THE NEW TAPER film by Derek Hansen, and Charlie Francis is unique in the way it addresses a crucial stage of the performance-delivery process.
It covers a complex and confusing issue in a simple and concise fashion anyone could understand because all discussion is in layman’s terms and you get to see the magic unfold before your eyes, day-by-day over the last 10 days leading into the Canadian national men’s 100m championship heats.
This film provides a fascinating fly-on-the-wall perspective as Derek brings his young adult sprinter to see what Charlie can do to help him move from around his then 10.6 form to the 10.3 shape they figured he would need to reach the national final.
What I found absolutely stunning about this CF product is that you can really see this young guy morph from an extremely well conditioned and muscular athlete into a title-contending sprinter. The subtle changes are evident, in part due to the better quality of filming.
You don’t need a stopwatch: You can actually see the improvement from “draft-horse” to “thoroughbred” as he discovers a fluid and powerful change to his running style following differences to his range of movement and the use of his arms introduced after discussion with Charlie and mobility/massage by Charlie.
There are many practical lessons to be found in this film as the athlete and his coaches work their way through a frustrating season, dogged by meets (which we see film from the grandstand) wrecked by torrential rain and strong headwinds right up to the national championships heats.
There are lessons in the calm way in which the coaches analyze their own contribution and keep their faith in the performer even despite slow times leading up to the final 10 days before the nationals.
The importance of rest and regeneration are never better illustrated than in this film as we watch this guy go through changes which convert him from a sprinter who really isn’t that good to watch, into a guy who has taken his sport to the level of an elite artist.
But you clearly don’t need to be an elite talent to deliver the sort of beautiful fluency of movement and the graceful power this athlete unlocks over the course of the film.
I like a lot of the incidental discussion Charlie has with Derek, particularly almost a throwaway line that although the athlete cannot achieve good “lift” at the top of his stride, this can be worked on over the next couple of seasons.
That could be a film all on its own I reckon. I probably would have tried to make the correction there and then during the taper, but apparently Charlie reasoned that might not be possible in such a short space of time, or perhaps it might have overloaded the athlete who was under enough pressure coming into his nationals without having someone tear his technique to shreds.
The changes we see in this sprinter are “induced” rather than constructed or coerced. It is a darn good example of the truism: Form Follows Function.
So the changes are sort of “organic” as a consequence of the right type and placing of massage (all of which we see); and the right distance and intensity of sprinting (which we see) as well as the additional stimulus of appropriate weightlifting guided by Derek (we see the actual lifts as well).
Less experienced coaches might not think the right Taper could have such a profound impact on performance. Weather and competition stimulus aside, going from a season’s best of 10.6 to a couple of 10.3 efforts in the space of 10 days is a profound change.
I sought Charlie’s advice on the taper coming into the Seoul Olympics for my 400m athletes and even though they backed off (under instruction, following taper principles) inside the last week, both of my sprinters started reeling off PBs over distances from 20m to 200m which gave them the confidence based on real performances (not bullshit talk) which set them both up for joyous Olympic experiences.
The taper video is a step-by-step guideline to delivering the best performance you have in you, whether you are a club runner or a world-beater.
This Taper film de-mystifies one of the most covert processes in the sprinter’s annual training program. You wouldn’t believe the beautiful changes this particular sprinter experiences simply due to a well-managed taper.
You really do need to see it to believe it.
kk.