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Most speed, power, and combat sports directly involve the hip flexors. Specifically, any time an athlete takes a step to sprint, the knee must drive forward. Football kickers and soccer strikers must generate massive amounts of power to kick the ball a long distance; meanwhile, in wrestling, grappling, and Jiu-Jitsu, the athlete must whip their leg through when taking a shot for formidable takedowns. Generally, strength and length in the hip flexors (lower abdominals) help counter the anterior pelvic tilt that predominates extension patterns found in sport.

On a day-to-day basis, coaches often have limited acute time frames when training their athletes. As a result, important musculature like the hip flexor (iliopsoas) and specific movement patterns can get neglected. Most information on performance musculature recirculates the emphasis on the posterior chain, which is certainly important for projection and acceleration in field and court sports.

But, can you recall the last time you read about or heard another coach talk about the psoas? It’s probably been a while (or maybe the last time you glanced at an old Soviet manual or dealt with an injured back from a physio perspective).

Coaches frequently rely on sprinting and isolated abdominal work to train this muscle group. While this thinking is not without pragmatic reasoning—as the iliopsoas is highly involved in sprinting and engaged any time the trunk is drawn toward the lower limbs (and vice versa)—the hip flexors are poorly isolated given their cooperation with the abdominals. Still, the hip flexors remain underdeveloped in most sprinters and field athletes.¹

A Quick Anatomical Lesson

The iliopsoas muscle groups consist of three muscles:

• Iliacus
• Psoas major
• Psoas minor

The origin of the iliopsoas group, beginning in the thoracic spine (T12) and inserting in the lower femoral trochanter, reveals a unique geography that simultaneously connects front to back and lower to upper. All of these have a major role in pure hip flexion, as well as tertiary roles of spinal stabilization and externally rotating the femur.² Knowing this, you can rationalize the polarizing approaches in “training” this muscle group.

Resiliency and Performance

In a “deeper” sense (pun somewhat intended), the psoas is the deepest muscle of the body.

“The psoas major joins the upper body and the lower body, the axial to the appendicular skeleton, the inside to the outside, and the back to the front. Without this muscle, we would not be able to stand upright or lift our legs to walk. This is because it’s the only muscle to connect the spine with the legs.”³

We must understand that flexibility of any joint goes further than the ability to passively stretch tissues advocated by experts. Share on X

Given this connection and anatomical location, the psoas functions as a major performance driver as well as a buttress for the lower spine. Yogis, chiros, and physios have focused their attention to this latter aspect, addressing “flexibility” and bracing as the keys to alleviating pain and dysfunction. These well-meaning practitioners seem to exclusively apply passive ROM work, neglecting the highly dynamic nature of ROM in sporting movements. This includes the reflexive nature of movement (governed by the brain) and the intermuscular coordination between agonist/antagonist muscle groups (result of the reflexive response). I will not delve deep into the neuro waters here, but we must understand that flexibility of any joint goes further than the ability to passively stretch tissues advocated by experts.

One such contradiction I’ve found stems from this performance-protection paradox. Dr. Stuart McGill wrote: “Power running events require hip flexion power. Top end speed is limited by the recovery of the leg in flexion, not a lack of hip extension power. Many who train with the power philosophy end up with a bad back via large psoas contractions that place high loads on the spine. Highly repetitive exercise in this regime exacerbates the problem, can be combatted by maintain spine stability via braced & neutral spine.”⁴

As sound as this advice appears, maintaining stability (bracing) in a high-speed environment is highly reflexive and dependent on optimal co-contractions upon ground strike. I would contend the actions of sprinting are too fast for the brain to stop to think about bracing, especially from a verbal cue—lest we risk moving significantly slower.

In contrast, Bosch states, “In sprinting and running sports the performance open chain pattern is limited by the coordination of the psoas and abdominals in the knee drive action.”¹ Here is a quick picture of the action during a sprint:

• At toe off, the psoas powerfully drives the knee forward while stabilizing the lumbar spine (especially in unilateral motion/frontal plane) and rotating the pelvis forward (transverse plane).
• At the same time, the lower abdominals counter the anterior tilt of the pelvic movement (sagittal plane), all within the blink of an eye.

This instantaneous co-contraction to stabilize the pelvis allows the iliopsoas to contract powerfully.¹ Any lack of inter/intramuscular coordination will result in a performance bleed. This may be seen with athletes who demonstrate significant backside movement due to a severely anteriorly rotated pelvis in the sagittal plane and/or crossover gait due to poor lumbar stability in the frontal plane.

In my mind, optimal training of the hip flexor group happens unilaterally when the other leg is in stance or working in an extension pattern. My guess is that the grounded leg provides the counter to hip flexion, providing pelvic stability (in all planes) necessary to train dynamic, powerful movements safely by coordinating the extension musculature on the opposite side (both of which are designed to act and be trained powerfully).¹

In short, coaches need to go beyond stretching and bracing to train the psoas muscle group. Share on X

In short, coaches need to go beyond stretching and bracing to train the psoas muscle group. Combining basic strength training with longer ranges of motion (general) and reflexive (SST) movements will better serve athletes in simultaneously training the psoas for both functions.

General to Specific/Slow to Fast

In light of these factors, I’ll provide the some of the exercises we use in our progression. As in all good practices, we start with more general selection with the foresight of applying more specific drills as improvement in strength and form takes hold. In our general selections, we emphasize balance, posture, position, and range of motion:

• Balance: Workload of limb-to-limb and front-to-back (glute/ extension work).
• Posture: Assuming spinal/pelvic posture necessary for overall stability.
• Position: Ensuring the limbs are in tow with the line of force forms the resistance.
• Range of motion: Working the entire functional range of motion of the working limb.

General Training

These aspects fit in a continuum where we want to begin with a posture that allows our limbs to finish in the proper positions to stress the muscles in the fullest range of motion that can be attained. A mouthful for sure, but think of it as beginning and ending a stable posture—nothing should go loose. In order for the athlete to “feel” for pressures all around the body, the coach should have them stop and hold the stretched and contracted ends of the movements.

Here are drills we use for general strength exercises for the hip flexors.

Video 1: Hip flexor exercises designed to build strength and resiliency, which can work in a warm-up, as a timed-circuit, or as a finisher.

1. Psoas Sit-Up

First referred to by Mel Siff and brought to recent prominence by superheavyweight powerlifting great Donnie Thompson. This bilateral variant trains the proximal end of the psoas in conjunction with the spinal flexors. The unanchored, wide stance forces the bulk of the work to be taken by the upper part of the psoas and abdominals from the bottom position. Upon completing the movement at the top, the quadratus lumborum (QL) and psoas act synergistically to stabilize the pelvis and lumbar spine.

2. DUPA Walk

This drill extends the position above but adds an element of gait to the equation. This action exaggerates pelvic movement in all three planes and coordinates shoulder movement. The slow action will allow you to “feel your way” through the pattern and provide a therapeutic effect to the psoas, QL, and abdominals. Raising the arms above the head will increase the demand on the trunk muscles, and both of these drills fit nicely into general trunk training.

Video 2. The kettlebell knee raise, two-way kettlebell knee raise, and supine knee drive to develop psoas strength in multiple planes.

3. Standing Knee Lift

This drill uses a free weight load on the foot fixed with a kettlebell or strapped dumbbell. Execute by standing on one leg and driving the knee to the ceiling above navel level. This will force the non-working leg to act as an anchor to stabilize pelvic movement, which brings it toward the specific end.

4. Supine Knee Drive

Although this can actually qualify as an SST drill, I’ll put this in a general category since it requires a free weight. This drill allows the athlete to learn where the accentuation of force is during upright running. While lying supine on a table or raised surface (3-4 feet above the floor), the working leg begins as close to the 210-degree hip flexion position as realized in max velocity sprinting or mid/long distance running.^5,6 The knee is driven toward the sky and movement is terminated when the working foot is even with the hips—the knee does not go above the navel in this exercise.

5. Supine Knee Drive with Hip Extension

This is a progression of the supine knee drive. The setup and execution are identical, except that we add in hip extension as the working knee passes the hips. This strengthens the scissors action (contralateral) realized in sprinting, and both drills are great for bridging the gap from general to specific.

Video 3. Flywheel exercises to substitute for running drills or as part of an eccentric-based GPE circuit.

6. Lying High Knee

This drill is done with a low cable or flywheel device attached to the ankle. The proximal portion of the psoas is accentuated here, as the knee is driven toward the head above the navel. If you use a cable, then slowly lower to the bottom position—for a flywheel, lower at the same pace you raise it (a more forceful pull equals a more forceful lowering).

