. Improvement in efficiency of physical output
   • e.g. increase in horizontal application of force

Sprint acceleration performance is largely determined by the angle of application of ground reaction force [1-3]. JB Morin and colleagues summarize the mechanical determinants of sprint acceleration as a ‘technical ability to apply horizontal force’ (Figure 1) [2]. RSS training is a tool to provide a potential improvement in horizontal application of force.

We constantly strive for effective and efficient methods for training transfer to performance. For an overview of ‘training transfer’, please read this top quality piece by Warren Young [4]. RSS training is likely to provide an enhancement of both physical output and efficiency of physical output .

Adding a resistive load provides an overload of the force component [5, 6]. RSS training acutely provides the athlete with less braking forces, [7-9] longer opportunity for greater forward trunk lean and, therefore, a better chance for horizontal application of force [7, 10-13]. Although athletes spend longer on the ground when sled sprinting, this provides more time to develop their ability to produce propulsive (or horizontal) forces [9, 10]

A recent review found 10 from 11 peer-reviewed studies observed RSS training improvements in either acceleration or maximal velocity sprint performance [14]. In sprint and strength-trained rugby players, 12 sessions of 3×20 m of RSS at a 12.6%BM sled load combined with 3×20 m of URS was enough to provide improvements in speed performance beyond 6×20 m of URS training alone [15]. The review also discounted the ‘heavy sleds make you slow’ myth. Sled loads from 12-43%BM were effective in the improvement of sprint performance.

Although RSS training is an effective method for improvements in sprint performance, the review deemed it unlikely to be more effective than unresisted sprint (URS) training [14]. However, many of the studies kept sled load rather light. Part 2 of this article will discuss RSS load and the potential adaptations from different loads. Secondly, RSS training may provide different neuromuscular and biomechanical adaptations to URS training alone.

Slow Down

But…we have a problem. We do not even have a grasp on the absolute fundamentals of resisted sprint training. We’re not even sure how to load the sled.

Our current situation reminds me of NASA’s Mars Polar Lander of which crashed as two separate teams were antagonistically working in imperial and metric units (I’m certainly not comparing sport science to rocket science – we’re obviously a lot smarter with our finances). Authors have utilized three different methods of sled load prescription used in peer-reviewed training studies. This is a problem. Without a uniform and agreed method of sled load prescription, we cannot begin to accurately discuss RSS volumes, intensities and training adaptations.

Absolutely Relative

Table 1 outlines the current and proposed methods of sled load prescription.

I do not prescribe an absolute load (e.g. 10kg) or a load relative to athlete body mass (%BM). I would not ask a squad of 15 rugby players to each back squat 100kg, or hang clean 50% of their bodyweight. Why generalize these methods to RSS training? Body mass is rarely a determinant of sprint performance. Furthermore, RSS performance is related to individual force, power and sprint characteristics [16]. RSS programs prescribed with either absolute or %BM methods mean the coach is providing a non-uniform or unknown training stimulus among athletes (Figure 2). Alternative approaches are required.

Alternative loading strategies must account for an athlete’s resisted sprint velocity or acceleration ability. Table 1 outlines the benefits and limitations of two alternative resisted sprint loading methods: %V_dec (decrement in unresisted sprint velocity) and %MRSL (maximal resisted sprint load).

Measurement of %V_dec is simple (Table 2) and application of this method has been used in various training studies [11, 17-21]. This method has much potential for use in applied settings. It accounts for both unresisted and resisted sprint velocity. Therefore, %V_dec accounts for the technical demands of resisted sprinting (e.g. greater trunk angle, changes in force production, changes in force application).

MRSL was originally developed by Martinez-Valencia, Pedro Alcaraz and their research group [16]. MRSL is somewhat of a misnomer. MRSL does not indicate the heaviest load before an athlete can physically move the sled. In this respect, it is not analogous to a traditional one repetition maximum (1RM).

The MRSL method is illustrated in Table 3 and Figure 3. Simply, MRSL is the “maximal load at which the athlete remains in sprint acceleration from 10 to 20 m in a 0-20 m resisted sled sprint”. For lovers of diagrams, Figure 4 further illustrates the description of MRSL. As we increase sled load, the rate of acceleration between 10 and 20m decreases. Eventually, sled load increases to the point where the athlete is decelerating, i.e. we have trialed beyond the maximal load to maintain acceleration.

Although not identical, the idea of MRSL is not too far removed from the 1RM method of standard weight-lifting loading protocols. The MRSL test provides the practitioner with a single value. This value can act as a ‘maximal load’. Based on a ‘maximal load’, RSS loads can be programmed and based on the adaptation required by the practitioner. Part 2 of this article will expand on RSS programming using the MRSL method.

In-house research at UCD High Performance has shown MRSL to be a reliable method that significantly correlates with performance tests such as 0-10 m speed, 0-20 m speed, vertical and horizontal countermovement jump, horizontal bounding and loaded jump squats. Therefore, the test is certainly superior to the %BM or absolute load methods. MRSL loads were measured at between 22-50%BM for females and 30-65%BM for males. The top-end numbers are quite heavy, yes.

Figures 5-1 through 5-5 illustrate how heavier sleds induce greater forward trunk lean and, therefore, increase the likelihood of greater horizontal force application.

Provided the athlete is accelerating, the trunk lean during a resisted sprint will be specific to, or greater than, the trunk lean at a certain portion of URS acceleration, i.e. trunk lean over 20 m at 100%MRSL and that of very early URS acceleration. Therefore, training with loads close to MRSL may provide the athlete with increased exposure/ practice at the trunk angle experienced in early acceleration. More practice = a greater chance of developing a more favorable motor pattern or positive change in acceleration technique that enhances greater horizontal force application.

The practical application of MRSL will be discussed in Part 2 of this article.

Summary

• RSS training is an effect tool for improvements in sprint performance. Adaptations are likely related to improved horizontal application of force. However, we are yet unsure of how to prescribe sled load.
• Absolute or % BM sled load prescription methods do not account for sprint or acceleration performance. It is unlikely these methods provide a uniform stimulus between athletes.
• The %V_dec is a simple and relative method of resisted sled load prescription. This method accounts for between-athlete differences in sprint performance and resisted sled sprint mechanics. However, this method does not inform the coach of a ‘maximal’ load or a measure of acceleration quality.
• The MRSL method is superior in terms of providing an understanding of the relationship between sled load and the trunk angles obtained during specific URS phases.

