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When I was an athlete, at the end of each season I used to have my own mini review. I asked (what I thought were) probing questions: Did I meet my goals? Where could I improve? What was my goal for the following season? What performance was required to achieve those goals?

On the surface, this sounds like a useful exercise—an athlete taking ownership of their performance—and research demonstrates that realistic performance reviews are a crucial part of developing an elite athlete’s psychological toolbox. However, the mistake I made was that I generally didn’t forge a strong enough link between my performance review and the changes I needed to make to my preparation the following year.

The mistake I made was that I generally didn’t forge a strong enough link between my performance review and the changes I needed to make to my preparation the following year, says @craig100m. Share on X

For example, after the 2006 season, in which I struggled to perform at my best, my goal was to go to the World University Games in the 100m and challenge for a medal. To do this, I believed I had to be able to run around 10.25 seconds. My approach to this was, essentially, to train harder—I pushed myself in my key sessions, lost some body fat, and nailed down my sleep and nutrition habits.

In 2007, I had the best season of my life, running my personal bests of 6.55 seconds for the 60m and 10.14 seconds for the 100m. I made the semi-final of the World Championships in the 100m, won a bronze medal in the 4x100m, and won a silver medal at the European Indoors over 60m. My goal for the 2008 season was to make the Olympic final—I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that my approach to this was to do the same things I did for 2007, only better.

The Strategy Book

I don’t think my approach is uncommon; in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some athletes, and perhaps even some coaches, don’t even bother with a post-season review. My problem was in linking what had happened before with what I wanted to happen in the future via a coherent, planned, and systematic method of performance improvement.

After retiring from sport, I worked for a sports technology start-up; now I work for a national sporting organization. These companies have exposed me to different models and methods of doing business. A word often used in these settings is “strategy.”  As someone without a strong foundation in business, I’ve had to spend some time getting up to speed with what a strategy is, what creating one entails, and how it can be useful.

One of the first books I read in this area was The Strategy Book by Max McKeown. As I made my way through its chapters, I started to see clear parallels between how businesses develop strategies and how athletes and coaches might use this information to better inform their planning process. The line between sport and business is continually blurred—and if you follow any sports coaches on social media, you’ll perhaps think it’s very overdone—but I remain convinced that The Strategy Book holds some useful lessons for us all when it comes to enhancing performance in sport.

When reading The Strategy Book, I saw clear parallels between how businesses develop strategies and how athletes & coaches might use this information to better inform their planning process. Share on X

McKeown says strategy is “…about moving from where you are to where you are to where you want to be … strategy is as much about deciding what to do, where to go, why, when and how as about choosing what not to do … Planning backwards for a better future.” A crucial aspect to keep in mind is that, as a starting point, strategy is not specifically about the detail (often that comes in an operational plan).

As Henry Mintzberg is quoted as saying, “strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.” Strategy informs our planning, but then relies on individual actions and behaviors to deliver what is required—indeed, strategy execution is often considered far more challenging than actual strategy development and is where the best-laid plans often come undone.

Strategy, according to McKeown, is both analytical and creative. We have to understand where we are, where we want to get to, and what our competitors are doing—each of these requires some level of detailed analysis. We then need to be creative in our approach; what are some of the methods we can use to get from where we are to where we want to be? Finally, we return to analysis: How do we know if we were successful in achieving our strategic vision?

“The Strategic Self”

The first major section of McKeown’s book is dedicated to the strategist—in this case, that is you, the coach. Being able to develop a useful, comprehensive approach requires strategic thinking, which means we need to think before we plan. Specifically, McKeown provides four prompting questions:

• What do we want to do?
• What do we think is possible?
• What do we need to do to achieve our goals?
• When and how should we react to new opportunities and adapt our plans?

An additional large part of the planning process involves what McKeown terms “looking over your shoulder”—in business, this is understanding your competitors and markets. In sport, this is getting a better understanding of:

1. Who your competitors are.
2. What they do well—why are they successful? Commonalities between competitors may suggest that this trait underpins success.
3. What do they do badly? What could we exploit to drive our own success? During my career, I ran against a couple of athletes who I knew couldn’t handle pressure at the end of a race; their game plan was to have an electric start and hold on. As a result, my strategy for these races was to put myself in a position where I could exert pressure on them from 60 meters onward, and then relax to move past them. Where are your opportunities?
4. What do the best coaches and sporting systems in the world do? Or, perhaps more importantly, what don’t they do?

Let’s look at this through the prism of the coach of a promising 100m runner. That athlete has had some success at the junior level, making the World Under-20 Championships final and running 10.25. A crucial part of any strategy development is understanding what is required for success; in the 100m, this could broadly be defined as the interaction between stride length and stride frequency, and the underlying physiological and mechanical traits that contribute to both of these variables. Alongside this, we have to layer on psychological and broader physiological traits, such as the physiological resilience to tolerate the required volumes and intensities of training, and from a psychological perspective, compete well under pressure.

A crucial part of any strategy development is understanding what is required for success, says @craig100m. Share on X

An understanding of the required performance to achieve a specific outcome (such as a World Championships medal, final placing, semi-final placing, etc.) can assist in setting goals. From there, an evaluation of where the athlete is now—from a physiological, psychological, tactical, and technical standpoint—compared to what is required for these performance levels will guide planning.

“Strategic Innovation”

As I mentioned earlier, part of the strategic process requires thinking creatively. In sport, I’d argue that we don’t do this enough; we typically have set ways of doing things, and we unquestionably and uncritically accept them as valid. However, the veneer of many strongly embedded beliefs within sport is starting to crack. As an example, John Kiely has critically analyzed and appraised the research base on periodization theory. Periodization theory is a foundational bedrock of training theory, and yet some critical thinking suggests it is not as well proven as we initially believed.

Along this vein, McKeown has some prompting questions, which I’ve added to, for us to consider and reflect on—and which may drive our own thinking and planning innovations:

• Why don’t we change the rules?
• Why do we do what we do—do we know it works, or do we think it works?
• How do we know what we do works?
• Are we happy with the status quo?
• What would happen if we did something different?
• Why might we fail in our plan?

That last prompt is, to me, a really useful question, and is similar to the concept of a pre-mortem, popularized by Gary Klein. Here, we move ourselves into the future and ask, “Why did we fail?” By listing the various reasons, we can then take steps to mitigate the chances of those reasons for failure occurring.

Additionally, it is crucial to avoid developmental inertia, and a key quote from McKeown sums this up really nicely: “Success from doing what you are doing stops you from seeing what you should do next.” Similarly, a popular quote I’ve seen shared a number of times (not from McKeown) is “The most dangerous phrase in the language is ‘we’ve always done it this way.’” An important theoretical concept here is “what got you here won’t get you there”—but that’s another book entirely.

Again, let’s return to a sprints coach: Their athlete has a goal of running 10.10 for 2021, and qualifying for the Olympic Games in a quota spot (i.e., not an automatic qualifier). How might they fail in this? Here are some quick ideas:

• Three athletes from their nation run faster and qualify ahead of them.
• The athlete is injured and either can’t compete or can’t complete sufficient training sessions to perform at their best.
• The athlete cannot psychologically handle the pressure of competition and so does not perform at their best.
• The athlete doesn’t accumulate sufficient World Athletics points to qualify.
• A global pandemic limits international travel, meaning the athlete cannot travel to their planned competitions.

We can then consider some solutions to these, which can feed back into both the setting of strategic priorities and the development of a plan of action:

Know What You Can Do Best

Many companies know what they’re good at and aim to become market leaders within that niche. Google’s goal is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Obviously, Google started off as a search engine—a good way to make information accessible—but through being guided by this strategic goal, Google now owns YouTube (allowing them to make video accessible and useful) and has developed Google Books, Google Scholar, Google image search, and a plethora of other products to make information easier to come by.

Google even organizes our personal information through Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. By having a clear goal, Google developed a strategy that enabled them to be the best at what they do.

In sport, the end goal is more or less fixed: if we want to win the gold medal, we generally know what performance is required to achieve that. An important part of building your strategy is developing the process for achieving that performance. Once you understand the required performance and its constituent parts, you can then shift to better understanding:

1. What is your relative strength?
2. What can you do better than your competitors?
3. Can you manufacture situations in competition to suit your strengths and expose your competitors’ weaknesses?
4. How do you go from where you are now to where you want to be?
5. Is it better to work on your relative weaknesses or focus on maximizing your strengths?
6. How much of a threat are your weaknesses to your performance?

Don’t Just Plan—React!

It’s tempting to think that, once we have a plan in place, we need to stick to it. This is the wrong approach, writes McKeown. Instead, we should view our training strategy as an initial framework to guide us toward our goal; something we use to inform our plan. In this process, we continually need to update our plan with new information as it comes in:

• What’s working and what isn’t?
• How is the athlete responding to the plan?
• Do you need to spend more time on a given area?
• Can you recognize new opportunities that present themselves?

It’s tempting to think that, once we have a plan in place, we need to stick to it. According to McKeown, this is the wrong approach, says @craig100m. Share on X

By accepting that we need to respond and adapt—daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly—we can be flexible in our response to this new information, while simultaneously, through our strategic plan, moving in the general direction of our end goal.

Making Decisions

Once you have an understanding of the general path you need to take to be successful, you must make some decisions, in the form of putting together a (flexible and adaptable) training plan. The decisions here are, essentially, what to put in and what to take or keep out. Through your analysis, you should know what the constituent components of performance are and, as a general rule, how good you/your athletes are at them at present.

The next step is to set priorities—what do you need to allocate the most time to work on?—and develop an understanding of how best to improve on them. Using this, you can create your training program, but you also need to consider:

1. How will you know if what you’re doing is working?
2. How will you know when to make a change?
3. If something isn’t working, what changes will you make?

In this way, we enter the planàdoàreview cycle, with different cycles occurring on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.

Do–>Review

An important part of the strategic process within businesses is to manage the ongoing delivery of the strategy, check for progress, and make changes. This process is so important that some companies have a chief strategy officer. Utilizing strategic thinking and principles within the athlete development process need not be any different; regular check-ins to ensure the training strategy is progressing as planned, and making any refinements, are crucial.

There can be different levels to this, ranging from quick trackside conversations to full-blown review meetings. An important part of regular review meetings is that everyone within the performance team should be able to have their say and provide ideas, giving a true 360-degree perspective on how things are progressing and ensuring new and innovative ideas are being brought to the table.

Danger Before Failure

In sport, it’s likely that your key strategic goal can occur only once a year (e.g., qualify for the World Championships), or perhaps even less frequently, such as winning a medal at the Olympic Games. Often, this means that there can be a lot of time between planning and knowing whether success has happened.

An important process…is recognizing danger signs that suggest you may be at risk of failing to meet your big goal, says @craig100m. Share on X

An important process during this time is recognizing danger signs that suggest you might be at risk of failing to meet your big goal. Part of the strategy process is understanding what systems you have to have in place to recognize that danger; it might be training load monitoring to identify periods of increased risk of injury, physiological testing of key traits, or stress testing the athlete in specific competition scenarios.

Each of these tests has the potential to identify risks to achieving the strategic goal and, crucially, buys you time to make any changes that may be required to get you back on track. Here, the key question is: “How will you know if you’re at risk of not meeting your goal?” The sooner you can recognize any potential danger, the more time you have to prevent failure.

“Strategic Tools”

The last section of the book is a collection of various strategy tools that may prove useful when developing your own strategy as a coach. One of these is the five basic strategy questions developed by McKeown, which should provide a starting point for much of your planning:

1. Where are you now?
2. Where do you want to go?
3. What changes have to be made?
4. How should changes be made?
5. How shall you measure progress?

Other tools include:

• A SWOT Analysis—helping you identify strengths, weaknesses, and threats to performance.
• The 7-S Framework—allowing you to understand the strategy enablers you can use to deliver your training strategy.
• Kim & Mauborgne’s Four Actions—important in identifying what to keep, what to lose, and where to innovate.
• Kotter’s Eight Step Model of Change—often, part of delivering on a strategy requires managing a process of change, perhaps within yourself or with the athletes you coach. This model describes a process of working through that change.

Each of these tools may prove useful in developing a training and performance strategy, and so they are well worth looking at more closely.

Strategy Reminders

Strategic thinking can be complex and challenging, which is why the best strategic thinkers are highly prized by businesses. But I think McKeown’s book gives us some insight to develop our own framework to think strategically about how we develop athletes:

1. Understand the event: In terms of performance, what does it take to be successful? How will this change over time—are performances stable or trending upward (or even downward)? Is the overall depth in the sport/event changing? How might any proposed rule changes or innovations affect this? How might the venue of future championships affect the required performance (e.g., heat, humidity, altitude)?
2. Understand the constituent pieces: For a given performance (identified in point 1), what are the individual building blocks required for success (e.g., physiological, technical, tactical, psychological, social, etc.)?
3. Understand where you or your athletes are now.
4. Understand how to get from where you are now to where you want to be: What are the different methods that you can use to develop your key identified capacities?
5. Think innovatively and question your assumptions: The more established the process, the more you should question it.
6. Set priorities: Which area do you most need to improve in to achieve your goal?
7. Understand what could go wrong, mitigate the key risks, and have a plan in place for responding to others.
8. Set a plan.
9. Understand how best to measure progress across different time points.
10. Continually refine the plan, mixing short-terms goals and appraisals with a long-term vision.

This book is a crucial read for coaches. It sets out a framework for developing an effective long-term plan to drive performance success, which will greatly assist in guiding you forward. Share on X

Overall, this book is a crucial read for coaches. It sets out a framework for developing an effective long-term plan to drive performance success, which—when combined with other tools specific to your sport such as periodization and training theory (both of which you must critically analyze!)—will greatly assist in guiding you forward. I also think you need to give this book time: It’s a lot to take in on the first read, but rarely have I read a book that has had me highlighting sections so frequently.

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

I was raised with three older brothers who were all athletes by parents who were highly educated and loved us very much. My parents taught and modeled for us that “Emotions negatively impact your life, so avoid being emotional. Think rationally.” As I grew older and experienced more of life—and after coaching and teaching thousands of athletes over a 30-year period—I realized that my well-meaning parents had it wrong. Humans are NOT rational beings who allow their emotions to occasionally get in the way. Instead, I have firmly come to conclude that humans ARE completely emotional beings who occasionally have rational thoughts.

As a tenured professor in the kinesiology department at Whitworth University for the past 25 years, I have taught sports psychology courses to a wide variety of college students and student-athletes. In addition to that academic background and experience, I have served as the head track and field and cross-country coach for 25 years, with approximately 100 men and women on the rosters each season. Fifty years ago, if you asked an athlete, student, or coach how much of an impact they thought someone’s mind had on their performance, you would have gotten an answer ranging from “none” to “some.”

There is likely full agreement that a problem exists within most athletes that their mind negatively impacts their performance…How do we solve the problem? Share on X

Now, the answers are more informed and may range from “some” to “all.” There are several ways to look at sports psychology, or the mental aspects of sport. However, there isn’t much of an argument on whether or not our brain impacts our athletic performance; in addition, there is likely full agreement that there exists a problem within most athletes that their mind negatively impacts their performance. However, the big question also exists: How do we solve the problem?