I list this drill in the general repertoire, but it is a sort of “tweener.” Although the drill is unilateral and utilizes the contralateral pressure of the non-loaded limb, it lacks specificity to the stance position and amplitude (accentuation of force) in running except in the acceleration position. The psoas major is also generally most active when the knee is above the navel when the torso is stable.⁷

***For both variations, you also turn the knee laterally as you lift it to work the external rotation moment. This will add some dexterity and strength to those nooks and crannies.

For specific exercises (or better termed, SST), the aim is to drive transfer of strength to a skill. The concepts, drills, and application of Specialized Strength Training was developed and perfected by Drs. Michael Yessis, Yuri Verkoshanksy, and Anatoliy Bondarchuk. These brilliant pragmatic minds sought to merge general strength into the competitive movement skills. Their approach led to the development of five criteria that could be met in varying degrees to determine transfer:

1. The amplitude/direction of the movement: The ROM and plane of joint action.
2. The accentuated region of force production: Joint angle where the muscular effort is most active/preset.
3. The muscle groups involved: The muscles (groups) that are drivers of performance.
4. The rate and time of maximum force production: How fast do these muscles produce force (RFD) and how long is it maintained?
5. The regime of muscular work: Concentric, eccentric, and combined, as well as energy system dependence cyclic versus acyclic.

Not all the criteria need be met; the idea, however, is the more that are, the higher the transfer. The key here is to not wrack your mind with trying to squeeze in everything all the time but do what your resources allow you to do. After all, the use of the weight room and jumping exercises were developed out of necessity when specific/competitive exercises were limited in cold weather climates.

In specific stages, we aim to meet the above criteria in these ways.

• Portion of accentuation of force: In sprinting, this happens at 210 degrees of hip flexion.
• Type of contraction: Concentrically, eccentrically, combined, and progression of movement speed.
• Coordination/Timing: Will happen when combining fast eccentric with concentric and adding reactive elements (slight application of stumble reflex).

Video 4. Specialized strength training (SST) exercises inspired by Yessis, Verkhoshansky, and Bondarchuk for running and striking.

Here are some of the most used drills in our progression playing off versions from the exercise Dr. Yessis developed for.

1. The Yessis Knee Drive

The classic drill advocated by Dr. Yessis uses a cable device or elastic resistance (each will give a different effect). The athlete assumes a standing position facing away from the anchor, beginning with the leg behind the hips before driving the knee forward. Hold the backward and forward positions to “feel” the stretch and contraction of the hip flexors. To build some rhythm of repeated movement, you can also use a flywheel device.

2. Plyometric Knee Drive

The same setup as the classic knee drive, except you begin with the knee forward. From here, the athlete will “punch” their leg back (by flexing the glute) and quickly rebound to the start position and hold. This drill will train the hip flexors explosively. For those with a problematic back, you can load the strap around the thigh instead of the ankle. This drill will also carry over to sports that involve kicking an implement (soccer) or a human being (MMA).

3. The Reactive Knee Drive

I developed this drill as an offshoot and bridge to the combination lunge and knee drive developed by Yessis. The start position will be the same as the plyometric knee drive, except the athlete will play “hot feet” with the floor by quickly striking the ground just behind the hip to set up the non-anchored foot to quickly step slightly forward before returning to start position. This is my attempt at utilizing the “stumble reflex” to intensify the contraction response. 

Video 5. Athlete performs speed drills with ankle weights as a pre-sprint warm-up or loading option in a contrast method.

Finally, I’ll add a very simple and maybe overlooked application to train the hip flexors with a larger degree of transference—this just takes loading the shank during classic track warm-up exercises like marching, skipping, bounding, and specialty running. In the video, I use ankle weights, and I believe I remember Håkan Andersson recommending this in a podcast (though the source eludes me at the moment).

A very simple and maybe overlooked application to train the hip flexors with a larger degree of transference is to load the shank during classic track warm-up exercises. Share on X

You can also use weighted wearables like the gear from Lila, which—shameless plug—just so happen to available on this website. If you’re a coach who values developing the entire athletic system, then I know you’ll find these drills highly valuable in your quest to developing strength in all the nooks and crannies.⁸

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. Bosch, Franz. Strength Training & Coordination: An integrated Approach. 2010. Uitgevers.

2. “Functions of the iliopsoas muscle (preview) – 3D Human Anatomy| KenHub,” Learn Human Anatomy YouTube page. January 9, 2020.

3. Wicks, Rosemarie. “Psoas – the muscle of the soul,” naturalhealthcourses.com. June 27, 2016.

4. McGill, Stuart. Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance. 5th Edition. Back Fit Pro Inc. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada 2009.

5. Siff, Mel C. and Verkoshansky, Yuri. Supertraining. 6th Edition. SSTM Rome 2009.

6. Yessis, Michael. Explosive Running. Ultimate Athlete Concepts, 2011.

7. McGill, Stuart. “Mark Bell’s Power Project Ep 488.” YouTube. Time stamp 1:26:54–1:34:15.

8. The Kneesovertoesguy. “How to Bulletproof Your Hip Flexors.” YouTube. 1:40 mark.

To be, or not to be, a multisport athlete—that is the question.

The answer? Like so many other things, it depends.

I’ve found that coaches encourage athletes to play multiple sports to improve overall athleticism and fill buckets of performance that they may not tap into within their “main” sport. Unfortunately, this virtuous and well-intended idea has, in practice, become riddled with little-to-no context, poor application, and limited transferability, making “multisport athlete” yet another buzzword in the sports performance industry.

While most (if not all) coaches understand the importance that different performance qualities ultimately play across the variety of sports, positions, and playing styles athletes are exposed to, the execution on the coaches’ end is lacking—particularly when it comes to track and field directly translating to and improving other court and field sports.

As a former athlete and current coach, having dealt with the supposed performance pipeline of football players running track to get better at football (primarily wide receivers, running backs, and defensive backs), I’m not seeing that realistically play out in real time. At least not on a large (or large enough) scale to justify the hard push.

If the only goals of pushing field and court sport athletes to run track are to improve speed and provide a source of off-season competition, but the means of doing so come at the cost of the athletes:

• Enjoying themselves
• Understanding the context
• Neglecting, or even damaging, physical traits crucial for their primary sport

…Then what’s the point?

In this article, I will counter the idea that football players, and any other field or court sport athletes, need to join the track team in the off-season to improve their performance on the field and/or court.

*Disclaimer: Track and field is one of my favorite sports to watch, and the primary reason I watch the Summer Olympics.

Definitions

Sport: “Any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills…” – Wikipedia

Athleticism: “The physical qualities that are characteristic of athletes, such as strength, fitness, and agility.” – Dictionary.com

An understanding of these two definitions should start to clarify the issues with pushing track as a team-sport performance enhancer to all other sports and reveal the path to a clearer solution.

In the game of football, the qualities, skills, and abilities include—but are not limited to—speed (linear and multidirectional); agility; power; strength; “physicality” (for lack of a better term); and a basic understanding of game rules, techniques, and tactics (i.e., blocking, tackling, catching).

Track and field requires and builds speed, speed endurance, and power, and in a best-case scenario, it promotes efficient sprint mechanics. This is not a slight.

Speed and power are important qualities in American football. Speed and power are also important qualities in track and field. These are things we know and understand.

However, the issue arises when track is used as a tool to enhance speed and/or power for a sport with minimal relation to track performance.

As a coach (former track and field, current football, and strength and conditioning for multiple others), I’ve seen just about every version of high school athlete participate in track because:

• They were trying to get better for another sport (a noble venture).
• It’s “easy.”
• Their friends begged them to.

Out of all of the athletes I’ve had the opportunity to work with, only a handful actually reaped benefits that were transferable to another sport, says @KoachGreen_. Share on X

Out of all of the athletes I’ve had the opportunity to work with, only a handful actually reaped benefits that were transferable to another sport. Were there improvements? Absolutely. Did these improvements show up in another arena? Seldom. Football players who ran track in the spring and then came back out for football in the summer were visibly more efficient in their running and sprinting, but often lacked control in deceleration, game agility, and change of direction ability.

Enjoyment = Improvement

There is an abundance of information and research available that shows physical activity (and sport participation) improves the mental and emotional health of children (and adults). But what if the individual doesn’t enjoy the activity they’re participating in?

It is my belief (because of science) that when sport is truly enjoyed, there is a dopamine spike and “higher levels of dopamine can lead to feelings of euphoria, bliss, and enhanced motivation and concentration.”¹

Enhanced motivation and concentration, in turn, will lead to greater bouts of effort, which will then eventually lead to improvement.

That being said, I believe the inverse to be true as well. When sport and physical activity is not truly enjoyed, there is no release of dopamine, leading to a lack of motivation and concentration.

