I would like to get a variety of opinions on this. Could learning about anatomy provide practical information to help the training of a 17 (well in a couple days) year old self-coaching track athlete with less than a year of “smart” training experience?
Thanks.
EDIT: Umm, I meant to make this a poll, I guess I don’t know how to do that. So I guess just please respond.
Pete are you talking about muscle anatomy or training anatomy?
muscle anatomy would help treating an athlete and would give you some inside on how the body moves as a whole and would help with biomechanics but to a certain extent.training smart would need coaching and a plan.self-coaching isn’t a good idea as you cannot see what you are doing,thus having an expereienced coach would be highly beneficial in this area.
you need to understand about sprinting in general.you will have to learn the biomechanics of sprinting and the basic movements involved plus you will have to understand how to train the athlete(something which is essential-ie,tapering,conditioning etc).
Pete post your ideas!
Two of the major components of running fast are:
The question you should ask yourself is: How can learning anatomy improve my training?
Really, the key is taking your natural ability as far as it can go through proper training. And how do you find what is proper training? You get good information from good coaches and athletes. And through trial and error, put together a good program that works for you.
Or you can do it the easier way, by finding a world class coach to train under.
Goodpoint realdeal,
I would like to add desire also. Get the principals of sprinting down first. How to train, why you train, when you train, what you do to train ect? Theres only so much you can learn while training unattached. The training takes up your time. Learn the basics first. Worry about the anatomy later. Its a step by step process of learning to coach sprinters. You dont jump into brain surgery on your first day of medical school.
I see nothing wrong with self-training as I do it myself. I love it. I have the desire, knowledge, talent, and proper training needed to make improvements and I already have.
Learning anatomy will definitely help you out if you apply it to where you need to.
You and I are in the same boat, pete, and trust me, it’s not that bad. Just ask questions and figure out how to apply what you learn, and you’ll be good to go.
Everyone on this board is probably sick of me by now, but hey, I’m smarter and getting better, aren’t I 
That’s all that matters.
Learn everything you can for it will all translate to results somehow, someway.
education is simply sticking around till we have learned something…
the board isnt sick you we love 400stud
:rolleyes:
400Stud i rely alot on biomechanics from start to finish and over the years i have learned the basics to advanced from one of the best coaches in the world from merely asking,applying and learning.when training on your own the mechanics of sprinting may not always be in place and that is where a coach comes in real effectivly.on site analisys and instand focus to work on the flaws.
how do you address your problems,do you use cameras to view your running and if so you probably view it after practice.what would be better-on site or at home.by addressing the problem there and then you can achieve the more.
i’m not trying to knock you or discourage you,i’m just stating that training by yourself isn’t always a good idea.i understand it takes alot of self-belief,desire and dedication but you needasecond pair of eyes
X-man:
"Pete are you talking about muscle anatomy or training anatomy?
muscle anatomy would help treating an athlete and would give you some inside on how the body moves as a whole and would help with biomechanics but to a certain extent.training smart would need coaching and a plan.self-coaching isn’t a good idea as you cannot see what you are doing,thus having an expereienced coach would be highly beneficial in this area.
you need to understand about sprinting in general.you will have to learn the biomechanics of sprinting and the basic movements involved plus you will have to understand how to train the athlete(something which is essential-ie,tapering,conditioning etc).
Pete post your ideas!"
Clarification points:
Right now I have to self-coach; thats just the way it is.
I am only training myself not other athletes.
I was looking at a book on Amazon that came up when I typed in anatomy called Anatomy of Movement. It got all five star ratings except for one four star (the person had no reservations in the review though) and a variety of people from yoga instructors, to people taking modern dance, to a martial artist said they found it very helpful. In addition it is only 20 dollars, so this is what I was thinking of getting. However, I am not just interested in understanding anatomy and therefore the biomechanics of sprinting better from an academic perspective, I would like to know that I can apply the concepts to my training and make myself faster.