To solve any problem, we need to first understand exactly what the problem is.

If you are a coach who looks at your athlete as a collection of mechanical movements that you are attempting to maximize efficiently, you will struggle with the mental aspects of coaching. However, if you view your athletes as breathing humans who are full of all kinds of competing emotions, thoughts, and feelings, then you will be in a better position to help your athletes manage their emotions.

I used to think that the only option I had to help some of my athletes to resolve their mental barriers was to cut their heads off. That excessive detachment would allow them to reach their full athletic potential. They were fast and strong and prepared, but their brains got in the way of all of their athletic potential and training. Now I see my athletes as flawed humans with hormones, doubts, fears, low self-confidence, and a myriad of other psychological complexities, and they require tools to help manage their emotions.

From Problem Recognition to Problem Solving

Once we have properly identified who we are working with, we must take the next step to properly define the issues that athletes are dealing with. How often do you hear an athlete say “I am stressed out” when they walk in the door? The answer is quite often. How many times have you responded, “That is great!” The answer is never.

Our society views stress as bad or negative. However, we all know that stress is neither bad nor good: Stress is defined as “a demand placed on something.” We lift weights (a demand) to get stronger. We put demands on our muscles in a variety of ways when we train. We don’t see that demand as negative or bad—it may hurt, but it has benefits, and that is why we subject ourselves to it. We run to put demands on our heart and lungs for conditioning. Athletes see it as negative, but the truth is that we all agree it is beneficial, and that is why we do it.

Stress is not inherently bad. Stress is…stress. Therefore, when an athlete says that they are “stressed out,” we know what they mean; unfortunately, they don’t. And because they don’t properly identify what is going on, they can’t efficiently find a solution. The question to ask them is “What is the demand on you?” It is usually something that is overwhelming them.

Distress is defined as “a demand that causes harm.” Too much of a demand (being overwhelmed) can cause mental harm. School is difficult. Life challenges. Change. Relationship issues. Financial problems. Unmet expectations. One or two or three of those things can give an athlete a sense of harmful stress.

Throughout the season, I witness athletes struggling in practice. The struggle is not simply fatigue or physical distress. When I ask the athlete “How are you doing?,” responses may range from a shrug to a laundry list of issues that they feel are out of their control (two common examples are a relationship that is coming to an end and/or a set of academic classes that are beyond the student-athlete’s perceived capabilities). Most of the time, simply verbalizing the issues will help the athlete recognize that life isn’t as out of control as they may imagine it is. A coach may be the only person to whom an athlete feels they can safely vent their fears and anxieties, and hopefully the coach is empathetic enough to listen and provide support.

Coaches need to point out to athletes that fears and anxieties are demands, just like weight training is a demand, and we can use them to make us better or allow them to damage us. Share on X

As coaches, we need to point out that these things are demands, just like weight training is a demand, which we can use to make us better or we can allow to damage us. Framing our problems accurately will help us correct or manage them. When we have a slow athlete, we shouldn’t label them as “slow” and move on. Capable coaches figure out why the athlete is slow (lack of strength, poor fitness, improper mechanics, lack of confidence, etc.) and then implement a plan to fix those issues. The same should be true for mental barriers to success. Coaches need to help athletes identify the areas in their life that cause stress or other mental barriers and then equip them with the tools to manage or overcome them.

Addressing Distress

Distress can cause anxiety. Fear—which is different than distress—can also cause anxiety. Fear refers to how we perceive the possibility of something happening to us instead of the probability. When we look at the logical probability of something happening to us, it is typically low, but the possibility of it happening, no matter how small, results in fear. The “fight or flight” response is a physiological reaction to a perceived harmful event.

In other words, our body gets full of adrenaline so it can either run away from the charging saber-tooth tiger or stand and fight the big kitty. Our body has been conditioned to react to fear. Fear, however, is an emotional response to a perceived danger or harm. That emotional response exists because of the lack of trust. When we trust ourselves or others, we don’t perceive events as being harmful to us. Few people fear sitting in a chair, as they trust the chair will hold them. Many people fear public speaking because they don’t trust how the audience will respond to what they say, and/or they don’t trust their own ability to deliver a coherent message.

We need to identify our fears and learn to control them by understanding what it is that we don’t trust in the situation. When we can understand the psychological response to fear and control it, we can then allow the physiological response to help us to fight and not engage in flight. Allow fears to be a fire that fuels you and propels you forward and upward, but don’t allow fear to be a fuel that burns you up.

Mental Toughness and Resilience

Defining the problem accurately helps us find a solution. What is mental toughness? Is it being focused? Is it being angry? Is it being strong or intense?

Mental toughness is not accurately described by any of those, as they are all different areas that must be addressed separately. Mental toughness is most accurately described as the “ability to overcome an adverse situation in an expedient manner.” Mentally tough people aren’t better than anyone else. Mentally tough people are simply better at rebounding from challenges and rebounding in a shorter period of time than those who are not mentally tough.

Mentally tough people are simply better at rebounding from challenges and rebounding in a shorter period of time than those who are not mentally tough. Share on X

We all have heard the line “time heals all wounds.” Give us enough time and we will “get over it.” A mentally tough person “gets over it” and “gets over it” fast. The mentally tough person isn’t flawless or perfect—a mentally tough person makes a lot of mistakes. The difference is that when a mentally tough person makes an error, the next time a ground ball is hit to them they make a great play. Air ball? They drain a three. Mentally tough people respond to adversity and respond quickly. How does that happen?

Resilience, which is “the ability to rebound, recover, or bounce back to the original form,” is a skill. We are not born resilient. We learn resilience over time. But how do we learn resilience? Like any skill, we learn it with practice.

Sports have historically been an effective environment to help teach resilience. Failure is inevitable in sport, and when there is failure, there is an opportunity to practice resilience. No athlete bats 1.000 for very long, nor do they make every shot in every game. Getting a hit one out of three at bats in a game is seen as successful. Two out of three made field goals will get you a lot of praise in basketball.

Most athletes understand those statistics and realize that failure is part of sport and is something to overcome. However, not all athletes handle failure equally—often because some never learned to be resilient in the first place. Sport alone does not teach athletes character or skills, including resilience; sports are merely a tool that a coach can use to teach character and skills.

All athletes are not created equal—they come from various family environments and have various levels of support. Bobby Knight, the Hall of Fame college basketball coach, once stated in an interview: “Athletes today are not any different than athletes 30 or 40 years ago. What is different is the parents who raise them.” He went on to elaborate how parents (and coaches and teachers) tend to overly protect children, and that protection prevents the natural exposure to failure and thus the opportunity to learn resilience. When an athlete fails and a coach is present to help them cope with that failure, they acquire resilience. When an athlete fails and allows their emotions to take over, they may quit the sport or pout until they are “over it,” or simply blame the failure on others (e.g., Coach isn’t any good).

Many athletes—but not all—come from homes that include loving parents who go to great lengths to take care of their children and protect them from harm. A kid falls off a bike and the parent runs over and picks them up. Or even “worse,” the parent doesn’t let the kid have a bike until they are confident that the kid won’t fall off while riding. Similarly, athletes often have great teachers and coaches who want the best for them, and that “best” may include keeping them from pain or disappointment (insert rant about “participation trophies,” “everyone plays equal time” rules, or “ties are okay” that often come up when talking about our “entitled children” and lack of resilience).

I love my kids, so I try to provide for them and help them avoid the pain and struggles that I unfortunately went through. However, by attempting to protect them, I may be keeping them from the opportunities that I had as a kid to learn resilience. My attempt to help them may prevent them from developing the skill of resilience, which will be beneficial in their future challenges. In my 30 years of college coaching, there hasn’t been a blueprint for athletes who have resilience and those who don’t. In my experience, though, the athletes who have had more struggles in life tend to handle struggle easier than those who have had a smoother path.

I often work with Paralympic athletes. These athletes are not all the same, but one common characteristic that I have found is they tend to “grind” more and shrug off failure much more quickly than able-bodied athletes. I believe this is correlated to the fact that much of their life has revolved around overcoming adversity. The necessity to drag a competitive wheelchair around whenever you want to work out requires more resilience than simply throwing a pair of shoes in your backpack.

Coping, along with resilience, is a skill… Coping is not a passive activity—the skill of coping must be learned, and thus coaches must teach it. Share on X

Coping is the manner in which we “deal with problems.” Coping, along with resilience, is a skill. We all have different ways to cope. Ignoring is a common “coping mechanism.” However, ignoring is not actually a successful coping strategy—it will not allow us to deal with a problem for the long term. Ignoring simply delays the requirement to cope until later. Successful coping requires four steps:

1. Control our emotions. Emotions cause us to think less rationally and allow feelings to direct thoughts and behavior. Take a big deep breath and calm yourself.
2. Organize the inputs. In other words, what is happening. This is like the “data collection” step in the scientific method.
3. Plan a strategy. Once we have all of the data, we can plan a strategy.
4. Execute that strategy. This may seem like a simple step, but it is often the most difficult.

We are often capable of planning, but actually executing a plan requires a risk that many of us are unwilling to take. Control, Organize, Plan, and Execute. C-O-P-E. It is easy to remember the steps of coping. It is much more difficult to actually cope with our problems.

Coping with Loss

Loss is the most common area in our lives that requires coping. Loss of any kind will cause anxiety, distress, depression, and a lack of self-confidence, all of which can benefit from coping. Whenever we lose something, our emotions get the best of us. Lose a game. Lose a loved one. Lose a relationship. Lose our car keys. Obviously, we react to some losses more than others, but all losses require some form of coping.

Controlling our emotions requires patience and trust. Organizing the input requires focus and awareness. Planning a strategy requires critical thinking and problem-solving. Execution requires risk-taking and motivation. Coping is not a passive activity—the skill of coping must be learned, and thus coaches must teach it.

When an athlete has a poor performance or fails, they may act out or shut down—their emotions take over. In order to control emotions, a great first step is to take a deep breath. That simple action causes the athlete to pause. Sometimes, controlling emotions requires a coach to “talk the athlete down off the ledge.” Giving your perspective and listening to the athlete’s emotions will help them control their emotional state. Once those emotions are less overwhelming, you can address rational thought. “Why are you so upset?” “Was the performance as bad as you thought it was?” “What variables did you have control over that you didn’t control and what variables were out of your control?” (e.g., the opponent was much better, the referee made an untimely call, etc.).

Athletes need to understand that flawlessness is rare in sport. Improvement is more likely. Share on X

Once the facts are laid out, the coach can help the athlete strategize how to move forward. “What can we do at practice next week to improve and raise the probability of a better performance?” Words are key. Probability is different than guarantee. Better is different than perfect. Athletes need to understand that flawlessness is rare in sport. Improvement is more likely. Set process goals and not outcome goals, and then communicate with the athlete during the week to check how the process is going.

Coping leads us to being content—but not satisfied—with our current situation. Contentment and satisfaction are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Satisfied refers to being “pleased or full.” When we are satisfied, we no longer want or feel the need for more. As an athlete (and as a human who desires to reach their full potential), satisfaction prevents us from pushing forward—when we determine something is full, there is no need to do more. More tends to cause us to overflow, which becomes a waste. If we are satisfied, we lack motivation to get better.

If an athlete beats an inferior opponent, they can feel satisfied with the victory, and that may lull them into a false sense of confidence and prevent them from putting forth the effort to improve. After beating an inferior opponent, the athlete should feel good about their win, but realize that the next competition may bring a greater challenge. In addition, if an athlete fails to reach their goal, they don’t need to be happy about their performance, but they can be at peace with how they executed the game plan. They should realize that with more effort, they will perform better next time and possibly come out on top.

On the other hand, contentment refers to peace in our current situation. Peace allows us to see the good in what we have accomplished but doesn’t limit our desire to achieve more. We should be content (have peace), but we should never be satisfied unless we are finished with the process of getting better. Whether we win or lose, post a personal best, or perform poorly, we must be grateful for where we are and what we have been able to accomplish (contentment). Yet, we also must allow the win or loss, success or failure, to fuel us to become even better and to not settle (satisfied) for where we are.

Mental Skills on the Field of Play

Many of the suggestions thus far may seem easier said than done. Changing someone’s mindset is similar to changing someone’s mind: It takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. One thing that doesn’t take much time and energy is the concept of breathing. Breathing is simple. We all do it, or we wouldn’t stay alive. Unfortunately, we all don’t breathe well enough.

Breathing is important. Routinely taking a BIG, DEEP BREATH is essential. Breathing detoxifies and releases toxins. Breathing releases tension. Breathing relaxes the mind and brings clarity. Breathing relieves emotional problems. Breathing relieves pain. Breathing strengthens our immune system. Breathing improves posture. Breathing improves the quality of our blood. Breathing increases digestion and assimilation of food. Breathing improves our nervous system. Breathing strengthens our lungs. Breathing boosts our overall energy levels. Breathing improves cellular generation (which helps us heal). Breathing elevates our mood. Breathing forces us to pause and be patient. Breathing keeps us alive.

So, stop and take a DEEP breath! Stopping thoughts and taking a deep breath now puts us in the position to think more clearly and rationally. This allows our emotions to be less in control, and we can tap into our brain, which contains the tools we need to make a plan on future thoughts and actions.

We should not avoid or ignore the mental struggles of our athletes. Share on X

Coaches play a huge role in helping athletes to be aware of their emotions and training them to manage those emotions. We should not avoid or ignore emotions. We should not avoid or ignore the mental struggle of our athletes. As coaches, we must help athletes understand their emotions and how they can manage and control them, so that they can reach their full athletic potential.

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

With research in assisted sprints gaining steam over the last few years, I wanted to use this article to look at some of the specific methods we’ve incorporated into our long jump training regimen at Loyola University Chicago. I think a key element in the future of sprint and jump training involves effective uses of overspeed and assisted work to meticulously tease out potent speed adaptations. Nonetheless, it’s imperative that coaches consistently take a bird’s-eye view throughout the macrocycle, paying close attention to how gains in speed affect all other biomotor abilities.

As this is the second installment of an article series on long jump training, I wanted to briefly look back at the first part. In it, I tackled power development through resisted sprint training utilizing a method that involved working within zones of resistance on the 1080 Sprint in order to transfer big peak power outputs achieved at high resistances down to slightly lower resistances where velocity plays a larger role than force. The methodology of manipulating resisted sprint loads to transfer peak power outputs to lesser loads within a session aims to prepare the long jumper for added velocity at takeoff, where time frames to express power into the board are marginally reduced.

A similar thread runs through our assisted sprint training designs, albeit on the opposite end of the spectrum with the added load being assistance rather than resistance, and the analyzed metric being peak velocity rather than peak power. Although we didn’t utilize zones with assisted sprints, the prevailing idea of transferring high training inputs produced from higher loads down to lesser loads is at work here as well.