Track practice is like no other sport practice I know of: There are very specific skills, traits, and qualities being honed, and at times, it can be pretty tough both physically and mentally. With a lack of motivation, those practices and often mundane activities can grow old fast for a youth athlete, and it can be a monumental task for coaches to keep their undivided attention. Especially these days, when research shows that on average, “children ages 8-12 in the United States spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens and teens spend up to 9 hours.”²

Forcing or manipulating an individual to participate in any activity removes the enjoyment from it and leads to a decreased probability of any optimal benefit coming from that participation. Share on X

Forcing or manipulating an individual to participate in an activity removes the enjoyment from it and leads to a decreased probability of any optimal benefit coming from that participation.

Context Is Key

Football players need—and should want—to get faster and more “explosive.” In between whistles, football is a high-intensity, fast-paced game that the longer you play, year to year, the faster and more explosive it gets. There are, however, varying types of speed.

There is speed-ability (how fast you are physically capable of moving through space) and then there is speed-skill (also commonly known as game speed).

In his book, Game Changer, Fergus Connolly discusses the “Four-Coactive Model” for performance: physical, technical, tactical, and psychological. For the purpose of this article, as it relates to football, I believe psycho-physical, and techni-tactical should be joined as such.

Racing against either an opponent or the clock is in no way the same as running even one play on the football field. The physiological demands of both activities are similar, but not nearly identical. We can make the same comparison between the training of change of direction and agility. While the basic fundamentals of the simplest aspect of each have overlapping points, their functionality and execution are separate existences.

Below, I have created tables of the most comparable activities/positions between football and track and field to visually represent what each takes to perform effectively.

Again, this is a general overview of the events and activities stated, but as you can see, there are very few—if any­—similarities in their execution.

Now, if we’re looking at specific qualities that track practice and meets can help to develop (i.e., acceleration, max velocity, “explosive power”), then yes, there are more similarities that can be matched up. But in regard to playing football, those similarities do not exist much outside of the first .5 seconds of any given play.

The speed ability that helps one excel, or even just survive, in a football game can be developed with the track and field program, but the game speed that is required cannot. The many variables of the techni-tactical type that are necessary for football players are specific to the game, development, and preparation process of football in and of itself.

The fastest athlete on the track in the 100m or 200m can be virtually nonexistent on the field as a wideout if he does not have: the appropriate knowledge of the game and his position; the ability to maneuver near, around, and sometimes through a defensive player; or the technical ability to catch a ball.

Let’s take two hypothetical wide receivers, and their (again, hypothetical) performance numbers:

It is safe to assume that WR1 would be the starter and/or primary receiving target and threat. While WR2 lacks “track speed” or the speed ability of WR1, based on these hypothetical numbers, he is the better technical football player: a better pass catcher, a better route runner, and a better blocker. That being said, he could most certainly benefit from speed training.

This speed training can come in the form of joining and competing on the track team—indoor and outdoor—in events that are directly related to acceleration and max velocity: 55-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and short sprint relays.

Other options, though, are a great strength and conditioning program offered via the sport coach, a strength and conditioning coach within the school’s athletic program, or privately in their community. (Not all high schools have a strength and conditioning coach on staff, but information is readily and plentifully available for sport coaches to do an effective job.) With these three options, the speed development program can be tailored specifically within the context of football.

While track is the primary option for speed improvement—as running faster is the sole task for a number of events—it is not the only option, says @KoachGreen_. Share on X

While track is the primary option for speed improvement—as running faster is the sole task for a number of events—it is not the only option.

I made a very similar, and admittedly less intelligible, point on Twitter.

Track doesn’t make you a better football player.

Being good at football makes you a better football player.

The “guys excelling at football because of track” rhetoric is a lie.

They excel at both because they’re good athletes.

Cut it out.

@KoachGreen_
April 14, 2021

Needless to say, this tweet initially didn’t go over so well with a few track and field coaches and enthusiasts, as well as a surprising amount of current and former football players and coaches.

After the Internet dust had settled and discussions and deeper conversations were had amongst those who opposed and those who agreed, there seemed to be a consensus that people understand this truth—a sport can only really be improved by engaging in the actions of that sport.

And without speculating, the initial outcry was brought out because:

• Track and field at the high school and collegiate level is “under attack,” since it’s not as big a player as football and basketball in the financial aspects of their institutions and athletic programs.
• Coaches and athletes directly and indirectly involved in track and field are doing their best to lift up the name of the sport and are encouraging as many people to be a part of it as possible.
• And unfortunately, there is a small but effective set of individuals who are taking full advantage of the “speed kills” push happening in the sports performance industry.

In doing so, there has been a naturally developing narrative that:

In-Season Football Player + Off-Season Track participation = Better In-Season Football Player

Unfortunately, the equation is one of physics and sports science, not simple arithmetic.

Skills Pay the Bills

As defined earlier, athleticism is “physical qualities… such as strength, fitness, and agility.” We can throw speed and power in with those qualities because that’s what they are: physiological attributes that can be trained and adapted.

But those athletic qualities do not guarantee success in sport.

While track and field can aid in the improvement of speed development and running economy, it does not account for agility, physical interactive play with the opposition, opponent reactivity, decision-making, techni-tactical skills, and the bioenergetics necessary.

This is not to say one sport is better or easier than the other. Both are difficult in their own right. And I could argue that track may be more difficult.

The point is, individual sports are different, require their own individual training protocols, and cannot be used exclusively for the improvement of another.

The point is, individual sports are different, require their own individual training protocols, and cannot be used exclusively for the improvement of another, says @KoachGreen_. Share on X

A young wide receiver who joins the track team after his freshman year in high school with hopes of improving his speed can be assisted in that endeavor—with appropriate coaching and guidance of course—but may still be terrible if he returns in the fall and cannot block, run a route, or catch sufficiently.

A lineman who joins the track team to throw shot and/or discus to improve his footwork and power may acquire a good glide/kick step for pass blocking and a decent “punch,” but the amount of strength and force-absorbing abilities he needs to actually stay in a pass set with a rusher, or just run block in general, may still be lacking.

A great track program can yield an average (or in some cases, worse) football player. A great football program can yield a below-average wrestler. Sports are not connected in the way people advertise them. They are interconnected by qualities:

• Speed
• Power
• Strength
• Agility
• Etc.

The presence of these qualities, in and of themselves, will not and has never made any single person better at a technically inclined sport. Instead, what these qualities do is create better athletes who, with appropriate preparation tactically, technically, and psychologically, can utilize them to be better in a sport.

They create an advantage. But advantages alone are useless if used inefficiently. Remember David and Goliath?

In conclusion, if the aim is to improve in the sport of football, the best way to do so is by playing and practicing football. If the goal is to improve the qualities that are intertwined within the sport of football (i.e., speed and power), then track can be the best option if, like every other sport, competent, qualified coaches are at the helm.

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. Eske, J. “Dopamine vs. serotonin: Similarities, differences, and relationship.” Medical News Today. August 19, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326090#relationship

2. AACAP. “Screen Time and Children.” American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. February 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx.

For more than a year now, society has had to drastically change the way it operates to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries, states, and cities around the world have been forced to balance the safety of their citizens with keeping businesses open in order to prevent a total economic collapse. Too few regulations have been met with the repercussions of higher case rates and too many regulations have been met with resistance from civilians, as they are unable to work, socialize, and maintain their livelihoods in such uncertain times. On many occasions, there has been some type of regulation placed on the utilization of gyms, training facilities, and the like to prevent the spread of the virus; whether by limiting the number of people allowed in a facility, mandating masks throughout, or closing all gym facilities completely until further notice.

This has presented many issues in training, as athletes have long depended on relatively unrestricted access to resources in the weight room to develop alongside their team and coaches throughout the year. With facilities under different regulations, athletes and coaches have been challenged to find creative ways to train to avoid losing all of the progress they’d made until the pandemic hit.

I’ve seen more athletes performing isometrics with pickup trucks, flipping tractor tires, and swinging sledgehammers than ever before. I’m both encouraged and inspired to see so many of our community leaders and young athletes finding solutions to stay in shape without their usual performance tools and equipment. It goes to show just how resilient humans can be when we brainstorm to find ways to solve problems and situations that otherwise would prevent us from being great.

Given the circumstances of the pandemic and what I’ve seen…there are more conventional & safer ways to continue to build force production capacity when traditional training isn’t easily accessible. Share on X

Given the circumstances of the pandemic and what I’ve seen, I think there are more conventional and safer ways to continue to build force production capacity when traditional training isn’t easily accessible. There is a false notion that an athlete must be lifting a barbell in order to perform any meaningful strength work. While it may be easier to throw plates on a barbell and lift to progressively overload training, you don’t always need a ton of resistance to improve your explosiveness. If unable to find challenging resistance, you can still get a great quality training session by altering the velocity, sets, reps, and rest intervals (among other things) to challenge the body in different ways and continue to improve in a meaningful way.

