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Welcome back to another episode of Facility Finders. I have a gem of a facility for you this month. I reached out to the man in charge of training some of the future protectors of our great country, Coach Conor Hughes from Army Football in West Point, New York.

This episode is special for me, because I have wondered how one of the last teams in the country to still run the triple option is able to train to run that offense at a high level while also training the future soldiers of the United States of America.

Design and Purchasing

The O’Meara, Malek, Dawkins, Class of 1959 Strength Development Center is 20,000 square feet split into a large main training space with 28 racks and a 60-yard turf area, a turfed multi-use area, and a nutrition area. Initially, I thought why such a big space for a football team to train? Then Coach Hughes reminded me that he isn’t just training football players but also cadets.

Their schedules are incredibly packed and intense. It requires elite planning for a team to be able to do sprinting and plyometrics in the same building as their strength training, but it was a necessity for Army to be able to train the number of guys in the timeframe they do and still have space for a nutrition station.

“The biggest thing we needed was space and racks,” Coach Hughes explained. “With the time restrictions the cadets are under, we need to be able to handle large groups of athletes all lifting at the same time. That is why we try to have everything our athletes need for the workout right there on their rack. If we have a group of 100 guys lifting at once, whatever piece of equipment we are using we need to have 20 of.”

Another planning marvel that Army had to figure out was how to make this second-story weight room work effectively. Yes, I said it, this beauty is not on the bottom floor of the building. This was something completed before Coach Hughes arrived at West Point, but for the program to have the most maximized space, it was a necessity. The logistics behind this design came from the partnership they created with PLAE flooring.

Another planning marvel that Army had to figure out was how to make this second-story weight room work effectively. The logistics behind this design came from a partnership with PLAE flooring. Share on X

“The weight room on the second floor produces its own set of challenges, with our locker room and our athletic training room underneath it—every time we dropped a clean, it sounded like a bomb going off in those two areas,” Coach Hughes said. “We worked with PLAE to develop a unique system, which is multiple layers of different thicknesses of foam for our clean drop zones, our platforms, and our turf space, so under our floor is about 8 inches of foam padding. PLAE has been outstanding throughout the entire process. Anytime there is an issue with the floor, PLAE comes and immediately fixes it.”

When deciding what racks to go with, Army chose to partner with Sorinex Exercise Equipment out of Lexington, South Carolina. This was a simple choice because of the quality that comes with Sorinex and their ability to create what needs to happen at that rack. The ability to add things like jammer arms and different pull-up handles or even to squat in the power rack and clean on the platform allows for guys to be constantly moving. Also, the purchasing power that comes with Sorinex is next-level; because of the size of the space, Army will not ever buy just one of something, they will need 20+. So, they need someone to be able to handle that type of volume.

Specialty Equipment

Coach Hughes told me that with the different training cycles his guys go through, supporting the ability to run the triple option at a nationally ranked level means needing special equipment and A LOT of it. He talked about the Run Rockets, Tendo units, and PowerBlocks that go up to 175 pounds (I need to get my hands on those), Keiser functional trainers, and specialty bars like the Kabuki Safety Bar, as well as different training bars (Olympic and Power bars). The crazy thing is that EVERY rack has all this stuff—that way, those 4–5 athletes have access to everything they need for their program in that space.

This is the streamlined process that it takes to train effectively and efficiently at the high level as they do. The Run Rockets are an ideal product to use to help you train speed indoors: the resisted sprint not only helps in acceleration but also enables athletes to run without needing 80–100 yards of turf and can be used to help train things like sprint mechanics or even crawls.

“Our Kabuki bars have been outstanding for us to do any hand-assisted type squats, but also for our guys with an upper-body injury to be able to train the lower body,” Coach Hughes said. “The Tendo units we only really use when we are doing our secondary squatting and benching movements, and it is a dynamic effort movement. KISS principle the majority of the time—we give them a percentage and a speed and say move it faster than X, and they will adjust the weights up or down based on the speed. The Keisers are a huge space-saver for us; they are easy to set up and the exercise selection opportunities are endless.”

Finally, the unique pieces of equipment in this weight room are the BEAT NAVY training plates. This is a rivalry that has stood the test of time and continues to this day. This, like anything, is a choice that is made to serve a specific purpose—for Army, the plates deliver a daily reminder to handle business and beat Navy.

“You cannot walk 50 feet at West Point without seeing Beat Navy; it is the best rivalry in sports,” Coach Hughes adds. “That game is electric. Every game on our schedule is important, but the Army-Navy game is the highest of highs when you win it, and the lowest of lows when you lose it. Everyone involved with Army football has to bring a Beat Navy mentality to every task they do.”

Takeaways

Coach Hughes was a valuable resource. I enjoyed getting to talk to him about all the little details that make his training facility special, and his passion for his athletes can be heard in the way he talks about the space.

“It needs to always work; you need to always be able to take your population from their origin to their destination,” Coach Hughes told me. “The fancier it is, the more likely you will have to make costly repairs: power windows break, but crank windows will always work. Build a solid base of equipment you know is always going to work, and as your budget increases, then get fancier.”

Power windows break, but crank windows will always work. Build a solid base of equipment you know is always going to work, and as your budget increases, then get fancier. Share on X

This idea gets lost many times because we all chase the “newest and best” without thinking about the longevity of equipment and products. Thank you again for following this series, and as always, if there are more details that I can pass along for ya’ll, please let me know!

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

As a high school athlete, I was clueless. I ate all the wrong things, almost never warmed up properly, and didn’t push myself nearly hard enough in practice. Despite these realities, I was a fixture in both hurdle events and the 4×200 and 4×400 meter relay teams during my junior and senior years.

As a young coach, I wasn’t a whole lot better; however, I’ve been lucky to have great mentors who have taught me a lot and given me opportunities to lead. I’ve had some decent success teaching kids how to hurdle, developed a race plan for the 300-meter hurdles, and evolved in my sprint training, becoming heavily influenced by Tony Holler’s Feed the Cats philosophy for everything from the 60 to the 400.

But as much as I’ve grown, for the first 15 years of my career, there was one nut I couldn’t seem to crack: the best way to get the stick around the track in the 4×200 meter relay.

For the first 15 years of my career, there was one nut I couldn’t seem to crack: the best way to get the stick around the track in the 4x200 meter relay. Enter the fly-by exchange, says @TrackCoachTG. Share on X

The 4×200 is not the 4×100. And while this is an almost insultingly obvious statement, along with many other coaches, I’ve been guilty of running those two exchanges in very similar fashion—as a blind exchange with a push pass from the incoming to the outgoing runner. Simply cut the outgoing runner’s “go-mark” a little shorter than in the 4×100, I thought, and the stick should get around the track safely. But this led to all kinds of problems that I would be willing to bet almost every coach has experienced:

• The outgoing runner leaves early.
• The outgoing runner leaves on time but leaves too fast.
• The incoming runner is inexplicably tired at the end of their leg.
• The incoming runner is running well but is so nervous about not being able to catch their teammate, they shout “go slow!”
• The outgoing runner is so nervous that the incoming runner is tired that they barely move at all.

All these problems mean one thing: The outgoing runner must stop or slow down to keep from running away from their teammate and get the stick inside the zone. This brings your race progress to a standstill (or at least a massive deceleration).

The 4×200 is also not the 4×400. I know you know this. But another approach to the 4×200 exchange is to treat it like a sped-up 4×400 with an open exchange, or a hybrid approach where the outgoing runner takes off, then turns and looks back to get the baton from the incoming runner. In my opinion, this is a much safer option than the blind exchange, but it still leaves something to be desired, since running sideways is slower than sprinting straight ahead—also, turning back to look for the baton doesn’t help acceleration.

Many teams run variations of these exchanges. And while they are reasonably safe, if well-executed, consider this question: What is the goal of your relay exchanges—to play it safe or to be fast?

I think every coach would agree: It doesn’t matter how fast your kids are. A slow stick destroys relay times. But the same is also true of a dropped baton, and given the choice between a slow baton and one that’s bouncing on the track, many coaches will opt for the safest exchange. After all, a slow baton is a bummer, but a dropped baton or a zone violation is a death sentence.

But what if I told you that you don’t have to choose between safety and speed?

What is the goal of your relay exchanges—to play it safe or to be fast? What if I told you that you don’t have to choose between safety and speed? asks @TrackCoachTG. Share on X

You can have it all. You can ensure that your outgoing runner will never leave your incoming runner in the dust, and the baton will move fast through the entire zone without any slowdowns, turn-arounds, or (heaven forbid) screeching halts at the end of the zone. All you have to do is implement the fly-by exchange.

Learning the Fly-By Exchange

Like so many good ideas in coaching, the fly-by exchange is one that I stole. Several years back, I was coaching in Illinois at Monticello High School, and I saw something at a meet I’d never seen before. I watched the sprint relay teams from Champaign Centennial destroy the field using a goofy handoff where the incoming runner actually ran past the outgoing runner. I watched those sprint relay teams every chance I got for the next two seasons, and I loved the efficiency with which the stick moved through the zone. They never had a bad exchange. At the IHSA State Meet in 2015, the Centennial boys ran 1:29.22 in the 4×200, good enough for a seventh-place finish. The seed had been planted. The idea has been growing inside of me ever since.

In 2021, I took over as the Head Track and Field Coach at Kalamazoo Central High School. It was a COVID-19-impacted year, and our first practice of the season was April 5, with the MHSAA State Finals exactly two months later. We had some talented athletes on that squad, but we certainly weren’t world-beaters. Still, I felt like we had enough depth that we could find some modest success in the sprint relays.

But it wouldn’t come easily: The last time we had a sprint relay team qualify for the state meet was in 2014. After seeing our first attempt in the 4×200 fall victim to the relay-killing issues I mentioned earlier, I knew we couldn’t afford to have poor handoffs and sniff success. So, I got to work.