We’ve tried a few different methods in assisted sprint training over the last couple of years involving changing the settings on the 1080, using Brower timing gates, and trying various complexes, but in the end our methods are quite simple and similar to those mentioned in the previous article. (A side note here: I haven’t had much success doing complexes of assisted and unassisted sprinting. However, complexing higher and lower assisted reps 1 kilogram apart has served well as a catalyst for potentiation. I’ve found it best to either do isolated assisted sessions or segmented work. For the most part, we segmented full approach work with assisted sprints as separate components of a session.)

By the end of the article, we’ll consider a complementary advanced multi-jump exercise to enhance reactive strength to prepare for added velocity at takeoff. Overall, I hope you’ll find some similarities with the first article on power development through resisted sprint training and start to see an underlying training philosophy emerge.

Paradigms in Assisted Sprint Training with the 1080 Sprint

Focusing on the specific assisted sprint training program for two of our long jumpers at Loyola University Chicago, Eric Burns and Mackenzie Arnold, last year we worked up to 6 kilograms and even 7 kilograms of assistance once or twice, but this year we only went up to 5 kilograms.

By gradually reducing pulling forces, those increased velocities become normalized and methodically pared down into the athlete’s natural ability, says @BobThurnhoffer. Share on X

This was mostly because both of them no longer required that kind of assistance to achieve the peak velocities we were targeting.¹ This highlights how we thought of progression with assisted sprinting: namely, achieving big peak velocities at lesser and lesser assistances. As time goes on from mesocycle to mesocycle—and even macrocycle to macrocycle—the goal is to progress by not needing as much assistance, thereby enhancing assimilation of greater speeds into the athlete’s natural max velocity capability. The less assistance produced by the machine, the more speed generated by the athlete. By gradually reducing pulling forces, those increased velocities become normalized and methodically pared down into the athlete’s natural ability.

Throughout the past couple of years, we’ve placed assisted sprint work primarily in the third to fourth mesocycles, which for us at Loyola falls in the mid/late October to early December range (though we do continue to microdose during the season). The reason for implementation in late fall is threefold:

1. 1. As a further progression or intensification for max velocity training.

 

1. 1. On the practical side, we don’t have an indoor track, so we have to work within the limitations of an approximately 50- to 55-meter wall-to-wall straightaway of rollout track when the weather turns in Chicago. This makes fly sprints rather difficult and speed endurance reps untenable. With that in mind, we rely on assisted sprinting, since it allows us to achieve supramaximal and maximal velocities within a 35- to 40-meter sprint.

 

1. 1. In the case of Eric and Mackenzie’s long-term development—having done countless repetitions of fly sprints, wicket progressions, and any other types of max velocity and/or max velocity qualitative work over their career—in the last two years, assisted sprints served as a mode of speed training through which to challenge well-refined skills in a novel way.

 

Generally speaking, we found that Mackenzie had her best sessions when we integrated assisted work first, followed by max velocity/full approach, whereas Eric benefitted from unassisted work followed by assisted. More specifically, we had two slightly different methods for assisted speed work, one for Mackenzie and one for Eric. They did, however, do some crossover sessions where they used the other method just for variation’s sake.

With Mackenzie, we often used complexes of higher assistances followed by slightly lower assistances; for example, a few sets of 5 kilograms followed by 4 kilograms. With Eric, the concept of the sessions was similar to what we did with resisted work on the 1080—we would surf from a lower assistance, riding a wave up to a higher assistance for a rep or two before sliding back down to try to carry those velocities achieved at the high assistances down to the lower assistances. The progression through the macrocycle was to utilize less and less assistance; 5 kilograms was phased out by the time the season started.

This is all anecdotal, but a good analogy to use in understanding assisted sprint work is to think of 1 kilogram of assistance as 1.0 m/s tailwind. So, 2 kilograms is similar to 2.0 m/s, 3 kilograms to 3.0 m/s, 4 kilograms to 4.0 m/s, and so on. I have no evidence for that, but I’ve found it helpful in understanding dosage, prescription, progression, and programming for assisted sprint work.

This is anecdotal, but a good analogy to use in understanding assisted sprint work is to think of 1 kilogram of assistance as 1.0 m/s tailwind, says @BobThurnhoffer. Share on X

For Mackenzie, in the fall we favored complexes consisting of sets of 5 kilograms’ assistance followed by 4 kilograms. We found that the 4-kilogram reps were potentiated by the slightly stronger 5-kilogram pull. We mostly worked that type of complex while segmenting it with full approach work to be sure that increased speed levels weren’t outgrowing approach development. Occasionally, we added a segment of a few reps at 3 kilograms at the end to see how close the peak velocities achieved at 3 kilograms were to 4 kilograms.

Later, during indoor, Mackenzie achieved big peaks at 5 kilograms and 4 kilograms, so we phased down to 3 kilograms and lived there for the duration of the season. When administering assisted sprints, it’s important to not have too much variety in pulling force within a session so the athlete can lock into a rhythm and cadence while becoming further attuned to the nature of the pull. Midway through the indoor season, she was regularly hitting 9.5 m/s-9.6 m/s peak velocity at 3 kilograms.

Video 1. Mackenzie on an assisted sprint rep. This is all rollout track in a student rec center. In this particular session, we segmented six assisted sprints of approximately 40 meters at 3-kilogram pull followed by six full approaches with no takeoff. We closed the session with timed single-leg depth jumps (discussed further below).

Over the course of fall training with Eric, we wouldn’t do complexes—instead, we used a chiastic structure working from 4 kilograms up to 5 kilograms and back to 4 kilograms, with the intent of converting peak velocities from 5 kilograms to 4 kilograms. As training progressed, the sessions evolved into 3kg-4kg-3kg, targeting 3-kilogram peak velocities, and eventually moved to 2kg-3kg-2kg, where 2 kilograms was the focal point. In that sense, the game we played was to see how close he could come to his peak velocities achieved at high assistances down at lower assistances, which became a source of motivation for him each time we worked on it.

Below, you’ll see a session from the latter stages of the fall, where he had a breakthrough at 2 kilograms, hitting a peak of 11.15 m/s. In that sense, it was always the back half of the session that was most critical for development.

For Eric, channeling those big velocities toward the lesser assistances over the course of the season proved effective. In other words, transitioning from actual overspeed reps to assisted sprints seemed to allow for greater transfer. By overspeed, I mean hitting velocities the athlete would not be able to create on their own, even in perfect conditions; whereas, by assisted sprints, I mean using the 1080 to aid the athlete in hitting speeds they are likely capable of producing on their own in ideal or close to ideal conditions.

Throughout the macrocycle, we favored segmented sessions packaging full approach work with assisted sprints. Combining those within a session while bracketing them as separate components seemed to sift more speed into the approach work. Intensity in one aspect of a session begets intensity in subsequent aspects of a session, provided volumes are kept within a reasonable range. Once the season began, we paid more attention to density patterns and reviewed assisted sprints once every two weeks in reduced quantity.

Video 2. Eric on an assisted rep during the same session as seen in the clip above of Mackenzie. In this instance, Eric had already completed four full approaches with no takeoff; then we did six assisted sprints of approximately 40 meters.

To complete the training effect of assisted sprints for long jumpers, the takeoff leg must endure subsequent improvements in specific forms of reactive strength, says @BobThurnhoffer. Share on X

To round out this examination of assisted sprint training, I want to contextualize the training effect brought on by assisted sprints by recognizing the corresponding effect at takeoff. Meaning that, in order to complete the training effect of assisted sprints for long jumpers, the takeoff leg must endure subsequent improvements in specific forms of reactive strength as well. When considering transfer in any context, it’s essential to examine training effects holistically—otherwise, dysfunction can ensue. With that, we’ll turn to the last section, pairing distinct modes of depth jumps with assisted sprints to culminate the training effect. 

Multi-Jump Corollary to Complement Increased Velocity at Takeoff

It’s no secret that increased velocity is vital for further long jumping. That increase, however, has a cascading effect on every element of the event—most notably, it minimizes time available for takeoff. It’s not enough to simply train to get faster: Any speed upgrade has to be calibrated into the various elements involved in the long jump, especially the takeoff. This year, we added single-leg depth jumps as a consistent, weekly multi-jump activity in order to address the dilemma of having fractionally reduced time to express force into the board. In that sense, I thought it wasn’t enough to simply administer assisted sprints to gain in max velocity potential; there also had to be substantive gains in unilateral reactive strength to bring those training gains into completion.

Any promotion in speed development for a long jumper must be underscored with adequate advancements in elasticity for takeoff. Furthermore, adding single-leg depth jumps on assisted sprint days seemed like a natural fit. It sent a clear signal to the body of what we wanted to train: speed + faster ground reaction forces. This gave each athlete confidence that they could handle more speed at takeoff, and the vertical nature of the depth jump paired logically with the max velocity work.

There are several more reasons for the choice to do single-leg depth jumps:

1. 1. Mackenzie and Eric both learned to thrive in the weight room on unilateral static lifts. Our sports performance coach, Dave Vitel, did a wonderful job progressing their key static lifts into unilateral dominant eccentrics and isometrics, often with the heel lifted off the ground. These lifts served as another step toward greater specificity in the weight room to complement our sprint and jump practices.

 

1. 1. Unilateral depth jumps are more specific to the long jump takeoff, and we saw it as a rational progression from the bilateral depth jumps done in previous years.

 

1. 1. Since their natural tendency was to favor longer ground contact times and greater vertical impulses at takeoff, we administered single-leg depth jumps in a particular way. We could have done depth jumps with the progression being to raise the boxes gradually; however, that would favor large ground reaction forces through longer ground contacts. Instead, we capped the height of the boxes at 18 inches for Eric and 12 inches for Mackenzie, typically doing 6-9 jumps each leg once a week after approach, max velocity, and/or assisted/overspeed work from late September through the majority of the indoor season with a focus on speed of movement.

 

Early in the fall we only did six each leg; later, once we had graduated from short approach jump progressions, we left that behind in favor of added full approach volumes and an uptick to nine single-leg depth jumps per leg each session. During the indoor season, we backed off to 3-5 each leg per session for maintenance purposes and held off at times based on the continual overload of competition jumping.

Instead of progressing by height, we progressed by time to get used to expressing large forces in minimal time. The idea here was to target ground contact times similar to elite long jump takeoffs.² I used the Coach’s Eye app to time ground contact on the depth jumps and monitored it throughout the season. In that sense, the activity never changed, but the data analysis allowed us to methodically track progress over time.

We elected to not advance the activity by increasing height, since that would not address the issue of decreased time available at takeoff as effectively as tracking ground contact time at the same height over the course of a season. It’s a subtle difference, but it has implications on the specific nature of the training effect. In this case, our choice on administration of single-leg depth jumps favored faster reactivity off the ground compared to the alternative. Over the season, Mackenzie improved from .18 down to .155; Eric went from .21 to .19. In retrospect, Eric would’ve been better served using a 15-inch box.

It’s critical to not target shorter ground contact times in jumping activities, or sprinting for that matter, until sufficient force application is stabilized, says @BobThurnhoffer. Share on X

Overall, I felt this activity equipped the takeoff leg for added velocity and gave each athlete confidence they could handle it. I waited until this year—both athletes’ senior year—to incorporate single-leg depth jumps, because I see it as a very advanced multi-jump activity that shouldn’t be conducted without suitable long-term development. Furthermore, it’s critical to not target shorter ground contact times in jumping activities, or sprinting for that matter, until sufficient force application is stabilized.

Panoramic View

To close, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on assisted sprinting as a whole. Looking back at the past few years spent experimenting and refining approaches to assisted sprint training, I now feel as if I didn’t do enough of it 2-3 years ago. An incubation period must occur as an athlete adopts and adapts to assisted sprinting, but the fear of diving in must be overcome by clever initiation tactics. Any athlete can finish a max velocity or late-stage acceleration session with 1-3 reps of assisted sprinting with a light pull of 2 kilograms. Over time, they acclimate and can handle greater pulls; then, once adaptation further solidifies over time and intensity builds, pulling forces can be reduced, thereby offering even greater opportunities for speed maturation.

I now see assisted sprinting as the greatest element the 1080 Sprint has to offer, since you can easily control and program it through the machine. When executed well, assisted work can enhance sprinting economy. If the pulling forces match the buy-in of the athlete, it will allow them to sell out to greater vertical force application, applying forces at ground strike earlier than they would otherwise. This will reduce over-pushing late into ground contact and enhance front-side dominant mechanics, since displacement is secured through the pulling force. As comfort with attacking assisted sprints grows, neural adaptations are enhanced, reactivity of the ankle complex evolves, and coordination of limb exchange is amplified. We’ve augmented our assisted sprint training protocols with the methods mentioned above and will continue to do so in the years to come.

When executed well, assisted work can enhance sprinting economy, says @BobThurnhoffer. Share on X

The plan heading into outdoors was to nurture our unassisted/unresisted sprinting through extensification, utilizing longer efforts of complete sprints and sprint-float-sprint protocols between 50 meters and 90 meters, along with extending assisted sprint efforts into the 50-meter to 60-meter realm favoring 2-kilogram to 3-kilogram pulls—but the pandemic meant otherwise. The idea was to expand our sprinting and assisted sprinting reps into slightly longer efforts, stabilizing greater levels of speed while enhancing coordination of limb exchange over incrementally longer distances. After all, comfort with elevated velocities is required for sifting greater levels of speed onto the runway and coordinating it into the approach rhythm and takeoff.

Exposure breeds familiarity, familiarity breeds confidence, confidence breeds applicability, and applicability breeds transfer. Combining the methods for improved max velocity set forth here with the schemes for power development provided in the article on resisted sprints allows for several raw ingredients to jumping farther: composure with increasing velocity so it can be incorporated down the runway, improved elasticity for faster reactivity, and enhanced rate of force development for rapid power expression capabilities at takeoff.

With some strategies in speed/power development in place, in the next article we’ll look at joining those physical gains with skillful execution in the long jump approach. A key theme moving forward will be ensuring that gains in speed/power don’t grow faster than long jump skill acquisition.

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. Some of these thoughts were triggered through a conversation at dinner with Joseph Coyne, Keith Herston, and Jon DeGrave the night before Coyne put on a clinic at Florida State University in July 2018.

2. Referencing IAAF studies in biomechanics, World Athletics Research Centre

In the current “Information Age” of strength and conditioning, young coaches can get lost in the vast ocean of information. Social media, journals, blogs, podcast- and subscription-based services: The pool of information is ever-growing. New methods and practices are being developed daily, while old-school methods continue to produce solid athletic outcomes. So, what is a coach supposed to do? Hold to the tried-and-true and risk being left behind? Jump at every new method and hope to gain an advantage, but risk having it fall flat?

This is where the concept of training principles comes in. There is an opening phrase that makes the rounds on strength coach Twitter every now and then, which goes something like, I’m not an Olympic coach, or I’m not a Westside coach, or I’m not a 5-3-1 coach, or I’m not a triphasic coach, and so on. I guess that the point of this declaration is to demonstrate how the coach is not biased toward one system over another. While this looks good and open-minded, I think it is potentially dangerous. What is the limiting principle keeping these coaches from hopping from one program to the other or mixing too many methods at once?

Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods.” Principles are the North Star that keeps a coach on track through a sea of information. They don’t dictate exact bearings, but rather maintain a generalized course toward the objective.