Pinch of Salt

This piece of work is established from a combination of research evidence, opinion and most importantly, training/ coaching experience. I still have much to discover, and I invite critique, questions, and discussion. There will be many out there who have alternative opinions and experiences; please share.

All papers mentioned in this article can be found here.

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Dr Brendan Egan, Dr Eamonn Flanagan and Stuart McMillan for their excellent comments in the revision of this article.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

1. Morin JB, Bourdin M, Edouard P et al. Mechanical determinants of 100-m sprint running performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012;112(11):3921-30.
2. Morin JB, Edouard P, Samozino P. Technical ability of force application as a determinant factor of sprint performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(9):1680-8.
3. Rabita G, Dorel S, Slawinski J et al. Sprint mechanics in world-class athletes: a new insight into the limits of human locomotion. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2015.
4. Young WB. Transfer of strength and power training to sports performance. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2006;1(2):74-83.
5. Cottle CA, Carlson LA, Lawrence MA. Effects of sled towing on sprint starts. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(5):1241-5.
6. Martínez-Valencia MA, Romero-Arenas S, Elvira JL et al. Effects of Sled Towing on Peak Force, the Rate of Force Development and Sprint Performance During the Acceleration Phase. J Hum Kinet. 2015;46(1):139-48.
7. Cronin J, Hansen K, Kawamori N et al. Effects of weighted vests and sled towing on sprint kinematics. Sport Biomech. 2008;7(2):160-72.
8. Lockie RG, Murphy AJ, Spinks CD. Effects of resisted sled towing on sprint kinematics in field-sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2003;17(4):760-7.
9. Nogueira M, Viriato N, Vaz M et al., editors. Dynamometric analysis of resisted sled on sprint run. ISBS-Conference Proceedings Archive; 2011.
10. Kawamori N, Newton R, Nosaka K. Effects of weighted sled towing on ground reaction force during the acceleration phase of sprint running. J Sports Sci 2014;32(12):1139-45.
11. Kawamori N, Newton RU, Hori N et al. Effects of weighted sled towing with heavy versus light load on sprint acceleration ability. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(10):2738-45.
12. Alcaraz PE, Palao JM, Elvira JL et al. Effects of three types of resisted sprint training devices on the kinematics of sprinting at maximum velocity. J Strength Cond Res. 2008;22(3):890-7.
13. Maulder PS, Bradshaw EJ, Keogh JW. Kinematic alterations due to different loading schemes in early acceleration sprint performance from starting blocks. J Strength Cond Res. 2008;22(6):1992-2002.
14. Petrakos G, Morin JB, Egan B. Resisted sled sprint training to improve sprint performance: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2015.
15. West DJ, Cunningham DJ, Bracken RM et al. Effects of resisted sprint training on acceleration in professional rugby union players. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27(4):1014-8.
16. Martinez-Valencia MA, Gonzalez-Rave JM, Santos-Garcia DJ et al. Interrelationships between different loads in resisted sprints, half-squat 1 RM and kinematic variables in trained athletes. Eur J Sport Sci. 2014;14 Suppl 1:S18-24.
17. Alcaraz PE, Elvira JLL, Palao JM. Kinematic, strength, and stiffness adaptations after a short- term sled towing training in athletes. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2014;24(2):279-90.
18. Clark KP, Stearne DJ, Walts CT et al. The longitudinal effects of resisted sprint training using weighted sleds vs. weighted vests. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(12):3287-95.
19. Lockie RG, Murphy AJ, Schultz AB et al. The effects of different speed training protocols on sprint acceleration kinematics and muscle strength and power in field sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(6):1539-50.
20. Makaruk B, Sozanski H, Makaruk H et al. The effects of resisted sprint training on speed performance in women. Hum Mov. 2013;14(2):116-22.
21. Spinks CD, Murphy AJ, Spinks WL et al. The effects of resisted sprint training on acceleration performance and kinematics in soccer, rugby union, and Australian football players. J Strength Cond Res. 2007;21(1):77-85.

Technology has become mainstream in all aspects of our daily lives and has slowly infiltrated the sport scene with decades of improvements. Considering all the tools available to chalk up our athletic lives to a bunch of quantitative data, I’d like to think I’ve kept it pretty simple. I operate with a GPS watch and a heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitor is a relatively new addition to my arsenal.

I log everything, religiously, so when I’m running 70, 80, and 90 miles a week, I can see how I’m trending, for worse or for better. I have two sensors on my bike, but unlike most of my high-tech competitors, I don’t own a cycling computer and often just strap my watch around my handlebars in a true, jimmy-rigged fashion. Nevertheless, I value the numbers as much as the next person. Here is how I have found this technology to be useful.

GPS and Pacing Feedback: Distance Running

One of the greatest factors separating experienced runners from the novice is the ability to pace accurately and consistently for an entire interval or workout. For well-trained runners, this becomes an almost innate, subconscious ability and often can be executed precisely by “feel.”

The sustained pace in long distance races is closely associated with a runner’s lactate threshold. At just a few seconds per mile above the lactate threshold, lactate and hydrogen ions begin to accumulate in the muscles, and without enough oxygen to support their clearance, a buildup ensues and fatigue is inevitable.

Race pace is often just below the lactate threshold for distances at or above a 5K, and training to improve this threshold becomes an integral part of program design. Training at lactate paces, just below the threshold zone, is the best way to improve the body’s ability to clear lactate from the muscles. This is a trainable aspect of an athlete’s physiology which is directly related to performance.

In other words, improved lactate clearance at a given running speed enables the runner to withstand a faster pace for the entire race. The threshold can be pushed higher and higher with progressive training, unlike VO2 max which has a harder ceiling based on predefined genetic factors.

