Relax the headline was just to get peoples attention! I value both opinions by these masterminds of sprints and strength; however, I need a clear and concise answer to which nonmethod/method is better!
CF doesn’t, “recommend a parachute because wind conditions make it extremely difficult to regulate the resistance”
whereas; Zatsiosrky states,
"When the athlete runs, the parachute inflates, creating a drag force. The higher the running velocity, the greater the resistance force. Parachutes of several different sizes are used in training. The impeding drag force, depending on parachute size, may vary from about 5 to 200 N (within the speed range 6 to 10 m/s).
Parachutes offer several advantages over other methods of resistance training:
- The resistance (drag) force acts strictly in the direction of the athlete’s movement;
- Sport technique is not negatively altered;
- Parachutes are not limited to use in straight ambulation, but can also be used when the athlete is running curves, running over hurdles, or changing direction (e.g., football, soccer);
- Parachutes weigh only a few ounces; and
- A parachute can be released while the person is running; this provides an impetus to increase movement velocity (this is called an assisted drill).
The only drawback of parachutes is that they offer the same amount of resistance in both the support and the nonsupport phases of running. Thus they hamper movement speed during flight while slightly changing the position of body joints during foot landing, as in hurdle running.
For maximum effect, one should vary the parachute size in micro- and mesocyles as well as in workouts. Resistant and customary training are executed during preparatory microcycles, while the assited drills are mainly utilized near the competition season. In a workout as well as in a sequence of training blocks, the resistance, determined by the parachute size, is dercreased by degrees. During a training workout, first drills (after warm-up, naturally) are performed under the heaviest resistance called for during that training session, and the final attempts are executed under the lightest resistance. Before and immediately after parachute drills, the same drills are performed under normal conditions. Parachutes are typically used two to three times a week. Sessions with parachutes are interspersed with the usual workouts. During a competition period, parachutes are used to induce a feeling of enhanced speed and explosiveness. For contrast, they are used three to five times within sport-specific drills at the beginning of a session, followed by the usual drills without a parachute." (Science and Practice of Strength Training).
From “Sprints & Relays Contemporary Theory, Technique and Training” by Jess Jarver, editor
Pg 95-100 “Parchutes, Tubing, And Towing” by Ken Jakalski, USA
Jakalski states,"for the maximum velocity sprint demands of a typical highschool sprinter, the chutes were both impractical and unstable.
The sprint chute was the brainchild of former Soviet sprint authority Ben Tabachnik, who in background, stature, and respect is the Arthur Lydiard of the sprint world. Tabachnik has authored a unique training manual called Soviet Training and Recovery Methods. In the book, co-authored by Rick Brunner, Tabachnik presents the speed chute as unique means of intensifying the training process physically, as well as metabolically and neurologically. Test results, apparently performed in secluded stadium outside of Moscow, proved that the speed chute was superior to all other devices designed to improve maximal speed, start acceleration, and speed endurance. Tabachnik notes a dramatic reduction of .2 to .4 seconds in 100m dash times, but he was also working with advanced athletes–not beginners.
…Tabachnik’s work with the chutes had to be conducted in some of Russia’s massive indoor training complexes or skating rinks, where there are no crosswinds to violently disrupt a runner’s stride or alter his running path. Although such sudden wind shifts are appropriate for sports such as hockey and football, they are a disaster for single-direction activities such as sprinting, where athletes are traveling six to eight meters per second and attempting to apply force three to four times their body weight for 0.09 to .11 of a second while landing precariously on a three-inch-wide spike plate or racing flat. A gust of wind will yank the sprinter all over the place, and such a traumatic oscillation, rather than tearing down a dynamic stereotype, will tear apart a runner’s hips, knees, and ankles.
Tabachnik notes that the faster the athlete runs, the greater the drag. Herein is a problem, since resistance is not uniform for any set length. Current research suggests that to achieve gains in maximum velocity athletes should not be slowed down more than 10% because, as the resistance becomes greater, the ground dynamics change.
…The purpose of this discussion is not to discourage coaches from investing in training devices designed for sprint-resisted and sprint-assisted sequences. I still use speed chutes for acceleration training…based on time of force application, joint position, intensity and duration, are more metabolic than neural, and if the goal of a particular workout is maximum velocity mechanics, then coaches must be careful to make certain that the training stimulus targets the central nervous system."
So there you have it! I guess I answered my own question! Duh! Use parachutes that decrease a sprinters time by no more than 10% only indoors and this leads to focusing on intensifying the training process physically, metabolically and neurologically; as well as, improve maximal speed, start acceleration, and speed endurance! Use the speed chute only outdoors for acceleration; otherwise, don’t use the speed chute outdoors at all or better yet use an isorobic exerciser!
BTW, notice I didn’t include a poll this time like in the thread Bompa Vs. Zatsiosrky where readers mistakenly misunderstood and thought that I was plotting them to pick only one and therefore make the other one look bad so some people gave me a negative rep power! That was not my intent!