I believe every coach, especially young coaches, should develop a set of guiding principles for their programming and training, says @Tate_Tobiason. Share on X

I believe every coach, especially young coaches, should develop a set of guiding principles for their programming and training. These principles should be broad, yet clear in their objectives, providing the framework by which a coach can decide whether a new method may be worth their time. Change for the sake of change is reckless, but by establishing guiding principles, change for the better is made possible, while simultaneously protecting against rash knee-jerk reactions.

For me, a principled approach to training began back when I was a young intern at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Back in the day, Boyd Epley and Mike Arthur developed a list of 10 “Husker Power Principles,” which they hung on the wall and treated as if they were the Ten Commandments. As a young coach, my opinions on training constantly changed with whatever rabbit hole I dove down, and thus I thought these principles were too rigid and narrow-minded, and I treated them as methods rather than guiding principles.

As my time at Nebraska progressed, I developed more of a relationship with Mike Arthur and began to probe him about these principles. Now, if you have ever met this soft-spoken man, you know that he is a wealth of knowledge, but sometimes getting an answer from him is like pulling teeth. Eventually, I learned that he got the idea for these principles after reading Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. By examining high performers in society, you can reverse-engineer effectiveness down to common habits or principles.

A similar concept can be found in Ray Dalio’s book, Principles. By examining what had worked and what hadn’t over the years at Husker Power, Coach Arthur outlined the underlying principles on which the program had built its success.

After hearing this, and reading the mentioned texts, I wanted to develop my own set of principles. Setting out, I began to examine successful training programs, trying to understand why they were successful. From the collegiate realm of Husker Power to the powerlifting realm of Louie Simmons and the track and field realm of Charlie Francis, I found common trends. Paired with first-hand experience, I started to form the following principles.

Principle 1 – “Athlete-First” Training

If you have been coaching for any amount of time, chances are you have heard the phrase “Athletes will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care about them.” Far too often, coaches get so caught up in boosting KPIs or demonstrating our knowledge of the field that we end up alienating our athletes. Not to say that KPIs are not important, but rather that they do not tell the whole story, especially in team sports. This took me awhile to understand, coming from a powerlifting background where the numbers did not lie.

Coaching, first and foremost, is a people business. Learn to listen to your athletes. Having a good relationship with a player may provide you with better and more honest insight than any screening tool. Coaching should be geared toward furthering their career, not your ego. I’m looking at you, social media coaches. As Bill Walsh puts it, the score takes care of itself. Focus on your athletes as individual human beings first, and you’ll be surprised to see how many other outcomes fall favorably into place.

Principle 2 – Ground-Based Training

Plain and simple, the majority of sports are played on the ground. Athletes need to learn how to display force and power into the ground to obtain maximal athletic output. Unstable surfaces may be great for rehab, but we are performance coaches. You may argue that unstable surface training expands the toolbox of an athlete’s ability, but I would counter that until you pour the foundation, set the frame, and hang the drywall, you do not need a Stubby Nail Eater in your tool pouch. Principles are not about demonizing certain movements, but rather putting them in the proper context.

Principles are not about demonizing certain movements, but rather putting them in the proper context, says @Tate_Tobiason. Share on X

Principle 3 – Power-Strength Training Split

Strength is the underlying quality for all athletic movement. It doesn’t matter how quickly you can move if it isn’t of any substance. On the flip side, strength levels only matter up to the point where your opponent is better able to display their strength levels. Therefore, I construct my training split into specific power and strength days.

On power days, we prioritize bar velocity with the ability to target specific sections of the velocity spectrum. Furthermore, by expanding the day to focus on high-velocity explosive movements, I don’t tend to worry about the Olympic versus non-Olympic debate. It allows me the possibility to start with some good old-fashioned power cleans and move on to trap bar jumps. Moreover, on strength days, we prioritize mass—whether it be building mass or moving mass. Primary lifts on this day—such as squat, bench, and deadlift—can have a velocity prescription, although it will be on the lower end of the continuum.

Principle 4 – Heavy-Light or High-Low Training Split

While 100% effort is required to improve athletic performance, 100% intensity is not always required. In fact, it can be counterproductive. A mentor of mine told me that strength coaches would be better described as “stress managers.” It is our job to know when to push adaptation via high stress and when to back off to allow adaption to take hold. Examine some of the great coaches of history: Their programs followed this principle, understanding that athletes require high-quality stimuli to induce adaptation, but realizing that high intensities of training are unsustainable day after day.

Principle 5 – Progressive Overload

As the athlete progresses, so should the challenges the athlete faces. Progressive overload can take on a variety of forms other than the common “add five pounds per week” mantra. Load is the accumulation of total reps, weight, and form/range of motion. The goal should be to challenge athletes weekly by making incremental changes that increase total load.

For example, if an athlete has three sets of five reps on dumbbell shoulder press, and they complete 40-45-50 pounds for their three sets, rather than attempting to increase every set by 5-10 pounds each week and risk failing, they could instead perform 45-45-50 pounds in Week 2 and 50-50-50 pounds in Week 3. Total load will have increased from 675 to 750 pounds lifted over the three weeks.

Athletes need to be challenged off the field, so they can be a challenge for their opponents on the field, says @Tate_Tobiason. Share on X

The goal should be to challenge athletes weekly by making incremental changes that increase total load. Athletes need to be challenged off the field, so they can be a challenge for their opponents on the field.

Principle 6 – Successive Patterning

Establishing proper movement patterns is key in the weight room. Start with the basics (squat, hinge, push, pull, stabilize) and move on from there. As coaches, we sometimes spend too much time hammering home the basics, or we skip over them altogether. Establishing a base is key, but don’t be afraid to move on to more advanced tasks.

An overhead squat with a dowel is great for teaching freshmen to move correctly, but not for a senior who has already been around the block. A good coach will not only teach the athlete the ABCs of movement, but also teach them how to string these movements together on the field.

Principle 7 – Appropriate Energy System

In the weight room, training from sport to sport will not differ greatly. However, on the field, the nuance of athletic development shows itself. Each sport has unique energy system demands and should be trained accordingly. Soccer and football players may both cover a lot of ground, but one is a free-flowing sport, while the other has short breaks in-between plays.

A proper understanding of the energy systems is what separates the good coaches from the great, says @Tate_Tobiason. Share on X

First, identify the work:rest ratio of the sport, the position, and even the style of play run by the coach. Then, implement an appropriate training plan. The goal is to prepare the team for their style of play, not regurgitate a safe textbook answer. A proper understanding of the energy systems is what separates the good coaches from the great.

From Principles to Outcomes

Principled training is not so much about creating success as it is preventing failure. It’s about keeping us away from the rocky shorelines that are injury-plagued, losing seasons that ultimately result in athletes watching from the stands. While my principles have helped me have success with my athletes, more importantly, they have helped keep my athletes safe, healthy, and progressing in a state of improvement.

I encourage every reader to create their own guiding principles that they can use and follow throughout their career. In a world full of information and emotionally charged debates, it is important to have a North Star to keep the ship on course. So, do you have a guiding star, or do you find yourself afloat in a sea of training ambiguity?

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

Your first year as a coach, whether as a graduate assistant or an intern, is a unique and challenging one. Often that struggle is due to one or more of the reasons below:

• You just finished playing collegiately and therefore still see yourself as an athlete.
• You have a hard time balancing your personal relationships with the athletes and your professional responsibility to instruct and educate.
• You excelled at your sport and feel you are already a good coach.
• You excelled in the weight room and feel you are already a good strength and conditioning coach.

There is a lot of information on social media these days about improving yourself as a coach, but little out there on how to begin that process in your first year in the job. I wrote this article to give you a greater understanding of what it is like to be a coach and how to get the most from your graduate assistantship/internship.

1. Have Great Time Management

Being in graduate school and working full-time as a coach isn’t easy! As an international student, I had to take three classes (nine hours per week) and was given three teams to coach during my first semester. The amount of time I had to spend doing schoolwork and doing my job was overbearing at times.

When you have sessions as early as 6 a.m. and don’t get back to your dorm room after night class until 9 p.m., it can be tough. Much like our athletes who juggle their time between classes, practices, lifts, and social activities, your schedule will be tough but doable with the correct time management.

A piece of advice: the sooner you set your schedule and organize your time between the office, classroom, and library, the easier the transition into grad school and coaching becomes. Any extended periods of downtime you have in the office should be seen as opportunities to get some schoolwork or programming done, or to engage in some structured learning (like reading an article or watching a presentation).

You ask your athletes to get 1% better every day, manage their time effectively in order to get adequate sleep, and eat enough food to stay energized and recover from practice, but you have to walk the talk too! Buy a planner and get organized.

Buy a planner and get organized, says @SCoach_Aldo. Share on X

2. Be Vulnerable

When I first started as a graduate assistant (GA) strength and conditioning coach, I didn’t ask the head strength coach anything. I didn’t ask what he did with the teams before I got them; what he thought about my program; what he thought about the way I was training them; what he thought about my periodization model, loading, exercise selections, etc.

There were two reasons for this: pride and fear. He had been in the profession for four years and, even though I had previously been a personal trainer in England, this was my first semester training American collegiate teams.

Did I need some help and guidance? Absolutely! But I avoided asking as I didn’t want him thinking I didn’t know what I was doing; it was this threat of perceived ignorance that stopped me from asking for help.

After two months or so I finally asked for his help only to discover what will surely come as no surprise: he was actually very helpful and supportive when answering my questions, and gave me crucial insight and knowledge I could use to improve my programs. Needless to say, from that point on I talked to him on a daily basis about my athletes and our programs.

The biggest problem I have experienced and see other GAs struggle with is being vulnerable. We are too proud and/or scared to make mistakes. But this is how we learn!

There are countless stories of famous inventors and athletes who made many mistakes in their careers, but they learned from them and became better because of this failure and learning process. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask your head coach something you aren’t sure of. The likelihood is they will respect you more for asking.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask your head coach something you aren’t sure of, says @SCoach_Aldo. Share on X

3. Ask Specific Questions

If you ask the coaches you work for broad, wide-reaching questions such as how they condition the team or how important nutrition is for athletic performance, that can actually be counterproductive! Everyone is busy, time is precious, and interrupting a supervisor’s thought process to ask a broad question isn’t ideal. Asking the right question is a skill, and focusing on specific, well-timed questions can be a gamechanger for a GA/intern’s relationship with their supervisors.

Pre-session, when everything is set up and the athletes aren’t in yet, is a great time to ask these questions; mid-lift is not. This distinction might sound obvious, but when I was an intern often I wanted the answers to my questions immediately.

For example, asking about an athlete’s power clean form mid-session isn’t the right time. That’s the time to listen to the coaches around you, to hear their coaching cues and the individual feedback they give the athletes, and to write all of these points down.

After the session is when you can get the notepad out, go back to your original questions, and ask the coaches. They will be impressed that you wrote down their cues and took the care to even have a notepad and pen, and will be grateful you didn’t ask them the questions when they were trying to coach multiple athletes at once.

Timing of questions is crucial—you want the coaches’ best answer so you have to know the best time to ask.

4. Build a Great Relationship With Athletic Trainers

Strength coaches and athletic trainers (ATs) work towards the same goal: both want their athletes to be high-performing, injury-free, and available to play every game. For preventing and rehabilitating injuries, a strength coach and AT overlap in their job descriptions. Therefore, communication and cooperation with the AT staff is crucial in this process to ensure the best care for the athlete.

Injured players often have training contraindications, which means a modified strength and conditioning program. There needs to be clarity and a specific purpose for these sessions in order for the athlete to maximize their time in the weight room. Great communication and similar training philosophies between a strength coach and an athletic trainer can really set your athletic performance model apart from others.

My AT and I are constantly sharing articles, screenshots, podcasts, and Twitter and Instagram links with each other—iron sharpens iron. You will likely share a room with this person on the road, spend a lot of time together at practices, and will both come up with the most appropriate tests for your athletes when testing week rolls around.

If you have a data tracking system (we use Kinexon at Furman), having your AT take an active role in this is crucial. We text our head coach every day with a report on what we saw from the data at practice. If the relationship between a strength coach and AT isn’t healthy, then everything they do will be sub-optimal.

As a young strength coach, your ATs should be a constant source of information. I was fortunate at the University of Alabama in Huntsville because some of the ATs were CSCS certified, which made conversations about programs, requirements of the athlete in the weight room, and return-to-play protocols that much easier.

I’m entering my sixth year as a strength and conditioning coach in the US, and I’ve realized that this relationship is as important as the relationship you have with your head coach and players, so make sure it’s a healthy one!

5. Learn From All Your School Classes

In some cases, the Master’s program you choose will be directly related to the coaching field you are working in: for example, a Master’s in Exercise Science, Coaching, or Strength and Conditioning.

But this isn’t always the case. I earned a Master’s in Management with a focus on Human Resource Management, but my main focus was pursuing a career in strength and conditioning coaching. Even though I wasn’t passionate about 80% of the classes I took, some of them were brilliant for developing my coaching philosophy and role as a strength coach.

I took a leadership class and my professor was one of the best public speakers and educators I ever had in college. Thanks to his class, I developed a greater awareness of the type of leader I was and the various class projects that semester really challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and embrace public speaking. Even though your master’s may or may not be relevant to your job and career path, there are still opportunities to learn as a coach.

Even though your master’s may or may not be relevant to your job and career path, there are still opportunities to learn as a coach, says @SCoach_Aldo. Share on X

You will likely find that there are other GAs in your classes. Use that as an opportunity to get to know them. I had various sport coach GAs in my classes who I still know, one of whom is now in the same conference as me and one who is the head soccer coach at the same school we graduated from.

6. Have an Insatiable Appetite for Learning

Learn, learn, learn! Before I had the GA coaching position, I thought I knew what it meant to be a coach. That first year showed me how much I needed to learn if I wanted to really make an impact in this profession.

My appetite for learning is as strong as ever; the imposter syndrome still keeps me on edge and I’m grateful for it. Learning is fun when it’s your passion and you know that knowledge will positively impact people.

Once your studies are done for the semester and your finals week is over, use that as a great opportunity to finally read what you want to read, study what you want to study, and geek out over training articles and continued professional education content.

It’s also a great time for reflection: look back on the semester with your teams, assess how you did, and ask your head strength coach and head coach for feedback. Seek out this information, the truth will always make you a better person and coach.

7. Manage Your Money

If you are working as an intern and getting paid, you are in the minority and you should cherish every dollar you get. Internships and graduate assistant jobs are a time when you are working to gain experience and learn, not to be paid for being a novice and having no experience in the field.

You have to go into these roles with humility and recognize that you can’t bemoan the fact that you are working for free because you have nothing to offer. You are at the bottom of the food chain and your job is to assist in any way you can. The same goes for any industry: an internship is phase one and you have to earn the right to get paid for skills that you are acquiring.

So my advice to a graduate assistant coach or intern is to manage your money very carefully. Sleep on a buddy’s couch, ask for a meal plan, pack your own lunches rather than eating out because it’s convenient, and ask if the facility has a nutrition station that is available to you.