So how does GPS come into play? Using a GPS watch as an inanimate pacer can truly be a game-changer in a runner’s ability to acquire an intuitive pacing ability. While this skill comes only from experience, the tool can greatly speed up the process of mastering internal pacing. GPS watches gives real-time pace, average run pace, and interval/lap pace options, so the data gives live feedback on how consistent a runner performs over the miles.

As a pacer, a GPS watch can be a game-changer in a runner’s ability to acquire intuitive pacing. Share on X

A study by Smith, Moran, and Foley (2013)² tested the benefit of GPS feedback on lactate threshold pacing in first-year collegiate distance runners. Researchers split the participants into an intervention group (using GPS devices) and a control group (no GPS devices) for a three-week lactate training experiment. Before the study started, researchers determined the threshold pace for each athlete with a fixed time-trial. None of the participants had previous experience with a GPS watch.

In the GPS group, the device significantly improved pacing in just three sessions. The study suggested that less experienced runners may benefit even more than more advanced runners due to an inverse relationship between improvements in pacing and the athlete’s experience level.

GPS as a Gauge for Overtraining

Overuse injuries from running are often caused by excessive progression in weekly volume or an overload of intensity. A study by Nielsen et al. (2013)¹ examined the use of GPS technology to determine whether training volume led to harmful effects on recovery and adaptation. In the study’s follow-up, thirteen of sixty runners who sustained injuries had performed a significantly higher training volume (31.6%) the week before their injury occurred, compared to a 22.1% increase in healthy participants. Researchers concluded that increasing weekly training above 30% significantly increased the risk of developing running related injuries.

GPS technology serves as a quantitative monitor to detect indications of overtraining. Share on X

The gold standard 10% rule is the currently accepted guideline for increasing training volume in a progressive yet safe manner. Although experienced athletes may tolerate a more aggressive increase if they’ve established a solid fitness base, GPS technology still serves as a quantitative monitor to detect indications of overtraining. I will elaborate more on heart rate technology later in the article.

GPS and Biomechanics: Swimming

Several GPS watches now have a multisport function which can track sport-specific parameters across multiple disciplines. I use a Garmin Forerunner 920XT in my training. The swim, bike, and run analytics have helped me fine tune my triathlon training to target specific biomechanical and economic issues that would be otherwise difficult to note as a self-coached athlete.

The swim metrics include distance, pace, stroke type identification, average and max stroke count per minute, average strokes per length, drill logging, and rest timers. When I’m specifically working on stroke cadence in the pool, I can use the stroke count features to monitor my efficiency. Triathletes often have a shorter, choppier swim stroke to account for the variability and unpredictability of the open water swim. Increasing stroke count per length in the pool, while maintaining speed, is important to monitor for improvements in stroke efficiency. The watch’s accelerometer tracks swim metrics when indoors, and the GPS capability is activated when swimming in open water.

GPS and Biomechanics: Cycling

On the bike, the 920XT measures average speed, maximum speed, distance, and elevation change. I can add compatible sensors to the bike for speed, cadence, and heart rate to provide advanced training data for cycling workouts.

Cadence has been especially important for me on the bike since I learn to develop leg power while still pushing high revolutions per minute. This also makes it easier when it’s time to train for intervals involving high-gear/low-cadence bouts alternated with low-gear/high-cadence bouts. The speed sensor is a bit redundant outdoors with the watch’s built-in GPS. But when winter calls to break out the indoor trainer, the speed sensor lets you know how you match up to your outdoor pacing while staying warm inside.

One compatible feature that I have not tapped into yet, for financial reasons, is the power meter. This is gradually becoming the gold standard for measuring cycling adaptation and leg power development. The higher power wattage you can push and pull at the same cadence/speed, the stronger you are as a cyclist.

The 920XT can display power metrics when paired with ANT+® power meters, including the Vector™ line of single- and dual-sensing pedal options. If you train with heart rate and a power meter, the 920XT can determine your estimatedVO2 max to help monitor changes in your fitness. The color gauge on the watch even shows how you rank against other athletes in your age group.

GPS and Biomechanics: Running

Aside from the basics of pace, time, and distance, the running dynamics include cadence, vertical oscillation, stride length, ground contact time, and more. A cadence of at least 180 steps per minute combined with optimal stride length correlates to faster race performances.
When I become fatigued late in a training run or race, I often shorten my stride and increase my cadence to overcome the over-striding and form breakdown which often accompany fatigue. The watch also features a built-in metronome (vibration or auditory) if cadence is something you or your athletes struggle with intuitively.

Vertical oscillation is the measure of the amount of “bounce” in each step. Too much bounce is wasteful of energy. Too little bounce often means the full backward extension of the hips is shortchanged, making the stride choppier and less cyclical. The amount of ground contact time can be a major differentiating factor between elite and sub-elite runners. When a runner spends less time on the ground with each foot contact, more energy returns to the legs for turnover rather than dissipating with a slow inefficiency.

The ground contact time feature (in conjunction with cadence) has been a game-changer for me. I have noticeably slower contact times when my body has not fully recovered from a previous workout, and cadence often lags behind the 180-steps per minute mark. My best race performances always follow optimal ground contact times when my legs are rested and primed for responsiveness.

Garmin has released a new feature that shows the ground contact time balance between the left and right legs. As a coach, I’ve found that most beginner and some advanced but less economical runners slightly favor one leg over the other. This may be due to a muscular (hip/glute) imbalance, leg length discrepancy, or compensation from an injury.

This feature helped me tremendously when coming off an acute ankle sprain after trail running. I had a significant imbalance between my healthy left foot and injured right foot contact times (54%/46%, respectively). As I healed, I saw that I favored my right foot less and less every day, and my numbers slowly regained equal balance at 50%/50%.

This is an invaluable tool for coaches and athletes to monitor changes in compensatory mechanisms which reveal inefficiencies otherwise unrecognizable without video analysis. These advanced run metrics are only measured when wearing the compatible HRM-Run™ chest strap. In my case, I use the HRM-Tri™ monitor and wear it in all three sport disciplines.

Heart Rate Training

I’ve grown to appreciate training with a heart rate monitor over the last year. While I do not design my training programs based on specific heart rate zones/intensities, I do check my heart rate during and after every workout to monitor my recovery status. Within the first few minutes of the run, my watch indicates my recovery status, either “Good” or “Fair.”

