By Michael Young Pole vaulting is perhaps the most technical event in track and field. It requires the speed and sprint mechanics of a sprinter, the explosive jumping ability of a long jumper, and the kinesthetic awareness and upper-body strength of a gymnast. The event demands many skills that are completely independent of one another [...]
By Warren Young Plyometric exercises have been used by sprinters for many years to develop leg power. One popular exercise is bounding, a multiple jumping exercise for maximum distance using a one-foot takeoff, much like the stop phase of the triple jump event. Although this is a useful exercise, it is not as specific to [...]
By Jim Van Hootengem It is encouraged for the coach and athlete to begin with a video review session. The coach should prepare video clips featuring performances of a variety of elite athletes. The coach should help the athlete identify commonalities between elite performers within events and between performers in different events. Discussions should feature [...]
By Brent McFarlane Sprinting is a faultless, perfected series of finely tuned technical and motor coordinated skills. Speed begins and must be perfected in the motor unit. It involves the selective recruitment of motor unit pathways to improve the efficiency and firing of the correct motor units. This in turn improves the development of force [...]
By John Blazevich Sprint running is performed in many sports. In order to produce optimum sprint running performances, athletes need to maximize their physiological potential and reduce the number of injuries. Flexibility training can aid in the fulfillment of both criteria. .Click here to read the entire article
By A. Nelson, N. Driscoll, D. Landin, M. Young, I. Schexnayder The results of previous research have shown that passive muscle stretching can dimish the peak force output of subsequent maximal isometric, concentric and stretch-shortening contractions. The aim of this study was to establish whether the deleterious effects of passive stretching seen in laboratory settings [...]
By Harry Mara There is no question about it! The stronger you are the faster you will be able to run. It’s as simple as that!! Does that mean that the strongest person I the world can be fastest man in the world? Let’s take a closer look at strength training for speed improvement. Click [...]
By J. Winchester, A. Nelson, D. Landin, M. Young, and I. Schexnayder Previous research has show that static stretching can diminish the peak force output of stretch-shortening cycle actions while performing dynamic warm-up protocol has been shown to enhance performance in similar activities. Click here to read the entire article.