I was given three shirts and two shorts as a summer intern at a Division I school, and mid-week laundry at my buddy’s house was the norm. I wore those shirts out but didn’t ask for more gear because I wanted to earn it and I knew being an intern was a unique period in my career. I’m a firm believer that you’ll earn what you earn; phase one is about survival, not accumulating disposable income.

8. Turn Your Social Media Into an Educational Tool

The days of posting pictures of you partying are gone. You’re a coach now, so you must see yourself as a working professional and your social media as an online resume. I’m not saying you suddenly need to post pictures of the books you’re reading, leadership quotes you like, or videos of your squats, or even that you can’t post anything personal.

However, you must be more aware of who your audience is now. If your profile is public, I can guarantee your new athletes will look at your profile, as well as your coaches and administrators. Make sure there’s no current content that could immediately jeopardize your position, and from here on out: be aware of your audience and act accordingly when deciding what to post.

Taking inventory of who you follow is also important. As you progress in your career you will start to seek out coaches you admire and follow them on various social media platforms. This might take some time; I remember when I first started out I had no clue who was who in the industry.

Admittedly, social media back in 2015 was very different from today where it seems every strength coach shares content of some sort or is at least visible online. To get started, ask your head coach who they respect and who puts out some great content. Follow those people and turn your social media feeds into an educational tool rather than a time-sapping, brain-numbing distraction.

I did a social media inventory this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic and made a conscious decision to use my social media pages for educational purposes. I unfollowed random people, followed some new people whose content I liked, set an app limit on my Twitter and Instagram accounts, and took back some control over my social media time.

Now when I go online I see my close friends, family members, and professionals I admire; these steps have had a big creative influence on my programs since I came back to work. Use social media as continued education, not as a break from work—it can do so much more for you than that.

Use social media as continued education, not as a break from work—it can do so much more for you than that, says @SCoach_Aldo. Share on X

Your first year coaching is such an important time for you to grow and develop. I hope my words have been an encouragement and will provide direction for you to maximize your time as a graduate assistant or intern. To summarize, take these tips:

• Manage your time efficiently
• Be vulnerable
• Ask great questions
• Build a relationship with the support staff
• Apply your degree content to your job
• Learn something new every day
• Manage your money
• Use social media for good

Thank you for reading. Good luck out there!

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

Are your athletes training great but performing poorly? Do you find that sometimes their heads are getting in the way? Are they worrying about the future, such as the next competition or competitor? Have they mentioned negative thoughts racing through their minds?

If this is the case, how much time do you spend working on training the mental side of the game? If the above describes you or your athletes, there is hope—learning how to train the brain while training the body is the key to having a champion’s mindset.

As a licensed clinical social worker with a private therapy practice in the Philadelphia suburbs, I see anxiety with children and teens growing at an alarming rate. Anxiety is considered an epidemic right now among our youth, and athletes are not immune to this phenomenon. “Nearly 1 in 3 of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will experience an anxiety disorder In the United States,” according to the National Institutes of Health. While athletes spend hours working on their physical preparation, game skills, and specific techniques, very little time is spent on “the mental game.”

As a therapist and a sprint coach, I see a great need for teaching our children and athletes how to exercise their brains in ways that will help them throughout life, says @jovif10. Share on X

As a therapist and a sprint coach, I see a great need for teaching our children and athletes how to exercise their brains in ways that will help them throughout life.

Mindset, Self-Regulation, Goal Setting, and Imagery

As the famous Yogi Berra saying goes, “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” Others, meanwhile, have suggested that 90% of the game/sport is mental and 10% is physical. If this is true, we have reached a sad state of affairs in youth sports.

Parents will pay top dollar to give their children specific technical training, such as batting lessons, pitching lessons, etc., and send their kids to special trainers for speed and strength and to top club teams. However, very little (if any) time is spent working on the mental side of competing. Instead, that mental aspect is often neglected until an issue arises. Athletics does not appear to treat the mental aspect of training the same way they do the physical and technical.

It is not uncommon for a parent to wait until a pattern of underperforming or persistent anxiety before or during competitions forms before reaching out to me to get their child help. When I explore with parents what their child has been doing that helps in the area of mental training, most respond with “not much.” I have had numerous calls and emails from parents contacting me right before a big competition.

It is important to explain to parents and athletes that while this mental training does help, it is not instantaneous, and there are no quick fixes. Just like speed training, this also takes time to develop. Many coaches know this is an issue and realize the importance, but they find it hard to fit it in and/or do not know how to address it.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “sport psychology is a proficiency that uses psychological knowledge and skills to address optimal performance and well-being of athletes, developmental and social aspects of sports participation, and systemic issues associated with sports settings and organizations.” What often separates good athletes from great athletes is the time spent working on their mental game. Many elite athletes work with a sports psychologist or a mental skills coach in order to perfect the mental aspect of their game and/or sport. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady—who has played in nine Super Bowls (winning six), with four picks as Super Bowl MVP, and 14 Pro Bowl appearances—started using mental coaching while still at the University of Michigan.

Working with a sports psychologist or mental skills coach helps athletes improve performance and consistency by working on their mindset (such as managing expectations and time management), their emotional regulation, and their use of imagery. Tom Brady is hardly unique, as elite athletes are no strangers to using mental skills to perfect their sports: In the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Canadians came to Sochi with eight sports psychologists, while the United States brought along nine (with five just for its snowboarding and ski programs alone). 

How Mindset Impacts Performance

“Negative thinking is almost 100% effective.” –Bob Rotella, sports psychologist

There are some common behaviors, emotions, and thinking patterns that can negatively affect an athlete’s performance. How an athlete thinks about an upcoming competition will significantly influence their attitudes, actions, and emotions. Coaches need to be able to recognize these factors and learn ways to address them.

An athlete’s state of mind can have an immense impact on sports performance, directing them to succeed or fail. Negative thinking is a thought process where individuals begin to see the worst in everything. Many athletes have a negative mindset without even realizing it—complaints about workouts, weather, performances, or coaches are all elements of a negative mindset. Maybe you’ve heard athletes say things like:

• We have to run in the rain?
• I can’t do this.
• This is too hard.
• The coach just doesn’t like me.

These are all examples of language that does more harm than good. These thoughts are like weeds that will choke out the positive beliefs if allowed to grow. The more we feed these negative thoughts, the stronger and more widespread they will get.

Let’s look at a visual I use with clients and athletes about negative thoughts, or what we also call cognitive distortions. There is a story (attributed by some to be an old Cherokee Indian legend) of two wolves that is a great illustration of a battle we all have in life. The story goes something like this:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”  

He continued, “The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

You have a battle going on inside you that is eternal; it will always be there, so you need to learn how to deal with it. The first wolf is easy to feed and appears to be automatic for many. Once you start with a negative thought, they start coming quickly and multiply, and the bigger and stronger the “bad wolf” inside then gets. One negative thought feeds the next, which makes the thoughts stronger and more frequent!

You have a choice of which wolf you want to feed. When you feed the “good wolf,” the “bad wolf” gets weaker. Change the language you use and feed the good wolf. Start telling yourself positive messages, believe in your ability, and begin to move forward instead of being stopped by fear. This is a great lesson to teach our athletes on choosing to feed the right wolf and to practice these new messages on a regular basis. They will not believe it at first, but the more they stop the negative message and feed the “good wolf,” the weaker the “bad wolf” gets over time and loses its power.

The language you use on a regular basis has to be positive. Stopping the negative thoughts in their tracks as well as practicing positive thinking daily is key in having a positive mindset. Choosing to feed the “good wolf” is a change that will leave you feeling happier and healthier.

Staying positive is a skill, and we should work on it daily. An athlete can develop positive affirmations and thoughts in place of the negative thoughts and practice saying them several times a day. Eventually, they will begin to believe it and retrain their brain.

Negative thinking is a mental brick that weighs athletes down and keeps them from reaching their potential. Mental mistakes and setbacks are part of any sport, but if the athlete spends time thinking about the past or worrying about the future, they miss the present! They may be there physically, but they are not there mentally. It’s time to drop the mental brick, let the thought go, and refocus on the present moment.

One way an athlete can put a mistake, setback, or negative thought behind them is to learn to stay in the present. If you want your athletes to perform under pressure to the best of their ability, they need to practice and learn how to stay in the present.

If you want your athletes to perform under pressure to the best of their ability, they need to practice and learn how to stay in the present, says @jovif10. Share on X

“Mindfulness” is a popular term these days, but some people are not sure what it means: Mindfulness is being present without distraction. With the current generation’s on-the-go attitude, the distractions of social media, and the loads of academic work for student-athletes, being present is tough. Practicing mindfulness begins with learning to notice the distraction, letting it go, and then coming back to the present moment.

It may be helpful to develop a mental or physical reminder to assist in letting go and refocusing on the present moment. A method that was first made popular by Dr. Ken Ravizza, a professor of applied sports psychology at Cal State Fullerton, was to place a miniature toilet in the dugout for players of the 2004 Fullerton baseball squad to “flush” their mistakes and move on to the next play. That season the team went on to win the College World Series! Whether you use a visual of “dropping the brick” or “flushing it,” it can help athletes let go and refocus on the here and now.

Strategies for Emotional Regulation

“Believe me; the reward is not so great without the struggle.” –Wilma Rudolph, sprinter

Fear and anxiety can be significant mental blocks for many athletes. It is important for them to recognize anxiety and see how that emotion can push them to success or pull them down. Anxiety is a normal and natural part of life, but not when we are constantly anxious about everything. When we can learn to face adversity calmly, we will see great success.

Coaches should be able to not just recognize the negative thinking that occurs with anxiety but also understand the physiological symptoms: shortness of breath, feeling hot, racing heart, and feeling shaky are among the most prominent. If an athlete’s body responds to fear in these ways, they need to first calm their bodies and use self-regulation skills.

Self-regulation is when an individual gains physiological arousal back under control. Deep breathing (or belly breathing) is one way to help athletes self-regulate: Cue them to slowly breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth 10 times, and that will begin to calm them down.

Once the body is calm, they can then tackle the mind. Calm body = calm mind. You can even have the athletes add affirmations while breathing: My body is calm and relaxed, or I am calm and relaxed. Incorporating daily breathing activities into warm-ups or warm-downs can help athletes tremendously.

Fear of failure prevents many athletes from reaching their full potential. This year, I had a sprinter who was coming back from an injury lose a race before even getting to the starting line. During warm-ups, I saw it: fear in the eyes, sweating, dilated pupils, distraction. When checking in with them, they were feeding the “bad wolf” by remembering the last time they raced on that track and got the injury, complaining about being in lane 1, etc.

The sprinter went out and ran just as I expected—not reaching their full potential because their mind had convinced them otherwise. This fear can manifest itself by an athlete not trying as hard as they can or not trusting a coach and doing what is asked of them. These individuals may already have excuses for why they can’t do something, setting themselves up to fail.

Some athletes also exhibit a fear of success. Fear of success—who fears success? I know it may sound strange to some, but this is real. Some individuals are worried about the increased demands and expectations that accompany success. These athletes will do just enough to be good but will not push themselves further: They like to stay in the comfort zone.

With the fear of success also comes the fear of failure. Once an athlete succeeds, they may worry that this will be expected of them: What if they can’t do the same thing again? Someone who experiences this may compete in a very guarded manner, never really giving 100%. They never let themselves and others know what they are actually capable of.

There are a few strategies that can help in overcoming fear and getting your brain in the best mental shape possible:

1. Define what success is to you. Weed out what you think others want and expect and zone in on your definition of success.
2. Set goals and objectives to reach them. When setting goals, a good tool to use is SMART goals. These are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-framed. Make sure goals and objectives are realistic and individual—think about how good you want to be and how much effort you want to invest in the sport.
3. Break goals into daily, monthly, seasonal, and career goals. It is good to start with the long-term goal or the big goal and work your way backward. Then, look at the steps/objectives it will take to achieve this goal.

I like to encourage clients and athletes to make a vision board or map. When they can see what they are working toward, it motivates them and makes the goal more tangible.

It is important to expect setbacks and plan for them, says @jovif10. Share on X

Sometimes an athlete can have a setback, which is an event that they can’t get past: a missed ball, false start, getting beat in a race, missed pass, fumble, or an injury that they can’t seem to get out of their mind. When this happens, they are not fully present and hold themselves back. It is important to expect setbacks and plan for them. All athletes have setbacks and failures, so they should embrace this concept. Every setback has a setup—look for the setup.

Utilizing Guided Imagery

“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.” –Michael Jordan

Another popular strategy among elite athletes is visualization, or the use of guided imagery. Webster’s defines visualization as the “formation of mental visual images” and “the act or process of interpreting in visual terms or of putting into visible form.” Guided imagery is a relaxation technique based on visualizing pleasant things and body awareness to help individuals create sensory-rich images in their minds and bring about a desired physical response.

Including all the senses—sound, sight, smell, tactile, and taste—will deepen the experience and make it more realistic in the athlete’s mind. Research has shown that when an individual imagines themselves performing a task, the brain sends out electrical signals comparable to when the person actually does the task. Other studies have shown the practical impact that utilizing guided imagery can have on performance.

Athletes can use guided imagery or visualization by consciously controlling a script in their head as a technique to build up their best mental game. They can do this by spending time building resources of past successes and key performances, building future templates, and walking through the event step by step and practicing the skill perfectly.

A few years ago, I worked with a middle distance runner who was having some performance anxiety during competition. This athlete realized how her thoughts were holding her back and causing a lot of unpleasant physical sensations as well. As she was getting ready for the state meet, I helped her develop the perfectly imagined 800-meter run. It was important to incorporate all the senses and make it as real as possible, integrating her own language in the imagery and walking through that ideal race, step by step.

We brought in the temperature, the sounds of the crowd, the feel of the track, the sound of the starting gun, and the sight of the scoreboard, along with some other specifics just for her race. We also came up with key phrases that were unique and important to her, like “turn and burn,” to add to the guided imagery. We ran the script from the morning of the event all the way through the finish, experiencing the feel of winning the state meet.

The idea was to make it as authentic as possible, so it felt like it was really happening when she listened to it. I encouraged the athlete to listen to the script over and over, so that by the time of the big event she’d have already run it 100-plus times in her mind and would feel calm and confident. Can I just tell you the excitement and joy I experienced watching on TV as she ran the exact race we scripted? It was unbelievable! She then gave an interview to a newspaper and used the terms she came up with in the script when describing the race. When we talked later on, she didn’t even remember saying any of it—it was that automatic!

Guided imagery is not something you try once and hope it works, but something you must develop and practice regularly. Guided imagery is also perfect for athletes who are limited in practice due to injury or the amount of practice space. Incorporate guided imagery daily to be at your very best!

Exercise the Brain

“Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.” –Vince Lombardi

To be at the top of their game, athletes must exercise their brains daily: visualizing and mentally rehearsing how they want to feel, think, perform, and be. Coaches can encourage athletes to stay mindful and be in the present moment, teaching them to let go of the past, learn to be flexible, and adjust to surrounding conditions.