If my heart rate is higher than 145bpm on an easy run, I know my body has not recovered from my previous workout. Between intervals on the track, I can watch my heart rate fall back to a recovery zone and know I’m clearing lactate well and ready to go for the next bout.
Earlier in a training cycle, I often see my recovery time is not as efficient, especially with a short rest, but I can monitor my progress as the season goes on. If I see my heart rate climb and my breathing labor even at a slow pace on a trail run, I often check the altitude reading on the watch. “Oh, you just climbed 1,000-feet over the last mile and a half?” Well, that explains it.

After a workout, the watch recommends a recovery time before I should attempt my next hard day. As an aspiring elite athlete, I take this particular piece of information lightly, since we often need to take advantage of overloading the system to gain the benefits of super compensation on true recovery days. Often I accumulate my stress on two or three back-to-back hard days and take several recovery days before repeating the process.

Technology and Intuition

This article isn’t meant to be a plug for Garmin or this particular watch. There are many models available which have similar features and are just as beneficial. As an athlete, I’m grateful for the advances in technology which have helped me take my running and triathlon game to the next level. I’m excited to see where the wearable tech takes us in the next decade, and how it can further revolutionize the science of training.

With that said, I can’t stress enough the importance of not relying on external technology to become innately in-tune with your sport. There is something to be said for disconnecting from all forms of external feedback and data to simply feel the body working in its most natural way. I encourage my athletes (and myself) to perform most initial base conditioning runs, and often recovery runs, without the watch to become more aware of how their body feels and responds to the miles. This will make you a better, more intuitive athlete as much as, if not more than, the number-crunching game.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

1. Nielsen, R. O., P. Cederholm, I. Buist, H. Sørensen, M. Lind, and S. Rasmussen (2013). “Can GPS be Used to Detect Deleterious Progression in Training Volume Among Runners?” Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 27(6), 1471-1478.
2. Smith, J. W., M.F. Moran, and J.T. Foley (2013). “Effect of GPS Feedback on Lactate Threshold Pacing in Intercollegiate Distance Runners.” International Journal of Exercise Science, 6(1), 74-80.

For us dwellers of the frozen north, the idea of putting together a warm-weather training camp sounds like a wonderful fantasy that only well-funded athletes or big schools can pull off. Well, not so fast! I’m a volunteer track and field coach with zero funding, and my training group had two warm-weather camps this season that totaled 24 days.

I know what you’re thinking: “I can’t take my athletes anywhere!” or “I don’t coach track!” With a little creativity, you can use these seven principles, no matter what sport you coach and whether you can travel or not, to benefit your group.

I’m no genius—these ideas are not all my own. I gained much inspiration from “The Jane Project,” an awesome video from the CharlieFrancis.com library. Charlie’s prescription is deceptively simple:

• Ruthlessly eliminate stress from the athlete’s life.
• Figure out what’s important for each athlete. Prioritize it.
• Be holistic in your approach. Set your athletes up for success!

Since I’m an elementary school physical education teacher by day, I hold my camps either during our two-week Christmas vacation or spring break. Over the past four seasons, we have held camps in three different locations.

While Austin, Texas is a vibrant and dynamic city, the weather there is simply too variable in the winter, and my spring break occurs during the South by Southwest music festival, so that’s a no-go. Nassau, Bahamas has much more reliable weather, but the high cost of transportation, lodging, and food is enough to offset the awesome training vibe at old Thomas Robinson Stadium. So island weather with mainland conveniences is the ideal training scenario. Does such a place exist? Why, in Florida of course!

My hands-down favorite place for a camp is the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida. The weather is consistently lovely, and Orlando Airport is just 40 minutes away. Cristy Snellgroves and Lance Brauman at PURE Athletics are experts at hosting visiting teams. They have everything you need (from sleds and plyo boxes to massage tables) so you can leave your bag of tricks at home.

Over the years, I’ve made loads of mistakes in my training camps. Slowly but surely by trial and (lots of) error, I have settled on seven guiding principles for hosting a kickass camp.

BE A CONTROL FREAK: Minimize athlete decision-making and schedule sleep, meals, and supplementation

When you have the chance to control an athlete’s life, just do it!

It’s amazing how little resistance I encountered in implementing a simple but structured daily schedule. Young athletes welcome the opportunity to power down their brains and allow me to do most of the thinking. Understanding “decision fatigue” is useful here. Every decision we make during the day drains us. From the moment we wake up, we have to decide what to wear, what to eat, whom to talk to—and the list goes on. Creating a clear daily structure with fewer options, yet ample free time can be very helpful.

At camp, athletes know they are waking up at 9AM, drinking filtered ice water, and eating a healthy homemade organic breakfast that usually consists of a green smoothie, grass-fed meat, eggs, beans, avocado, potatoes, and steel-cut oats. Light lunch is at 12:30, training at 3 PM, and dinner at 7 PM. They know that 11 PM means their screens (tablet, phone, etc.) are off and out of their rooms. If they want to continue reading, it’s an old-fashioned book with actual pages.

When you cut the number of daily decisions athletes must make so they largely know what to expect, it is amazing how much mentally fresher they become. This is why I stress workout quality, not quantity, during training camps. Mental focus in workouts is easier to achieve and can be maintained longer. A sensibly structured day reduces stimulation and allows for a more positive mental outlook.

STOP OUTSOURCING: Eliminate eating out and teach your captive audience how to shop for, plan, and cook simple, healthy meals

I have near-zero tolerance for eating out at camp. Not only is it super expensive, but it’s also ridiculously stressful. By the time you load the car, drive to a restaurant, wait for a table, and pick an entrée, you’re at least one hour in and twelve decisions deep, and you’re spending at least three times more than what it would cost to cook even the finest-quality meal at home. At our Christmas camp in Florida, we split our six people into teams of two. Each team was responsible for one meal per day, which we rotated between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

A helpful assist is having a few good appliances. I brought my Vitamix 5200 (though the inexpensive Ninja also works well) to handle smoothie duties and simple soups. I also brought my Panasonic MS-183 rice cooker, which is amazing for cooking steel-cut oatmeal. You mix the ingredients the night before, set the timer, and have your oatmeal ready at your scheduled meal time. Oh, and it also cooks perfect rice—not bad for $99. Last but not least, the Lodge cast-iron skillet was the appliance MVP. It is cheap, ultra-sturdy, and can cook almost anything.