Adding a Final Touch to Medicine Ball Throws

It may seem odd to some, but an extremely effective way to improve power is to start incorporating medicine ball throws into your training program. The beauty of the medicine ball is that it can be utilized in a multitude of ways, ranging from a simple chest pass to the overhead backward toss, a jump to throw variation, slam, and much more. The fact that they are relatively light in weight compared to the weight you might put on a bar for a back squat or deadlift allows the athlete to perform the movements with much more velocity than they’re used to. In my experience, it has served as a great key performance indicator because as medicine ball throws improve in various planes, I have also tended to see gains in the broad jump, vertical jump, triple broad jump, 10-yard sprint, and bar speed in the weight room.

Medicine balls come in a variety of weights to allow you to continue to challenge the athlete in new ways. There are some coaches who don’t believe medicine balls should ever be heavier than 6-8 pounds, while there are others who believe you should exclusively use medicine balls that are 10-12 pounds or heavier for it to carry over. I recommend starting somewhere in the middle as an initial assessment, and you can increase or decrease the weight based on what you see. It is also worth being mindful of the diameter of the ball as it can significantly affect the throwing capacity of each athlete.

There are many ways you can assess the medicine ball throws over time, and I know that there may be differences out there. A common method is to compare the body weight of the athlete with the weight of the ball and then use that ratio to objectively grade the medicine ball throw. How far did the 150-pound athlete throw a 15-pound medicine ball? How long was the medicine ball in the air on a vertical throw? What is the max velocity of the ball?

Pay close attention to the projection angles and make sure that you’re coaching the loading, swing, and release phases appropriately. A few degrees in one direction or the other can be the difference between a flat laser beam throw, a moon toss, and an incredible throw.

Video 1. An example of what I call “popcorn throws,” in which an athlete or group of athletes performs max throws for height off of the bounce of the previous throw. It keeps all athletes engaged, provides opportunities for intra group competition during the exercise, and most importantly, it’s fun!

In 2001, Barry Stockbrugger and Robert Haennel published a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that showed overhead backward medicine ball throws are both reliable and valid measures of explosion with regard to total body movements and general athletic abilities. Personally, I use this test along with the between the legs forward (BLF) throw for power testing. I also like to use the chest pass, rotational throws, popcorn throws, and reactive catapult throws for development.

You don’t have to include a ton of throws for a good CNS response. I’ve had good success with my athletes using 1-3 sets of 3-5 throws and choosing anywhere from 1-3 variations depending on which part of the season they’re in, how long I’ve been working with them, the sport(s) they play, what they’re doing outside of my sessions with their teams, and myriad other factors. Additionally, if you notice the distances begin to fall off, it may be a good time to take set rest or end the throws entirely. You may have overestimated their readiness for what you had planned for them and getting ahead of it is extremely important as you may be reaching a point of diminishing returns and digging them into a deficit.

Sprinting for Deep Neuromuscular Adaptions

The ultimate exercise to both express and develop speed and power is sprinting. No matter which form it takes, proper sprinting is an extremely potent stimulus that, under the right circumstances, has acceptable risk with substantial rewards.

In the weight room, even with velocity-based training, a fast rep is when the bar is moving 1-1.3 m/s or slightly faster. For traditional weightlifting standards, this is the extent of “speed” and power training, and for some readers, these velocities may seem eye-popping. On the track, a 1.00 m/s average velocity would be the equivalent of a 100-second 100-meter dash, whereas a competitive high school time would be anywhere from the low 11-second to the high 10-second range (around 9-9.3 m/s average velocity).

Sprinting allows us to prime and improve the maximum potential of the CNS, the rate that it recruits motor units, the number of motor units recruited, subsequent force outputs, and the ability to contract and relax quickly as our muscles switch on and off throughout the stride cycle. Can you guess what other activities may benefit from these qualities being improved upon? You guessed it: jumping, throwing, changing direction, and lifting, along with a laundry list of other important athletic attributes. Time and time again, I’ve seen athletes with relatively little weightlifting experience, formal jump training, medicine ball work, etc. put up insane numbers when performing testing following the speed training work that they do with me. Sprint training really is THAT powerful.

The biggest mistake many coaches make is overvaluing the benefits of conditioning while overlooking the massive training effects that can be unlocked with maximum effort sprinting. Share on X

The biggest mistake many coaches make is overvaluing the benefits of conditioning while overlooking the massive training effects that can be unlocked with maximum effort sprinting. Conditioning can be done through properly structured team practices by repeatedly exposing athletes to the demands of the sport. What team sports don’t typically achieve is maximal speed efforts that lead to further development. Setting aside time in structured training to do maximal short sprint work (0-60 yards), whether socially distanced or remotely, can be the missing link that begins to tip the scales in your favor.

Video 2. Sprinting, the ultimate plyometric, takes an athlete out of their comfort zone to perform coordinated, repeated, violent limb swings that require optimal core control for adequate performance. If a sprint quality is lacking—such as stiffness, limb velocity, striking mechanics, posture, or any other attribute that is important to performance—the overall sprint times will suffer accordingly. Being able to screen for these deficiencies provides coaches with opportunities to audit their own programming and provide individualization to address the deficits in their athletes.

Mastering, Managing, and Modifying Plyometrics

In team sports, many times plyometrics are used to warm up or fill time, but rarely are they tediously prescribed or performed with a given focus in mind (from what I’ve seen). I recently shared an article outlining the benefits of proper plyometric prescription, and I believe they’re a great complement to max effort sprint training. I don’t tend to use them as a filler, but rather, I use them as movement prep and a CNS primer prior to sprinting.

Think about the high jumpers and long jumpers who progress over time. While technical improvements are certainly pivotal in making these gains, the biggest differential for many is the ability to produce a lot of force very quickly and orient it in the right direction at the right point in time. The more you practice something, the better you get.

So how do you think these athletes are improving their jump measures? It is not from random plyometrics sprinkled throughout the program (though some of them may be helping), but rather, performing high jump, long jump, and exercises that resemble the demands of their competitive events in training. For team sport athletes, a blend of activities that require accelerating, decelerating, changing directions, or lateral, rotational, or backward movements along with reactionary components serve the athletes well in developing the whole package.

The key is we need to ensure these drills are advancing and redirecting the center of mass throughout. If the feet are just moving really fast and the center of mass isn’t moving in a meaningful way, we need to coach the athlete up or spend our time on other drills that will progress those attributes.

A simple bang for your buck is using the vertical jump or broad jump tests to double as training modalities to improve speed and power, says @BrendanThompsn. Share on X

A simple bang for your buck is using the vertical jump or broad jump tests to double as training modalities to improve speed and power. Progressions may consist of double leg stance, stagger stance, single leg, assisted or resisted variations of each, and then chaining jumps together with and without obstacles. Another way to alter these is to change the landing parameters. Some coaches prefer to have athletes stick landings, while others prefer to limit ground contact times as much as possible. Working each in isolation and then mixing them together in various phases throughout training will likely yield the best results, as we are working every aspect of athletic development rather than only one piece of it.

If we focus in too much on one-dimensional drills and training, a lot is left on the table. An example of this would be an athlete who focuses too much on lateral movements and not linear. They may be shifty and good at mirroring athletes at lower speeds, but they may not have the breakaway speed to run away or run down an opponent.

On the flip side, an athlete who is too focused on linear work may have the wheels to get into position to make a play but lack the deceleration and reactionary capacity to finish the job. It’s best from a plyometric standpoint to develop the totality of the athlete to improve qualities that they’ll call upon frequently during competition. This will allow them to thrive in uncertain conditions and ultimately maximize their playmaking abilities along the way.

Video 3. There are virtually no limits to plyometric prescription other than a coach’s imagination and ability to instruct, as well as their ability to identify faults and correct them in real time. Due to the nature of tendon loading, high force demands, and the potential multidirectional nature of plyometrics, it is imperative that safety and proper dosage are incorporated throughout.

Old School Hill Sprints for Athletic Development

Because sleds can be expensive and/or cumbersome to set up and put away after every training session, I deferred to the use of hill training early on in my performance training endeavors. They are as cost effective as they are convenient, and with a little bit of searching, you can likely find a hill that suits your needs. Whether the hill is excessively short and steep or very long and gradual, you can adapt your training to match what you have available to you.

Similar to medicine balls, the hill can be a diverse training tool in developing speed and power. Because the incline can vary, hills have different levels of difficulty that present a spectrum of challenges for your athletes. As the grade of the hill increases, the force requirements to successfully navigate the hill increase as well.

