Showing posts with label ATHLETICS COACH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ATHLETICS COACH. Show all posts

How to Improve Sprint Performance Using Strength Training?

>> November 16, 2016

Strength is a fitness component that crucial for sports requiring high-speed and short term effort. This includes sprinting on the track (athletics) and on the field (rugby, soccer, etc.)

Greater muscular strength can improve the ability to produce power and rate of force development (RFD), which are prerequisites for enhancing sprint performance.

Power and RFD are the qualities that clearly separate between sprinters of different sprinting ability levels.

Interestingly, a recent review also suggests that having a sufficient strength level may also helpful for injury prevention.

Furthermore, one must consider an appropriate strength development in order to maximize its transfer into sports performance. Good programming is, therefore, necessary (this requires another thread of discussion!).

Regardless of training strategies (periodization), the force-velocity curve must be understood, which is the relationship between velocity and force that can determine the selection of load intensity and exercise. Thus, several strength qualities need to be considered by a coach when developing a sprinter, as follows:

a) Basic strength
Associated with an increased ability to produce force. Basic strength can be developed all year round although some weeks (microcycle) or months (mesocycles) may not the number one priority.
Examples of basic strength development for sprinters as follows:

Reps: 5-8 reps
Sets: 3-4 sets
Percent: 85-90%
tempo: Fast contraction
Exercises: Power clean, back squat, bench press

b) Maximal strength
Similar to basic strength, performed as the progress of basic strength. The goal of maximal strength training is to improve the ability of muscles to produce high force production, which is necessary to improve high-level power and RFD. The key when performing maximal strength is executing "high contraction velocity" (felt like as performing fast movement) during the lifting, against a very high external load.

Reps: 2-4 reps
Sets: 4-6 sets
Percent: 90-95%
Tempo: Fast contraction
Exercises: Power clean, half squat, bench press

c) Strength-speed
The goal in strength-speed exercise is to perform the exercise as fast as possible, against a heavy load. This should be utilized after completing a phase when maximal strength was the focus.

Reps: 5-6
Sets: 3-4
Percent: 70-80%
Tempo: Fast contraction
Exercises: Power clean, half squat, bench press

d) Speed-strength / explosive strength
The goal in speed-strength exercise is to perform the exercise as fast as possible, against a lighter load. The key when performing speed-strength is "vigorous extension" of joints (or extremely fast action). This strength quality must be considered in order to develop a powerful athlete (sprinter).

Reps: 6-8
Sets: 3-5
Percent: 20-30%
Tempo: Fast contraction
Exercises: Countermovement clean, jump squats, hang snatch, arm swing with a light load

e) Reactive strength
This is another priority when developing a sprinter. Reactive strength is the ability to change quickly from eccentric to concentric, or stretch-shortening cycle. Having a good reactive strength is associated with the ability to produce high force within a short period. In sprinting, the higher force one develops within 100 milliseconds (typical ground contact during late acceleration, as an example) the better (faster) the athlete. Hence, improving reactive strength can enhance rebound performance or fast ground contact - and sprint performance.

Reps: 6-10 
Sets: 3-4
Percent: Bodyweight or with very lightweight
Tempo: Fast contact on the ground
Exercises: drop jump, bounding

Read more about explosive and reactive strength here.

Meanwhile, specific strength development (e.g. sled pulling, hill run, etc.) must also be considered in order to maximize the transfer of strength into functional power, which are crucial for sports performance. However, this is another topic that requires another post.

One commonly asked question in strength development is related to how much load one must lift in order to be deemed sufficient, particularly for sprinting.

A quick answer is "depend on sports". Broadly speaking, one who has a relative strength value of 2.00 in the back squat is considered "strong" and able to take advantage of optimized the potentiation effect.

In layman, stronger athletes can be more powerful and sprint faster.

Meanwhile, exercise selection can be determined by understanding the segment of force-velocity interaction. Some exercise is high-velocity in nature and some others can be customized to be high-velocity or force based on training goals, or desired adaptations.

a) High-velocity exercise (low load) - jump squat, drop jump, power hurdling, assistance (band) training

b) High-force exercise (high load) - deadlift, back squat, power clean, overhead press

c) High-velocity or high-force exercise (customizable) - power clean, power clean, snatch, overhead press

Practically speaking, one can enhance power production by improving either force or velocity, or both.

Read more...

MAF Technical Director Hopeful Making Philippine Track History

>> May 23, 2012

Pedrina: becomes the first filipino woman to run under 57 sec since 2005--400m(56.5)

While waiting his hoped for selection as the MAF's new Technical Director, coach Sam Goldber (USA/retired) is quickly changing the face of Philippine athletics.

Awaiting his hoped for selection by the MAF as their new Technical Director coach Sam, accepted a temporary 3 month assignment as consultant to the Philippine Sports Commission(PSC). His task-to prepare a few “non-national” team men and women athletes for the PSC'S Philippine National Games(PNG). Coach Sam was given from March 1, 2012 to May 28, 2012 to prepare his athletes.

On March 3, 2012 Coach Sam began by selecting 800m runnersWenlie Maulas (1:53.8) and 400h Keizel Pedrina(1:03) who had a 2012 seasonal best 60.0(400m). On March 15, 2012 800m runner Paul Billones 1:54.3 asked to join the team. On April 15, 2012 junior woman Michelle Lorterte,100h (15.3) joined the group.

Coach Sam has also been working on rehabilitation of filipino 100m specialist Andrew Pirie, since February/2012. According to coach Sam, Andrew (10.98) had contacted him via the internet from his home in Australia for help with chronic hamstring, groin and calve injuries, in hopes of competing in PNG. Coach Sam is happy to report that based on his suggested technical changes and workout adjustments along with some good short-term psio theraphy he has gotten Andrew back from all injuries, and since Andrew joined him in Manila in late April, he has run 10.7(hand timed) While Andrew has had little time free of his past injuries to train at full speed, I believe my technical changes will allow him to at least post a PB and hopefully a place on the podium.

Here are the athletes' various PB's prior to coming under coach Sam:
Maulas: 300m(38.0) 600m(1:23.8) 1:53.8
Billones: 300m(37.8), 600(1.24), 400(50.5) 1:54.3
Pedrina: 400h(1:03) 400m(2012 SB 60.0)
Lorterte: Junior woman100h(15.3)
Pirie 100m(10.98)

Here are the athletes' various PB's since coming under coach Sam in early March/April 2012
Maulas: 300m(35.8), 600m(1:20.8), 700m(1:36.8)
Billones:300m(35.7), 400m(49.7) 600m(1:19.7), 700m(1:36.7)
Pedrina: Became the first filipino woman to run under 57 sec since 2005--400m(56.5)
Lorterte: 100h(15.0)
Pirie: 100m(10.7 hand time) showing Andrew is now 100% injury free

Coach Sam predictions for the men's May 28-31 Philippine National Games
Maulas and Billones
will run sub 1:50's and upset Melvin Guarte, 2011 SEA Games 800m silver medalist who is also the PI's #1 ranked men's 800m runner.

Pirie
A new 100m PB and bronze medal.

Coach Sam predictions for the women's May 28-31 Philippine National Games
Keizel Pedrina
will win both the 400m and 400h and will be going for a new national women's 400m mark(54.7) and will post 2012's top SE Asian 400h time in route to her efforts to make the London “B” standard 400h time (56.56) before the July 7, 2012 cut-off date.

Michelle Lorterte
will set an new national junior 100h mark(current record is 14.6)

Philippine Woman To challenge Sella for 400h Queen Title
Coach Sam hopes to bring Pedrina to Malaysia's June 2012 national championships to face Seela in the woman's 400h and perhaps Maulas or Billones to face Jironi in the 800m in hopes of impressing the MAF's selection committee to give him the nod as their new technical director.

Read more...

Success of an Athletics Coach: Indepth Review of the Effects of Certification on Asian sprinting

>> December 08, 2011

This article is guest blogged by Sam Goldberg, one of the top decathletes in the United States in 1970's, coach track and field since 1970's, and a head coach of decathlon's 100m, 400m, 110mh and 1500m events at America's National Decathlon Training Centre.

PREFACE

I would like to preface my qualifications as a coach for TPE's sprinters with comments from the IOC's Dr. Tim Noakes, a founding member of the International Olympic's committee's Olympic Science Academy”, fellow in the American College of Sports Medicne, Director of medical research council/UCT research unit of exercise science and sports medicine-Sports Science Institute of South Africa and South African National running coach. And, with the comments posted on the IAAF official website, by internationally known sport scientist and coach Professor Dave Costill.
www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsID=36622.html

The comments of these emminent sport scientists which follow emphasize the notion that successful coaching is ultimately more art than science, that correct scientific knowledge of athletic activities follows rather than leads correct practice and that scientific understanding is less valuable then successful performance established through successful practice. Thus both experts ultimately support selection of coaches with a history of successful practice over merely certified coaches .

Comments by Professor Dave Costill
October/2006 “Dave Costill, an emeritus professor and founding director of the Human Performance Lab at Ball State University, where many of the top exercise physiologists in the US got their early training: “Coaching...a mix of art and science. As Costill once said the sports scientists usually discover what coaches already have figured out from years of trial and error in training athletes”. “said Costill, who was both a coach and a scientist during his career, and science usually lags behind art in understanding or discovering the keys to human performance” “So, while the secrets of sporting ability may be eventually explained in the laboratory, they are usually discovered during the time coaches and athletes train to improve their times, pushing the limits of human performances
http:..www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsID=36622.html (Jim Ferstle for the IAAF)

Comments by Dr. Tim Noakes:
4/28/2008 “As an Afrian from the Dark Continent with an interest in Kenyan running I am able to confrim that there is not a single exercise testing laboratory in Kenya that is used by the best athletes and their coaches. Thus the best runners in the world do not have access to laboratory testing(at least while they remain in Kenya) so that they are not trained according to some laboratory-based protocols” “Could it be that their coaches know that to be the best in the world an athlete needs to run at a certain speed in competition(not a particular V02 Max or blood lactate concentration) and to achieve that speed he or she need to produce certain performances in training” “Great coaches should no be defined by their ability to produce one or two great athletes, rather they should be rated by their ability to produce many great athletes over many years”.
Http://www.letsrun.com/forun/flat_read.php?thread=2412208&page=38#ixzzlelVebcSy

Asian championships 2011: Su Bingtian (L, 10.21), Eriguchi (C, 10.28)

ON THE DECLINE OF ASIAN SPRINTING 
(Under Certification From 2009 Through The End of 2011)

A.) Introduction of Certified Sprint Coaches into Asian Athletic Associations Since 2004

Since early 2000, while the call from Asia's national associations for the hiring of certified sprint coaches gradually increased, utilization of previously successful non-certified coaches began to be phased out most notably in China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the number and authority of active certified sprint coaches both domestic and foreign have continued to rapidly increase and take control of training procedures in China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

B.) Results of Certification on Asian 100m sprint performances (2009-2011)

From 2010 thru 2011, 92% of all men's 4x100Relay team members from Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan posted slower annual 100m times compared to their 2009 times;
a.) Of 20 individual sprinters only 1 PB posted since 2009.(Ka Fund NG/Hong Kong /2011).
b.) Of 20 individual sprinters only 1 tied his 2009 PB (Wen-Tang Wang/TPE/2010-2011).
c.) Of 20 individual sprinters 18 or (92%) continually ran slower then their 2009 performances.
d.) Of 20 individual sprinters most continually ran between 2/10th to 1/10th slower then their 2009 time.

From 2010 thru 2011, 80% of all top 2 ranked Open men's 100 m sprinters from Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan posted slower annual 100m times compared to their 2009 times;
a.) Of 10 individual sprinters only 2 posted improvement over their 2009 PB's.
b.) Kowatsura, (Japan) posted a 5/100th improvement over his 2009 PB (10.35 to 10.30).
c.) Kotani, (Japan) posted an 8/100th improvement over his 2009 PB (10.28 to 10.36).
d.) Of 10 individual sprinters 8 or (80%) continually ran slower then their 2009 times.
e.) Of 10 individual sprinters most continually ran between 2/10th to 1/10th slower then their 2009 time.

All results are based on reviews from both the
a.) Official IAAF.org (athlete bio's)website and
b.) “All-Athletes.com” website

C) Conclusion

The question arises as to the practicle value of selecting and employing coaches who receive certification without the need to successfully produces high powered athletes and results as a requirement for certification over successful coaches with proven results with or without certification.

It should be remembered that the American coaches who originally created the vast majority of the current material used to establish certification on sprinting, both inside and outside of America, possessed no such certification beyond their own successful coaching experiences and perhaps their traditional US college educations. Thus their expertise was almost solely developed as Prof. Costill mentioned “during the time coaches and athletes train to improve their times, pushing the limits of human performances”.

*photo by Yohei Kamiyama / Agence Shot

Read more...

Tom Tellez' 100m Sprint Phases

>> November 22, 2011

The best sprinters in the world are not only the first to the finish lines but they also the best in terms of utilizing the best way of executing the sprint races. This is called racing strategy. The racing strategy relies on the specific requirement, that is the physiological parameters that governed the different sprint distances.

No one would ever sprint at maximum speed from the start to the finish line in the 100m dash. The top speed would be reached at 50 - 70m and from here the sprinters would attempt to maintain the velocity with the aim of reducing the degree of deceleration.

Several coaches have advocated different way or strategy of executing the century dash. In 1984, Tom Tellez and Doolittle detailed a breakdown of 100m race based on specific contributions of different physiological requirements, as follows:
  • Reaction Time - 1%
  • Block Clearance - 5%
  • Acceleration - 64%
  • Maintenance of Maximum Velocity - 22%
  • Lessened Degree of Deceleration - 18%


In sprint races, results are always decided by a small margin. Regardless of ability, if one wishes to maximise sprinting potential the training should focus on the phases (above) that entail specific phases or strategy. This will be discussed briefly, in a practical point of view.

Block Setup
  • Tellez and Doolittle suggest 90 degrees of front knee angle and 135 degrees of rear knee angle.
  • This can provide an effective clearance or the first step out of the block (due to a greater horizontal velocity).
  • Rearfoot placement using the pedal that provides lower degrees of rear knee angle (e.g. 90) may also provide a good clearance - but this requires a greater "timeframes", therefore the time to produce the horizontal velocity.
  • The later recommendations advocate 100-110 degrees and 120-140 degree of the front and rear knee angles, respectively.
Phase 1 - REACTION 
  • Quick reaction to the "gun"
  • To achieve this, "set position" should be in the best position that can yield an effective action during the next phase (clearance) - see above.
  • Ideal reaction times can range from 0.100 - 0.150s (100m), 0.130 - 0.180s (200m), and 0.160 - 0.230s (400m). A reaction time of less than 0.100 is considered false start.
Phase 2 - BLOCK CLEARANCE
  • Block setup, set position, and clearance are the integral keys to an efficient block clearance.
  • This phase requires an extremely fast and powerful first step out of the blocks, which demands quick arms "forward" and  "backward".
  • The contact time (first step) is around ~0.17s.
  • Horizontal velocity during the first step is around ~4.5 m/s.
  • The total force exerted on the front pedal is higher than the rear one (~1100 N vs ~900 N for ~10.6 sprinters).
Phase 3 - ACCELERATION
  • Increase the rate of speed, increase over time. The first three steps can bring the average velocity up to 7m/s.
  • Body positioning that can allow an efficient force application is crucial.
  • The body is positioned in a forward lean, to enable force exertion "down" and "back".
  • Sprinters must aggressively attack and leave the ground.
  • The orientation of force application (technical aspect) that influences the horizontal velocity is crucial.
  • Fast and aggressive arm swings.
  • In top athletes, the average velocity will gradually increase to 12.5 m/s (or 12.3 m/s fo 10m segment), 11.7 - 11.8 m/s for most of world-class athletes. The maximum velocity phase is reached once the athlete achieves these velocities.
Phase 4 - MAINTENANCE OF MAX VELOCITY
  • The point of maximum velocity depends on athlete's ability to accelerate.
  • The transition from acceleration to maximal velocity can be dictated by the velocity of speed; velocity increases (accelerate) and velocity stagnant (maximum speed).
  • The posture is upright and tall.
  • Leg movements in front of the body, little bit looks like the "piston" fashion.
  • The contact of the ground is slightly in front of the centre of mass, but not excessively as it can create braking force.
  • Effective changes of muscle actions, from eccentric (downwards) and concentric (upwards)  are crucial, to provide high force on the ground, in a minimal time (fast contact time), typically around 0.08-0.09 in top sprinters and 0.09-0.10 in lower level athletes, and followed by an immediate propulsion.
Phase 5 - REDUCTION (LESSENS) OF DECELERATION
  • Once the maximum velocity is reached, it is important to maintain the velocity.
  • Carl Lewis said he was able to maintain the top speed for 1 second only (personal communication, Dec 2010).
  • Usain Bolt may be able to maintain it for 1-2 seconds.
  • Therefore, the speed endurance work, as well as technical skills, are important n order to lessen the degree of deceleration. 
What are the conclusions from here?
Giving a complete conclusion from a "short" article is not objective. However, there are things that must be taken into consideration. 

High level of strength (e.g. squat 1.8 - 2.5 bodyweight) can help the high force generation. Not only strength and how much force, but how much force you can produce during the minimal time of ground contact and use it for propulsion is important (rate of force development or reactive strength). Hence, maximal strength, reactive strength, explosive strength type workouts such as 4 sets x 3-5 reps x half squat, depth jump, bounding and so on is crucial. The upright body position (mid-race to finish) demands a very fast muscle actions (stretch-shortening cycle), where your maximum strength in deadlift may provide limited contribution but the specific work predominantly vertical force direction such as the power clean, snatch, backward throws, and reactive tasks such as drop jump are preferable. 

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ASIAN LEADERS (Men)

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ASIAN LEADERS (Women)

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