Creating a basic template is the key to low-stress meal preparation. Our meals had a similar daily structure, with lunch the lightest portion-wise. It featured lots of salad greens, as well as easily digestible foods such as chicken, locally grown fruit, and a mix of rice and legumes (rice with black beans, pigeon peas, or garbanzo beans). Dinner was the largest meal, with lighter proteins like quality fish or chicken, steamed greens, a starch such as sweet potato, and simple oven-roasted root vegetables.

Since I laid out a simple structure, the prep squad could focus on improving its cooking technique and timing the meals without having to worry about being creative. Pick a protein, a starch, and some vegetables and you’re ready to go. We always bought whole chickens and cooked them in cast iron. The athletes were all skilled at our chicken-cooking process (cut chicken into quarters, quickly sear on the stovetop to crisp the skin, and finish by baking in the oven) by the end of camp.

CUT THE CRAP and achieve your ideal diet: Focus on gluten-free, dairy-free, whole-food, low-sugar, local organic meals

A central assumption of Western culture is “technology makes life better.” This is ridiculous. Yes, technology profoundly impacts your life, but there is nothing inherently better about it, especially when it comes to food. I can’t count the number of athletes who have no problem spending money on exotic protein powders or BCAAs, yet ask them to spend an extra $2 on organic greens and they balk!

Eating real food is decidedly low-tech and a critical focus of every camp. Inspired by a chat with long jumper Christabel Nettey of WAC, who went gluten-free and saw her weight drop and her performances improve, my top athlete had been gradually weaning himself off gluten, dairy, and refined sugar. We banned them at our camp.

Truthfully, the first day there was some grumbling, especially when I snatched a box of granola bars from an athlete’s grip and told him “nope.” This low-level discontent continued for about 72 hours until cravings for simple carbohydrates subsided along with the talk of mutiny. At a training camp, your athletes are stuck with you. Use it as a huge teaching opportunity. You have a captive audience of people who want to improve. Force them slightly outside their comfort zone. They will adjust.

To eat truly healthy, shop as locally as possible. Athletes joined me at the Clermont Farmers Market to meet local growers and select the best options for the money. We met Don Huntington of Rent-A-Hen, whose eggs are raised on his small farm. We scooped up six dozen, and they were so wildly popular that we plowed through all 72 in three days. I had to pick up a couple dozen organic eggs at the grocery store to tide us over until the next market. Guess what? Organic or not, they couldn’t come close to matching the freshness and quality of Don’s eggs. They stayed in the fridge.

Grocery stores should be only a secondary option. Any product that makes it into a grocery store is by definition compromised. As a supplier, by opting to rent shelf space, you are committing yourself to provide stock 100% of the time. Your focus can no longer be on ultimate quality; instead it’s on keeping the shelf full. This is how you get “cage-free organic eggs” that come from a coop of 20,000 chickens, and “organic strawberries” that taste like styrofoam. Do not kid yourself; your chances of scoring nutritious food at a good farmers market are exponentially greater. You may not get exactly what you want, but you will get what you need—freshness and quality.

SMASH STRESS by reducing stimulation: Find a quiet living space and trim travel time by training nearby

Another major theme of my camps is the wholesale reduction of stimulation. Put simply, there are two branches of the nervous system: sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest). The average urban athlete is bombarded by instant messages and personal interactions from morning to night. Training camp should be a welcome break from family, lovers, traffic, and the generalized fight-or-flight-inducing stress of living in an urban environment. Putting athletes in a parasympathetic state of relaxation leads to some great training performances.

By far the easiest way to accomplish this is staying in a small town in a quiet property tucked away from noise. With the plethora of booking options like Airbnb, finding such a place is easier than ever. For our last camp, we scored a lakefront home with huge front windows just outside of sleepy Clermont. Just looking outside created a sense of serenity. Friendly locals regularly came by to chat and fish off our dock.

While it’s important to have a comfortable and relaxing place to stay, countless teams totally blow this advantage by commuting too far to their training facility. To truly minimize stress, you must slash travel times to the bone. Figure out where you’re going to train, and stay within eight miles. The ultimate goal of my camps is quality over quantity, and this is nearly impossible if you’re draining athletes with ridiculous commutes! One team in Florida at the same time as us had an insane daily routine:

• Drive 30 miles to the track from chaotic Orlando at 7 AM. Train.
• Drive 30 miles back to Orlando for a shower and restaurant lunch.
• Repeat the same annoying commute for the afternoon training session.

Athletes sat in a van for over two hours per day AND trained twice! How are they supposed to run fast if their day is a jumble of commuting, showering, and dining out? Training camp should be a mental break from the grind of daily life. Commuting is stressful, so plan NOT to do it at camp!

Modern society has us constantly communicating with a wide variety of people, both in person and via handheld devices. An away training camp means “out of sight, out of mind.” Family and friends from home tend to bother athletes less when they’re away, which allows them to decompress. During our last camp, we were so rural that cellular service was very spotty, and our house WiFi even ended up failing.

Guess what? It was awesome! Stress levels plummeted. We read books, shared stories, and constantly laughed. We occasionally went to the coffee shop when we needed WiFi, which was surprisingly rare. As an added bonus to the lack of WiFi, sleep routines were far easier to keep. Athletes went to bed earlier with less resistance from glowing white screens. I’m not saying this is an easy trick to pull off, but the accidental results were very positive.

LEGALIZE GRASS: barefoot grass aerobic tempo work is lower impact, increases general fitness over time, and electrically grounds athletes

I gave an example of a team that used training camp as an opportunity to hammer their athletes with excessive work. Carl Valle once told me he likes to structure his camps with one high-intensity day followed by two low-intensity days. It stuck with me, and I continue to follow this formula because it works. On our quality day, athletes go for it—they are focused, intense, and look forward to running fast. The next day, we focus on recovering from the stress of running fast. We do absolutely everything we can actively and passively to speed the return to a parasympathetic state of relaxation.

