CoachesEducation.com

Half way through the high school track season and my athletes are not improving their times. This is a 8th-9th grade group of girls. They are running a 150 workout at about 21 seconds. Shorter sprints (meters) they are running 7.3-7.5.
They are doing step bounding, drills, accelerations, weight training. We are not breaking 13 in the 100, 28 in the 200, and 65 in the 400.
Need help fast!

Coach:

From the Sprints button on the web site, refer to the article "A General Workout For Sprinters". Follow this program and adjust the volume accordingly. The general rule for total distance in workouts for the 100 meter sprinter is 300 to 900 meters and for the 200 meter sprinter it is 300 to 1200 meters. The workouts are high-intensity.

Decide the four fastest sprinters as early as possible. Then decide, of the four fastest, which athletes will run the 100, 200, 400, hurdles and 4 x 100 relay. One of the fastest athletes will be in the 100, one will be in the 200, one will be in the 400 and one will be in the hurdles. They will all be in the 4 x 100 relay. The second group of fast runners is spread out among the races. Continue to do the same with the third group of fast runners.

Practice the same athletes in the 4 x 100 from the start of the season to the end of the season in the same position, one, two, three or four. Each of the four fastest runners will also compete in a field event. The second group of fast runners is also spread out among the field events.

Stick to this format regardless of what athletes, parents or anyone says. The biggest mistake is to ask athletes what event they want to compete in. The coach decides the events. By each Monday know which events the athletes will compete in and begin coaching technique right away.

Train to compete. On the day before the meet, everyone should know what he or she would be doing on the day of the meet. This includes the warm up. Communicate to athletes what is expected of them from the beginning to the end of the meet. If there is no communication, the athletes are not focused on their events on the day of the meet. The coaches should also be focused on taking the athletes through their events before the meet starts on the day of the meet.

On the day of the meet, be prepared for the worst. Some athletes may not show up for the meet so bring up the next fastest athlete to fill in. Do not place an athlete in an event he has not been trained for. The consequences are injury to the athlete.

If you have not decided which are your fastest sprinters, time them in the 40. Another test is a chin up test. Be sure everyone is tested the same way. The athletes that can do the most chin ups are the fastest and strongest athletes because they can lift their body weight. If you do the chin up test, the back of the hands are facing the athlete, and they have to go all the down and all the way up. Their chin should be above the bar.

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com

Thanks...any difference between the 100 kids and 400 kids. We've never been able to have a 400 girl crack 60. Any suggestions?

If your goal is 60 seconds in the 400 meters, break the race into segments. The first 200 meters is run in 29 seconds and the second 200 meters is run in 31 seconds. The differential between the first and second 200 meters is 2 seconds. In order to run 60 seconds, the projected 200-meter best is 27.56. The differential of the first 200 meters and the 200-meter best is 1.44 seconds and your 300-meter split is 44.5.

Your goal is to work toward the projected 100 and 200-meter times. As your time improves through the season, you should be capable of running faster than 60 seconds. Work towards your goal in workouts. If your time improves, continue to work towards your goal with consistency.

Warm-up:
The first month of training, stride 50 meters and walk 50 meters and do this for 3 laps, or jog 1 mile.
The second month, stride 100 meters and walk 100 meters and do this for 3 laps, or jog 1 mile.
The third month, stride 150 meters and walk 150 meters and do this for 3-4 laps, or jog 1 mile.
The fourth month and for the rest of the season, stride 200 meters and walk 200 meters and do this for 4 laps, or jog 1 mile.

Flexibility:
Every day for 25-30 minutes after the warm-up.

Drills:
Specific drills for hip flexor development every day after flexibility.

Accelerations:
Work on ten 10-40 meter accelerations every day. Start with 10 meters one week and add 5 meters every week until 40 meters is reached. Accelerations can be done either after drills or at the end of the workout.

Sample workout for one week:

Monday
2x500
or
3x300


Tuesday
5x200

Wednesday
3x350


Thursday
1x400
1x300
1x200
6x100 strides

Friday
5x200
or
15x60

Weight training and plyometrics:
Three days a week the first two months. Two days a week after two months. In the latter part of the competitive season, weight train one day a week without plyometrics.

When weight training and other training are included in workouts, they are performed in the following order:

Warm-up
Flexibility
Drills
Accelerations
Technique
Speed
Plyometrics
Strength


Sample workouts for the 400 meters:

1 Day’s Workout:
20-60 meters, 3 to 4 repetitions, 3 to 4 sets, 80-120 meters total distance per set, 400-600 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
100 meters, 2 to 3 repetitions, 2 to 3 sets, 100-300 meters total distance per set, 400-900 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
150 meters, 2 to 5 repetitions, 2 to 3 sets, 300 meters total distance per set, 300-1200 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
200 meters, 1 to 5 repetitions, 1 set, 200-1000 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
275 meters, 1 to 5 repetitions, 1 set, 275-1375 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
300 meters, 1 to 5 repetitions, 1 set, 300-1500 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
350 meters, 1 to 4 repetitions, 1 set, 350-1400 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
400 meters, 1 to 4 repetitions, 1 set, 400-1600 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
500 meters, 1 to 4 repetitions, 1 set, 500-2000 meters total distance per session

1 Day’s Workout:
600 meters, 1 to 4 repetitions, 1 set, 600-2400 meters total distance per session

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com