Due to requiring extra force to be successful, steeper hills or hills in general may expose shortcomings in force production in weaker sprinters, whereas the stronger sprinters will likely thrive. Weak and strong sprinters aren’t determined by their numbers in the weight room, but rather by the ability to effectively use their force production capacity to accelerate and build momentum in a given training or competitive environment.

I don’t think it’s as common for coaches to have their athletes perform plyometrics and drill progressions on a hill for contrast effect, says @BrendanThompsn. Share on X

I believe that It is intuitive for most coaches that sprinting on a hill can be an effective training stimulus. What I don’t think is as common is for coaches to have their athletes perform plyometrics and drill progressions on a hill for a contrast effect.

For example, when an athlete performs an activity on the hill, they get used to applying x% greater force to be successful in the task. When you take them back to flat ground to perform the same task, there may be a temporary spike in their performances as they’re recruiting more motor units than they usually would to execute the task. I attribute this to learning how to overcome the hill followed by using the newfound feeling of greater force recruitment and applying it to flat ground sprinting, jumping, medicine ball throwing, etc.

While it may seem I only like the hill for the short term, I think it serves as a great continuous learning opportunity and occasional reference point in the long term. The weaker athletes get the benefit of simulated “resisted sprinting,” and the stronger athletes can refine their execution of the acceleration over time. I’ve not done any force plate assessments or things of that nature to measure the effects of the hill; however, immediate improvements in sprint times, jumps, and medicine ball throws all lead me to believe that the effects are potent. As athletes gain more exposure to the hill, I feel that the coordination paired with the increased muscular demands over time further improve the KPIs listed above.

Due to the increased demands of the hill, it doesn’t take as much training volume or rep distances to achieve your desired outcomes. I’ve found good hill sprint work to take place within about a 4- to 9-second time frame with casual walk back rest between, or longer if the athletes are approaching fatigue.

Additionally, it may be good to limit sprinting on the concrete, as shin splints can become apparent with too much volume on the incline and an unforgiving surface. A good grass hill can be a good substitute, just make sure that the hill isn’t wet and slippery. Safety should come first with any training approach, so be cautious before forcing any new training into your program.

Video 4. Hills provide unique challenges and situations in which unique drills can be implemented as well. In addition to the usual plyometrics, mechanical drills, and sprint workouts, you can come up with some abstract exercises to help emphasize the push and gradually bleed the new skill into other drills and speed work.

Look Beyond Traditional Weight Training

When it comes to training, coaches historically have turned to the weight room for solutions to everything. The idea that the weight room is needed for all speed and power solutions is a tale as old as time. It has led to many athletes feeling like they are losing all of their progress since they’ve been prohibited from weight training facilities during the pandemic. In reality, speed and power are complementary qualities that we can develop very effectively outside of the weight room. The categories listed above are very broad and can be as useful as you make them. However, they are not the only ways to improve force-producing capacities.

The idea that the weight room is needed for all speed and power solutions is a tale as old as time, says @BrendanThompsn. Share on X

Resistance bands are a very cheap and effective way to replace certain components of the weight room. While the overload principle is limited to the amount of tension your bands can provide, working muscles in different planes with bands has been a popular workaround in these troubling times. Another popular one I’ve seen is loading up backpacks with canned goods for resistance training.

The point here is that the four topics I mention above are not by any means the end-all, be-all to speed and power development outside of the weight room. Rather, they are effective ways to improve the total athlete in the absence of traditional weight training.

My recommendation is that you find something that is easily accessible, affordable (or free!), and safe to perform consistently. The first time you perform some of these activities, it may seem hard and discouraging. Your balance may be off, you may have difficulty controlling your body, you may not be as fast as you’d like to be, you may feel sluggish accelerating out of your cuts, or you may just not be firing on all cylinders. The more often you can practice doing athletic things, the more likely it is that you’ll be ready to do athletic things when the time comes. Consistently train what matters and the performances will take care of themselves.

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

Stockbrugger, B. and Haennel, R. “Validity and Reliability of a Medicine Ball Explosive Power Test.” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2001;15(4):431-438.

Beato, M., Bianchi, M., Coratella, G., Merlini, M., and Drust, B. “Effects of Plyometric and Directional Training on Speed and Jump Performance in Elite Youth Soccer Players.” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2018;32(2):289-296.

As a high school track and field coach, my greatest challenge is creating understanding. Sprinting, when done well, looks effortless; explaining how to make it look that way, however, is much harder. In this article, I’m going to name and explain five of my favorite coaching cues from Dr. Ken Clark, a leading authority on speed training.

I recently attended a Ken Clark Speed Clinic—for those unfamiliar, Clark is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at West Chester University in Pennsylvania and is a sought-after consultant for many elite athletes and performance organizations. I’d read his research and articles, plus listened to his lectures, but this was my first time observing him coaching athletes in real time.

What did I learn? That your coaching is only as good as your cueing.

This is especially true in speed training. If you’re a track coach, you know that if an athlete can understand and perform a drill, they’re more likely to apply those mechanics when they’re hauling down the track. Drills don’t make you fast, but they are a reference point—when they are executed with purpose and quality, they will lead to mastery of a skill and consistent, high-level performance.

Drills don’t make you fast, but they are a reference point—when they are executed with purpose and quality, they will lead to mastery of a skill and consistent, high-level performance. Share on X

My Five Favorite Cues from Dr. Ken Clark

How can you help athletes improve in executing drills? Provide them with stronger, more relatable cues.

1. Arm Switch: “From Eye Socket to Hip Pocket”

Less is more when it comes to coaching drills for arm drive. The next time you’re drilling arms, ask your athletes to stand, eyes forward, with their right hand at their eye socket and their left hand at their hip pocket. On your command, they switch from eye socket to hip pocket while driving the elbow back. Put this drill in before you start the dynamic drills, or any time the athletes need a reminder of arm mechanics.

Begin with 10 command reps on each side, then progress to five seconds of continuous switching. This is a great drill to include in the warm-up.

2. Three-Bucket Pose: “Don’t Spill the Water”

Teaching an athlete correct body posture while sprinting can be challenging, especially at the high school level. Why is correct sprint posture important? When a sprinter can maintain this posture, it allows for proper and efficient force application, by decreasing collapsing at ground contact, of the ankles, knees, and hips. Applying optimal force with good posture translates into fast times on the track.

What is good sprint posture? It is when the athlete stands upright and tall with the head, neck, and shoulders directly on top of the hips with a neutral pelvis. The problem with trying to coach this position is that athletes tend to flare their ribcage and arch their low back in an effort to get “tall.” They may feel like they are in a good position, but they aren’t. When the athletes maintain this posture during training, it may result in injury over time and slower speeds.

What’s the solution? The three-bucket pose with the cue, “Don’t spill the water.” Using this drill in the warm-up gives the athlete a reference point without having to over-explain. I implement this drill after mobility and activation and before dynamic drills.

Where do we start?

Have your athletes stand in rows facing forward, with arms bent and elbows about 90 degrees. With the right hand about eye level and left hand by the hip, have them stand on a stiff left leg with the right leg bent at 90 degrees. Tell them to imagine they have one bucket of water on their head, one on the knee that is bent, and a third hanging by the handle on the foot. Once in position, cue the athlete to stand tall and “Don’t spill the water.”

This pose forces the athlete to feel a strong sprint posture. If you have an experienced sprinter in your group, use them to demo: One picture is worth one thousand words!

Progressions: If your athletes are new to this drill, have them begin practicing 10-second holds on each leg. When that’s no longer challenging, have them hold the pose with their eyes closed. You can progress this further by adding:

• Front lunges.
• Reverse lunges.
• Lateral lunges.
• Sprinter-skydivers for three reps on each leg.

(Always exploding back into the three-bucket sprint pose.)

3. A-March: “PUNCH the Ground”

The A-march is a fundamental drill that teaches proper sprint mechanics. When performed correctly, it keeps the body in a straight line from the bottom of the foot through the top of the head, referred to as a post position. The drill reinforces for athletes the need to keep the knee up, the heel pulled up beneath the knee, and the toe pulled up into dorsiflexion. As the athlete begins to march, they must strike the ground with force. Slowing this drill down and focusing on mechanics can lead to better sprinting and faster times.

The problem most coaches experience is that once the drill becomes more dynamic as speeds increase, form is sacrificed—and when the form is lost, so is the purpose of the drill. Consistency with cues and form is key. Cue the athlete to “PUNCH the ground” with their foot strike: Punching implies force without much more explanation.

Where do we start?

