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|  Boathouse Presents the Weekly AT&F Coaching Tip
Number 18: Championship Races In a championship race, the successful athlete has to have
eyes in the back of their heads. I am always reminded of
athletes like Fermin Cacho of Spain, who surprised all and
won the 1,500 in Barcelona in 1992. When everyone was
waiting for Nouredine Morceli to take off, Cacho got the jump
on the field, ran a 50.6 for the last four hundred meters and
won the race! Cacho, who won multiple medals in
European, World and Olympic venues. Last summer, in Osaka, Kara Goucher went with Kim Smith
and Jo Pavey and pursued the leaders in the 10,000
meters. In the last two laps, Kara told us that she took off
with a lap to go, knowing that the safe move would have
been to wait until a few hundred meters, and her decision to
move with a lap to go helped her win the bronze medal. The king of the waiting game last summmer was Bernard
Lagat, who waited until the last 80 meters to race in the
5,000 meters and 65 meters to go to win in the 1,500
meters. It was Lagat's self control that gives him the ability
to change to that fast gear and keep in control, still knowing
what was going on around him on the track. What can we learn from the great racers? The key to racing
well is to know oneself, to be cognizant of others racing with
you, and to figure out where the best place for you to use
your kick, whether you are a long kicker ( 500 to 600
meters), mid distance kicker (300 meters ) or a fight to the
finish (last hundred meters). Each has their own
proponents and each has their own issues. As one gets more experience, one draws from all the races,
both good and bad, that one has run. The 1980 Olympic
gold medalist at 800 meters, Steve Ovett, said once in an
interrview that he never planned his racing strategies-he let
the race develop as it should. There are also times when I knew that no matter what I did,
the guy on my shoulder was going to kick my butt. So, in that
case, I kept increasing the pace, mile after mile, until with a
half mile to go, there was nothing left. Somehow, I found
another gear, and ran my fastest last half mile of my life and
best 10,000 meters. The guy who beat me went by with
about fifty to go, and he also ran his best. In the end I ran a
race that made him hold off his kick because he was just
hanging on, and reduce the kick to one last mad dash. That
day, the mad dash gave him the win. During my cooldown, I
thought of how I would beat the guy next time... This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
********* Number 17: How to Fine Tune Your Championship
Focus: The Bag of Tricks As your athletes are now getting into the tough parts of the
season. They are running conference champs, regional
champs and hoping to move onto the state and national
level. The key for going from a possible regional candidate
to a national level requires alot of perseverance,
focus and luck. I am going to give you today, what I call the "Bag of Tricks."
Bill
Toomey, the 1968 Olympic gold medalist at the decathlon,
taught me these ideas when we would watch Dan O'Brien
and Dave Johnson train at the VISA Decathlon Clinics. When Bill competed, from the late 1960s to 1975, he always
prepared for the worst. So his "bag of tricks," as he called
them, included the following: b. For hydration: bottle of water and sports drink, of
your choice. Bill always took those around with him, even as he trained
in Santa Barbara or other warm climates. He always
changed his wet training clothes immediately after workout,
so as not to catch a cold. He always alternated shoes
when training, so as to avoid injuries. He always trained in
his worst events in the worst conditions, so he was
confident that he could master those conditions. For him, it
was the high jump in the rain and the pole vault in the rain. As for equipment, he always had alternatives on
hand--especially poles for vaulting. They were stashed in
various places around the country if needed for his
competitions. He did not rely on anyone else to take care of
such. Case and point. In 1968, in Mexico City, all that could go
wrong did. He had to high jump in the rain and he had to
use another pole for the pole vault, his worst event.
Apparently his poles were shipped somewhere wrong and
then broken! What should be in your bag of tricks? Is there a special
magazine you like to read (hmmm, say, Athletes
Only) or science fiction writer you like when you need to
relax? Those should be in there as well. The difference between sixth and moving on and seventh
and not moving on could be inches---even a tenth of a
second. Your health, your focus, your hydration, your
relaxation all play a huge part in your athlete's success.
Don't forget the details! This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
******** Number 16: Five Ideas to Watch Over Athletes
As your athletes get into shape, the little colds, nagging
injuries and soreness that comes from mid-season training
can end their season. It is all in the details, so here are five
ideas on how to watch over your athletes each and every
day: a. Training Logs are a must. Have them write down
their workouts, rate the workout from 1 to 10 with 10=feeling
great to 1=feeling terrible. Also, have them keep track of their
pulse, when wakeup each morning. It is a good habit but
also if their pulse does not go down for a couple days after a
hard workout, give them another easy day. If athlete looks
listless or has yellowish eyes, they might not be recovering.
Check their pulse, have them run easy get some water in
them. b. Changing clothes immedately after hard
workouts. Have your team bring dry tshirts and sweats so
that they can get into them even in warm weather after a
workout. Keeps the colds down and also make sure they
have a bottle of water always.Hydration is key. c. Changing shoes. Most distance runners should
have two training shoes, they should alternate shoes so that
they keep the shoes dry, and also avoid overuse injuries. d. Sleeping----up to eight to ten hours a night, and if
you can, get a
nap in on weekends. Your athletes need rest, even at 17 or
18, so that they can recover and race well. e. Track spikes-work into them. Give them a series
of
workouts where sprinters and distance runners work into
track spikes. They are equipment, treat them as such. This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
*******
Number 15: How to Get Your Best Throw or Jump
April 14, 2008 Track & Field is about competition---finding what
makes you
tick, and how far you can throw, jump or fast you can run. In
the throws, and the jumps, a great first competitive throw or
jump can put big pressure on the rest of the field. Here are
some suggestions on how to get a good throw early in the
competition. Throwing Well in Competition In 1968 and in 1972, Miklos had failed to live up to his
country's dreams and by 1976 was not considered a
favorite. But, something happened on the way to the javelin
competition when Nemeth was given the first throw of the
competition. The pictures from the meet tell the story. Nemeth came up
to the runway and began his run. His form was perfect, and
as he released the javelin he almost did a 360 degree turn
as he stopped himself from fouling his throw. After his turn
around he looked up, did a double-take and then jumped for
sheer joy---he had broken the world record by six feet! None of his competition recovered from his great first throw
and Miklos Nemeth went on to win the 1976 Olympic gold in
the Men's Javelin. Now, while we are not all Olympic champions, or the sons
or daughters of Olympic champions, we can learn from
them in and use the tips to improve our competition.
So, here we go: 1. Before the competition, make sure that you are
warmed up completely. Get there an hour early, do some
light jogging and spend the time stretching, both lower body,
core and upper body. 2. Get in as many practice throws as you can, make
those internal checks: Am I feeling right? Are my shoes
fitting, tied? How do I feel holding the discus . . . the shot?
Am I ready to throw? 3. As you go to the ring, or to the runway, focus your
thoughts, think of only the task at hand, and relax. Take a
deep breath, focus and begin your throw. 4. As you finish your throw or jump, remember to
complete the throw and walk out the back of the ring, in a
jump make sure that you lean forward and in the javelin,
stay behind the line! 5. To develop your mental skills, spend five minutes
every night before going to sleep telling yourself that you will
throw or jump your best in your next competition. Tell
yourself, 'I am the smoothest thrower that I can be.' 6. Competition is really self discovery. Perhaps you
will find out that you are not a first throw athlete, that you
develop over the competition, and that your last throw is your
best. Great, then work on that, but remember, you will never
know how good you can be if you do not give it your all!
This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
Number 14: The Championship Season (Part
2)
Your athletes are getting into shape, and now, with the relay
and invitational meets in focus, its now time to think about
the championship season. Last week we provided the first
set of suggestions to keep in mind as you set up training for
the last two weeks of the season. As promised, here are
the the rest of the suggestions.
4. Sprinters, Relay-key in last two weeks is to warm
up and cool down. work on Relay hand offs every day two
weeks out, and get in great workouts on Monday and
Wednesday two weeks out. Like 8 x 200, and on
Wed-200/300/400 and down again. Week before, 8 x 150s,
starts, and Wednesday, nice stride outs. 5. Distance Runners-two weeks out, Monday-8 x
400, 400 jog, hard, faster than race pace, Wednesday,
tempo-2o minutes, then 10 x 150, Friday, 4 x 600, 600 jog,
faster than race pace. Week before-Monday-6 x 400, fast, jog
400, Tuesday-off, Wednesday-45 min, 10 x 150 strideouts.
Remind them to focus on 3/4 of race, stay out of trouble and
run for places at conference, especially if doubling. 6. Key to tell all is to Relax: If sprinter focuses on
hand off and team gets around track safely, fast time will
come. If throwers and jumpers focus on each jump and
throw, they will not miss chance to get their best mark, and if
distance runners stay in race to near end and move with 1/3
of race left, they can change the way their competitors
respond at end of the race. Hurdlers should remember to
focus on themselves, as some one will fall during race-don't
let it stun them or hurt their race. And finally, tell them to run
through the darn finish line-more races have been lost and
team titles when someone does a victory sign before the
finish. This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
*******
Number 13: The Championship Season
Your athletes are getting into shape, and now, with the relay
and invitational meets in focus, its now time to think about
the championship season. Here's the facts: 12-16 kids will line up at the starting lines,
or for field events at your league or conference final. Of
those kids, four will be undertrained, four will be overtrained,
and two will be ready to roll. That means that six to eight
kids are capable of placing high, maybe even winning, with
some focus and final work. American Track & Field's has six suggestions to keep
in
mind as you set up training for the last two weeks of the
season. We will feature three this week and the next three
the following week: 1. Throwers-cut back on the lifting. Let them lift three
times, then go to two times the week before league, and
keep it at that for the rest of the season. Keep the lifting
focused on proper technique, and lower weights and higher
reps. Have them focus on warming up well, and cooling
down well. Keep the throwing at an hour a day. The week
before, really cut back to 30 minutes of throwing and give
them a day off, two days before the competiton, not the day
before a competition day. Have them think about what they
want to achieve for ten minutes each day in the two weeks
before league. 2. Jumpers-spend extra time warming up and
cooling down. Get your steps down, make sure poles are
well kept and check spikes. Jump in rain, high winds, etc.,
any strange conditions. Take a roll of tape in your training
bag, keep extra clothes in bags, extra spikes, socks, dry
clothes, etc. Two weeks before league, do a 6 x 200 workout
and 6 x300 two days later. Week before, do a 2 x 350 on
Monday before League, on Tuesday, 8 x 150 rolling. Keep
jumping at 30-45 minutes a day. 3. Hurdlers-warming up and cooling down is
critical. Two weeks out, get some good speed work in, two
days of 2 x 400, 2 x 300, and another day, 6 x 200, and work
on hurdles on grass, by lining up four hurdles on field an
work on steps and form. Week before, get over hurdles a
few times, and keep relaxed and stretch. This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
********
Number 12: Racing at Different Distances During the dual meet and relay season, in the six to eight
weeks before the league and section meets, it is important
to
give your athletes the experiences that they need to do their
best in the big meets. This means getting in the right work
outs,
giving them some variety in their competitive situations, and
helping them focus on their goals. Right workouts On your easy days, get the distance kids to do 10 times 150
yard pickups, on hard days, focus on the last half of each
interval, to develop your mental strength. Make sure that the
kids get out of wet clothes and into dry clothes right away.
Have them watch their shoes. Get some practice in the new
track spikes, be careful with them. First do the sprints in
them, then try the track workouts in
them. Six times 300 meter cut downs, 8 times 400 meters, 200
jog, another great workout, and my favorite, 8 laps, 200
meters on, race pace for mile, or if you are running 4:40,
pace is 35 seconds, second 200 is six minute mile pace, or
45 seconds, the idea is do not stop, and stay focused on the
job at hand.
Racing As your athletes get into the racing season, it is key to figure
out what the goals are. If you want to win dual meets, you
can do that, giving your athletes some variety in racing. Take
the good distance kids and get them in the 800 and 1,500
meters. Take the two miles and have them double in the two
and the 800 meters. Always take the chance to do relays.
First, they are fun, secondly, they give
the athlete a chance to race hard, race fast and have some
fun. Do not workout hard every day. Each race is a hard day,
and they need an easy day in between. A meet day where
one runs an 800 or 1,500 can be followed up with a 30
minute cooldown and some 1 by 150s. The long Sunday run
is important, as it helps you absorb the speed work and
also gives one a strong mental break. Focus How does one get the athletes to focus? I used to have my
athletes write their monthly goals and season goals on a
postcard, and tape it to the mirror wall in the bathroom. I
help them make them realistic and refine them each and
every month. I also will use any means necessary to involve
the athlete in their own life. I once had three milers who the
local paper suggested were good, but not good enough to
make the state meet. Our head coach gave each of them a
different racing tactic, and I read them the article. They all got
pumped up, and made State on their own terms. Our sport is the world's oldest. Athletes were running,
jumping and throwing three thousand years ago, and were
exalted and praised for their racing prowess. In ancient
Persia, kids high jumped. There were races around the
walls of cities in Egypt as well as festivals in the Greek cities
celebrating various festivals, which including the discus, the
javelin, 200 meter races (stadia) and a race that was 12
times the length of the stadia. Make sure that the athletes
know that they are part of a sport with history. Who knows, it
may be the thing that motivates them! This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
******* Number 11: Sports Nutrition on the Road
In this day and age where a home cooked meal is an
anomaly, sports nutrition on the road has taken on new
meaning. During the season, you will have some time to
check in with your kids on eating habits. Here are some
suggestions: Breakfast Morning snack Lunch Stay away from carbonated beverages, it slows down your
recovery from hard training! Afternoon snack
Dinner If you are at fast food place, get a salad, normal burger (not
pounder or quarter pounder), try chicken breast, at Taco
Bell, try bean burritoes, tacos, taco salads, at PIzza Hut, try
cheese pizza with extra veggies, or half meat, half veggies,
at McDonalds, try chicken wraps, salads, yoghurt desserts,
try tea or fruit juice. Always, always, eight glasses of water a day. Small bags of
peanuts, soynuts, pistachios are great. Turkey jerkey is
good too. The truth is, keeping the veggies up, water up, and fat down,
with their normal training should keep the kids at the weight
that they need. Please, please watch the sports
supplements that they take, many are just like eating
cement, and also can cause dehydration! VERY dangerous! If your kids want to take a supplement, have them call the
USOC Drug Line and get it checked out. If they eat a diet rich
in veggies, whole grains, low fat protein (nothing wrong with
beef) and dairy is good for you too!, most of your kids will be
fine. Anyone who seems too worried about weight---tell them that
in 12 weeks of real training, their body will go where it is
supposed to---get them to a counselor and watch
their behaviours. Nutrition is key in an athletes' development. Let common
sense rule. After running four events, the eating machine
who digest six tacos, a quart of milk and two apples is
doing fine. He is eating what he needs and he is not getting
too much junk! Just remind him, he can not do that all of the
time! This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
******* Number 10: Recovery Probably the weakest area in American track and field is the
understanding the importance of recovery. Face it, running,
jumping or throwing in our sport requires lots of focused
training, many competitions and both of those situations tax
the body,
physically and mentally. After each season, an athlete
needs allow at least one week to recover. It is key to giving
the body
some off time---and the mind, as well. A two week break after cross country and after track was de
rigeur for me in college. Understanding the recovery time
allowed me to get two good peaks each year, keep injuries
down and improve each season. If one watches the
European elite and Asian elite athletes, one notes that they
take breaks after the championships, most of the time an
entire month! As your body recovers, you begin to miss
racing and training and then, you know you are coming back
and ready for the next season! During the training cycle, remember that easy days, one day
for each hard day, allow the muscles to recover and your
body to gain value from the hard days. The ying and yang of
training is very important to understand. Without recovery
from your hard workouts, you will not be able to compete
well! This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
****** Number 9: The Importance of Listening As a coach, we are educators first, and role models always.
Remember that teenagers are at a point in their lives where
everything is changing around them: their relationships with
families, their understanding of the world, themselves, the
dating game, making decisions about life. With all that
going on, it is not surprising that a kid loses control,
overreacts, or behaves in a way that is foreign to them. My suggestion is listening. When a kid has a problem, do
not overreact. The rest of their social circle does that, and
perhaps their familes do that. Get them out of the situation
and get them by themselves. Do not be surprised with
expletives, crying, yelling or pounding walls. Let them
unwind, let them get a drink of water, let them gain some
composure and then, ask them, 'What the heck happened?'
Let them tell you, if they can. If they seem unable to explain,
get them to do something physical, perhaps jog a couple of
laps or have them help you set the hurdles. Especially with
guys, the physical act of doing something is like a truth
serum. Most of the time the athlete will tell you what is going
on. Perhaps it is a family issue, many times it is a school,
dating, or life issue. Just listening, and not trying to solve all
of the problems will go along way. Life is overwhelming for you, an adult sometimes. Think of
how it could be for 17-year-old?
This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
****** Number 8: How to Test Your Distance Runners February 25, 2008
So, the distance runs are going well, the speed sessions
and fartlek are doing well, and the team is nice and healthy.
You are four weeks from your race season and you want to
start getting a feel for their shape. Here are two good
suggestions for testing
your team of distance runners: a. Week of Time Trials The idea is to warm up well, and run them over 800 meters,
give them goals-2:05, 2:10, 2.15, 2:20, then jog for ten
minutes and finish up with six 300 meter runs, with two
minute break in between, and cooldown. Tuesday - Nice, relaxed 45 minutes to an hour Wednesday - Warm up, run them over a mile, break it into
target groups, and then jog for a ten minutes and give them
six 200 meter runs, with two minute break in between, and
cooldown Thursday - Warm up, relaxed 45 to 60 minute run. Friday - Warm up, two mile time trial, again, set some goals,
read the tmes and get them through it. After this, jog for a
half hour to get the lactic out of one's legs.
All distance kids should run all three, whether they are 800
meter or two milers. This gives them some idea of where
they are at and gives you an idea of what you have to do this
month. My second test is for two weeks after that, and this is a
tough one. For 2 milers, milers and half milers, warm them up, and
have them run four times one lap at their present mile best
pace. So, if they can run five minutes, they think, have them
run four times a 400 in 75 with 15 second rest
between each quarter! Add those quarters up and that is what you can do now! I
remember doing that mile test as a junior in high school in
4:58. Two weeks later I ran a 4:56. It is tough, callousing and as honest as a good watch! This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
****** Number 7: Using Fartlek for Your Distance
Runners Fartlek was developed by Swedish coaches and distance
runners in the late 1930s and 1940s, during the time
of Arne Anderson and Gunder Haag, the great middle
distance runners of the war years. Fartlek allows the runner and coach to vary both the
surfaces of running and to use the natural surroundings to
develop a stronger, more efficient athlete. For example, if
one is looking to develop speed, charging a series of small
hills, for 80-90 seconds, perhaps six to ten times, could be
a great workout, with a nice warmup and warm down. Holmer Fartlek is the most gentle---a sustained speed on
the way out and on the way back. This type of run helps
develop endurance. Fartlek done two to three times a week during the build up
phase will make speed development that much easier.
Here are my three favorite Fartlek workouts: a. Golf course, or varied fartlek. Warm up and over
the
period of one hour, run six to eight charges, going from 45
seconds to six minutes, with equal rest, and then a
cooldown. The pace for the charges should be what one
would perceive to be a strong effort. b. Short and fun. Warm up, and over the period of an
hour,
run one minute hard, one minute easy, twenty times. There
is no recovery here, but the ability to change gears, and have
some fun, is important, cooldown. c. Follow the Leader. Minumum of four runners,
warm up for
ten minutes, for next forty, one person from the back, takes
off and charges to the front and leads from three minutes to
five minutes, then two minute break and next guy in last
does same, gets in six or seven good charges, and the
group works together. If there is a larger team,
do charges for two minutes on, two minutes off. Cooldown
well for ten minutes. This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
********
Number 6: Developing successful relay teams February 11, 2008 Both the 4 x 100 and the 4 x 400 meter relay teams are two
of the keys to a successful high school track and field team.
Picking not only the right kids, but the right temperaments is
part of the art of coaching. My belief is this: the earlier you
pick your squads during the year and the more they can
workout together, the stronger your chances of success. For the 4 x 100 meters, I pick four of my sprinters who; Notice, I did not put, my fastest sprinters? Of course, finding
your quickest sprinters is important, but it's more important
to have good sprinters who can handle a stick. Passing a
stick, in the zone--and fast---is a rarefied task and requires
concentration, practice and more practice. Each day, while
the team warms up, your 4 x 100 guys should be other there
jogging the mile warm up together and passing the stick
back and forth, so that it is so much a part of them, they
sweat when the stick is not in their hands. Three days a
week, the team practices live hand offs, first at half speed,
then at faster speed. Keep the team working out together,
remind them of their importance and give them a chance to
jell. My philosophy on placing my sprinters? I want good turn
runners on both first and third legs, and prefer to have my
speedster on leg two to blow the race out in leg three. For
my anchor, I want the sprinter who is fast, focused and
really
wants to win and will run through the finish line. Teach them
how to lean, and teach them how to behave as sportsmen
and women. For the 4 x 400 meters, look to my long sprinters, my middle
distance runners, my jumpers, really anyone who can run
the one lapper fast, and who can get the baton in the zone to
their next teammate. I have an idea over the first few weeks
and I start to put together a team that I can rely on especially
during a close meet. I also have the soccer kids who know
how to move and be in close, physical races, who I can rely
on if a key sprinter is hurt, tired or not feeling ready to race.
Key is communication. If you start with a core team at the beginning of the season
and work with them weekly on their baton work, their team
work and their workouts, you will have invested well in your
relays for the coming season!
This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
*******
Number 5: Team Chemistry In developing a team chemistry for track & field, there
are many ways to reach the same goal. Understanding the
dynamics of your team is key. Who are the leaders? Who
lead through their workouts? Who are the team clowns?
Who need to be motivated? While I spent six years coaching at Foothill Community
College in Los Altos in the early nineties, our head coach
was Hank Ketels. Hank was a USC graduate, life long track
fan and one of the best coaches I have ever met. During our
last two years of coaching together, Hank pulled out a the
Monday team workout. This was a workout that the throwers,
jumpers, sprinters and distance runners all did together. The idea was to get the team warmed up. After that, anything
went. We promised the team one hour workout on Mondays,
but they had to keep standing. And it was all about speed.
The idea was to help the athletes, whatever their discipline,
develop their inner speed demon while cementing team
spirit. The workout went something like this: One mile warm up on
the track. Once the warm up was done, go to the grass for
bounding and high knees. Do repeats of high knees, where
one pushes their knees as high in front of them as they can,
which is done for 100 meters, a one minute break then back
down the field. Each exercise is repeated four times. The
second excercise is butt kicks, which is where the athlete
kicks one self in the butt and repeats for 100 meters, takes
a one minute break and repeats, just like the one before.
The third excercise is to skip up and down the field, relaxing
arms and shoulders and hips, take a one minute break and
repeat. After that, we would go off the track and find a 100
meter hill and repeat that six times, jogging down. The team was about 25-40 most days, and while the kids
growned, they stayed with it. At the end of the season, we
had 20 kids on the squad and they felt like a team. The
talked like a team and they ran like a team.
The workout always ended with a 200, 300 or 350. After the workout, the team would go back to their
specialties, with the distance kids off for a long 45 minute
cooldown. We did this for 20 weeks a year and it made a
huge difference. Try it with your team. The key is to get the team to work
together. Relay races, putting the sprinters, jumpers,
distance runners together are great. One of our favorites
was 12 times 200 and the group was broken into two teams
and it worked well. Relays get the workout in and create a
team feel! Remember to start this at the beginning of the season! This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
****** Number 4: Setting Standards of Behaviour Young athletes are looking to you, the coach for many
things. You are their trainer, their teacher, their confessor,
and most of, their role model. This does not mean that
you need to be a nominee for sainthood, but you should live
by the rules you give your teams. I always kept rules simple. Workouts are sacred. Show up
each day, on time, and if there will be a deviation, call or
contact your coach before hand. Emergencies happen, and
in that case, a note from the parents, a conversation before
workout is helpful. The other rules-respect each other, respect yourselves and
leave things that are not your own alone. Four simple rules,
about all most of us can remember or enforce, and you
should have most issues covered. Competing on a school team is part of the educational
process. Because it is physical, many parents, educators
and the general community belittle athletics participation.
But for many teenagers, the life lessons of working for a
common good, taking on challenges, dealing with fear,
treating others with respect, learning to compete and not
belittle, are crucial in their development into adults who are
comfortable in their own skin and who can contribute
something to society. So, in setting rules, make sure they are rules that you can
enforce. Keep them simple and communicate them to your
team in writing. Final fact: The average sports coach spends two hours plus
a day with a teenage athlete, while parents spend a bit over
one hour in a 24 hour period. This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
********
Number 3 In my sixteen years of coaching high school, college,
community college and club, the best "cure" I ever had was
water. A simple product, H20, two molecules of hydrogen
and one molecule of oxygen, but so important in the proper
maintenance of your athletes' health. Water helps transport wastes out of the body. It is the
medium used for the transportation of energy, from one cell
to another. Proper hydration and the human body works well
in all of its magic and magnificence. Less than proper
hydration and you have muscle soreness, slow recovery
from workouts, and athletes who are worrying rather than
training. The rule of thumb is eight to ten glasses of water a day. A
glass of water is 8-10 ounces. I do not care if the water is
from your tap, or from some bottling company in
Southern France. As long as it is clean, and tastes okay, the
athlete is fine. Suggest that they carry a bottle around to
make sure that they drink the only miracle liquid that I know
of. Final fact: Remind the athlete that soda and sugared drinks
should be cut back. When drinking sports drinks, dilute in
half with water. And keep the caffeine down to a cup of
coffee or tea in the morning. This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
******* Number 2
Training Logs = Good for Coach, Good for Athlete
The training log is a great training device. It is a daily
affirmation of the theme that coaches should teach-that
success in track and field is built over months and years
of practice. A training log, properly used should tell the
coach and the athlete what is going well and what is not. A
coach should give their athletes a simple guide for
setting up a training log. A daily training log should have room for workout
description, date, time of day of workout. The athlete should
rate the workout on a scale of 1-10, with 1 beaing too easy
and 10 being very hard. A coach should check training logs once a month to get a
good feel for the athlete's development and see if there are
any problems. Also, copy articles and give them out to get
your athletes to think beyond their normal workout. Final fact: To develop a habit, something that is done for
more than four weeks normally develops a good habit.
Encourage this habit of keeping a training log! This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
****** Number 1 Teach by Example-the Coach as Role Model Coaches hold an important place in the teenage athlete's
development. The average teenager spends one hour, plus
a day with their parents awake. The average teenage athlete
spends double that with their coach. Be honest with your
athletes, keep the rules simple and lead by example. Watch
the athletes who seem to be having a rough day and give
them a chance to work out their frustrations during the
workout. Especially with young men, the best chance to find
out what is bothering them is during the workout or right
after. Sam Adams, the long-time track administrator at UC Santa
Barbara and dean of
decathlete coaches once said that coaches are educators
first. Always remember that. A kind word from a coach, a
thoughtful comment on how to improve can go a long way
with a young athlete who is dealing with rough issues at
home or school. Final fact: As a track and cross country coach, you will work
with your team an average of forty-six weeks a year, six days
a week, for an average time of two hours, fifteen minutes per
day. To paraphrase the philosopher Plato, the best learning
is done by example. This weekly coaching tip was presented by www.boathouse.com/track
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