I used my old Illinois connections to learn that the mad scientist behind Champaign Centennial’s unorthodox exchanges was Mike Shine. An assistant at Centennial, Mike previously had collegiate coaching stints at West Point, Penn State, and the University of Illinois before joining the high school ranks and forever changing my perspective on relay handoffs. Not only that, but he was a silver medalist in the 1976 Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I knew none of this at the time—I just knew I needed to talk to him.

With the help of a former colleague from Monticello, I was eventually able to get Mike’s number and pick his brain. To be clear, Mike happily agreed to pass his number along and was just as happy to talk to me. I’m not a stalker. He may never read this, but I have to give him credit regardless. After talking to him a couple of times, I knew it was time to implement the fly-by exchange in our sprint program. We haven’t looked back since.

But enough about my escapades as an amateur sleuth. Let’s talk about relays.

What Is a Fly-By Exchange, Why Does It Work, and How Can You Implement It?

A fly-by exchange inverts the standard operating procedure for a sprint relay. In normal circumstances, the outgoing runner takes off sprinting when the incoming runner hits a specific “go-mark.” The incoming runner then chases the outgoing runner and places the baton in their hand in any number of ways, be it via push-pass, upsweep, or some other technique. The idea is that the incoming runner will be able to catch the outgoing runner simply by virtue of the fact that the outgoing runner is starting from a static position as the incoming runner is flying toward the exchange zone. But in a fly-by exchange, the incoming runner overtakes the outgoing runner and finishes through the end of the zone; it is the outgoing runner who must chase the baton and retrieve it from the incoming runner before the exchange zone expires.

In a fly-by exchange, it is the outgoing runner who must chase the baton and retrieve it from the incoming runner before the exchange zone expires, says @TrackCoachTG. Share on X

Given this definition, you either think I’m bonkers, or you might be starting to see why this exchange is effective. Let’s go with the latter.

Here’s why it works. For starters, since the incoming runner passes by the outgoing runner, you will never have to worry about the outgoing runner leaving too early or too fast, causing them to run away from the baton. Next, it doesn’t allow for feelings of panic from the incoming runner. If they’re tired at the end of the race, so what? The outgoing runner cannot possibly escape them. The incoming runner’s only job is to run as fast as they can for as long as they possess the stick. That’s it.

Finally, because the incoming runner is sprinting hard and the outgoing runner is trying to catch up, it encourages an exchange that will take place at the end of the 30-meter zone. This is a good thing, because it allows a full 20 meters of acceleration for the outgoing runner, meaning that by the time they take the stick, they’re already moving fast. An exchange that occurs in the first half of the exchange zone is safe but slow, since most sprinters do not get close to top speed in the first 10 or 15 meters of any sprint. We want our handoff to occur in the second half of the zone—or, even better, the final third of the zone, passing from one fast runner to another.

To implement the fly-by exchange in your 4×200 meter relay, have the outgoing runner start by creating a go-mark. We use chalk in Michigan, so for us that means drawing a box that is 5 to 7 feet from the exchange zone. Video 1 shows our second leg measuring and drawing his go-mark at a dual meet earlier this season.

Video 1. Starting from the beginning of the exchange zone, have the athletes measure back five of their feet and draw a line. Then measure two more and draw another. Use those lines to draw a box on the track. Squigglies are optional.

Bada-bing, bada-boom, you’ve got yourself a go-mark. I should mention that these marks are drawn in chalk, not etched in stone. You can adjust, if need be, but this is a good starting point for your experimentation. Our anchor leg, for example, uses a mark that’s just 3 to 5 feet from the zone. At any rate, upon finishing their sidewalk art, the runner will then go stand just inside the exchange zone on the outside half of the lane.

That last part—the outside half of the lane—is critical. For the incoming runner to overtake the outgoing runner, there has to be enough room to do so. We imagine that the lane is split in two. The outgoing runner moves all the way to the outside, so the incoming runner has enough room inside to sprint past.

Given this positioning, the next important bit is that runners are carrying the baton in the correct hand. The incoming runner will always have the baton in their right hand. The outgoing runner will then take the baton in their left hand before transferring the stick to their right. This allows for the exact same exchange to happen in every zone—the incoming runner, with the stick in the right hand, sprinting on the inner half of the lane and through the end of the zone while the outgoing runner chases in the outer half and takes it with their left.

For the baton to pass safely from one runner to the next, as soon as the incoming runner passes their teammate, they continue sprinting as hard as they’re able (which will certainly be submaximal at the end of a 200-meter race) and hold the baton out in front of them like a candlestick. The outgoing runner, who is accelerating as fast as possible, eventually catches their teammate, grabs the candlestick baton, and keeps on truckin’.

I’m going to show you a few examples of the fly-by exchange in action. Before you watch, know that we were not happy with the exchange below—after the video, I’ll explain why and offer some coaching points. I’ll show you a better example a little later.

Video 2. Here’s the first exchange from the same meet as video 1. While not a perfect example, there are a few things that work well here.

As I mentioned, this handoff leaves something to be desired. It’s early in the season, and the incoming runner is coming in a bit slower than we’d like. He lets off the gas as the exchange gets nearer. Our outgoing runner takes the baton about 12 meters into the zone—not our happy place! But let’s focus on what works well here, even in a less-than-ideal example.

If we run this traditionally, and the incoming runner comes in slowly due to fatigue, the outgoing runner will either leave them entirely or have to run very slowly just to get the stick. That means that if they get the stick at all, they’re crawling when they do. But here, even though the incoming runner doesn’t execute perfectly, the outgoing runner is still sprinting hard when he takes the baton. Even in a bad exchange, I find this to be better than running blind.

To correct the issues seen in the video, I’ve hammered home two points for the incoming runner.

1. “Finish your race”: The distance from the starting line to the beginning of the first exchange in the 4×200 relay is 180 meters. With a 30-meter zone, that means the end of the exchange represents 210 meters of sprinting for the first leg. The distances for the rest of the runners depend upon where they receive the baton, but the significant takeaway is this: If the baton leaves your hand in the beginning of the zone, you didn’t finish your race.
   
   It is vitally important that each runner sprints their full 200 meters (I actually tell them to sprint 210 meters) to ensure that the stick makes it to the end of the zone with speed. Running less than 200 meters with a fly-by exchange means the incoming runner has slowed down, and the result is that the outgoing runner takes the baton early before coming close to their top speed. No bueno.
2. “Make them chase you”: We want the outgoing runner to feel some pressure to catch the teammate that just ran by. I’ve yet to find a runner at the end of a 200 who could outrun a similarly fast but infinitely fresher athlete over 30 meters. The fresh athlete will always catch up, but we want them to have to chase hard to do so. The result? The incoming runner sprints with as much gas as they have left through the zone, and the outgoing runner sprints their tail off to catch them. Fast kids running fast means a fast stick and a fast relay time.

The incoming runner sprints with as much gas as they have left through the zone, and the outgoing runner sprints their tail off to catch them. Fast kids running fast means a fast stick and relay time. Share on X

As for the outgoing runner, there aren’t a lot of cues. As long as this athlete leaves on time and runs the outer half of the lane, the only job they have is to chase their teammate down and grab the stick. Then, it’s their turn to sprint a full 200, finish their race, and make their teammates chase them.

To practice this exchange, I’ve done a couple different things. One option is to incorporate 4×200 relay exchanges into a lactate workout. Simply run a full 4×200-meter relay, then after an eight-minute rest period, do it all over again. During the rest period is a good time to coach and correct any exchange issues you may have noticed in the first rep.

You could probably do even more reps of this given a longer rest period if you so choose. But if you’re working your handoffs in as part of an already difficult workout, you can’t really do very many reps in total, no matter the amount of rest. That’s why we practice handoffs in isolation most of the time. To do this, I send the incoming runner back about 20–30 meters and instruct them to come into the zone at around 90% intensity, maintaining that intensity all the way through the exchange zone. This forces the outgoing runner to practice chasing.

Here are a couple examples of what that looks like in practice.

Video 3. Our first and second runners from the start of the exchange zone.

Video 4. Our third and fourth runners from the end of the exchange zone.

Since implementing the fly-by exchange, our boys 4×200 meter teams have qualified for the MHSAA State Finals in consecutive years. In 2021, we took a varsity team that ran an abysmal 1:37.25 in their first attempt (with a blind exchange) to a season-best time of 1:31.77 and a 15th place finish at the state meet. In 2022, we opened the season by improving upon our previous year’s best and running 1:31.74, then continued to improve all season long before running our best time of 1:29.15 at our regional competition. Unfortunately, at this year’s finals we ran .86 seconds slower than our season’s best time to run 1:30.01 and finish tenth overall.

Video 5. Here is the video of our 4×200 run from State Finals. While a couple of our legs did not have their best splits, the handoffs were executed as well as any we ran all season. We’re in lane three.

A week or so ago, as I was in the process of writing this, a freshman on our relay team asked me, “Coach, how come we do the exchanges this way and not like other schools?” It was something I had taken for granted, since all the other guys on our team had been around since last season. I saw the opportunity to not only teach this kid the method to my madness but also to reaffirm for the rest of the team why we do things a little differently. After I got done explaining, one of our senior relay members turned to him and said, “It’s made a huge difference, bro. We were sorry before we started doing this.”

The fly-by exchange will be a big reason why we’re able to maximize the potential from our relays and squeeze every ounce of juice out of our athletes, says @TrackCoachTG. Share on X

A couple days removed from our State Finals appearance, I know there is still work to be done, but I also know we will be back. And the fly-by exchange will be a big reason why we’re able to maximize the potential from our relays and squeeze every ounce of juice out of our athletes. We’ll never have a sorry 4×200 relay team again.

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

The 2011-12 NBA basketball season was off to a tough start—having been shortened due to the lockout, players and fans alike were excited to get back to supporting the teams and players they knew and loved. The excitement was particularly high for a young guard who was hungry to make his mark on the league. But on March 10^th, 2012, a severe ankle sprain threatened the player’s career—this was one of a string of major ankle injuries to be experienced by the star you may know as one of the Splash Bros: Steph Curry.