Begin with the basics and have the athlete standing in the post position (a post is straight up and down and another good cue):

• Neutral pelvis.
• Hip in line with the ankle.
• Keep the head, neck, and shoulders relaxed.

Sprinting is running as fast as you can upright and relaxed—not an easy concept to convey—and the more it’s reinforced in drills, the more reference points an athlete will have.

Sprinting is running as fast as you can upright and relaxed—not an easy concept to convey—and the more it’s reinforced in drills, the more reference points an athlete will have. Share on X

Guide them to march in place while maintaining this position (see image 4). Their arms should move in a one-stroke movement, forward to back, with relaxed hands and working in harmony with their legs. Each time the marching leg goes down, cue them to “PUNCH the ground” with the part of their foot where the spike plate would be.

Start with 10 reps in place, followed immediately by a 10-meter march. Repeat this twice. When the athlete can easily perform this drill, progress into:

• A-skip for 10 meters x 2.
• A-run for 10 meters x 2.

Continue to reinforce striking or punching the ground with an upright posture.

4. Thigh Switch: “Smash the Glass”

How do we cue knee drive for effective and productive acceleration? What is acceleration?

Acceleration is about applying force down and back into the ground for the first 20-30 meters of a sprint race. For high school athletes, I use the example putting your foot on the gas and getting up to speed or taking off like a jet plane (it is a gradual rise of the hips as the athlete comes out of the start.) The knee drive must be forceful in order to drive down into the ground with force to propel forward with speed.

At the start of the sprint, the athlete is in a four-point or block start at about 45 degrees. Coming out of the start into the acceleration requires not only horizontal but also vertical force relative to body weight. Explosive hip action, hip flexion, and extension are key in acceleration. High school athletes sometimes have a difficult time with forceful knee drive coming out of the start, which will lead to a poor acceleration phase.

Where do we start?

I love the thigh switch drill and use it on the acceleration-focused days—the exercise gets the athlete in a position where they can better understand knee drive and explosive hip flexion. To start, have the athlete push into a wall with their body at a 45-degree angle (see image 5). This will be the position for the set command. There should be a straight line from the head and shoulders through the hips and down to the ankle. The athlete’s arms are extended into the wall like they are trying to push it down. Now they have an understanding of body position for acceleration!

Next, on the go command or a clap, have them bring their right knee up at a 90-degree angle to the torso and cue“smash the glass” (the leg of the knee that is up should have the look of a “Z” in this position, and often they will have the foot cast out in front of the knee). Instantly, they will understand it takes force to smash glass, which is knee drive and also hip flexion.

Start with isometric holds for 10 seconds each leg. Once they understand the concept and can hold the correct body position, progress to:

• One-leg drive x 5 each leg.
• Wall scissor drill x 5 each leg.

5. Sprint Top End Speed: “Strike”

Now that the prep work is done, the body is primed to get moving fast! Technical build-ups are a perfect way to segue into quality work safely and effectively. We want the athletes to understand that to move fast, they have to apply maximum force into the ground to reach top end speed.

What is a technical build-up, and how do we cue it?

Set up three 20-meter zones on the track with visible cones for a total of 60 meters. Before the athlete runs, explain how fast you want them to run each 20-meter segment:

• 1st: 20-meter acceleration (60%-75%).
• 2nd: 20-meter fly zone (90% +).
• 3rd: 20-meter deceleration.

A good way to explain to the athlete how fast you want them to run in the second (or fly) zone is to tell them close to all out, but not 100%.

This is where athletes should start to understand that when the body is in optimal sprint posture with prop alignment, more force can be applied, just like striking a nail on the head. Share on X

Cue the athlete during the fly zone to “strike” the ground like a hammer hits a nail on the head. Use the example when you hit it dead on it goes right in the wood—if you hit it from an angle, it takes a few more strikes. This is where they should start to understand that when the body is in optimal sprint posture with proper alignment, more force can be applied, just like striking a nail on the head! You want the athlete to understand that when they strike the ground during sprinting, it must be an aggressive, stiff ground contact to maximize rate of force.

To get the most out of your cues, work on one at a time—for example, during the technical build-ups, repeat the drill 3-4 times and have the athlete focus on only one thing at a time as listed below. Sometimes you have to slow things down first in order to sprint fast.

With each rep, have athletes work on one cue.

• Rep 1: Familiarize drill.
• Rep 2: Posture.
• Rep 3: Front-side mechanics.
• Rep 4: Foot strike.

Making Your Sprint Drills Work for Your Athletes

Drills don’t make athletes fast, but the way we cue them can make a world of difference in the way athletes perform each movement. Cues serve as a reference point for proper sprinting technique and mechanics, which are key to faster times and reducing injury. Since teaching is a part of coaching, learning how to cue drills is a skill.

Drills don’t make athletes fast, but the way we cue them can make a world of difference in the way athletes perform each movement. Share on X

When an athlete relates to and remembers the cues, it will have a lasting impression on their movement and performance. When you tell the athlete, “strike” the ground, they understand you mean force; when you say, “smash the glass,” they understand knee drive. We should all speak the same coaching language and learn to be efficient with our time and our words. Dr. Clark is a master at this: Use cues athletes can relate to and understand to help them reach the end goal of SPRINTING FAST!

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

A fundamental role of coaching, irrespective of the specific sport or duties, is to instill confidence in the athletes you work with. In essence, we’re not only responsible for improving physical abilities, developing skills, and educating them on movement, but we also need to recognize the impact of simply helping athletes become more confident with who they are and what they do. Restoring confidence in injured athletes can be just as difficult as restoring the physical injury itself, in some cases. But at the root of this transition is taking what they believe they can’t do and proving to them that they can.

Restoring confidence in injured athletes can be as difficult as restoring the physical injury itself, in some cases, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

I’ve been at Virginia High Performance for about five years now, and for the bulk of this time, I have overseen the training and programming directives. At VHP, we run a concentrated program for active duty and veteran military athletes, most of whom are from the Special Forces and Special Ops groups. Suffice it to say, there’s hardly a dull moment in our facility.

Over the years, we have seen a tremendous spectrum of injuries and adaptive athletes, and the majority of them, despite being injured, still must be able to perform operational duties—and at extremely high levels. There’s virtually no injury that I haven’t worked with by now, and while that has come with a steep learning curve on the physical/mechanical side, it pales in comparison to the psychological battle these injuries have represented. In this article, I’d like to discuss some of these psychological barriers that result from injury, and how we as coaches can be better equipped to navigate training when pain and discomfort won’t seem to dissolve.

The Relativity of Pain

Pain, no matter how you choose to define it, is absolutely a complex psychosomatic occurrence that has a multitude of factors. Pain science is a rabbit hole just about anyone can get lost in quickly. As surprising as this may seem, pain is actually still a relatively unknown phenomenon, especially the origins and relativity components. But one thing is for certain: Pain does not affect individuals equally, and the worst thing we can do is assume in either direction.

Managing an athlete’s pain response to training, at least in my belief, is where the “art” side of coaching really becomes critical. The first step is to establish a pain relativity scale that matches your athlete. Remember, a “6 out of 10” for me may be a “4 out of 10” for you or someone else, so this is again where assuming can be damning.

Once the baseline is established, it’s on you to then configure a way to stress them during training without breaching their individual limits. I’m extremely cognizant of respecting the athlete’s barriers; the main reason being we’re trying to reset their relationship to exercise/training. If we constantly do things that reinforce the pain feedback loop or demonstrate inability, it will indirectly reinforce to them that training makes them feel worse, not better. Beyond empirical and subjective pain scales, I look at three distinct subcategories of pain: anticipatory, associated, and assumed.

Anticipatory: Demonstrated mostly through body language (guarding/tensing) and often subconscious. Detracts from movement by creating dissonance in which concern is prominent thought/focus.

Associated: Demonstrated through optimistic caution (i.e., “Normally when I do this, that happens, but I’ll give it a shot.”); mostly a conscious behavior. Can become an impediment to training if not corrected.

Assumed: Demonstrated through direct, assertive statements (i.e., “If I do this my knee will be inflamed for the next two weeks.”). Compromises training by way of phantom barriers.

Irrespective of the specific pain type, the outcomes are virtually the same—estranged confidence and an impaired ability to focus on task execution. Our goal as coaches or practitioners then becomes trying to identify why they are showing uncertainty and try to assist them in working through the confidence barrier. Simply, if they start with assumed pain, we want to get them to a point where they still may have anticipatory reservations but are at least willing to trust us and themselves to execute. Given enough time and repetition, what was once anticipatory will soon dissolve, but it takes multiple efforts to establish this.