To be at the top of their game, athletes must exercise their brains daily: visualizing and mentally rehearsing how they want to feel, think, perform, and be, says @jovif10. Share on X

Have them change their internal dialogues and fill their brains with positive talk. Have them come up with a mantra and practice deep breathing daily. Tell them to be confident and always believe in themselves—great things will come if you work your brain like you work your body.

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

In the last several years, there has been an apparent divide on social media about the best ways to train to obtain certain results. What has also become apparent is that, while both participants in the argument have typically had great results, they each advocate for polar extremes of training. Sprinting, for example, has a growing divide over whether to program excessive amounts of submaximal, high-volume tempo work or maximal intensity, low-volume sprint work. As discussed in my previous article, each approach has its pros and cons, but why does training have to be polarized? What makes one training approach right and another training approach wrong? One word: context.

When we talk about context in these conversations, we are often ignored by both training groups and swept under a rug in the discussion. If I approach the monotonous tempo crew and ask “Hey, what about max speed?”, I may get a sarcastic retort consisting of “What about it?” or they may disregard my argument by saying “We get our speed work in at meets!” If I approach the max speed crew and ask “What about endurance?”, I again get a sarcastic response of “What about it?” or my argument is met with the same solution: “We race into shape in meets!”

The irony of all of this is that they each answer my questions similarly, yet totally resent one another’s approach to training and refuse to entertain a happy medium. This middle ground approach, where I tend to be, allows me to use a more holistic training model that revolves around the context of the sport and each individual athlete. I tend to take valuable pieces from both camps of thought in order to design a more well-rounded program, addressing all aspects of speed development rather than one extreme or the other. It doesn’t have to be an either-or approach, and I think that is important to note.

While there is no single approach that will universally apply to everybody I train, I do have several foundational principles that I use when designing a training program. These pillars of my program help guide which approach I use while also encouraging constant reflection in order to refine decision-making to best serve the athlete. There is not an exhaustive list of principles in my training model, and it isn’t meant to devalue core concepts in anyone else’s program, but it contains just a few things that I’ve found particularly valuable over time. Here are six principles that are central to the way that I approach training.

1. Athletes First

A program centered around the athlete allows for you to home in on the most important qualities in the training equation. This is very multifaceted and can be as simple or complex as you make it. Ideally, you use the context around the athlete to direct your initial programming thoughts and build from there. This list contains (but is not limited to): training age, injury history, sport, position, practice schedule, prior training successes and failures, structural variance, current level of performance, and much more.

Contextual programming means that you address the things that matter most to the athlete and their performance in their respective sport(s). With this approach, you may choose to address similar qualities in different athletes with different workouts. Conditioning a soccer player should look much different than conditioning a football player. While speed training for track athletes may look similar to speed training for ball sports, there are components specific to track and field that may not be very useful for ball sport athletes.

Additionally, an athlete who has poor speed might be trained differently than an athlete with great speed. Younger and older athletes may not respond the same to similar training stimuli. While one might bounce back great, another might take a week to recover or even get injured. All of this is to say that a one-size-fits-all approach to training has not generally worked for me personally nor for my athletes. Taking the time to process information, backgrounds, and goals for each athlete I work with has helped guide my training and make it more meaningful overall.

Being mindful of the context behind what the athlete needs from me versus what I need from the athlete has made a large difference in individual responses to training stimuli, says @BrendanThompsn. Share on X

An athlete with an injury history, especially a lingering injury, should have a unique approach to training compared to an athlete with a clean bill of health. This is not to say that we need to necessarily baby the athlete, but there need to be attempts to strengthen any glaring insufficiencies in training prior to layering on a large workload. These training qualities include movement, strength, stability, endurance, balance, coordination, and much more. Being mindful of the context behind what the athlete needs from me versus what I need from the athlete has made a large difference in individual responses to training stimuli.

This same principle has held true for me in the physical therapy world. Many practitioners (me included) have fallen into a routine where they see a patient with a given ailment and give them similar treatments regardless of their current level of functioning and goals. When shifting the view to see the patient as a whole and providing holistic care, many notice patients are willing to do more, including doing their exercises at home and performing functional tasks as instructed more consistently. In my experience, it also seems to yield much better results both subjectively and objectively. Making the program make sense to the athlete sets you up for more trust in training and subsequent follow-through overall.

2. A Foundation of Movement

To me, sport and overall human performance are based around principles of various movement qualities to achieve success. Centering the way I train around this very basic idea has enabled me and many of my athletes to improve overall efficiency and decrease risk of injury.

One tendency I’ve seen frequently is for football players, and high schoolers in general, to be extremely devoted to the weight room. They train themselves to produce massive amounts of force, yet their performances tell me there is a disconnect somewhere. Focusing on movement economy allows these athletes with high force capabilities to recruit, orient, and utilize their force in more meaningful ways. Conversely, in my experience, poor movement and high forces have been recipes for disaster when it comes to unfavorable situations regarding hamstring injuries, shin splints, sub-optimal performances, and the like.

I have seen many schools of thought on social media try to discredit the importance of movement in overall performance; however, I just can’t see a situation where teaching an athlete to move like the fastest athletes in the world is detrimental. In my opinion, you need to learn the rules of sprinting prior to breaking them.

I just can’t see a situation where teaching an athlete to move like the fastest athletes in the world is detrimental. You need to learn the rules of sprinting prior to breaking them. Share on X

Help an athlete enhance their mastery of sprint technique and understanding of when to apply it, as this is a useful tool for them to have. For example, in team sports we hear a lot about how athletes rarely hit max speed positions that resemble elite sprinting in games. While I agree to an extent, there are times that having that ability is beneficial, especially as it pertains to making open field plays or breaking free against a defense. When in traffic, it is useful to have lower heel recovery, lower knees, and a generally lower center of mass as an athlete reads and reacts to an ever-changing situation. However, once the athlete has made their way out of traffic and has daylight to run, elite top speed mechanics would likely benefit the athlete more to break away rather than the stereotypical team sport movement patterns.

Video 1. While keeping an eye on movements live is effective and meaningful, being able to break down video of an athlete is critical. Not just to understand their habits, but video analysis can also help you determine potential sources of movement insufficiencies and direct your interventions.

3. A Supportive Environment

I attribute a lot of my personal success at both the high school and college levels to a training environment that was conducive to success. Successes were framed in a way that inspired me to keep working hard to improve, whereas things that may usually be seen as failures were presented by the coaches as opportunities to reflect, learn, and grow. My high school coach sent me a message after tearing my ACL and hitting rock bottom: “The way you handle adversity defines your character, you’ve got this!” This type of training environment has a reach that is greater than any single or group of training days. It extends to the person an understanding that while training in most locations is simply a sheet of paper or set of ideas that are tactfully implemented, there is more that goes into the training equation than just doing work, recovering, and repeating.

Athletes are humans with everyday issues like the rest of us, and these issues may manifest outside or within a given training session. This includes problems at home, school stresses, relationship problems, lingering injuries, social disparities, and much more, along with the pressures to perform well every day on their shoulders. Understanding how these complex experiences interact to disrupt sleep, diet, intent, motivation, execution, and other aspects of training may help you provide support in a more meaningful way to really bring out the best in your athletes in the face of all of these potential barriers.

Support does not have to be verbal but being able to read the room and having the ability to adjust your programming on the fly may prove to be more valuable than you might think. A good example is when an athlete clearly lacks energy, is unfocused, and seems tentative or distant. While asking probing questions may be beyond your comfort level, you can certainly adjust intensity, rest durations, overall volume, and the general content of the program to accommodate. You may be surprised at how well they respond to this approach.

Emulating this type of empathic, humanistic approach is very fulfilling and has been one of the biggest staples in my program for what I consider to be success. Surely there are a million ways to approach these delicate situations, and different coaches may feel more comfortable using one approach versus another. I think simply being aware and making safe, easily applicable adjustments in these circumstances will be beneficial to the athlete in some way.

4. Data Collection

The athlete-centered approach I take has led me to develop new ways to frame the training process for the athlete. While it is clear that the goal of training is to improve personal bests and peak performance, I also feel it is important to be consistently competitive with yourself on any given day of training. What I mean here is that while we are raising the ceiling, sometimes athletes can be consumed by the pursuit of hitting personal bests and, eventually, failure to do so may result in a negative sense of self.

I went in-depth on this in my previous article, but the premise is essentially that we can use data to change the athlete’s perception of what constitutes success, concern, and failure. While some may not consider these mindsets to be very important, I would argue that everything that precedes movement is influenced positively, neutrally, or negatively by the psychological state of mind, including things such as self-competence, self-efficacy, self-worth, excitement, motivation, and much more.

This is why I began to track rolling averages in addition to personal bests. When an athlete produces marks in training that are consistently above their rolling average, the personal bests will take care of themselves. The training progression is not linear, which is okay. Helping athletes understand that performances will ebb and flow has helped me keep overall intent, motivation, and performance levels high while also earning athletes’ trust in the process.

When an athlete produces marks in training that are consistently above their rolling average, the personal bests will take care of themselves, says @BrendanThompsn. Share on X

Celebrate all personal bests, but be sure to also celebrate those who consistently perform above the bar that they’ve set for themselves. More opportunities, along with wider windows for success, have helped my athletes have more positive training experiences overall along with improved psychological states throughout.

5. Adaptability

During any given session I monitor several things with each athlete to decide how to proceed with them individually or as a group. Sometimes this consists of 0- to 10-yard starts, jump testing, medicine ball throws, or just an eye test in general. As the data rolls in, I can compare it to their averages to understand more about their current state of performance as it stacks up with previous days, weeks, and months of information.

If it trends above their rolling average, I can continue things as planned and assume that the athlete is in a good physical state to perform that day. If the trends go in the wrong direction, I should be fluid in my plan for that day and opt for something with lower intensity and less volume and figure out how I’m going to make that day productive without negative consequences.

To me, low trends might indicate an athlete is sore, fatigued, burnt out, or having issues outside of the session. Some of these issues may consist of their diet, stress levels, sleep patterns, or other influences that may contribute to their relatively lower outputs. While there is nothing on any given training day that is going to exponentially accelerate the progress of performance, there are an infinite number of things that can totally derail any progression that may be occurring. In the end, it is not worth pushing an athlete to their limit when they are in this physical state. There is much more to be lost than gained in these situations, and in my experience, it is more beneficial to opt for a “less is more” approach to combat what I see.

If the athlete is not ready to adapt to the training stimulus for the day, you may cast them further into a training deficit and prolong their eventual recovery and subsequent readiness to train at a high level. The CNS may just need an additional day of lower workloads or to take time away completely in order to bounce back. While this might be frustrating for the athlete, I believe it lowers the risk of injury and prevents more long-term training complications.

6. Self-Reflection

Many coaches have what they call the “bread and butter” of their program. What I mean by this is there are typically a few aspects of training that are staples in a given program and are uncompromisable and irreplaceable. For me, those staples include improving maximum speed, acceleration capabilities, movement economy, and overall power, among a few other things. Another concept that is important to me is pursuing the minimal effective dose in training the athletes I work with. I always look to maximize my return on investment, as I typically have very little time with them to work on various things.

A pitfall I eventually ran into was continuing to invest time into things that yielded diminishing returns. At one point, athletes coming to my sessions knew that they would either be doing fly 10-yard sprints or 40-yard dashes along with an array of other things on any given day. When the time I invested in this training structure began to show a plateau in results, I was stubborn and continued to implement the same training strategies over and over. I mean, these were my staples! This is what I was known for! Surely compromising these aspects of programming would be too costly to my identity. It was a difficult situation to navigate.

Eventually I was able to see that even though these metrics are extremely valuable, there may be a better use of time in other domains that would still complement the important qualities I was after. We still sprinted at high intensities and frequently, but I had to scrap my simplified approach because athletes were hitting a wall. I thought to myself that the emphasis had to change periodically, similar to the way that we see many coaches periodize programming in the weight room. What I mean by this is that I began changing the overarching themes so that all of my eggs weren’t in one or two baskets all the time.

Had I not possessed the ability to admit I was wrong, my athletes would have wasted time pouring their hearts and souls into workouts that were not yielding the results they used to. Share on X

By cycling through various themes and training densities, accessory components to speed began to improve along with speed itself. This isn’t to say I’ve gotten away from max sprinting, just that I’ve decided to complement the max speed work with other components. I’ve found that when training athletes this way, they tend to tolerate greater volumes of high-quality training while also improving beyond the plateau we seemed to hit with a relatively one-dimensional approach.

Understanding that my niche approach wasn’t universally applicable was the first step in addressing this issue. Initially, it hurt my pride to change my approach, but now I hold very strong feelings about self-reflection and using it frequently to grow. Had I not possessed the ability to admit I was wrong, my athletes would have continued to beat their heads against the wall as they wasted time pouring their hearts and souls into workouts that were not yielding the results they used to.

Develop Your Own Principles

These six principles have helped me become more well-rounded and mindful, and in tune with the athletes I work with, so that I can program in such a way that lays my ego aside in order to do what is best for them. It has helped me hold myself accountable and pushed me to continue evolving as athletes continue to come to me with unique circumstances and individual needs. Being able to identify these needs can be a challenging process but doing so allows me to prioritize certain elements of the training program to push the athlete in a meaningful direction.

I challenge you to come up with a handful of principles of your own that will push you to continue to grow and provide better training opportunities and experiences for the athletes you work with. Share on X

I understand that these principles may not be universally applicable or practical for everybody, and that is okay. I challenge you to come up with a handful of principles of your own that will push you to continue to grow and provide better training opportunities and experiences for the athletes that you work with. Please share them with me if you do, as I know that I don’t have the perfect program, and there are valuable lessons to be learned from everyone. If you consistently stay informed and are able to choose a training approach that works for you and provides objective results for your athletes, I think you will be well on your way to success. There are many roads to Rome—never forget that!

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

Track and field has always been interesting to me due to the nature of the sport. We are the purest form of athletics. We do not rely on a team, ball, or score. The clock and the measuring tape do not lie, and thus every detail must be cultivated and cared for properly.

For me, the weight room has always been a major part of the puzzle. While there may be no one-size-fits-all coaching, the weight room certainly fits into programming for every athlete I have ever coached, whether they are competing on the world stage or developing in their events.

I have had my athletes in a weight room up to five times a week in my career with three days focused on neural training design and two days focused on general training design using regional lifts. I am not shy about being in there often.

The improvements in injury prevention, coordination, blood chemistry, and sprint and jump performances cannot be overlooked. While I believe in a multilateral training system, and that the parts always have to line up to create a complimentary and compatible system, weightlifting cannot and should not be left out of the equation at any level.

Weightlifting cannot and should not be left out of the equation at any level, says @Jake_co. Share on X

In his Freelap Friday article, Todd Lane said track coaches are just full-time strength and conditioning coaches. I couldn’t agree more. If I were doing my same job with a football team that’s what I would be called, and I wouldn’t have to do things much differently except account for athletes with bigger bodies.

Like most track and field coaches, I have always felt it was important for me to have a hand in our weight room programming. Early on in my career I realized I was going to be working in the weight room with my athletes and wanted people to take me seriously, so I earned a CSCS from the NSCA.