I am a big believer in Charlie Francis-style extensive tempo sessions (which contrasts with many coaches here who seem to avoid aerobic work), especially at the time of year when athletes crank out some impressive times. As Charlie would say, “Speed is anti-circulatory; tempo is circulatory.” Using heart rate variability (HRV) for the past few years has proved to me that aerobic work speeds recovery, and over time increases general fitness. One athlete I coach managed to drop his resting heart rate from the low 60s to the low 40s over a three-year period, and I have the daily HRV data to prove it (but hey, that’s a separate article).

Nearby Hancock Park is a wonderland of pool-table-flat grass. We checked the ground carefully for unevenness and sharp objects and got to work. Amazingly, athletes looked forward to these often-dreary sessions! Some research even suggests the restorative power of grounding yourself electrically. In the best case scenario, it helps recovery. Worst case is it doesn’t hurt, so why not give it a try?

RECOVER RAPIDLY by maximizing low-cost regenerative tools: Pool work, hot and cold showers, Epsom salt baths, self-therapy, and massage

Sometimes our first recovery day would be a morning session. It consisted of a quarter-mile walk to the saltwater pool (hardly a commute!) for an upper-body mobility circuit followed by a plank circuit. Afterward, an easy swim warmup, then perhaps 6-8×45 seconds of easy pool running with 15 seconds recovery to increase circulation while unloading joints from the previous day’s work.

Athletes would relax in the pool for 15-45 minutes afterward, as simply sitting in a pool has a plethora of potential benefits. The hydrostatic pressure creates a recovery effect similar to compression garments. Another useful benefit is increasing metabolic rate. At our winter camp, we were joined by Melissa, a 400 hurdler from the west coast who was coming off an injury. The combination of excellent diet and averaging 75 minutes per day in the pool were key factors in her dropping 10 pounds in nine days. While it sounds like BS, anyone familiar with the work of Ray Cronise won’t be so doubtful.

Aerobic tempo workouts occurred after lunch; athletes had great blood flow, and it was the perfect time for a contrast shower. We use Waldemar Matuszewski’s protocol of 3 minutes as hot as you can stand, followed by 1 minute as cold as tolerable, repeated three times and ending on cold. Tap water doesn’t get very cold in Florida, so the effectiveness is somewhat compromised, but it’s still helpful. Muscle tone relaxes and reduces the amount of soft-tissue intervention needed.

For athletes who recover slowly or get very sore, an Epsom salt bath followed by a hot and cold shower can be very useful. Newbies to Epsom salt may find their muscles becoming temporarily very loose and unreactive, so make sure you aren’t expecting them to run fast the following day.

Kelly Starrett of MobilityWOD.com has put together some great resources that teach athletes how to perform self-therapy. His book Becoming a Supple Leopard is also excellent. Teaching athletes some of these techniques increases their ability to self-manage, and also reduces the amount of massage work required from the coach or team therapist. Athletes must complete all their self-therapy prescriptions before getting a massage from me. This shows that they are serious and that they respect my time. For those who are afraid to start massaging—just start. It’s not rocket science!

Build the first six strategies around your KEY TRAINING SESSIONS

So far I’ve talked about everything but actual training sessions. You’re probably wondering, “When is this guy gonna get to the meat and potatoes and talk about the workouts?” Let’s be honest here—coaches love writing workouts. I know what my moneymaker sessions are, and so do you. I also know that preparing athletes properly leading into a key workout can be the difference between a good workout and a spectacular breakthrough performance. Getting the first six elements of a successful camp right requires careful planning. Scheduling your workouts is easy, so spend most of your time thinking about what will go on before, after, and in between key workout sessions.

As a coach running a training camp, you are conducting a symphony of interrelated components. Simply penciling in workouts and hoping for the best may still get you positive results. But if you plan carefully and think holistically, your athletes’ performances may shock you—and them!

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Developing elite horizontal jumpers is not easy. Managing the physiological, psychological, technical, and tactical requirements needed for success is a long-term holistic process.

This article is the first of a series laying out my ever-evolving blueprint for working with horizontal jumpers. It offers an overview of my recommendations as coaches and athletes plan their training program. The remaining articles will discuss these components in greater detail and begin building the comprehensive program.

Recommendations for Long-Term Planning

I approach programming from the perspective of broad to narrow. Understanding big-picture principles provides essential bases for successful day-to-day practices.

Here are five recommendations in addressing long-term development:

1. Elite athletes must keep general training to a minimum. Gone are the days when building an “aerobic base” and regarding it as beneficial to specific development was acceptable. General work can enhance recovery and aid in injury prevention but shouldn’t be developed beyond what is absolutely necessary.
2. You should address specific training and technical development all season long. This includes continually using the most important exercises and best training methods.
3. Generally speaking, “less is more” in most aspects of training. Elite jumpers respond best to greater intensity and lesser volume. Much of the literature—especially regarding plyometric training—emphasizes volume far too much.
4. Training quality is the most important aspect of programming and planning. You should monitor daily sessions for all specific exercises. The target is always the highest-quality speed and power expression. The session or particular exercise should stop when the outcome drops below desirable levels.
5. With specific training continually present in some form, it is important to think in terms of emphasis shifts rather than rigidly focused training blocks. Done correctly, emphasis shifts provide seamless transitions throughout the year.

Recommendations for Speed Development

Horizontal jumps are speed-dominant events. Speed-based programs have been highly successful in developing the best jumpers in the world. Approach speed can determine up to 95% of the distance achieved and, therefore, remains the single most important quality a jumper can develop.

Of the two jumps, the long jump requires greater approach speed. With the need for stability and control, the triple jump involves slightly lower speeds. Programming for speed development is a multi-dimensional process involving many moving parts. While perfecting the skill aspect of sprinting requires considerable repetition, the inclusion of complementary training makes continued speed development possible.