Restoring Confidence in the Injured Athlete

An unequivocal pet peeve of mine is when coaches reiterate or reinforce to someone that they’re injured or that they’ll “never achieve X/Y/Z.” This includes treating them with overzealous fragility and hesitation. It’s important to recognize that the athlete will pick up on your demeanor quicker than you can mask it, and if they sense uncertainty from your instruction, they will adopt it in their action.

It’s important to recognize that the athlete will pick up on your demeanor quicker than you can mask it, and if they sense uncertainty from your instruction, they will adopt it in their action. Share on X

Although coaches wear several hats during their time on the floor, being the purveyor of what someone can or can’t do is absolutely not one of them. Starting from the point of injury onward, athletes will be met with endless encounters where they’re forced to be reminded of what they can’t do. After so many weeks of recovery, rehabilitation, and general life endeavors, by the time they get to the strength coach, the last thing they want (or need) to hear is how messed up they are.

Now, of course there are additional measures and considerations that the coach must take. Please don’t misconstrue this as ignoring problem areas and throwing athletes right into the fire. I really think that part of this conversation speaks for itself, but you should be very thorough in the “X’s & O’s” of how to accommodate an injury.

What we’re focused on in this context is simply the interaction and austerity you present as a coach to provide them with the perception of trust, knowledge, and confidence both in you and themselves. This is especially paramount with the population we work with at VHP, as most of our athletes are (literally) world-class experts at reading others and detecting emotional shifts through body language. Your language matters, but the way in which you assert yourself and instruct will be highly significant as well. They need to feel the confidence you have in both the situation and their ability to complete the task, not just hear it.

Disparaged Relationship with Training

No differently than how obese/unhealthy individuals have a poor relationship with food, injured athletes can develop a poor relationship with training. It’s not a knowledge or information barrier; nor (in most cases) is it a volition or willingness barrier. The root of the problem is that they have become overwhelmed by injury, and in addition to diminished confidence in their ability, they’re now in a space where movement is perceived as a potential threat. It is absolutely critical that this relationship is amended throughout your time training with them.

In addition to the injured athlete’s diminished confidence in their ability, they’re now in a space where movement is perceived as a potential threat, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

I believe that a fundamental error for a lot of coaches is assuming that the limiting factor is information- or desire-based. Again, at least with a high-performing population, these two are rarely the barrier. I believe what we need to emphasize is restoring their relationship (cognitive-emotional) with training by modifying the perception of what their present abilities are and neglecting the proverbial limits or expectations. It’s vital that the athlete feels like they are in control of their situation and their destination. I see the role of the coach in this instance as that of a translator, whereby our job is to shift what they think or believe into what we can prove to be true.

Shifting perspective can be tough, and this is why I emphasized the “art” component above. But if nothing else, the coach needs to be mindful of general personality type, learning style, and how heavily the athlete values objective or subjective input. If they’re someone who needs more of a nurturing approach, give them frequent positive feedback and reinforce they’re on the right track. If the athlete is more objective or number driven, well then give them just that. Provide tangible evidence of marked improvement—this gives them the positive confirmation bias that what we’re doing is effective.

The better (and more quickly) you can understand the athlete’s personality and history, the more precise and thorough you can be with application and instruction. Ultimately, your efforts must work to recalibrate how they perceive training and their eligibility to do so at a high level. So, as far as positive affirmations, video review, or objective measurables, know the audience and provide them with what they need.

Optimize Movement Signatures

Movement signatures is a concept I was introduced to through the work of Stu McMillan and the ALTIS crew, and it has dramatically improved my coaching. In short, movement signatures are the independent and unique characteristics of an athlete’s movement profile. I believe this has resonated so well for me working with injured athletes because very little falls into what we would conventionally deem “theoretical norms” or standardized ranges.

For instance, if we have an athlete coming off of a SLAP tear, we can exhaust ourselves with textbook data and timeline graphs to assess the improvements for our athlete. However, textbooks often fail to consider items like differences between surgeons and surgery type, condition of the athlete pre-op, mechanism of injury, surrounding joint and tissue integrity, and so forth. Adding to the ambiguity for me are the very unique demands and exposures for tactical operators. But I can assure you, if I compared every one of my SLAP tear athletes to a standardized chart, we would never be in a place where we could perform meaningful work.

If I compared every one of my SLAP tear athletes to a standardized chart, we would never be in a place where we could perform meaningful work, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

It’s imperative that you apply the relativity factor to injured athletes. Yes, in the first 12 weeks post-op there should be clear markers the athlete should reach, and improvements will be mostly linear. But once that initial phase has come to pass, things just aren’t that black and white. This is where understanding the independent signatures becomes tremendously helpful.

For me, we strictly compare where athletes are now to where they started. Rather than spending an abundance of time on “improving shoulder flexion by 5 degrees” because that’s what a book says, I want to see how I can simply optimize what they have and how they get there. The psychological side to this is a change in paradigm, as they’re no longer chasing arbitrary numbers that may or may not help them at all. Rather, I want them to have an intrinsic focus of “Okay, how can I make this as effective and efficient for me as possible?” The shift in focus alone can be an epiphany moment for the athlete.

Final Thoughts

• Be concise and consistent with your cueing. Injured athletes will already be so consumed by not getting injured again that long-winded cueing and instruction can overwhelm them. Additionally, they will often rely heavily on these cues outside of the facility. Give them tangible pieces they can use in work or practice. Language is one of them.
• Create an effective environment. Have their type of music on, ensure good energy and conversation flow, give them their favorite rack, etc. Make it feel like home.
• Allow them to make (within reason) mistakes. More importantly, allow them to solve the problem for themselves. It’s important that they don’t become externally reliant on you or anyone else.
• Make them sweat! This ties into the whole fragility piece outlined above, but their training has been performed in bubble wrap for weeks if not months… No matter how, make sure they leave every session sweating and feeling like they trained hard!
• Acknowledge how injuries can permeate daily life and how it’s on them to be mindful and manage outside of the facility. This includes things like therapeutic and restorative care.
• Be adept at reading body language and facial expressions and pick up on patterns. A lot of athletes will mask the presence of pain/discomfort very well. They will also be outright indirect with how something feels out of fear of being held back. It’s on you to find the honest answers.
• Autonomy is a major key. Inform your athletes about what’s going on, what you’re applying, and why you believe it’s valuable. Additionally, teach them little things like soft tissue work, breathing drills, etc. that are tangible pieces they can include on their own. I believe the more ownership they have over their training and recovery, the more inclined they’ll be to optimize it.

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 MuscleLab contact grid is a novel measuring device that virtually turns a training surface—specifically a track or sports flooring—into a measurement zone. The area, ranging from a few yards to about 40 yards, detects foot contact durations. With a contact grid, a coach can estimate jump heights and various stride parameters such as stance time, flight time, and more. This anthology covers the best articles on using the contact grid and includes additional resources that will expand your use of the technology further. The contact grid is an exceptional tool, and you should know that it integrates with other MuscleLab products, including the Dynaspeed and Laser, using a synchronization unit.

Getting Started with the MuscleLab Contact Grid

In this article, Carl Valle covers the essential needs for setting up and operating a MuscleLab contact grid, including software and hardware installation. As one of the technology’s biggest proponents, Coach Valle shares fundamental recommendations on best practices, including testing and training with the system. Regardless of whether you are an advanced user or simply just interested in how the product works, this is a good primer for everyone.

Buyer’s Guide to Contact Mats and Contact Grids

The contact mat and grid market is wide, ranging from simple mats all the way to sophisticated runways. This buyer’s guide is an exhaustive list of providers of hardware and includes key differences between all of the systems available. Before investing a single dollar into testing equipment, it’s recommended that your review the guide to make the right choice for your athletes.

The Top 8 Ways Coaches Can Use MuscleLab

Another Carl Valle article, this piece really shows the range of options that MuscleLab has to offer. In addition to the other products mentioned in the article, Coach Valle hints at the power of synchronizing multiple measurement tools for a deeper dive into the activity that professionals can measure. If you are looking to invest in a jump and speed solution but are cognizant about expanding your options in the future, this article is right for you.

Why High School Coaches Should Invest in Performance Tech

Ryan Denton is a high school coach who shares his story of using the contact grid before expanding further with additional sensors for speed testing. Included in the article are how he was able to raise funds and the necessary time investment spent to learn about other measurements outside typical testing. If you are a high school coach and want to take long term athletic development to the next level, this is recommended reading.

How to Set Up Hurdles for Better Plyometric Training

One of the most popular ways to use the contact grid is to help guide spacings and heights when jumping over hurdles. This article includes videos on what is considered a properly executed jump and what to do in order to measure ground contact times and flight times properly. Regardless if you are already using the contact grid now or curious about using it later for jump training, this article is one of the most in-depth resources on hurdle jumps available.