I was lucky to start my career as a volunteer for Amy Deem and Calvin Robinson at the University of Miami. In my opinion, they are two of the best in the business. I went through the coaching education system and could not even have begun to write an article like this without the wisdom of Boo Schexnayder.

I am blessed now to work with Chase Madison under the guidance of coach Mike Turk and our head strength and conditioning coach Jim Zielinski, all of whom not only support the work we do in the weight room here, but believe in it as well.

We agree: sprinters and jumpers should all be in the weight room.

Historical Context

Weight room topics of conversation always seem to turn into a debate. However, no one has reinvented the wheel in quite some time, and similarly most weight room protocols were created decades and sometimes even centuries ago. What has changed significantly, though, especially as of late, is the accessibility of these resources, and the increased number of people trying to prove why their methods work.

The human body is a collaboration of many systems, and every practitioner knows that every athlete is different. Between various training ages, misinformation, the influence of performance-enhancing drugs, and the absence of objective evaluation of training systems, defining what works and what doesn’t is subjective. Many coaches have a success story that is attributed to some magical workout or exercise, when in reality, a full picture is needed to properly evaluate it.

Many coaches have a success story that is attributed to some magical workout or exercise, when in reality, a full picture is needed to properly evaluate it, says @Jake_co. Share on X

The arms race of the sport performance and sport science industry has muddled the picture even further. Plenty of strength coaches have begun to market themselves and create catchy names for their systems. This coupled with social media has turned many coaches more focused on being marketers and entrepreneurs than trying to improve sport performance.

I may be the old man yelling at the clouds at this point, but from what I have seen over the years, most of the things people think are cool or new on social media are the opposite of that; they are small parts of an already-existing training program that people package as a miracle drug for the masses.

Why Lifting Matters

When I send my athletes into the weight room, they are leaving the track. It is a weight room. It is not a track room. Things that go on in the weight room do not have to look like the 100-meter dash or the long jump. The goal of the weight room is to supplement what is happening on the track to help reach your key performance indicators.

It is a weight room. It is not a track room. Things that go on in the weight room do not have to look like the 100-meter dash or the long jump, says @Jake_co. Share on X

Weight room velocity is another topic of debate. I have consistently heard bad opinions about athletes not being able to move a bar in the weight room fast enough to be relevant to track speeds and velocities. People will muse about Carl Lewis not lifting and directly apply that to their rationale to keep their athletes out of the weight room.

I am lucky enough to have a Vmaxpro along with some other velocity-measuring devices available to me, but I have never once looked at any of our velocity tracking devices and thought to myself, Man, that is close to our top-end speed.

Intensive tempo running, medicine ball routines, general strength, and many other commonly-used training modalities also do not employ speeds near top-end for a sprinter or jumper, but that doesn’t mean they’re not effective. We simply use technology to make sure we are on track with the factors we are looking for.

Metrics

While I am not looking for weight room movements that mirror those on the track, I am looking for metrics that will improve performance. Power development, absolute strength, and rate of force development are the main contributors to movements that will occur on the track.

Yet if you do not have a well-rounded system that teaches mechanics, employs intensity and plyometrics, and builds track-related skills such as acceleration development, absolute speed, and speed endurance properly, none of this matters. However, if you are building athletes properly on the track, these will improve your athletes’ sprinting and jumping skill.

Power Development

I am in the position of training athletes with experience. While I often joke that some people who arrive in college with decent marks act like they just began training, the obvious truth is that they have more mature bodies and have generally been competing for some time.

We start power development from day one. Even if I was working with younger athletes, I would do the same thing. Power development pairs well with acceleration training and is the major factor in overcoming inertia. We use Olympic lifts in the weight room to help develop this along with our multi-jumps, multi-throws, and intense sprinting. We utilize this all year to some degree.

I liken it to my North Star, as no matter how far we are away from home base, I always return to power training through Olympic lifting protocols. Power development lays the groundwork to build strength for the rest of the year.

I liken it to my North Star, as no matter how far we are away from home base, I always return to power training through Olympic lifting protocols, says @Jake_co. Share on X

The nice thing about Olympic lifts are there are basically no short-term or long-term negative effects. The fatigue or loss of coordination that can come from bilateral static movements is nonexistent with these lifts. While peak power is gone after step three, we are still trying to move the ceiling on this all the time.

Absolute Strength Development

Absolute strength is one of the more debated topics I find on my timeline. Sometimes people aren’t even trying to attack it on purpose but end up doing it because of misunderstandings.

I believe my weight room approach could best be described as meat and potatoes. I say that because we will only do two-to-three lifts per day on our main lifts that have major central nervous system involvement. We get in and get out.

We squat. I mainly use the squat to build up to absolute strength development. Early in the year, we have protocols that use adequate recovery times to maintain power outputs throughout the lifts. Because we load these pretty adequately throughout the year, I keep things simple.

I’m flexible, too: I could probably find a way to do anything anyone has ever talked about in the weight room. It just depends when and how it fits.

Once we have gotten through absolute strength protocols, I discontinue use of heavy statics for the rest of the year. We will switch to ballistic movements like the squat jump, always weighted appropriately depending on depth, to maintain these levels of strength we built while not having to deal with the fatigue, soreness, and potential loss of coordination.

I think it is important to address an elephant in the room on squats, because they have gotten a bad reputation in some circles due to their negative side effects.

One of the most debated topics with squats is depth. We employ below-parallel-depth squats once a week in our general prep and specific prep periods to create tissue tensions at ranges that are not generally stressed in track and field.

All the protocols I employ are specific to the time of the year and what we are doing on the track. We discontinue squats once we start competing to protect the athletes from getting hurt.

That does not mean squatting hurts athletes, but squatting at improper times of the year can. Employing max-velocity runs in-season with too high of a density level can cause the same issues, so this is not just a squatting issue—it’s a training plan issue.

Metabolic and Blood Chemistry

One of the biggest misunderstandings about weightlifting is what is trying to be accomplished. Compatible training designs can vastly affect blood chemistry and the neuroendocrine system. To me, this is one of the most important reasons to be in a weight room. Nervous system activation is right along with this, and the nervous system is generally the biggest difference between higher-level athletes.

While people have begun to understand that you cannot necessarily separate out energy systems, they have forgotten that the complexity of the body requires all of its systems to work together to be successful. When viewing the weight room specifically through the types of contractions or muscles used, people often forget that you are causing other systems to work and be expressed as well.

Steroids are often still thought of as something that makes you stronger, but in most cases they just give you the ability to recover faster to train harder. By using the weight room, we can elicit similar legal effects if used properly.

Power schemes early in the year such as 6×5 on Olympic lifts coupled with slightly lower recoveries than full can teach the body to buffer low levels of lactic acid. Testosterone is often produced on neural-based training schemes in the weight room that have high intensities with plenty of recovery.

The proper use of body building motifs (12-24 exercises x 10-12 reps with no more than 90” recovery) can help facilitate recovery from hard running sessions on a more general training day. Higher-repetition schemes with lower intensities can facilitate growth hormone production which is even more important for younger athletes.

Too many coaches take credit for their athletes’ success when it was really just due to natural maturation of the body; however, employing these training schemes with youth can speed up training age and maturation effectively. And, if done properly, will not add unnecessary mass through hypertrophy.

Adaptations that you are looking for can be directly facilitated through proper schemes in the weight room with proper planning.

Injury Prevention

Athletes can absolutely protect their bodies by being in the weight room. When I see injuries on the track, they usually come from one of three places: poor lifestyles, poor mechanics, or poor training design by the coach.

When I see injuries on the track, they usually come from one of three places: poor lifestyles, poor mechanics, or poor training design by the coach, says @Jake_co. Share on X

The intensity of training in the weight room and high levels of tissue tension will help the athlete get ready for the rigors of meets and higher-intensity work as the season progresses. Many injuries to soft tissue that occur during the competitive season are due to lack of planning in the fall. By utilizing the weight room effectively, you can start to mitigate soft tissue injuries.

High levels of tension in muscles will not only improve nervous system function and its ability to send electrical signals to the muscle, but will help the whole system. This also will create benefits to connective tissue. While this can also be done through some higher-level plyometrics, these changes can start occurring immediately upon training instead of having to build long-term plyometric planning.

Plyometrics should also be done, but those are to be done on the track. Intensity can also be manipulated throughout the year by increasing bar speed, not just by manipulating the load on the bar.

Coaches should keep things simple in the weight room but still provide variability. With the repetitive nature of track and field training, slightly changing stimuli can keep athletes hitting a proverbial wall. The body craves new stimuli, and adjusting a lift, rep ranges, or even starting or catch positions are easy ways to keep the body learning and changing.

Moving in different planes and in larger ranges of motion, with or without weight, are great ways to maintain soft tissue and connective tissue health. We constantly must find ways to fight the repetitive nature of most track and field training and this is a great tool to do so.

We constantly must find ways to fight the repetitive nature of most track and field training, says @Jake_co. Share on X

However, these plans can be limited by mobility issues. We address these on a case-by-case basis with the long-term goal to reach our desired range of motion. We will not put athletes in positions where they show lumbar lordosis.

Ankle mobility is another limiting factor in squat depth, but Carl Valle wrote a great article on why this is not as big of a deal as people think. We also never work to the point where we are specifically trying to get tired, so maintaining these positions is generally not that difficult.

Finally, track and field is a sport known for having bone issues in many populations, especially with female athletes. Lifting weight, especially above your head, and catching an Olympic movement have shown a positive correlation to bone health and density. Having to yield a fast-moving bar in a position can have many benefits to learning and skill development.

We are not in the days of throwing medicine balls at people’s stomachs anymore, but the idea of catching a clean still can provide feedback to the body that will help it stay healthy and get used to absorbing shock.

Other Benefits

Coordination loss may be a short-term issue in bilateral static lifts, but over the long term gains can be accelerated in the weight room through Olympic lifts. While Frans Bosch has pushed the idea of using lifts specifically to be coordinated resistance work, I think base Olympic lifts cause enough proprioceptive awareness and are complicated movements that push the envelope, and help the nervous system learn aiding in coordination.

Core strength is another overlooked outcome of the weight room. Many people spend hours on the track doing various flexion, extension, or bracing movements, but refuse to go into the weight room even though core strength can be improved there.

Track to the Rack

The weight room is an important part of any well-balanced training program. While I do not believe you can be successful with just the weight room, it needs to be part of your plan.

Unfortunately, people have moved away from the weight room mostly due to misunderstandings and improper timing of the stimuli being trained, but proper programming makes the weight room a huge advantage for those who are willing to walk onto the rack.

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

Gone are the days when a single factor is touted as the holy grail of hamstring injury prevention. Hamstring injuries are multifactorial, meaning strength coaches must take a broad approach to injury prevention.

The only thing worse than a hammy pull is more than one. Unfortunately, hamstring injuries are notorious for being consistent problems, with a recurrence rate as high as 63%.¹ A single hamstring injury can spell doom for an athletic career, robbing an athlete of training and game time both now and in the future.

The only thing worse than a hammy pull is more than one. Unfortunately, hamstring injuries are notorious for being consistent problems, with a recurrence rate as high as 63%, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

A recent paper by Lahti et al. describes a unique, individualized approach to hamstring injury prevention that can be implemented at the team level.² I believe the intervention was underway when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and unfortunately ended the study, so the group instead published the protocol with intention to complete it when the pandemic ceases.

The intervention looks promising, covering many topics including mobility, sprint mechanics, and strength, among others. It will be exciting to see the completed project and understand how effective the protocol is.

In the meantime, we’re left with the approach the intervention takes, the two novel assessments the authors put forth, and the thoughts the paper provokes.

Screening and Intervening: the Exercise is the Rehab and the Rehab is the Exercise

One striking aspect of the Lahti et al. paper is how the intervention addresses the players deemed at-risk for hamstring injury. What should those athletes do?

The same as the athletes who are not at-risk. Just more of it.

The protocol calls for all athletes to receive a healthy dose of range of motion, strength, lumbopelvic control, and sprint work, but those who meet the criteria get a double dose compared to those who don’t.

This underscores the necessity for well-balanced, well-planned training. There is no magic bullet or fancy exercise that vaccinates against hamstring pulls. Instead, there are basic foundational qualities and competencies that should be practiced, maintained, and improved upon throughout the training year. Rather than waiting for a red flag to pop up, strength coaches can nip these issues in the bud by training these qualities before they become problems.

Asymmetrical Presentation Calls for Asymmetrical Loading

Asymmetries in force production are thought to be contributing factors to hamstring injury.^3,4 At least one study has directly linked eccentric hamstring strength with risk of hamstring injury.⁵ The authors tested glute hip extensor and hamstring strength in elite sprinters and followed up with them over a one-year period. Each of the six hamstring injuries observed happened in the weaker hamstring. Thus, symmetrical force production capabilities appear protective against injury.

As mentioned above, the protocol in the Lahti et al. paper calls for several aspects of performance to be assessed. If asymmetries were present in strength or range-of-motion (ROM), athletes performed extra work on the lagging leg. There was not a magical intervention to “correct” asymmetry; rather, all athletes perform strength and mobility work, and athletes with asymmetries simply do more of it.

All athletes perform strength and mobility work, and athletes with asymmetries simply do more of it, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

Misdiagnosing asymmetry and mistakenly programming more work on one side could actually cause asymmetry, and valid and reliable measurements are critical. The old pull-into-my-hand, this-side-feels-weaker muscle test isn’t going to cut it as a valid measurement and probably won’t be convincing when trying to persuade an athlete why they should perform three sets of single-leg deadlifts on one leg and only one set on the other.

Isokinetic dynamometry or another valid, reliable assessment that clearly and objectively shows force production capability is the best way to get athlete buy-in, to be fully informed as a practitioner, and to prescribe efficacious training interventions.

The Jurdan Test

How much ROM is necessary to reduce the risk of hamstring injury? This question is not currently answered, but we can safely assume that possessing enough mobility to enter archetypal maximum velocity positions allows an athlete to effectively reach said positions and is therefore protective against hamstring injury. A little extra ROM to add wiggle room and ensure the athlete isn’t hitting end range with each stride is also probably a good thing.

The authors of the Lahti paper introduce the Jurdan test, a novel sprint-specific mobility assessment named after its originator Jurdan Mendiguchia. The test places the athlete in an artificial toe-off sprint position, which becomes clear when you rotate the picture 90°, and assesses swing leg hamstring range of motion and stance leg hip extensibility in relationship to maximum sprint mechanics.

For the start position of the test, the athlete lies supine on a table with a posterior pelvic tilt, their bottom leg hanging passively off the table, and their top leg femur set plumb vertical. From there, the athlete extends their top leg knee as far as possible while keeping their lower back visibly flat and pressed into the table.

Appropriate scores do not yet exist, as this test is brand new, but there are obvious implications: if an athlete cannot extend the knee to achieve a desirable strike position then their hamstring mobility is a liability, may increase injury risk, and should be addressed.

Moreover, without adequate ROM at the knee or hip, affordances are limited and athletes will never reach the desired maximum velocity kinematics, leaving you frustrated as a coach and the athlete slower than they should or could be. Perhaps this is one cause of chronic backside kinematics: the ROM at the hip or knee simply isn’t available for the athlete to perform ideal frontside mechanics.