Here are five recommendations for speed development:

1. Speed development should be related to the long- or triple-jump approach for the majority of the year. You can start approach development as early as the first specific phase and continue to implement it for the rest of the season. Rhythmic approach running at a sub-max pace is a great way to begin. Athletes’ rhythm and feel during the approach run will significantly improve their ability to generate higher speeds.
2. You should emphasize maximum velocity sprinting mechanics from day one. Coaches often ignore max velocity work until late in the preparation period. Few training methods have a more significant impact on max velocity ability than practicing the skill itself. Therefore, it is essential to devote as much time to sprinting skill as to strength- or power-related exercises.
3. Intensity and technique are the cornerstones of a speed training program. Athletes need to do accelerations and max velocity sprinting at or near 100% effort followed by maximum recovery periods. Stop the session when fatigue compromises technique and performance.
4. Acceleration sessions typically consisting of sprints less than 40m in length and a total of 300m should be employed all year. Successful methods for acceleration development include hill sprints, sled sprints, plyometric combination sprints, and medicine-ball throwing to sprinting variations.
5. Long speed endurance development plays a key role in developing a relaxed sprinting style and enhancing the jumper’s ability to move with ease during high-velocity takeoff. However, many high school and college programs overuse speed endurance training. Overdevelopment of this quality is to the detriment of more important qualities such as speed, strength, and power.

Recommendations for the Approach Run

As vital as speed development is for a horizontal jumper, it is during the approach run where all can either be gained or lost. Technical elements of the approach run include rhythm, timing, consistency, and accuracy. All require considerable attention within the training program.

Full-approach practice also plays a vital role in developing the specific strength and power requirements for high-speed takeoffs. This is the only possible type of practice that can develop such qualities.

Here are five recommendations to plan for and develop the approach run:

1. The starting method—whether a run-in, walk-in, or standing start—should be consistent. Developing an effective approach means practicing it the same way every time. The rhythm and feel of the approach must become second nature.
2. Use a check mark for the third stride (6 steps) because fouling issues are related in large part to errors during those first three strides. By hitting the same mark every time on the third stride, the athlete controls this section of the approach and, therefore, helps to minimize error later on.
3. Use the same number of running strides every time, ideally 16–24 depending on the athlete’s speed and strength. Once the optimum approach distance has been established, it should always be practiced the same way. Consider extending young athletes’ approach when they have improved speed, strength, power AND technical proficiency at higher speeds. A long jumper who relies more on vertical velocity than horizontal velocity may use a slightly shorter approach.
4. Ideally an athlete will use a relaxed and progressive acceleration pattern during the approach run. An approach is only successful if it helps the transition to an effective takeoff. Therefore, timing, rhythm, and posture are essential throughout.
5. Reach optimal takeoff speed roughly five meters from the board and maintain this speed. Until this point, velocity should be gradually increasing. During the final 5m the jumper begins to prepare for takeoff.

Recommendations for Technical Sessions

Technical jump and approach sessions generally make up a large chunk of a jumper’s training program. They provide an essential link between all other training components and event-specific performance. These sessions provide far more than just a technical stimulus. For example, there is not a more specific plyometric action for the long jumper than actually long jumping. These sessions are extremely important on many levels and should be a priority for coaches and athletes.

Here are five recommendations for planning and implementing technical sessions:

1. Technical sessions don’t always involve jumping into the pit. However, they should remain specific to the technical requirements of the event. They are the highlight of the week for many jumpers and ideally occur after a rest day or a short speed/power day.
2. Technical sessions can emphasize the following:
   • Approach rhythm/timing/posture
   • Approach speed/top-speed mechanics
   • Penultimate stride action—roll, push, and extension
   • Takeoff plant—extend, fast paw down and back, push, and extend
   • Free-leg action—parallel thigh block, lower leg tucked under, hips forward
   • Flight—tall and long body throughout
   • Landing—hips and feet far forward with feet together. Dig heels down into sand and pull with hamstrings
3. Three effective tools you can use during technical sessions and their specific purposes:
   • Place a low/medium hurdle 1–2 meters past the takeoff board. The goal is reaching the hurdle with free leg knee drive before leaving the takeoff board. Helps with board penetration and takeoff angle.
   • Penultimate step plant on a 2–3-inch board/box. Provides greater eccentric load during takeoff plant.
   • Place string/rope at the landing spot/goal. Reaching past a visible marker during landing improves foot placement and correct body positioning.
4. Athletes must develop the skill of board accuracy during each session. Board accuracy has two components. The first is physiological, and the second is a skill-based technical issue. A learning concept called Practice Variability may be beneficial in this regard. It can take many forms in relation to the horizontal jumps. Here are a few examples:
   • Systematically or randomly alternate varying stride numbers during jump attempts and aim for the same board position strike
   • Slightly alter starting position (+/-30cm) and aim for the same board position strike
   • Use cluster sets of approach stride numbers, followed by alternating random number of strides during short approach jumps
   • Use random approach length with unknown stride number and aim to strike the board accurately
   • Respond to specific directions for targeting the board in a random fashion (short, long, 3 inches past the board, etc.)
5. These technical drills can benefit jumpers’ development:
   • Standing penultimate—penultimate leg bent at knee up, land with heel lead, roll on and off foot
   • Continuous knee drive drill—drive free leg knee up and down with support leg stiff-hopping forward
   • 1-step takeoffs—continuous takeoffs with 1 running step in between
   • 3-step takeoffs—continuous takeoffs with 3 running steps in between
   • 5-step takeoffs —continuous takeoffs with 5 running steps in between
   • Alternate easy skip/aggressive skip—drive knee on aggressive skip like a takeoff
   • Power skips—alternate jumps working on knee drives
   • Mini-hurdle takeoffs—work on penetration past hurdle
   • High hurdle takeoffs—work on vertical components of jump
   • Penultimate step-box drill—run penultimate off low box onto takeoff and jump
   • S/L depth takeoff—drop from low box into takeoff action
   • S/L depth takeoff with preceding running strides—as above with a run onto the box
   • Short run jumps, w/wo landing, w/wo weight vest—4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc. strides
   • Rhythm runs approach work—using 70–80% of speed
   • Rhythm runs with a pop-up—70–80% runs with a pop-up at end

Recommendations for the Weight Room

Weight training is an important and highly individual aspect of the training program. It requires a great deal of consideration and planning. Strength can provide a base for a body resilient to injury and an explosive body capable of generating great force. You should implement special guidelines to ensure that your strength program targets the needs of each athlete. A strength program implemented incorrectly can have an adverse effect.