Realdeal:
“The question you should ask yourself is: How can learning anatomy improve my training?”
I was hoping you guys could tell me this
"Really, the key is taking your natural ability as far as it can go through proper training. And how do you find what is proper training? You get good information from good coaches and athletes. And through trial and error, put together a good program that works for you.
Or you can do it the easier way, by finding a world class coach to train under."
OK, but is some of this good information an understanding of anatomy? This is my question.
Timothy Lane:
"Get the principals of sprinting down first. "
I think I have a pretty good grip on the principles, at least enough that I could start learning in this direction if its a worthwhile pursuit. I’ve already learned a lot about nutrition and seen my training improve greatly because of it.
400stud:
"Learning anatomy will definitely help you out if you apply it to where you need to. "
OK, so this is my first official vote. I think 400stud was only able to give this vote because he knows a bit more about my situation than the others who replied. Hopefully I’ve clarified some of the points well.
Thanks for the replies so far.
Pete:
Actually the question was rhetorical. I attempted to answer your question in the following paragraph.
To be more specific. Getting books on the “anatomy of movement” would be a general way to understand “anatomy of movement” mostly in an academic format. But a book that general would do LITTLE to NOTHING for helping you run faster. On the other hand, a book that talks about the “Biomechanics of Sprinting” would be more useful.
My point was that if you HAVE to train alone, then you can get help in the biomechanics department from other athletes and coaches (for example: by posting a clip of your running) as oppose to buying an anatomy book and trying to guess how to apply it…
Does that clarify things?
Nice post!
exactly real deal.once proper mechanics are in place the speed will happen.just like building a house,foundation first!
Yerp, thanks. I would still like to get more people’s opinions, but so far we’re at 1 to 1.
On a side note, I cannot post video of myself, but I think I should try to videotape myself and then relay what I see for critiqueing. Good point.
pete repost under poll.
I frequently use Hall’s ‘Basic Biomechanics’. It explains Force:Velocity and Force:Length relationships, Newtons Laws etc etc. It also gives diagrams of each muscle, their action (primary and secondary) and attachments.
THis type of knowledge whilst not essential, is certainly useful in understanding what an exercise actually does and can also be helpful in injury assessment and rehabilitation.
i would say go ahead and learn some- i don’t self-train during the track season, but i’m taking an anatomy and physiology course just to better understand what goes on. even just being aware of muscle groups, etc. can help from a practical standpoint in case of injury- you’ll be able to tell your trainer more specifics than ‘it hurts here’… 
I’m taking Anatomy/Physiology right now, too and that class kicks ass. I love learning about what we learn about. What’s great is that I took AP Bio before taking this class so I already have a slight background in some subjects, but this class goes so in-depth, it’s great.
We also have a kick-ass textbook, too. It even has a small section on the different muscle fibers and the skeletal muscle chapter is so long because it goes so in-depth…sweet.
Pete - Learn whatever you can because it will help in the long run. Period.
David W - I’ll be sure to read that book.
i took AP Bio as well but it was a joke, i got a 3 on the AP because my teacher didn’t make us do anything, so i just studied for the other APs because i knew i was hopelessly behind… :o
i absorbed SOME stuff though, hopefully i’ll get a lot out of the class! i was actually debating that vs. neurobio, but the anat. stuff i really want to understand.
I agree that learning new info is good…
Pete’s original question was could a book on anatomy make him “faster.”
I’m not Pete, but so far, no one has convinced me to change my mind on the usefulness of a book on anatomy for speed development…
It won’t help him get faster, but it will help him understand the body’s makeup and physiology better to help him understand how to better himself in certain aspects. Getting faster is dependant on how he uses the info.
Let me say that in FACT he can learn some useful information…
You say that: “Getting faster is dependent on how he uses the info.”
The question is: How can he use that info to get faster? More specifically, is that book going to teach him how to take a faster, stronger or wider step? Is it going to teach him how to develop proper endurance and technique?
If not, then it will not make him faster…