Be aware when scoring the test that the same score may be achieved via two movement strategies. For instance, a shin angle of 60° – (-10°) hip extension yields a score of 70°, but so does a shin angle of 73° – 3° of hip flexion. The latter circumstance occurs if an athlete cannot enter hip extension.

The Kick-back Method

If you’re reading this article, I don’t need to convince you that sprint mechanics matter.

Lahti et al. present a novel method to quantify frontside versus backside mechanics: the kick-back score.

Although there is not a definitive answer at this point, the hypothesis is that backside mechanics increase risk of hamstring injury more than frontside mechanics. The kick-back score provides an objective method to track progress in technical improvements and allows coaches to separate athletes into groups of frontside and backside dominant for training purposes.

Exposure to High Speeds

Track and field sprinters usually sprint at maximum velocity weekly, but team sport athletes do not always reach maximum velocity regularly. Malone et al.⁶ found a U-shaped relationship between high-speed sprint volume and hamstring injury risk. Not enough exposure to high-speed sprinting increased the likelihood of hamstring injury, but so did too much. There appears to be a sweet spot in the middle that is protective.

Not enough exposure to high-speed sprinting increased the likelihood of hamstring injury, but so did too much. There appears to be a sweet spot in the middle that is protective, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

This seems to make sense both on an intuitive and a physiologic level. Mama always said too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, and sprinting itself is eccentric exercise for the hamstring group, which will be discussed in greater detail later in this article.

The only problem? We don’t have a handbook to tell us exactly how to program high-speed programming to prevent injuries. How much is too much? How much is too little?

The authors of the Malone et al. paper do highlight two important factors: athletes with high chronic training loads are at reduced risk, and players who experience “large weekly changes” in high-speed sprint exposures are at higher risk. In other words, iron forges iron, and consistent high-speed sprinting forms a robustness against hamstring injury, while doing very little followed by a ton of it increases risk.

Iron forges iron, and consistent high-speed sprinting forms a robustness against hamstring injury, while doing very little followed by a ton of it increases risk, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

Classify Strength Training by Joint Angle

It is well-known that strength training adaptations are joint-angle specific and some exercises strengthen a particular ROM of a movement more than others. This is why the general rule of thumb is to train through a full range of motion, so athletes experience strength gains in the largest ROM possible.

Lahti et al. separate hip extension training into three categories: 0-60° (extended position), 60-90° (mid-range), and 90-110° (deep). Below are a few exercises they name for each:

• 0-60°: hip thrust, glute bridge, back extension
• 60-90°: deadlift, trap bar deadlift, high sled push, high step up
• 90-110°: split squat and split squat variations, RDL, low sled push

What is the value in categorizing exercise as such? Perhaps exercises are most transferrable at specific joint-angles.

For instance, in the initial steps of an acceleration—whether out of blocks or from a two-point stance—the knee and hip travel through a greater range of motion during ground contact than in upright mechanics, terminating in complete or near-complete hip extension for at least the first few steps. Thus, all three categories of exercises are applicable, as the hip moves through all three ranges of motion. If strength training neglects any of these ROM categories, improvements in acceleration may be compromised.

Similarly, archetypal front side maximum velocity mechanics call for a relatively high swing leg knee at toe-off, with the thigh at roughly 90°. Perhaps exercises in the deep and mid-range categories are most appropriate for building the base of strength needed to achieve high angular velocity of the thigh as the foot travels downwards to initiate ground contact.

Further, hamstring exercises are sub-categorized into “knee over hip” movements and “hip over knee” movements. “Hip over knee” describes movement in which the hip extends with a relatively fixed knee angle. Romanian deadlifts, straight leg cable pulls, and isometrics in an extended hip position fit into this category. These exercises seem to mimic the hip extensors driving the foot down towards the ground during swing phase.

In “Knee over hip” movements, knee flexion is the driver of the work. Nordic hamstring curls (eccentric knee flexion) and hamstring sliders fall in this category. These exercises seem to contribute most to preventing the knee from extending open during the swing phase so the foot is in position to be effectively driven towards the ground.

Lumbopelvic Control

Tilting the pelvis anteriorly lengthens the hamstrings and encourages backside sprint mechanics. Lumbopelvic control—in this context, the ability to maintain a neutral pelvis while sprinting—is thought to be a key kinematic protector of hamstring injury. Higher relative activity of glute and trunk musculature (the muscle groups that prevent anterior pelvic tilt) during flight phase has been negatively associated with hamstring injury risk.⁷

Video 1. Pelvic tilts. Pelvic anterior / posterior tilts are a basic motor control exercise. Without conscious control of the pelvis independent of the lumbar spine, pelvic control cannot be expected at all. This drill serves as an introduction to lumbopelvic training and awareness.

Whether anterior pelvic tilt is the result of a motor control or a strength deficit, lumbopelvic exercises provide the context and physiologic requirements to maintain a neutral pelvis while sprinting.

We’re essentially talking about strengthening the hollow body position: ribs depressed and pelvis neutral or in a slight posterior tilt.

I group lumbopelvic control into four basic categories:

• Basic motor control
• Static isometric strength
• Dynamic isometric strength
• Competition movements (like sprinting)

In my experience, many athletes (especially youth athletes) lack the awareness to move the pelvis independent from the lumbar spine. They need to be taught how to tilt anteriorly and posteriorly as opposed to leaning forwards and back. Basic motor control competency is often the starting point of training.

Video 2. The deadbug teaches lumbopelvic disassociation and strengthens the trunk musculature that prevents anterior pelvic tilt while sprinting. Athletes begin on their back, posteriorly tilt the hips and depress the rib cage, and then flatten the lower back against the ground. This position is held as the knees and arms are put into the air. For bonus points, exhale forcefully as if blowing up a balloon while actively depressing the ribs.

Below are a few examples of exercises in each category.

• Basic motor control: pelvic anterior / posterior and lateral tilts
• Static strength: hollow body holds, deadbug, planks, side planks
• Dynamic strength: overhead step ups, overhead A-skips, stir the pot, marching deadbug, split squats
• Competitive movement: sprinting

Video 3. Overhead step-ups act to strengthen hip extensor musculature while promoting a lumbopelvic position appropriate to upright sprinting.

Video 4. The overhead A-skip challenges the coordinative abilities necessary to maintain a neutral pelvis while sprinting.

Any exercise can be a lumbopelvic control exercise if the goal and focus is directed there. Plyos like skips, hops, split jumps, and single leg bounding could be considered advanced dynamic strength exercises, so long as the athlete is encouraged to maintain a healthy relationship between the pelvis and lumbar spine.

Video 5. The marching deadbug is a progression to the standard deadbug. The key is to hold the position while the legs are moving. That is, do not allow the pelvis to tilt or the ribs to rise while marching. To make this drill more challenging, reach the heel further from the body.

Video 6. The hollow body hold is another advanced version of the deadbug. Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt and depressed rib cage while assuming a V-shaped posture. Hold it steady.
Any exercise can be a lumbopelvic control exercise if the goal and focus is directed there, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

Eccentric Strength

I would be remiss to not mention the Nordic hamstring curl. It is not going to single-handedly prevent all hamstring injuries, as was perhaps once thought, but the data is clear that when added to a well-rounded strength and conditioning program it does have a preventative effect.^8-11

It is not entirely clear why this is, and skeptics are quick to point out that the exercise does not visually appear to have much transfer to sport (it doesn’t look functional). While it does not resemble a sport-specific movement, it does replicate the eccentric demands placed on the hamstring musculature during the swing phase of sprinting. Further, eccentric exercise is known to induce sarcomerogenesis, the lengthening of fascicles, which allows for greater force to be produced at longer muscles lengths.

Given that hamstring injuries are thought to occur at lengthened positions, the ability to generate (or withstand) high forces in lengthened positions has a strong physiologic rationale as protective against hamstring injuries.

The beauty with Nordics is that they don’t take much. As little as two or three sets of five reps two-to-three times per week will decrease the likelihood of hamstring injury.

Triceps Surae Strength

A history of ankle sprains have been linked to increased risk of hamstring injury.¹² It is not clear whether the ankle sprain itself makes the hamstring group more vulnerable or if both injuries are manifestations of the same underlying causal factor(s).

Video 7. Split stance heel raise iso holds: The hardest easy-looking exercise you’ll ever do. Prop the ball of your foot up, assume a split stance so that the thigh is parallel to the floor and the shin is vertical, and raise your heel as high as possible. Hold for 30s on each side.

Strengthening the triceps surae group may be protective of ankle injury and can certainly have performance benefits. Concentric, eccentric, and isometric exercises are all beneficial, but isometrics are of particular relevance to sprint performance. Lahti et al. outline isometric holds at 90°, 110°, and “high plantar flexion,” presumably instructing athletes to raise the heel as high as possible.

Video 8. Split stance heel raises: Same setup and the split stance heel raise iso holds, but with a 1-1-1-tempo. Raise the heel as high as possible, and control it on the way down.

Further, isolating the soleus is of interest. The gastrocnemius is a highly active plantar flexor when the knee is extended, as in standing calf raises, and the soleus is less of a contributor in this position. The gastroc produces less force when the knee is flexed, making the soleus the heavy hitter in this position. Isometric holds and calf raises from a flexed knee position, like a split stance, are great ways to build soleus strength and improve fortitude against ankle and hamstring injury.

Aerobic Health

Aerobic health has also been linked with decreased risk of hamstring injury.⁶ Why might this be?

Fatigue changes things. Mental processes like decision-making and mechanics are modified by fatigue. This is evident to anyone who has ever trained or played hard.

Greater aerobic fitness delays the onset of fatigue, which delays injurious alterations to kinematic and decision-making processes. Less game time in fatigued conditions means less time spent in the danger zone of injury. Likewise, lower absolute fatigue during intense gameplay also reduces risk.

Less game time in fatigued conditions means less time spent in the danger zone of injury. Likewise, lower absolute fatigue during intense gameplay also reduces risk, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

Developing “cardio” in athletes who play sports predominated by anaerobic processes is often criticized. However, understanding that athletes who are in “better shape” are less likely to get hurt certainly warrants aerobic training during the offseason.

Team Programming: the Percentile Approach

It would be nice if absolute values existed for the several risk factors discussed in this article. But they don’t.

To accommodate for this, one can take the percentile approach. This is particularly useful when working with a large group of athletes, like a team, but can also be applied to individual athletes once enough data points have been collected.

The method is simple: measure everybody and split them up into thirds or quartiles and prescribe individualized programs from there. For instance, say you’re measuring hamstring strength with a dynamometer or ROM with an active straight leg raise. You can predetermine that the bottom quartile—the weakest and least flexible athletes—will get more strength and mobility work than the others.

If you don’t have a whole team available to test, begin testing your athletes one-by-one and eventually you will have a database you can use for a ranking system.

While not a perfect system, it does provides an avenue to identify the top and bottom performers within a group and program from there.

Putting it all Together: Programming for Hamstring Injury Prevention

If hamstring injuries were simple, this article would have one subheader. Needless to say, there’s a lot to consider when programming with the intent of preventing hamstring injury.

Recognizing every athlete, sport, and time of year will look different, throwing out a sample calendar with a daily training gameplan will be of little use to you.

What you can do, however, is run through the below checklist to make sure you’re hitting each of these categories once per week at an absolute minimum:

• Hip and knee ROM
• Sprint mechanics
• High-speed sprinting
• Strength training at different working angles
• Eccentric strengthening of the hamstrings
• Lumbopelvic control
• Triceps surae strength
• Aerobic development

If you don’t tick each of these items off the list as you review your training plan, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Hamstring injuries are nasty, recurring injuries that stifle, if not end, athletic careers. The time lost in training and gameplay can be irrecuperable.

To best protect yourself and your athletes, take a multifaceted approach and cover all your bases. Your hammies will thank you.

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References

1. De Visser, H. M., Reijman, M., Heijboer, M. P., & Bos, P. K. (2012). Risk factors of recurrent hamstring injuries: a systematic review. British Journal of sports medicine, 46(2), 124- 130.

2. Lahti, J., Mendiguchia, J., Ahtiainen, J., Anula, L., Kononen, T., Kujala, M., … & Edouard, P. (2020). Multifactorial individualised programme for hamstring muscle injury risk reduction in professional football: protocol for a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open    Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6(1), e000758.

3. Girard, O., Brocherie, F., Morin, J. B., & Millet, G. P. (2017). Lower limb mechanical asymmetry during repeated treadmill sprints. Human movement science, 52, 203-214.

4. Brown, S. R., Feldman, E. R., Cross, M. R., Helms, E. R., Marrier, B., Samozino, P., & Morin, J. B. (2017). The potential for a targeted strength-training program to decrease asymmetry and increase performance: a proof of concept in sprinting. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 12(10), 1392-1395.

5. Sugiura, Y., Saito, T., Sakuraba, K., Sakuma, K., & Suzuki, E. (2008). Strength deficits identified with concentric action of the hip extensors and eccentric action of the hamstrings predispose to hamstring injury in elite sprinters. Journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 38(8), 457-464.

6. Malone, S., Owen, A., Mendes, B., Hughes, B., Collins, K., & Gabbett, T. J. (2018). High-speed running and sprinting as an injury risk factor in soccer: Can well-developed physical qualities reduce the risk? Journal of science and medicine in sport, 21(3), 257-262.

7. Schuermans, J., Danneels, L., Van Tiggelen, D., Palmans, T., & Witvrouw, E. (2017). Proximal neuromuscular control protects against hamstring injuries in male soccer players: a prospective study with electromyography time-series analysis during maximal sprinting. The American journal of sports medicine, 45(6), 1315-1325.

8. Ishøi, L., Krommes, K., Husted, R. S., Juhl, C. B., & Thorborg, K. (2020). Diagnosis, prevention and treatment of common lower extremity muscle injuries in sport–grading the evidence: a statement paper commissioned by the Danish Society of Sports Physical Therapy (DSSF). British journal of sports medicine, 54(9), 528-537.

9. Longo, U. G., Loppini, M., Berton, A., Marinozzi, A., Maffulli, N., & Denaro, V. (2012). The FIFA 11+ program is effective in preventing injuries in elite male basketball players: a cluster randomized controlled trial. The American journal of sports medicine, 40(5), 996-1005.

10. Sugiura, Y., Sakuma, K., Sakuraba, K., & Sato, Y. (2017). Prevention of hamstring injuries in collegiate sprinters. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 5(1), 2325967116681524.

11. Seagrave III, R. A., Perez, L., McQueeney, S., Toby, E. B., Key, V., & Nelson, J. D. (2014). Preventive effects of eccentric training on acute hamstring muscle injury in professional baseball. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2(6), 2325967114535351.

12. Malliaropoulos, N., Bikos, G., Meke, M., Vasileios, K., Valle, X., Lohrer, H., … & Padhiar, N. (2018). Higher frequency of hamstring injuries in elite track and field athletes who had a previous injury to the ankle-a 17 years observational cohort study. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 11(1), 7.