Ankle sprains are an all-too-common injury that plagues athletes at all levels of play, and they can be devastating. The effects of an ankle injury can outlast an athlete’s career in extreme instances, with the most severe cases requiring surgery. These injuries are often combatted with high top shoes, ankle taping, and restrictive ankle braces…but what if the very elements that athletes look to for safety are the things that are actually leading to more injuries?

Ankle sprains are an all-too-common injury that plagues athletes at all levels of play, and they can be devastating, says @Jucaelite. Share on X

Mobility and Stability

The ankle is a hinged, synovial joint that chiefly operates through dorsi and plantar flexion, in addition to inversion and eversion. The ankle is also capable of circumduction (a combination of the above movements), and it has been suggested that it is also capable of medial and lateral rotation.

Regardless of its ability to rotate, taken together this demonstrates that the ankle is a very mobile joint, and was designed to operate as such. The joints of the body operate in a remarkable, alternating fashion all the way up to the head and neck. For example, the foot is designed with more of a stability bias while the ankle is more mobile; the knee is more stable while the hip is more mobile; the low back is stable while the thoracic spine is mobile; and the scapula-thoracic joints have an element of stability while the cervical spine upon which the cranium sits has a more mobile bias.

These rules are not clean-cut, especially in the case of the scapula-thoracic and cervical spine, which are capable of quite a bit of mobility. However, the point can be illustrated that they have more of a stability bias as illustrated by the body’s response to scapular winging or issues of cervical instability, which are sometimes characterized by dizziness and vertigo, balance issues, and difficulty holding up the head.

So if the ankle is a mobile joint and designed to operate as such, what is the harm in introducing a little stability into it? The answer: MAJOR DYSFUNCTION.

Basketball is played at a high speed (at least if the athletes are good at the sport), and the body’s segments need to be able to respond at a high speed. When an athlete is moving quickly and needs to change direction, the joints act as shock absorbers to dampen the forces. When one of the stability–mobility pairs is not working up to par, then another joint will have to take up the slack and work double time. When that joint is at its breaking point, an injury can occur in the ankle (ankle sprain), knee (ACL tear), and many others. These components are only part of the whole picture (factors such as torsion, strength, and a smattering of other pieces fit into the injury puzzle), but restricting a mobile joint does not help in any respect.

When an athlete is moving quickly and needs to change direction, the joints act as shock absorbers to dampen the forces, says @Jucaelite. Share on X

High Tops & Low Tops

In addition to braces and wraps, footwear can play a major part in limiting or promoting injuries, and even limiting or promoting athletic performance. In an article by Brizuela et al., performance in running, jumping, and injury resistance were looked at between two different prototype basketball shoes—a low top and a high top.

The results indicate significant differences between low and high top shoes. Studies of impact forces show higher impact forces in high top shoes that transmitted up to the forehead, potentially because of limited plantar flexion movement. What does this mean? There is potentially a higher risk for low back pain with high top shoes. In addition, the high top shoes demonstrated restricted ankle range of motion in eversion and plantar flexion, but also increased inversion (which is typically the most common type of ankle sprain). On performance tests, the high top shoes most limited vertical jump ability, but also decreased performance in running with direction changes.

On performance tests, the high top shoes most limited vertical jump ability, but also decreased performance in running with direction changes, says @Jucaelite. Share on X

Results of this study demonstrate that high top shoes may be more appropriate for an athlete who isn’t required to move quickly as often (post players), but can limit performance for athletes who play at lower angles and at higher speed (guards). In addition, high top shoes may be appropriate for athletes suffering from a history of ankle sprains.

Is footwear the only factor that plays into an ankle sprain? Absolutely not. In total, athletes should look at the following solutions to attenuate against ankle injuries:

• Restoring stability of the foot.
• Restoring ankle mobility in all ranges.
• Limiting mobility disparities between limbs.
• Improving proprioception.

This list is generally ordered anatomically from the bottom up and is not exhaustive. When attacking dysfunction, I recommend focusing on areas that may be the cause of issues, whereas other areas may be the symptom. For example, dysfunction at the foot level may present as a dysfunction of the ankle. Once the foot has been addressed, the ankle may clear up. If, however, you address the ankle and then the foot, results may not prove as successful. Below are some solutions aimed at improving any limitations in the ankle and foot.

1. Restoring stability of the foot

To restore stability of the foot we must look at multiple structures. The arches of the foot, and the toes are all major players in stability that are commonly operating in dysfunction. The toes are often weak and immobile in the way that you are not able to consciously move them as you should. The toes are the fingers of the feet, and should be able to abduct (splay), adduct, flex, and extend. Any limitation in degrees of freedom will contribute to dysfunction. In addition to the exercises listed below, rolling the bottoms of the feet are highly encouraged. An example of how to roll the feet can be found here.

Exercises

• Flexion (curling the toes with the foot flat)/extension (raising the heel while keeping toes planted; also demonstrated in video above)
• Abduction/adduction (splaying the toes outward and inward)

2. Restoring ankle mobility in all ranges

Ankles are made to transmit forces up the chain to the muscles that can help to dampen forces that could transmit up the axial skeleton and cause damage. The major movements of the ankles are to plantar flex, dorsiflex, evert, invert, and circumduct. Additionally, the ankle pronates (dorsiflexion and eversion) and supinates (plantar flexion and inversion). By actively moving the ankles through these ranges, as well as manually manipulating the ankle, you can improve the function of the joint as a whole.

Ankles are made to transmit forces up the chain to the muscles that can help to dampen forces that could transmit up the axial skeleton and cause damage, says @Jucaelite. Share on X

Exercises

• Plantar flexion
• Dorsiflexion

Video 1. Ankle mobility, plantar flexion (pointing the toes down) and dorsiflexion (pulling the toes toward the shin).

Video 2. Front Foot Elevated Split Squat (drive the front knee forward past the toe).

Video 3. RFESS (keep back foot plantar-flexed, drive up).

Video 4. Eversion/inversion (move foot side to side), pronation (dorsiflex and evert), and supination (plantar flex and invert).

Video 5. Circumduction (circular motion).

Video 6. Manual manipulations (keep forefoot stable, manipulate heel side to side). More on this can be found in Anatomy Trains by Thomas Meyers.

3. Limiting disparities between limbs

Working together with the two previous points, if there is a major limitation in one joint as compared to the other, this should be a major focus.

4. Improving proprioception

Proprioception, put simply, is the awareness of the limbs in space as well as how fast they are moving and how much force they are producing. There are many ways to improve proprioception, including PNF stretches and patterns, but most functionally you can use balance exercises. If there is no injury present, unstable surfaces may provide some benefit—but manipulating other factors may prove more beneficial.

Video 7. Clock taps (lightly tap free foot).

Video 8. Limiting visual feedback (keep core engaged, slight bend in knee).

Video 9. Manipulating the vestibular system (keep core engaged, slight bend in knee).

Programming

Implementing these exercises periodically pre, during, or post training will greatly assist in reducing injury risk and cleaning up dysfunction. There is no one perfect method for avoiding injuries, but by making your approach multifactorial, you have a much better chance of succeeding in your efforts.

Implementing these exercises periodically pre, during, or post training will greatly assist in reducing injury risk and cleaning up dysfunction, says @Jucaelite. Share on X

The difficulty lies in how you program exercises in this category to keep the attention span of the population you are working with, while also not eating away the time you have for your session. One practical way I have used is to split your athletes into “buckets.” Each athlete would be put into a different bucket based on what they need most and perform the mobility exercises barefoot.

When athletes arrive, they grab their lift card (or a card made specifically for this group) and get to work on their own before the group warm up. In the early stages, it is crucial to take each group through the movements so you can set the tone. As time goes on you can let them take the wheel until the movements change, and then the cycle starts again. Additionally, I have found that some athletes need more than one exposure to a specific movement, or a different movement that attacks the same limitation. In this case, implementing one of these “correctives” during the rest period of a major lift can be a great way to make sure your athletes get adequate rest time. This can add density to their training and keep the movement quality high.

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

Intuition would probably tell you that athletes are faster when they race. Makes sense, right? It’s competition, they have motivation, it turns their brain off so they can just sprint. But my analytical brain wanted to know if that was actually true. We can scientifically answer that question with sport science and the scientific method, in addition to using our coaching intuition.

From a coaching standpoint, we are always trying to draw more effort out of our athletes to run harder and faster. However, as coaches coach more and athletes learn more, too many drills and cues can potentially slow down full-speed sprinting in training. Thus, it’s important to bridge the gap between training and games. But how do we replicate game speed (literally and figuratively) in training?

Sports are played in competition and sports are played fast. In training, although things need to be slowed down and emphasized to improve things like technique, we can’t forget about the true end goal. Racing serves a purpose to bring the technique and drill work full circle, create a fun and engaging training environment, and draw out some pretty fast times. But what is the effect of racing on sprint times? Effort might be up, engagement might be up, but does racing actually make athletes faster?

What is the effect of racing on sprint times? Effort might be up, engagement might be up, but does racing actually make athletes faster, asks @CoachBigToe. Share on X

Sport science is simply just applying the scientific method to getting better at sport. The scientific method is:

• Ask a question/create a hypothesis.
• Collect your data.
• Analyze the data.
• Figure out what the data means.
• Apply it to the real world.

That’s just what I did to answer my racing question, and I’m here to explain my process.

Methods

Although this is a personal and informal case study, it’s still important to get the highest quality data possible. As they say: garbage [data] in, garbage [data] out. Having gone through the entire process of starting, finishing, and publishing my thesis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research not too long before doing this case study, my research brain kicked into gear. Here’s everything I did (especially things I did NOT do) to control for the confounding variables:

1. I kept my instructions and general words to a minimum. The instructions followed something like this: “We’re going to do four timed sprints: two are by yourself and two are racing against someone else. Walk back in between. I’ll tell you whether you’re going by yourself or racing when it’s your turn. If you’re racing but not being timed, you’ll run next to them but outside the timing lasers.”
2. I didn’t share my research question, hypothesis, or anything pertaining to my motive for the experiment. I didn’t want my athletes knowing that I was comparing and contrasting the two types of sprints to artificially draw out more effort during the race. One might be able to assume my intentions and guess the purpose based on my instructions, but at least it wasn’t my explicit words that influenced their motivation.
3. I didn’t coach in-between sprints, as I didn’t want a cue that they didn’t have the sprint prior to improve a sprint time.

4. I didn’t let any athlete see the sprint times. I didn’t want an athlete to become motivated by seeing a slower sprint time than what they are used to or expected. They tried peeking over my shoulder, but don’t worry, I had my head on a swivel.
5. I paired up my athletes with someone of a similar speed. If there was a big discrepancy in speed between athletes, this could’ve led to a lack of effort by the slower athlete. If there was not an athlete of similar speed, I gave the athlete not being timed during the race a head start if they were slower or made them start a few steps behind if they were faster. It’s not a perfect science, but that’s how I would handle a discrepancy in speed during a normal session.
6. Collecting this data over multiple training sessions with multiple groups of athletes, I alternated between one group doing their solo sprints first and the next group doing their races first. This minimized two things: the sprints at the beginning acting more like a warm-up and making the sprints at the end faster, and the sprints at the end being slower due to excessive fatigue from the prior sprints.
7. I was intentional about the rest periods. Although it wasn’t perfect, I did time the rest of the first person in each group to make sure they had at least two minutes of rest.

Athletes

Twenty-two athletes (n=22: 8 youth (9-11 years old), 11 middle school (12-14 years old), 3 high school (15-18 years old)) participated in speed and agility training sessions coached by me and had been attending for multiple weeks.

Data Collection and Analysis

After a full warm-up and a pre-data-collection sprint, they ran 5-15’s. A 5-15 is an acceleration test that’s 15 yards in length with the timing lasers set up on the 5- and 15-yard lines, respectively. Each athlete performed two 5-15’s solo (by themselves), instructed to run as fast as possible. Each athlete also performed two 5-15’s against another athlete. The races were started verbally by me saying “Ready, go!” The two sprints for each condition were averaged to give each athlete one time for solo and one time for racing. Solo times and racing times were then run in a paired samples T-test in jamovi.

Statistics Made Simple

A “p value” of < 0.001 means that less than 0.1% of the time, the difference between solo sprints and races happened by chance, or greater than 99.9% of the time the difference was actually there.

A “Cohen’s Effect Size” of 0.857 means that the magnitude or size of the difference between solo sprints and races was large (as opposed to medium or small).

The combination of these two stats means that the difference between the solo and the race (2.4% faster) wasn’t by chance, and it was a large difference.

Conclusions

Athletes sprint 2.4% faster when motivated by racing. Racing provides another tool in a coach’s toolbox to get faster training reps from their athletes. It’s a perfect option to help bridge the gap between controlled drills focused on technique and the true end goal of training being fast at game speed.

Racing is a perfect option to help bridge the gap between controlled drills focused on technique and the true end goal of training being fast at game speed, says @CoachBigToe. Share on X

Ultimately, because no one gets faster overnight, and we’re playing the long game in speed development, intentionally making athletes race will add up over time. Let’s say of your timed sprints during a training session, half of them are solo sprints and half of them are races. You just improved the output of 50% of your athlete’s training reps. Now add that up over the course of multiple months of training—that’d be a big difference in the stimulus given to your athletes. Sounds like an interesting and practical option to me.

Future Considerations

Although this makes sense in theory and the numbers make sense, there is some context and other factors worth mentioning.

• Races might not have same effect with older athletes who truly know how to sprint at max effort regardless of solo sprint or race. Considering 19 of my 22 athletes were ages 9 to 14, the numbers might’ve been a little different if there were more high school athletes.
• Technique sometimes decreased when they were just thinking about winning. Athletes sometimes tried reaching for the laser with their hand to “win” (those times weren’t recorded). It’s important to remind them to not let the finish line influence their technique.
• The number of athletes in a training session is an important factor. With larger groups, racing is a great option to keep more athletes moving and minimize the standing around. However, with smaller groups, rest times should be kept in mind since athletes sprint twice as frequently when racing.

Practical Applications

Races should be programmed during speed training for at least multiple reps at the end of a session. Although technique might slightly decrease, speed increases, and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re training for. A 50/50 approach of solo sprints to races might be effective in getting those quality, coaching-intensive reps in at the beginning then putting it all together at the end.

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

We all know the meet. Four to six big teams show up together on an April Saturday afternoon for a no-limit entry track meet. The last heat is scoring, but the rest are non-scoring. Some people find a way to kill the 45 minutes of 100m dashes with their meal ticket or find another coach to talk to about the problems of post-COVID-19 coaching. While I eat during the three heats of the 3200 and reapply sunscreen during the five heats of the 1600, I like to plant myself midfield right next to the track and watch the 18 heats.

As I watch athletes project their mass down the track in various sprinting styles, I wonder what can be done to make the 12.5 into an 11.5.

I know there are basic things that can be done to start making progress down that road. Stuff that I have written about in the past: crossover feet, heel strikes too far in front of the body. And we know how to deal with these issues with mini-hurdle runs and stiff-legged runs (Paytons or Prime Times). But if it is halfway through the season, and the drills aren’t catching, maybe we should start looking at some other things.

Posture is the first thing that jumps out from the early heats of the 100. Something that is so basic that we forget to deal with it in practice, drills, or even weightlifting. Why does posture fall apart? When the system is red-lined, like in a full sprint, there is a hierarchy to movement.

After breathing and keeping a horizon (and few other things), not falling is important. Safety is far more important than speed. The body quickly assesses what muscles can support the movement. It will shift so the muscles used are the ones that can support the body safely. They are not always the most powerful or efficient but the safest. If you don’t think this is true, watch how fast posture and gait change when someone injures themselves while sprinting.

In a full sprint, not falling is important. The body quickly assesses what muscles can support the movement and shifts so the muscles used are the ones that can support the body safely, says @korfist. Share on X

Once we are safe, we will move toward our target. This is why different body parts sometimes move toward the finish line. We are throwing as much as we can at where we are going. This is the reason when you blindfold someone and have them sprint, their form changes. Or when a happy 3-year-old is sprinting for fun and running fast, they always seem to have good form. Form becomes more natural when we eliminate intent.

There are three sections of the spine:

• Cervical
• Thoracic
• Lumbar

All three work together to counterbalance each other. The more an athlete can keep a neutral spine, the better the body performs. A good athlete can keep a neutral spine in various positions. A really good athlete has the ability to use their spine to create more power in their movement.

Where to Begin?

Let’s start in the middle. I know it is a strange place to start, but it is the place that controls both ends—really, it’s no different than an axle with two wheels on each side. The stiffer the middle, the more stable the ends will be. Same with a runner: if the middle is not stiff, both ends will compensate to get the body to the target.

In the case of the runner above, to gain extension, he loses pelvic control. As you can see, his right pelvis is over-rotating, which leaves his right leg long in the push. A telltale sign is that his right knee is behind his glute. This creates the problem of a longer time to swing the leg through, and the knee cannot get to the needed height for a good, fast tangential velocity.

Here are some effects of a wobbly middle. The first impact is the head.

If the body follows the head, the net propulsive forces are reduced with the 12-pound weight falling backward. If a coach asks the athlete to stand in place with the same head position, they will fall back.

Below are examples of what happens of what happens on the pelvic end of the axle.

Why Does This Happen? We Do Core Every Day!

You may be using the core exercises, but not properly. How often do you see people doing planks and dropping their head or pelvis? How often do you see side planks with the chin sticking out to balance or the spine not neutral in three planes?

Once you have a base of spinal control and strength, try challenging the spine with movement. Ask the spine to control itself in unpredictable scenarios, says @korfist. Share on X

When doing any of your running drills, how often do you focus on posture? Once you have a base of spinal control and strength, try challenging the spine with movement. Ask the spine to control itself in unpredictable scenarios. Enter the water bag. Try your drill and sprints with a water bag on your back. The spine has to constantly adjust.

For more advanced drills, I will be presenting at the University of Minnesota with Dan Fichter and Cal Dietz in July and will cover postural progression in detail. You can find sign-up details for the clinic here.

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

The coaching process is defined as “the purposeful improvement of competition performance, achieved through a planned programme of preparation and competition.”¹  At its core, the coaching process is influenced by different sciences such as exercise physiology, anatomy, biomechanics, pedagogy or the science of teaching, psychology, testing and measurements, and statistics, to name a few.² However, it is truly a blend of science and art where the coach operates a complex, dynamic social activity that is goal-oriented with a focus on bringing about change.³

It is truly a blend of science and art where the coach operates a complex, dynamic social activity that is goal-oriented with a focus on bringing about change, says @xrperformance. Share on X

As an orchestrator, or Chef du Projet Performance, the coach coordinates the coaching process within set parameters to instigate, plan, organize, monitor, and respond to evolving circumstances in order to bring about improvement in the individual and collective performance.⁴ To help with the overall planning of this process, four main steps are usually included:

1. Planning
2. Intervention
3. Assessment
4. Adjustment

Planning

As a starting point, the coach uses existing professional knowledge about the physical, technical, tactical, and psychological demands of the sport to plan what needs to be done. Using the analogy of a road map, the coach has a destination in mind and an idea of how to get there but will most certainly need to manage a few uncertainties along the way.

For me, one example to support this analogy of the road map came about in the early 2021–2022 off-season with the men’s volleyball team at Université de Sherbrooke. As a coaching staff, we knew that we were working within a three-year plan, with all players but two having never played indoor volleyball at the university level. We were thus at the beginning of the journey, and our destination was clear; however, information about the upcoming university sports season was lacking at the time because of the pandemic, so long-term planning for games and playoffs was impossible.

To remediate the situation from an S&C perspective, I decided to think short-term and focus only on the summer off-season training. I remember telling one player that there were just too many unknowns to start planning the weeks of training during the competition phase. By limiting myself to the summer months, I was able to sequentially organize the training to take advantage of the phase potentiation associated with block periodization.

For example, the month of May was an introduction phase during which we focused much of our training on technique and used bodyweight movements to develop mobility and work capacity. This first training block was our foundation for the next three training blocks, which had a focus on preparation.

In June, our priority therefore shifted from teaching to training and saw the introduction of DB complexes, spectrum legs, and leg circuits to increase basic strength. During the month of July, it was possible for us to divide the group into two following some force plate testing, with one group focusing on eccentric strength and the other on maximum strength. Finally, August came around, and our focus was on developing muscular power through Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, and maximal power training.

After these training blocks, it was possible to reevaluate the direction of the training, as new information about the upcoming season was now available. So, instead of planning for the whole season and hoping to peak for the playoffs, we reviewed our plan using a smaller time frame that allowed us to better manage uncertainties associated with COVID-19. After all, “training is a predictive process based on experience and scientific knowledge aimed at rationally, systematically, and sequentially organizing training tasks and the recovery process in order to reach performance goals at specific times.”⁵

Instead of planning for the whole season, we reviewed our plan using a smaller time frame that allowed us to better manage uncertainties associated with COVID-19, says @xrperformance. Share on X

At this moment, it is beneficial for the coach to perform a thorough analysis of the physiological and physical demands of the sport. Performance in different sports has evolved over the years and access to integrative technology such as GPS or accelerometers allows for a more refined analysis of the demands of a sport in general, and even the positional demands within it.

For example, recent investigations^6,7 in ice hockey used a local positioning system (as opposed to GPS technology because of the inability to connect to satellites in an indoor environment) or inertial measurement units⁸ to quantify and track the movement demands during games, whereas previous research mostly used heart rate to quantify the physiological demands of the game.

This necessity for a thorough needs analysis of the sport brings me back to the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Canadian Football team at Université de Sherbrooke. We were fortunate at the time to be able to use a set of 10 GPS monitors during practices and games for a research project.⁹ During one game in 2016, I remember clearly watching some of the metrics being displayed live during a kickoff and thinking: Shoot, we have not trained special team players to sprint over long distances such as those displayed during a kickoff. Indeed, during summer training, most of our sprint distances were below 20-30 meters, while longer running distances were covered during our high-intensity interval training days.

Overall, having access to this information when planning future training can allow the coach to better prepare the athletes from an S&C perspective or replicate game situations that resemble what can happen in competition. In my case, I certainly made the necessary adjustments to better prepare the players to meet the demands of this specific aspect of the game.

Intervention and Assessment

During the training sessions of steps #2-3 of the coaching process, the coach actively teaches, provides instructions and feedback, manages desired behaviors, and asks questions to assess learning. At this point, as an orchestrator, the coach steers rather than controls the coaching process through unobtrusive monitoring and mutually agreed-upon agendas and by providing players with encouragement.

The steering—or monitoring—of the coaching process during a training session or over a longer period allows the coach to collect “decision-making information” from various sources.¹⁰ By looking for trends in training and performance, the coach actively seeks to answer the following questions:

• Are we getting positive training adaptations?
• How effective is the training program to meet the demands of the sport or the demands of the game model we want to implement?
• From a behavioral perspective, are we getting the desired behaviors from the players?

By implementing a monitoring process, either via objective measures like heart rate or force plate data or even subjective measures such as wellness questionnaires¹¹, the coach seeks to measure or know the individual response to different stressors (emotional, dietary, social, sleep, academic, sport). This data provides direction and supports the decision-making process. After all, it’s okay to deviate from the preplanned path if the data or information collected by the coach can drive future direction.

After all, it’s okay to deviate from the preplanned path if the data or information collected by the coach can drive future direction, says @xrperformance. Share on X

Adjustment

After collecting the “training information” available to them in the previous steps, how can coaches explore and question their decisions and experiences within the context of their own practice in the fourth step of adjustment? When triangulated with reflective tools and critical inquiry and critical thinking, this “training information” can be used by the coach to explore, question, and contextualize their professional practice with the objective to learn and become a more effective coach.¹²

The picture below shows how data, reflective practice, and being critical of oneself and one’s experiences can be used to support learning:

To give you an idea of this reflective process, during my PhD, Canadian football coaches at the university level were presented every week during the competition season with their players’ session RPE training loads as “training information.”¹³ This type of subjective monitoring of the training is quite easy to implement and can be adjusted to different sporting contexts.

In terms of reflective practice, coaches were asked to fill out post-training and post-competition reflective cards regularly. The post-training reflective cards required the coaches to briefly describe the training session, evaluate what went well and what went wrong, analyze why the session went the way it did, and provide an action plan for the next session. Meanwhile, the post-competition reflective cards required them to evaluate the team’s performance on a scale of 1-5 and provide some thoughts following the game.

During the weekly meetings, coaches were asked to comment on the results of the game and on the data they were presented with and how that data influenced their own decisions in terms of practice design. At the conclusion of this project, it was interesting to note that having access to the training load data and engaging in an emergent reflective process allowed coaches to contextualize their decisions and, at times, provide different scenarios in reaction to the data that was shared with them.

To encourage this exploration and questioning of their decisions and experiences, it is essential to promote a structure where reflective practice and experiential learning are supported and facilitated. The support of fellow coaches, mentors, critical friends, and even the organization as a whole is necessary to advance learning.

The support of fellow coaches, mentors, critical friends, and even the organization as a whole is necessary to advance learning, says @xrperformance. Share on X

The use of self-study methodology to improve and understand one’s practice thus becomes quite interesting, because we now know that learning is much more than the accumulation of knowledge.¹⁴ In fact, it is more about becoming an integrative thinker and changing one’s cognitive structure by creating a vast network between our knowledge, our ideas, and our feelings.¹⁵

Furthermore, the knowledge that is gathered by coaches over the years tends to be quite different from the theoretical knowledge one can find in textbooks or in the scientific literature. As suggested by Mills & Gearity¹⁶, the knowledge gathered in a socially simple environment such as a laboratory needs to be adapted to the realities of the socially complex environment of a coaching group.

Going Full Circle on Becoming a Better Coach

The coaching process is an iterative practice of collecting and using various sources of “training information” to improve the performance of athletes or teams. This process needs to include some form of reflective practice or introspection from the coach so that they can learn from their experiences to adapt and/or change their behaviors in a coaching environment that is dynamic, complex, and often chaotic.

This is not easy, but improving a coach’s knowledge and coaching qualities does make an impact, not only on their personal and professional development, but also on the athletes they work with.

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

Conventional military training has been well-documented and is not exactly adored by many in the strength and conditioning field. These tactical athletes are subjected to extraordinary demands, involving both extreme intensities and volumes. Across the wide spectrum of physical training, tactical athletes specifically accumulate a very high volume of running mileage (almost all at long, slow distances while also under load), push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups. There are consequential outcomes produced by this volume—working with athletes who have hundreds, if not thousands, of miles accumulated on long, slow runs and virtually no history of sprinting training makes for a tough task.

Of all the difficulties I’ve encountered in the six years I’ve worked in the tactical space, nothing quite compares to that of teaching these athletes how to sprint. It’s not only that we need to teach them a completely new endeavor/skill, but what really proves challenging is helping them unlearn poor mechanics they’ve developed over the years.

Of all the difficulties I’ve encountered in the six years I’ve worked in the tactical space, nothing quite compares to that of teaching these athletes how to sprint, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

In addition to the technique aspects, we also must consider the biomechanical and physiological adaptations that have already occurred. Although this isn’t always the case, most tactical athletes have greater amounts of relative type 1 (slow twitch) fibers, more robust aerobic energy systems, and connective tissue that is more conducive to distance running (brittle, collagen breakdown, oxidative, poor elasticity).¹ Furthermore, tactical athletes are at a much higher risk for developing chronic overuse injuries, particularly in the lower leg and foot, due to years of mechanical overloading.²

With this population, I routinely see an injury history of shin splints, calf strains, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, chronic ankle sprains, and turf toe. To a lesser extent, but still prevalent, a history of compartment syndrome and severe ankle/lower leg fractures due to bad jump landings are also good to be prepared for. Injuries at virtually any part of the body will carry some level of significance, but injuries below the knee are especially influential for sprinting mechanics and capacity. Given this high-frequency injury history, it’s an absolute priority that you’re cognizant of the demands sprinting places on the lower leg and foot.

While the ground reaction forces experienced during sprinting can commonly reach 3-5xBW, the joint reaction forces at the ankle can exceed 10xBW³ and are impossible to replicate elsewhere in training. So, if nothing else, be sure that the athlete is loaded appropriately as they progress into their sprint training.

Phase 1: Develop Strength Below the Knee

Building off the point above, I would say the first step in sprinting for tactical athletes is establishing adequate strength below the knee. In short, you want to consider the intrinsic foot strength, the strength of the calf muscles (namely isometric strength), the eccentric capacity of the Achilles tendon, and then the ability to load these structures heavy and under velocity.

Beyond the strength component, we also want to provide a good amount of attention to the connective tissue. It is best to strengthen the connective tissue by applying a variety of parameters to your normal training session and to individual movements, like the ones provided above. Generally speaking, tendons respond best to heavy loads (90%+) done with eccentric tempo and need to be stressed at end range.⁴ Ligaments respond more to a variety of isometric conditions:

• Long duration
• Yielding
• Overcoming
• Under load
• Short pulsing

The optimal loading parameters for ligaments include submaximal (60%–80%) loads performed through full range of motion.⁵ Fascia, your global connective tissue, is optimized by utilizing omnidirectional movements, under a variety of stimulus and submax loading conditions (45%–65%), and movements that promote reflexive, ballistic actions.⁵ Although it’s beyond the scope of this article, also consider the demand for soft tissue care and restoration. This will become imperative for keeping injury risk lower.

I should also quickly note that there is a great demand for proprioceptive function here as well. In particular, the retinaculum that envelops the ankle plays a significant role in sensorimotor function. Retinaculum is a fibrous band of thickened fascia that is enriched with sensory bodies throughout the tissue.⁶ This means that we need to consider reactive and unanticipated drills and movements as a part of the work-up for sprinting.

Video 1. Lower Leg Analysis.

Phase 2: Introduction to Moving Fast

I say this with the utmost respect for the tactical crowd—and they are extremely impressive in their own realm—but there is quite a disconnect between most tactical and conventional athletes when it comes to dynamic movement (jumping, bounding) and especially sprinting. As I mentioned in the opening, this is an entirely new endeavor for them, so in fairness, a learning curve should be expected.

I say this with the utmost respect for the tactical crowd—there is quite a disconnect between most tactical and conventional athletes when it comes to dynamic movement, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

I think the most important thing with this is being very clear and descriptive early on about what’s involved with sprinting and what they are working toward. I’ve had a lot of success “reverse-engineering” this: describing the full end goal first and then breaking down each component as we go along. This can involve breakdowns on the whiteboard, video analysis discussing their movement patterns, or simply a good amount of repetition. As long as you are providing the athlete with context and feedback along the way, you’re doing your job. This can’t be rushed, and it cannot be treated as trivial; given the characteristics of this population, we can’t give them the keys to the Corvette and then leave them to figure out by themselves how fast it goes.

As for the training itself, I work through a standard framework for introducing speed and dynamic movement to my athletes. This includes a timely progression of general dynamics, rudiment plyos, and isolated sprinting drills as we build into submax sprinting. We generally break this out over a two- to four-week period and perform everything at submax velocities with an exclusive priority on technique and development.

The overall goal of this phase is to, quite literally, allow them to experience what it feels like to move their body faster while looking to sequence movements together with rhythm and coordination demands. I believe the biggest challenge to this, aside from a lack of exposure, is they don’t have the advantage of provided extrinsic stability that they’re accustomed to. Because of this, they are more inclined to not only feel very awkward but also have a lot of difficulty with connecting movement. Things look very choppy and disconnected as a result, and that’s okay—be patient in this phase.

Phase 3: Developing Foundational Speed

Once we’ve cleared phase two, we can now have athletes start practicing full runs and introduce acceleration. A few things to be generally aware of here:

1. These athletes perform almost all their work (and training) in kit. This creates significant compression on the anterior trunk, and on average adds 20–40 pounds on top of body mass. Because of this, I actually utilize resisted running as a precursor to full-tilt sprinting. I know this is paradoxical in the conventional sense, but in this realm, it’s pragmatic. Believe me, they will sprint better with an added 10–15 pounds.
2. Acceleration will be significantly challenging to coach early on. I’ve found that athletes can assimilate top end speed because at least it’s somewhat reflective of the shapes and positions seen in long, slow, distance running. Acceleration, on the other hand, is completely unrelatable. I believe the athletes feel completely out of sorts trying to stay low to the ground. As such, objects and implements may be your friend here.
3. Never say the words “100%” or “max effort” out loud. No matter what your training goal or directive is, I never, ever, instruct them to go above 90%. You gotta remember, this is a group of individuals who simply do not adhere to warning signs or fear outcomes. So, when they hear “100%,” it may incentivize them to push beyond something they’re capable of handling, especially with something new to them.

I mentioned that acceleration can be particularly tricky to teach. What I’ve found the most success with is using more constraint with this phase. A simple drill I’ve used is holding a PVC pipe as a physical and visual barrier for them to stay below. Another I’ve found success with is the two-step cone, which isolates the initial burst and gives them a single-point focus to emphasize their actions. Additionally, I use unloaded sleds here, so they have the opportunity to leverage their upper body into the sled to better mimic the leg action that’s desired in the acceleration phase.

Video 2. Two-step cone acceleration drill.

Some additional constraint drills I often use and have found effective include wickets, wall drills, and modified running to help clean up technique and cadence. Be mindful that the bar for adaptation here is relatively low, so almost anything will have an impact. The keys for success with improving sprinting in the tactical space are simple:

• Clear instruction.
• Good consistent cueing using basic drills and parameters.

Really, athletes just need an opportunity for repetition and feedback, and they are good-enough athletes and learners to pick it up to a point of proficiency.

Video 3. Tactical Sprint Analysis.

Closing Observations

Tissues tear when they are loaded faster than the body can respond. The most important factor with sprinting and tactical athletes is steady, logical progressions and sufficient prep work. You should always be conservative on intensity and volume prescriptions: remember, “60%” to us is “85.5%” for them.

The most important factor with sprinting and tactical athletes is steady, logical progressions and sufficient prep work, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

Additionally, don’t be hesitant to have them perform resisted sprints or even use lightweight vests (< 10 pounds). Given their history of working and training in kit, this will actually be more comfortable for most, even at higher speeds. Remain very cognizant of the lower leg and foot and understand the common mechanisms of injury. There are huge differences in program and approach between an athlete coming off an Achilles tear and another coming off a Lisfranc fracture. The best instruction is clear and constructive, and from my experience, the best review is breaking down video with them.

I had a huge fear of teaching sprinting with this population, and as a result, I avoided it for years—one of the saddest mistakes of my career. But speaking especially to younger coaches, you just have to jump in and do it. It will be rough at first, but as long as you don’t put them in positions to get hurt, you can work through your errors and inefficiencies. I promise you there is no better situation where “keep it simple, stupid” applies more than teaching tactical athletes to sprint.

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. Plotkin, D.L., Roberts, M.D., Haun, C.T., and Schoenfeld, B.J., “Muscle Fiber Type Transitions with Exercise Training: Shifting Perspectives.” Sports. 2021;9(9):127.

2. Lovalekar, M., Perlsweig, K.A., Keenan, K,A., et al. “Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries sustained by Naval Special Forces Operators and Students.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2017;20(6).

3. Clark, K. and Weyand, P.G. “Are running speeds maximized with simple-spring stance mechanics?” Journal of Applied Physiology. 2014;117(6):604–615.

4. Monte, A. and Zamparo, P. “Correlations between muscle-tendon parameters and acceleration ability in 20 m sprints.” PLoS ONE. 2019;14(3):e0213347.

5. Maas, H. and Sandercock, T.G. “Force transmission between synergistic skeletal muscles through connective tissue linkages.” Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology. 2010.

6. Maas, H. “Significance of epimuscular myofascial force transmission under passive muscle conditions.” Journal of Applied Physiology. 2018;126(5):1465–1473.

If you are the parent of a young athlete between the ages of 8 and 12 and are interested in their long-term athletic development, this may come as a surprise to you: the one thing they do not need at this time is a speed training program. Yes…you heard me correctly, they do not need a speed training program.

Worrying about their 40 times or pro agility tests is largely a waste of time at this age. Speed training programs are for older, adolescent athletes who are both physically and mentally mature and have developed a wide range of movement skills through proper foundational training and development. Most youth athletes are not physically prepared to take part in a speed training program because they have yet to develop the necessary physical foundation to express speed. As we will see later on, if your young athlete lacks the ability to balance on one foot for 15 seconds (which we see all the time), it may be a clue that they need a more remedial training program rather than an advanced one.

Most youth athletes are not physically prepared to take part in a speed training program because they have yet to develop the necessary physical foundation to express speed, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

Pushing young athletes to do any type of training program that they are not prepared to do (both physically and mentally) does not help anyone in the long run. Yes, the athlete may make a little progress at first, but they will never reap the benefits long term. And if the training program becomes a chore instead of being engaging and fun—in those cases, the athlete has little incentive to try hard.

Now, before all the track coaches and speed gurus start calling for my head, I want to make one point abundantly clear: I am in no way saying young athletes should not sprint. Quite the contrary, young athletes should be exposed to sprinting activities “all the time.” Sprinting is a fantastic activity for young athletes.

According to Dr. Mike Young, sprinting improves the communication pathways between your brain and body (which, for a young developing mind and body, seems very important), improves running mechanics, and trains many of the large athletic muscles of the lower body. All good stuff for the developing young athlete; however, they do not need to be on an advanced speed training program.

The Major Elements of Coordination

With young athletes, there should be no concern with shin angles, front side mechanics, or arm action drills, and no one should care about running specific times like the 40-yard dash. The sprinting activities that young athletes need to be exposed to should come in the form of ball games, races, pattern running, relays, and chasing activities like tag and invasion games. Children love the competitive nature of these types of activities and tend to put forth their best effort without even realizing it.

Along with lots of game-like activities, what athletes ages 8–12 really need is coordination training. Coordination is the foundation of all athletic skills. Coordination is not one singular ability, but a global system of interconnected elements. Many parents and coaches believe a child is either coordinated or uncoordinated, but that is not entirely true. Coordination has many elements that need to be developed simultaneously to improve athleticism or specific abilities—for example, like improving speed ability.

What athletes ages 8–12 really need is coordination training. Coordination is not one singular ability, but a global system of interconnected elements, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

Coordination is made up of seven or eight major elements, but for the purpose of this article, I will focus on the following five:

1. Balance and stability: A state of bodily equilibrium in either static or dynamic planes.
2. Rhythm: The expression of timing.
3. Spatial awareness: The ability to know where you are in space and in relation to objects.
4. Kinesthetic differentiation: The degree of force required to produce a desired result.
5. Reactive ability: The ability to respond with movement to a particular stimulus, such as sight, sound, or touch.

According to former MMA fighter and longtime strength coach Brian Grasso: Younger athletes who learn to master the elements associated with good coordination (balance, rhythm, spatial awareness, reaction, etc.) are far better off than athletes who are not exposed to this kind of exercise stimulation until advanced ages. This is an important point—even though athletes are capable of learning new skills at virtually any age, research has shown early exposure to be greatly beneficial to an athlete’s overall development. As Dr. Jozef Drabik notes in Children and Sports Training, coordination is best developed between the ages of 7 and 14, with the most crucial period being 10–13 years of age.

All young athletes will have varying strengths and weaknesses across these abilities. When I first work with a group of young athletes, I strategically set up the training session to include activities that will clue me in on how developed or undeveloped these abilities are.

Targeting Coordination in Training

As a full-time coach, I don’t have an abundance of time to walk each athlete through a specific movement assessment; instead, I informally screen the athletes with fun movement challenges. In short, I’m looking to see if the young athlete has the prerequisite ability to move well. This basic foundational movement ability will allow them to be successful and injury-free on the field of play. Think of it in terms of math skills: to be successful in advanced math, you need a good foundation of basic math skills like addition or subtraction. You don’t learn algebra in first grade.

For athletic development, it’s the same—children need to learn the basics of movement first, before doing an advanced training program or sport-specific skills. When I first work with a group of young athletes, I look to see how good they actually are at the basics. It’s a fun workout using some novel exercises and activities, while for me as the coach, it’s an opportunity to screen the athlete and get a good idea of their current level of athletic ability.

To get a better understanding of this training approach, let’s look at a typical training session and some examples of how we train for the development of coordination.

Static and Dynamic Balance

I ask the athletes to lay on the ground, then on my command, they stand up as fast as possible and balance on one leg without falling or touching the ground with the other foot for 15 seconds. We try this a few times on each foot, simply watching if the athlete can efficiently maintain balance. We then take the drill one step further by asking the athlete to balance and then hop in place, then side to side, and then in a circle.

Video 1. Rising from the ground challenges athletes to establish their balance and hops, jumps, and single leg squats are fun and foundational movements to progress into.

Finally, we use a small box for the athlete to hop up on and squat on one leg. The goal of the assessment is simple. We assess:

• Can the athlete stay up on one leg?
• Do they wobble, lose balance, or have to constantly adjust themselves by putting their other foot on the ground?
• Can they handle their own body weight while hopping?
• Can they squat down at least halfway without collapsing?

If the young athlete struggles with these tasks, that’s a clue they still need foundational work before moving to the advanced stuff that the parents and sport coaches always beg for.

How does balance relate to speed development? First off, sprinting is done on one leg. When one foot is on the ground, the other foot is off the ground, swinging through air. To sprint efficiently, the young athlete must be strong and stable when the foot hits the ground. Without good dynamic balance and stability, speed development is very difficult in the long term. Sprinting alone will not develop better balance and stability, and therefore these limitations will continue to hold the athlete back down the road.

Rhythm

My favorite way to look at rhythmic ability is simple: we ask the athlete to skip. First, we skip in a straight line. Then, we look at them skipping sideways, backward, zigzag, and finally while turning. Again, there is no perfect, set way to skip; however, with an average coaching eye, it’s easy to see which athletes have decent rhythmic ability and which ones don’t. Some things to take note of:

• Do they have to think about how to skip before doing it?
• Do they have cross-lateral movement (meaning, do their opposite arms and leg move together at the same time)?
• Can the athlete skip and also move in multiple directions?

Developing a good sense of rhythm at an early age can go a long way when learning more advanced sport-specific skills down the road, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

How does rhythm affect speed development? Speed is a nice combination of timing and force. The best sprinters seem to be able to not only produce a high amount of force but do it at exactly the right time. Developing a good sense of rhythm at an early age can go a long way when learning more advanced sport-specific skills down the road—and that includes the many rhythmic sprint drills that coaches love to have their athletes do.

Video 2. Forward, backward, lateral skips provide the opportunity to develop the cross-lateral movement pattern involved in countless sports skills.

Spatial/Body Awareness

Out of all the different coordination elements, spatial awareness is probably the most fun to implement. Again, spatial awareness is about the athletes knowing where they are in space and in relation to other objects—simply put, it’s your brain recognizing the environment it’s in and making the appropriate plan to navigate that environment. That is why we want young athletes to develop a wide and diverse movement skill set. The more options the brain must choose from, the more successful the movement outcome.

A great tool for this is to use a set of hurdles or hula hoops. We ask the young athletes to slowly step over and under a set of hurdles: Can they get over or under without knocking down the hurdle? Next, we move to a crawl: Can the athlete crawl under and over a set of hurdles or crawl through some hula hoops without hitting the sides?

Video 3. Common tools like cones, hoops, and PVC pipe can be used for a basic obstacle course to challenge the spatial awareness of young athletes.

This can be very challenging, as many young athletes are not used to being in this position. However, kids love the challenge of not hitting hoops or hurdles. It forces them to slow down and requires some effort to get through the course correctly instead of just speeding through it.

How important is spatial awareness in speed development? As you can probably guess, when a young athlete knows where their body parts are, how they feel and move will go a long way when teaching them different physical skills. When the body is used to moving in a variety of ways, it can micro-adjust when needed.

Most sports are not a linear game. The athlete has to deal with the ground and opponents on the field. The field may not be perfectly flat, or an opponent may suddenly appear out of nowhere. Good spatial awareness comes into play when adjustment is needed, which can mean the difference between staying free of injuries or getting injured and losing or winning the game.

Kinesthetic Differentiation

This is similar to body awareness. It’s the sense of knowing how much force a person needs to accomplish a task. A simple example is when you throw a ball to someone close, you throw it softly. When throwing a ball to someone far away, you need to throw the ball a bit harder. A great offensive lineman uses just enough force to keep the defense in front him. Too much force one way and the d-lineman may slip off in the other way.

Video 4. Jumping is not simply a matter of how high and how far, the ability for athletes to control their body in the air is also crucial.

Kinesthetic differentiation ability is precision ability. We use two different fun activities to screen and train this:

1. We ask the athlete to jump certain distances and land precisely on a spot or line on the floor. For example, jump forward off two feet and land as close to the line as possible. This can be done jumping forward, jumping sideways, or doing a 180-degree turn.
2. The other activity is called cone destruction—this is great because the athlete has to work hard to use the right force and aim to knock over the cones. There is also a fair bit of running involved, so this is a great conditioning/fitness activity. Because the activity is timed, young athletes get competitive and tend to work really hard without even realizing it.

How kinesthetic differentiation relates to speed development is simple. Intuitively knowing how much force to use for a certain task is important.

Reactive Ability

For most field and court sports, reactive ability will probably rank as number one when it comes to coveted abilities on the field of play. Reactive ability is simply decision-making ability. Most sports are played at a high speed in very chaotic situations. Having the ability to react and make the right decision quickly based on what the athlete may see or feel in front of them can be the difference between winning or losing (and not getting injured).

It’s one thing to make quick decisions, but the athlete must also have the movement toolbox to move in the correct way at the right time, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

Reactive ability is closely linked to other abilities, like balance and spatial awareness. It’s one thing to make quick decisions, but the athlete must also have the movement toolbox to move in the correct way at the right time. There are lots of ways to screen this ability:

• Using objects in the air.
• Using visual cues, like a coach pointing certain directions.
• Using audio cues, where the coach calls out certain directions.

A simple way to screen and train this ability is with a tennis ball. The coach stands behind the athlete and throws a ball in front of them. When the ball comes into view, the athletes sprint and grab the ball before its second bounce. Kids love the challenge of this drill, and it can give the coach some great insight on their current reaction ability.

Video 5. Game-based activities help kids develop agility, game speed, and the reactive ability to make quick decisions in competition.

How does this relate to speed development? Visuospatial awareness and peripheral vision are important in chaotic sports. Being able to have a sense of what is happening around the field even if the athlete is not directly looking that way is important—think of the no-look pass in basketball. With the tennis ball throw, the coach can get a sense of how fast the athlete can interpret the info (ball coming into view) and react to it.

Next, how fast can the athlete actually move to get the ball? Do they react fast but move slow on the first few steps? That’s a clue that the athlete may not be strong enough to get their body moving and will need to spend some time being able to handle their own body weight.

Sensitive Training Periods

As I mentioned, Jozef Drabik indicates that coordination is best developed from the ages of 7 to 14, with the most crucial period being between 10 and 13 years of age. This means that there are critical windows of development in children, also called windows of opportunity (ASM). During those pre-adolescent years, the central nervous system is highly plastic or adaptable. Meaning, with the right environment and input, we can develop and exploit these coordinative abilities to a much higher level than at any other time in life. For example, the best age to develop reactive ability for boys and girls is 8–10.

Armed with this information, we can make sure that when we work with children of this age range, the training environment is rich with reactive-type activities. We can then accelerate the learning of reactive abilities during this phase.

Before you can be great in any specific sport, you need to first become a decent all-around athlete, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

Before you can be great in any specific sport, you need to first become a decent all-around athlete. This starts in training by improving coordination and movement skill. An all-around skilled mover has the ability to learn sport-specific skills faster and has a wide foundation from which to build biomotor abilities like speed, power, and strength later on during adolescence.

With my athletes, I play the long game. We care very little about performance parameters during pre- and early adolescence. I realize for some coaches this is difficult in today’s results- and data-driven training industry. But to be a successful youth coach, you must develop a coaching eye.

I always encourage young coaches to learn to use their eyes before they worry about their stopwatch or weightroom numbers. How do they look? How do they move? Can they bend, reach, balance, hop, skip, and jump? After 20 years coaching, I can tell you a good mover is easy to get faster on the field and stronger in the weight room.

Become an expert at teaching movement skill. When these things are in place, speed will come along naturally. Remember, the kids are always growing. Mother Nature is making them stronger and faster every day. All we’re trying to do as coaches is exploit and elevate what she’s naturally doing.

Finally, let’s not forget the fun factor: young athletes are not mini-adults. They need less structure, less coaching, and lots of variation. Kids love trying new things, and when the novelty wears off, they want to try something else. Constantly and consistently exposing them to new activities and variations will keep it fun and keep them coming back each session. Then, one day out of nowhere, in the blink of an eye, they’ll walk in 5 inches taller, and they’ll be teenagers and ready for something new!

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

Wormhoudt, René, Savelsbergh, Geert J.P., Teunissen, Jan Willem, and Davids, Keith. Athletic Skills Model: First published 2018 by Routledge.

Drabik, Jozef. Children and Sports Training. Island Pond, VT: Stadion, 1996.

Gabbard, Carl, Elizabeth LeBlanc, and Susan Lowy. Physical education for children: Building the foundation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1994.

Grasso, Brian. “Coordination and Movement Skill Development – The key to long-term athletic development.” Mytpi.com. Improve My Game. 12/3/12.

In the last 3-5 years, the subject of optimal recovery has grown to near-cliché status in the human health and performance industry. It seems like every time I turn around there are new gadgets that help athletes better connect to their recovery, as well as push the needle in the right direction when they need to. With all the tools, techniques, and gadgets out there, it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

There’s a lot for coaches and athletes to filter when it comes to best practices in recovery, and it is way outside the scope of this article to try to cover it all. Instead, what I would like to do is provide simple, proven, and cost-effective strategies that can improve recovery using breathing techniques.

Once learned, breathing techniques are free to both coach and athlete, are virtually risk-free, and can be easily implemented into found time. This makes for an absolute no-brainer. Share on X

Once learned, breathing techniques are free to both coach and athlete, are virtually risk-free, and can be easily implemented into found time. This makes for an absolute no-brainer when deciding if you want to include these protocols on your menu of available options to improve overall adaptability and performance readiness.

Defining Recovery

Like most buzzwords, “recovery” has been overused to the point of a blandness akin to chewing on dry steel-cut oats. So it’s important that if we have a discussion about a tool to improve it, we agree upon a definition—at least while you’re reading this article. Recovery is usually thought of as the return to a normal state of mind and body: in biology, homeostasis. An interesting way to think of homeostasis is the sum range of tolerances inside an organism.

In human performance, we purposefully stress those humans in our care to elicit specific and predictable adaptations. As far as the animal kingdom is concerned, we are the only species (we know of) that purposefully doses ourselves and others with stress to elicit a prescribed adaptive response. I’ve never seen my dog running shuttles with a stopwatch in the backyard so he can finally catch that squirrel (that would be epic, though).

Of course, adding precise stress is only half of the picture. We then have to allow the system to return to a sufficient state of homeostasis that allows for more work to occur. If this cycle is repeated with proper frequency, intensity, and precision—bada bing! We are a-changin’!

Without getting too into the weeds on the aspects of specific training responses, one of the most reliable ways to measure readiness, in general, is with tools that connect to autonomic tone. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is our deepest neural circuitry and responds to all stress in the body by managing system-wide arousal states to meet the predicted demands of both acute and predicted stress by reacting to environmental cues.

Before I go on any further, I just want to make a point that I think is essential for all coaches to hear. Sport is a neck-up phenomenon. Exercise is a neck-up phenomenon. These are both artificial environments created by humans. Your ancient stress biology has no idea in holy hell what squats are. Or what football is. It only knows how far did this push us past what we are used to? How can we avoid this and/or be ready for the next time?

Onward.

There have been a variety of indicators of athlete readiness used over the course of sports performance history, both subjective and objective. I personally know world-class coaches who place heavy stock in athlete questionnaires. Subjective feedback from athletes certainly has a place in any coach’s toolkit, but it can be tainted by personality and perspective.

Subjective feedback from athletes certainly has a place in any coach’s toolkit, but it can be tainted by personality and perspective. Share on X

While subjective data is an important part of readiness systems, it has holes that require some objective resources. Due to the fact that the ANS is such a reliable tell of how the body has responded to increased stress (arousal), we use it as a catch-all indicator of athlete readiness.

When it comes to recovery at present, the gold standard of measurement is heart rate variability or HRV. As a rule, the more variable the heart rate, the better the recovery; the less varied, the more sympathetic and less recovered. There is certainly some nuance to this, but this summarizes the idea enough for our purposes.

What we are ultimately looking at in response to stress—training or otherwise—is if when we put our feet to the fire, the system can return itself to “normal” in a timely and energy-effective manner and be prepared to be dosed again.

Now that we have a clear operational definition of recovery, let’s tackle some obvious points before we talk about supplementing breathing techniques to enhance it. If you haven’t checked these boxes, know that the techniques that follow will only mitigate the cracks in the wall. Nobody gets to skip the basics.

How Breathing Helps

As a brief aside, I want to mention that when it comes to recovery, there are some essentials. Breath control, as much as I love it, is not one of them. The essentials are sleep, nutrition, and input management. This is an article about breathing techniques to improve recovery, but if you fail to cover these bases, you’re just breathing uphill, if you catch my drift.

So then if we agree that:

1. Being “recovered” is returning to a relative homeostatic state within tolerances that allow us to receive another dose of stress.
2. In general, this is best measured by autonomic tone (by HRV, for example).

Then, tools that help the autonomic nervous system return to a state of readiness are among the most helpful tools we can use.

The feedback loop between breathing and the ANS is bidirectional. This means your respiratory system responds to cues from the ANS that adjust both the rate and the depth of breathing from moment to moment, but the ANS can also receive cues from our breathing. These are complex and deeply interwoven into our physiological survival mechanisms, which help us both make efficient use of energy in the body for defense against external threats and maintain internal homeostasis.

Normally, the homeostatic feedback loop for our some 23,000 breaths per day is adjusting to our internal and external environments literally breath by breath for the entire time we are alive. The pulmonary and cardiovascular systems work in concert to supply oxygen to the body and remove carbon dioxide. Baro and chemoreceptors that live in the aorta and carotid arteries keep track of pH (metabolic stress residue is acidic) and let the heart and lungs know how often and how hard to work.

The ANS, and thus HRV, is affected by breath through both mechanical and biochemical means. Mechanically, the diaphragm has a direct impact on the fascial envelope around the heart as well as affecting hemodynamics through pressure changes in the thoracic cavity.¹ The relationship between the two is in direct response to breath rate and depth, which, if you recall, is controlled by the body’s response to arterial pH.

This means by controlling skeletal muscles (diaphragm and superficial trunk and neck muscles) you can slide the dimmer switch on the autonomic nervous system from more sympathetic (lower HRV) to more parasympathetic (higher HRV). Slow, purposeful breathing (to the tune of six breaths/minute) tips us toward the parasympathetic side of the ANS, allowing for better rest.

Small, purposeful, and regular doses of properly applied breathing techniques can have a strong effect on recovery in both the short and long term. Share on X

With that said, just because we do some slow breathing for one session, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to recover better all week long; however, small, purposeful, and regular doses of properly applied breathing techniques can have a strong effect on recovery in both the short and long term. This can have an aggregate effect over time that allows for faster and more complete rest, better recovery, and more energy to allocate toward performance.

Implementation Strategies

As with any tool, there are variances in individual applications, but there are some general approaches that are reliable and valid ways to improve recovery. When you first introduce new habits into your routine, microdose them into “found time.” Going from zero to hero with breathing will probably be short-lived, so instead use times that are congruent with these goals.

Protocol 1

Immediately after training is a great found time to include breath control techniques. This time is often spent talking smack with friends or looking at our phones while we pretend to cool down, so we might as well integrate some breathing into the mix.

Additionally, there is a tremendous problem with sleep dysfunction in our culture, and athletics is no exception (probably worse). Sleep hygiene is not the topic of this article, but one helpful sleep aid can be “tuning down” the system before bed with slow breathing techniques.

3-2-5 Resonance Breathing:

• Sit or lie comfortably.
• Inhale slowly through your nose for 3 seconds.
• Pause for 2 seconds.
• Exhale slowly out of your nose for 5 seconds.
• Try to use good mechanics. It matters!

This protocol is directly linked to the HRV research mentioned earlier. It coordinates the rhythms of the lungs, heart, and vascular system.

If you do the math, it is six breaths per minute. Five minutes of this, and you’ll be on your way to chill town.

Protocol 2

Breathe with purpose while you stretch or foam roll. You’ll get a bigger bang for your buck by including this easy-to-use protocol into already-planned cooldown sessions.

A great thing about breath control during these kinds of activities is that you’re having a conversation with the nervous system while you challenge tissues. That means you’ll have a deeper understanding of whether what you’re doing is perceived as a threat by the body or not.

This means you’ll be more precise in your application and yield better results for improving tissue quality, proprioception, and recovery all at once.

• Inhale slowly through your nose for 3 seconds.
• Pause for 3 seconds and at the same time isometrically contract the muscles you’re working on.
• Exhale for 4-8 seconds through your nose.
• Repeat 3-5 times while you work on the area in question.
• Practice good mechanics.

Recover Better

How well we recover from stress is a massive topic and one I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to better understand and explain. There are so many options that involve technology and a library of libraries on social media, experts with the newest this and the latest that to help you get back sooner and stronger.

There are many options to help recover from stress, but much of it is out of reach and unscalable across an entire team. Slow breathing works, it’s easy to learn, and it’s free. Share on X

Here’s the thing—much of this stuff works, but just as much of it is either bull crap or out of reach and unscalable. I love ice baths but scaling ice baths for an entire high school cross country team is out of reach for most. Same for sauna. Same for Normatec boots. And so on.

Slow breathing is such a great tool because it works, it’s easy to learn, and it’s free. An average middle school soccer player can use it to great benefit and so can the MVP of the All-Star Game in the NBA.

Start with the small steps in this article and aim to use them frequently and with a focus on the quality of the application. I promise that you will not find a more ubiquitous recovery tool anywhere.

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

Resources

1. Russo, Marc A., Santarelli, Danielle M., and O’Rourke, Dean. “The Physiological Effects of Slow Breathing on the Healthy Human.” Breathe. 2017;13(4):209-309.

2. Li, Changjun, Chang, Qinghua, Zhang, Jia, and Chai, Wenshu. “Effects of slow breathing rate on heart rate variability and arterial baroreflex sensitivity in essential hypertension.” Medicine. 2018;97(18):p e0639.

3. West, John B. Respiratory Physiology, The Essentials, Tenth Edition.

4. Levy, Matthew. Cardiovascular Physiology, Ninth Edition.