15 Uses of the MuscleLab Contact Grid

Rob Assise, a jumps coach in track and field, shares a whopping 15 ways to use the contact grid in this article. Not only does Coach Assise include the different exercises but also the details of creating the measurement on the MuscleLab software. If you are on the fence about whether you should invest into the MuscleLab contact grid, this article will likely convince you to move forward.

The Scandinavian Rebound Jump Test: Why Every Athlete Should Use It

The Reactive Strength Index, or RSI for short, is one of the most favored jump tests in sports performance. While it’s easy to perform, this article shows a modification of the test that can improve both its validity and accuracy while making it easier to administer. It doesn’t matter if you are an elite coach needing a scientific solution for measuring elasticity or a new coach wanting to get started, this article is for you.

Athlete Leg Stiffness

Mike Young, a leading expert in performance, covers the necessary ways to train stiffness in his breakthrough video course. Dr. Young, who is a new user to MuscleLab, outlines a scientific and practical way to train plyometrics with the contact grid. If you are serious about training and want to learn, or if you are a user of the contact grid and want better direction in training, this video course is appropriate.

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

Many questions surround the two main components of the sport of running: endurance and speed. This is particularly the case when designing a training program meant for a specific distance. Will more endurance work reduce speed? Should a training week have more speed or endurance work? Should a long run come at the start or at the end of the week? What kinds of speed workouts are important in a marathon training program? When is the right time to begin doing speed workouts? What are the ideal long run distances to do? The list of questions could be endless.

But what is clear is that endurance and speed are the two main qualities necessary to win in any race from the 1500m through the marathon and all the way up to ultra-marathon distances—and getting the perfect ratio of the two elements at any given distance is the key. A 1500m runner will need more speed and less endurance compared to a marathon runner, and vice versa. Perhaps we could roughly put the necessary ratio of speed to endurance this way:

• A middle distance runner will need a ratio of 3:2.
• A long distance track runner will need 3:3.
• A marathon runner will need 2:3.

Applying the ideal ratio to a training program will depend on the intended result. If the focus of the runner is to run a marathon, then more of the training time will go towards building more endurance compared to what it would have been for running a 5K race.

Applying the ideal ratio to a training program will depend on the intended result, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

Stages, Distances, and Surfaces

The pattern of training will be almost the same for the different distances, starting from gradually building the runner’s aerobic capacity before going into the more demanding anaerobic and speed workouts. The significant difference here will be in the volume of the weekly mileage and in the spacing of different runs in a week.

For a runner who has been out of training for a while, or who is new to running, the first two to three weeks of beginning training are often the toughest. It is like beginning to roll a large tire: once it starts to move, it gets easier to keep rolling.

I have worked with runners who started their training by shifting between jogging and walking before they were able to complete a continuous easy run of 30 minutes. Aiming to run/walk for about 40 minutes in a day, three times in a week can be a good start. As the body adapts to running, the number of runs and duration can be increased gradually according to how the runner responds to training.

Aiming to run/walk for about 40 minutes in a day, three times in a week can be a good start, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

From there, it will require a lot of patience as it will take time (in some cases even years) for some to be able to run their first marathons.

One good thing about running is that you can start tackling the shorter and less demanding distances like the 2K, the 5K, and the 10K as you keep building fitness and confidence, until you or your athletes are eventually able to run the half and the full marathon distances.

Coaching is an art that is dynamically changing with advancements in science and technology, and through learning from real experiences of other runners across the world. That is why world records keep getting broken every year.

Some years back, it was common to have coaches advising their runners not to specialize in more than two distances. If you ran in the 400m, you were not allowed to train for and run the 800m. You had to choose on becoming a sprinter (200m, 400m), a middle distance runner (800m, 1500m), or a long distance runner (5000m and 10000m). Road runners fell in a separate group altogether—in fact, it was sometimes argued that a road runner would never be able to be competitive again on a track.

Some years back, it was common to have coaches advising their runners not to specialize in more than two distances, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

I have seen runners progress from the 1500m to the 5,000m and longer on the track and then transition to the road, but I have never seen a runner who has been running on the road come back to do the 5000m on track. A famous coach once told me this after learning that I had run in a 10K road race before as I was seeking to join his group of middle-distance track runners for a speed work session. The same coach must have now seen runners like Mo Farah and Geoffrey Kamworor crossing all the distances and surfaces from the 5000m on track, to the marathon, and back onto the track again.

Of late, a number of runners are beginning to increase their scope from running the 1500m on track up to the half marathon on the road. Examples are Netherland’s Sifan Hassan and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, the reigning world 5000m champion who just made her half marathon debut by running 1:04:51 at the Istanbul Half Marathon on April 4^th—the fastest debut in history. Interestingly, she will be moving back to the track to specialize in the 5,000m and 10,000m distances going into the Tokyo Olympic Games in July.

Developing Endurance for the Marathon

Always start by building an endurance base that will increase your aerobic capacity. Increase your mileage gradually on a weekly basis. The best way to go about this will be to start with the number of runs in a week before concentrating on the distances.

Always start by building an endurance base that will increase your aerobic capacity, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

With the runners I coach, I often start by basing their training on the duration of their runs rather than on the distance they should cover in their first days of training. Once they get used to 50-minute morning runs they can proceed to 1-hour runs, continuing that way until days when they can alternate 1-hour-40-minute runs with 1-hour runs.

After about a month, when the athletes begin to feel comfortable with their running, we move on to some long runs once in two weeks. At the same time, we introduce double runs on some days to help add up the weekly mileage.

The long runs would range mostly between 25km to 35km, and they are introduced to runners in that order. They start with the shorter of the long runs as they build both their confidence and endurance before moving on to the longer distances.

Competitive marathon runners should cover around 120km in their weekly mileage. Out of my personal experience, I have come to learn that it doesn’t matter whether a long run begins or ends the week—what matters in the end is the weekly mileage.

Competitive marathon runners should cover around 120km in their weekly mileage, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

These first stages of training are heavily targeting the aerobic element, which works on the body’s mechanisms that produce energy with the use of oxygen. It helps in building more endurance and in strengthening the cardiovascular and the respiratory systems. The intended result is a stronger heart and more efficient lungs.

Strength and Anaerobic Training

After building greater endurance, speed and strength training should easily fall in place with a significant reduction in injury risks associated with the harder and faster training. Starting speed training before building a strong endurance base will put runners at greater risk for injures.

Starting speed training before building a strong endurance base will put runners at greater risk for injures, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

Anaerobic means “without air” and refers to training the body to produce energy without oxygen. This applies to exercises at a higher intensity that last less than two minutes, where the body requires immediate energy. The body will rely on stored energy sources rather than oxygen to fuel itself, which includes breaking down glucose.

This will be a time to start hill workouts, fartlek runs, tempo runs, and track intervals.

There are so many ways and ideas to vary hill workouts, but given that the end result of all the variables is to strengthen the leg muscles, quicken strides, and expand the stride length, I often recommend a simple one for my runners:

• Find a slope of about 300–400m.
• Run up moderately and jog down slowly as recovery.
• Perform continuously for 35 to 40 minutes.

Fartlek runs are a perfect way to begin introducing speed workouts. This will be more of a continuous run, but with alerts to push hard and to jog along the way. It is a good idea to start doing a number of fartlek runs before beginning to do interval runs on the track. These runs can be varied according to the stages of training. There are times that runners can run longer and jog less (such as five minutes hard and two minutes jogging), and days where the ratios are more even (such as two minutes hard and two minutes jogging). All will depend on the context of a training week as a whole.

Tempo runs are more of race rehearsals. These are run at slightly slower than a typical 5K race pace. Tempo runs help the body get mentally and physically used to racing conditions. They also help all the aerobic and the anaerobic systems begin getting used to their work in a racing condition. Marathon runners often participate in events shorter than their primary race as part of their tempo run workouts—for a marathon runner, these distances range from 8-15km.

Track intervals are done at a pace faster than the race pace. Marathon runners should do track interval distances ranging from 800m to 2000m. For 800m intervals, the recovery time between intervals should be around two minutes, while for 1600–2000m intervals it should between three to four minutes. Interval training sharpens speed and improves running cadence.

Interval training sharpens speed and improves running cadence, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

Preparing for Success

The best way to prepare for a marathon race is to give it the full respect the race deserves right from the first day of training. It helps to acknowledge that the marathon is a very demanding distance that will require significant preparation in building sufficient endurance and enough speed.

“To win is not important. To be successful is not even important. How to plan and prepare is crucial. When you plan very well and prepare very well, then success can come on the way. Then winning can come on your way.”—Eliud Kipchoge, the world marathon record-holder.

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