Here are five recommendations for designing a strength training program:

1. Spend the early years of specialized development increasing maximum strength levels, primarily in the squat, step-up, lunge, and pulling movements. As a rule of thumb, a full squat of 2x body weight, power clean of 1.5x, power snatch of 1.3x, and parallel step-up of 1.5x are optimal. These are general guidelines and not necessary for athletes with excellent high-velocity qualities. The sooner athletes attain optimal maximum strength, the sooner they can focus on special strength training. You should plan a brief session for maximum strength maintenance every ten days or so.
2. The most important qualities for a jumper are elastic and reactive strength and high-speed strength. Special strength should be developed through high-velocity and maximum effort repetitions using exercises such as jump squats, hang power cleans, hang power snatches, and squatting exercises using pneumatic machines.
3. Relatively low-cost technology helps determine power output and velocity during certain exercises. I recommend using it to determine optimal power training loads for your athletes and provide information about session quality. Track the quality of performance during every session whenever possible. If the desired power output or velocity is no longer possible because of fatigue, an alteration to the session needs to occur. Remember my earlier recommendations: quality over quantity and less is often more.
4. There is a negative relationship between the development of maximum strength and special strength in advanced jumpers. It is a common mistake for coaches to place a huge emphasis on heavy loads in the weight room for the majority of the year. The saying “Strong is never strong enough” is simply not true for high-velocity speed/power athletes.
5. Strength training programs for jumpers often include bodybuilding-style circuits. Typically they occur on low-intensity days and are used for general strength. These circuits are unnecessary for many male athletes. Female athletes who will likely never gain upper-body bulk can incorporate them. General strength routines for jumpers should focus mainly on the rotation core, lower back, feet and ankles, and lateral moving lower body exercises.

Recommendations for Plyometric Training

Plyometric or jump training is a popular method of training. It can elicit tremendous neuromuscular responses by providing great stimulus in the form of extremely fast eccentric-concentric muscular contractions. You might argue that this is the most specific form of strength/power training. This exact muscular loading sequence is replicated during all aspects of horizontal jumping events and, therefore, plyometric training benefits these athletes.

As with most high-intensity training methods, plyometrics can be regarded as high-risk/high-reward. Careful programming with correct technique, progressions, and exercise choices is especially important.

Here are five recommendations for including plyometric training:

1. The speed at which a muscle is lengthened during the stretch-shortening cycle is a key aspect of successful plyometrics. The greater the rate of stretch, the greater the resultant force during the subsequent contraction. No matter the level or intensity of the plyometric exercise being performed, athletes need to approach each repetition with this concept in mind.
2. A recommended plyometric progression for developing jumpers:
   • Standing multi-jumps
   • Linear/lateral multi-jumps
   • Skipping variations
   • Hopping variations
   • Bounding variations
   • Basic low- to high-box single-depth jumps
   • Multi-box depth jumps
   • S/L depth jumps
   • S/L depth jumps with run in
3. Generally speaking, I don’t recommend an intensive plyometric-based program for elite jumpers. By the nature of their event, triple jumpers require a high ability to perform specific plyometric actions such as hopping and bounding. Their overall program should differ from long jumpers, high jumpers, and pole vaulters, who only require a single maximal-effort takeoff action. Plyometric training should reflect specific event requirements and it is important to understand that a jumper’s technical training should be included when assessing plyometric load.
4. Depth-jump height is an important discussion point. It is wise to progress gradually the box heights at the pace by which the athlete increases his/her rebounding ability. Adapting to a new box height may take several sessions, so do not immediately return to the previous box if rebounding height suddenly decreases.
5. Plyometric/jump training should include a variety of landing methods to develop stretch reflexes and eccentric abilities. Almost all the plyometric progressions listed above can be performed with a static landing/pause. This method is great for developing stability and eccentric strength. Both flat foot and ball of the foot contacts should be used during depth jumps to mimic sprinting and takeoff actions.

Recommendations for Readiness, Recovery, and Restoration

No training program can succeed without carefully monitoring the three Rs: Readiness, Recovery, and Restoration. The human body can only withstand so much. With athletes and coaches wanting to push the limits of human performance, understanding the holistic view of health and recovery becomes vital. Developing optimal health with performance is a difficult process that may take several minds to master. Ice bags and ibuprofen aren’t enough to compete at the highest level any longer. Health and high performance require full-time monitoring, evaluating, and adapting to be optimized.

Here are five recommendations for approaching Readiness, Recovery, and Restoration:

1. Readiness, Recovery, and Restoration is a 24/7/365 consideration. Health maintenance encompasses a vast array of components: the amount of quality sleep, the variety of organic quality food, the management of various stressors, and more. Serious athletes need to consider everything they do as it all can have a positive or negative impact on their health. Their health habits contribute greatly to their ability to benefit from their training routines and recover from them.
2. Readiness, Recovery, and Restoration are enhanced through proper warming up and cooling down. A thorough and well-designed warmup and cool-down program is easy to achieve but often is a neglected aspect of the daily training routine. Warmup and cool-down should be progressive and cover non-specific and specific movement patterns and muscle groups. Both are great places to incorporate general strength routines and general fitness work.
3. Following the above points allows the body to utilize its natural healing process and become highly efficient at dealing with positive and negative stressors. The better the human body is at this, the more comprehensive it will be at optimizing performance.
4. Water immersion techniques aid the recovery process. Twenty minutes neck-deep in a swimming pool daily or every other day is ideal. Light mobility exercises can be performed during each pool session. A number of successful jumps programs feature a 1-to-1 ratio of land sessions to pool sessions.
5. A rarely used set up of an 8-10 day cycle allows you to spread out the training elements over a longer period. By taking your current 7-day program and including one or two lower load days you are enhancing the adaptation process. Not only does this set up add more recovery days, it also allows for higher training loads to be used during specific days. This can be especially effective when working with older athletes.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF