WORKOUT Anatomy - 7 SPECIFIC DRILLS - CONSTRUCTING a HIP POWER + SPEED training unit

[@El_Suertero]

How do you select athletes into your group if you do (like in USSR, for example, coaches could've go to primary or secondary school to look at kids and invite to train, it could be like they invited everyone to come to try like go play football or basketball, or could actually do scouting and talent identification at fisical education sessions-lessons and invite those who have been spotted and marked as "has some sporting potential")? Or you accepting everyone who want to train (as there is may be not so many willing)? And how do you solve the problem of individuality when training group becomes quite large and every athlete may have different issues or weak points?

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

Good question as usual and hope all is well. Re selection Most of the time I’m contacted either by the athlete or their parents … therefore most have a talent for long jump, for example. I’ve never asked anyone to join my squad. This is the same with the athletes that I coach on-line. I’ve very talented US based, Hungarian and Turkish jumpers. I think people see what I do and the results and enquire. It’s interesting in that most of the jumpers that approach me are young u21. I have a reputation for developing young talent. I’ve had many young men jump (aged 15-19) jump between 7.15m and 7.90m. This of course is a crucial stage in a jumper’s development. I do coach older athletes and get asked for advice from all levels. I am excited in particular by the prospects of a couple of jumpers I coach at the moment as it looks likely I’ll be coaching them (all being well) throughout their careers. Usually I “loose” jumpers for 2-4 years when they go to university (some then retire from athletics). Unfortunately most do not continue to improve. There are various reasons for this but from a coaching/training perspective the new coaching set-up often uses methods/has a philosophy that’s divergent from what the jumpers have been doing with me. So, this disrupts progress. Also many coaches don’t want to use another coach’s approach and indeed doing so would be difficult. Many don’t even ask for feedback and advice. This brings us in to your other question about coaching larger groups. I am lucky in that I think on my feet. Even though there may be 8 jumpers working together and doing roughly the same workout I will adapt drills and movements accordingly. I’ll say to “x” jumper your focus should be on that and to “y” jumper your focus should be on this. Sessions are planned with a theme but the specific content is adapted. This is something I’ve always been able to do and I guess reflects the art of coaching. I do feel that working in small groups would be better particularly when doing pit work and I try to do specific sessions from time to time with some of the jumpers in small groups. In an ideal world I’d probably want to coach 3-4 at a time. Those I coach on-line actually probably get a more specific pathway as I’m able to write down very specific workouts for them and then feedback once a week or so, for example, through on-line sessions. Also they send me whattsapp videos etc which I can analyse. It’s not so frenetic as it would be coaching 8 jumpers in real-time - I have more time to look and respond. I’m also very lucky to have developed a training philosophy I can trust. I know that it’s going to work! So, even if I get it 9/10 right that’s going to be successful. Of course I want to advise 10/10!

[@El_Suertero]

@@Johnshepherdtrackcoach Thank you for so extended and detailed reply. Even more topics then I expected. In my country there were common practice when like "developing" coach (mostly from very little to 18-19 years old) pass the athlete to other coach who works at let's say "elite stage" (coach who works with athletes who potentially have big talent, desire and reaching for elite level performance and results). So it looks like diamond cutting process - 1st coach works for a "Base", after that he/she (or he/she may pass athlete to other stage coach) works more sport specific or event specific to continue develop the athlete (like from 10-19 or 12-19 years old) and after that coach could pass the athlete to that "high performance stage) who polish the diamond and works even more specific with very small group like you said 3-4 (or even less) with highest potential and results where athlete is already developed for, I don't know... 90%+. So his job is to -"polish the diamond"- deliver that 10%. And that "coach-developer" knows that he just not able to deliver that 10% and have to pass the athlete to his collegue, because threre is different approach is necessary. But we have not so good developed athletic system and not so many athletes participating in sports from young age. So these athletes go to Physicall Education Institutes and there they can continue to develop and coach will not "loose" him for 2-4 years (and often the "elite level" coach is professor or working in such PE Institutes). But for most the reality of adult life kicks in and they have to make tough choices - how to earn for life, what career to achieve, is his sporting potential high enough to just continue and focus only on athletics and could he become PRO athlete to make enough money for a livivng and training... as for elite or high performance level you should mostly train and recover and do nothing more (like sleep-eat-train-repeat). Don't know how much UK PRO athletes earn or what salaries they have. Oris there good oportunity for double career so they can do both (to get some degree and continue training). Is that "levels" 15-19 years and elite levels differ that much or not differ that much so your coaching approach can be applied and extended for "elite performance stage"? But coaches should have conversations and talk to each other to learn different approaches, methods and methodologies. Cooperation is very important and be open is more beneficial than to be "closed" like "keeping secrets". Another my question is about specialisation and specificity. How do you think if start of specific work will be delayed or postponed as much as possible to the moment when more "general developing" will stop to work (no progress) and thre is need to use highly specific training means (I know you talk about specificity almost in every video). Like you said 15-19 years old - are they already have trained specifically for jumping or they comes just after "general phase". I ask because I know athlete, who was moderate sprinter at 17-18 (low 11 sec 100m), but then he was "passed" to one of that "elite coach" in 1st year in institute, he looked at him and told him "You have very good developed CNS and coordination, lets try to work with you and see how much more you can reach". So in next 2-3 years he had big spurt in results (If I remember correctly from low 11 sec to 10.10 - 10.20). Before that he was playing football in some youth club). Pretty sad if your athletes who have high potential quit sport in institute if they have "late potential peak" due to delayed specialisation or lack of specific training (like didn't train event specific techniques or even didn't trained specifically as sprinter or jumper). So could late specialisation give higher potential but with delayed peak in performance also?

[@zber9043]

great stuff

[@BiBi-BaBy-Boo]

Thank you, John. I will add this to my training. I experiment with every kinetic motion I can. Marvelous routines. I will focus execution details while adjusting to my anatomy. 🙂🤝

[@ivistaiji7644]

As a former long jumper, I really like the individual exercises and the whole procedure. It is finely coordinated and retains the essence of the long jump and triple jump.

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

Many thanks. I just try to think logically and develop “movements and muscles”. Trying to get transfer and progression from workouts. Not doing the same exercises all the time is also great for stimulation and adaptation.

[@briand2417]

You give us a lot of drills , how do we remember to do them all

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

I plan the specific units across the training year/phase and have a repertoire of drills for each unit. And we keep coming up with new ones from time to time. I’d suggest planing sessions with themed units. It many ways it does not matter if there is variation as long as the theme of the unit is met as a goal. I’m lucky in that I can think on my feet and place the drills into a sequence. I guess that’s born from experience. I do share more detailed plans in the Coach-Athlete member area of the channel. However, try to be logical - run through in your mind what the units are trying to achieve and then put the drills into them. As I said from my perspective and experience you don’t have to be exact every time. Hope this helps