Runtime 1hour 1min.
Download Size 111MB - Download time about 10min on broadband
The Edmonton Seminar Download (which will be available from the CF.com Store shortly) continues the seminar series started by the Vancouver 2002 (no longer available) and 2004 outings. This time around Charlie goes into detail on five key issues, in a Download that both complements and expands on the information present in the Vancouver 2004 Download.
First up Charlie discusses the role of tempo in speed development with more detail about the physiological mechanisms behind its use. The discussion moves on to talk about how plyometrics can be used to support speed work and how the different options available complement other high intensity qualities such as starting acceleration and top end speed. Charlie shares his ideas on overcoming inertia and expands on the methods used by the East Germans to “cheat the start”, which were originally discussed in the Vancouver 2002 Download (no longer available).
The third part of the Download introduces Ben Johnson’s 1987 annual plan and Charlie explains how the year is set up and why he scheduled the competitions in that order. This section also goes into how to decide which competitions to choose and for high level performers how to make sure you keep winning (!), with some interesting anecdotes about the methods employed by the worlds top ranked athletes.
In the fourth section the Short to Long and Long to Short plans described in the Vancouver 2004 Download are elaborated on. There is discussion of the role of “down weeks” and more information on the use of speed change drills and why the sessions are structured in the format shown. This information is quite useful and was sorely missing from the Vancouver offering so I’m glad it was included.
The final section is some truly unique content where Charlie discusses how to set up and plan for the developmental level of the athlete. This is kind of like Charlie’s own version of Long Term Athlete Development and raises some interesting questions for those who work with lower level athletes.
The Download is compact at just over 1 hour long but manages to squeeze in a lot of quality information. For me it cleared up many of the questions I originally had after watching the original Vancouver Downloads. Personally, I see this download as a product that expands and adds to that of the Vancouver series and suggest newcomers purchase that before moving onto Edmonton. For those with the Vancouver series if you liked that you will enjoy the additional information and take your understanding to a new level. The whole Charlie Francis Seminar series is a must for anyone wanting to learn about speed enhancement from one of the worlds most historically significant figures and this is a very worthy addition.
Our new Edmonton Series is now shipping by download with PDF’s included in the package. Priced at $39.99 this is by far one of our better films and we hope you enjoy it!
The latest addition to the Charlie Francis suite of Downloads ‘The Edmonton Seminar’ is an excellent insight into programme design for T&F athletes of all ages.
Charlie the attendees questions in great detail, with anecdotes and a cutting humour that is refreshing - I only wish I was there for the other stories when the cameras were turned off!
This presentation explains and underlines the clarity Charlie Francis brings to training all athletes, and after hearing his rationale for drill slection - we are often left wondering why other coaches make training athletes seem like a dark art?
The video explains the rationale he has used for selecting a few simple drills to help assist starts and technique, yet not confusing or worrying the athlete. Charlie takes time to answer the questions raised and explains, in detail, his concepts.
The film is an excellent resource for those interested in programme desgin and athlete development as Charlie shares his ideas on the progressions for each. He also compares Short to Long and Long to Short programming in a clear way using excellent charts inlcuded in the purchase. Special comment must be made of these diagrams and charts (included). These are excellently put constructed, very illustrating, and are worth the cost alone.
The product is an excellent purchase. It gives a short (1 hour), but incredibly detailed insight into the value of attending one of these seminars and leaves you asking ‘when the next one is’ and dreaming of the level of knowledge that you could gain from an internship!
wells guys i’ll keep my review short and simple.honestly i don’t like watching the seminars as i prefer watching the more technical videos charlie has made which are fantastic but after watching the edmonton seminar i must admit that it was very very interesting and the more you look at it the more you learn as this applies to all of charlies work.
one thing i did like was his view on plyometric training and the reaon why you should do this or that and he keeps it very simple which is what works best.
he also touched at the end on jevenile training which i found very interesting also with the do’s and don’ts which i also learned alot about.
overall i am pleased i viewed the seminar and someday i would like to attend 1 in person.if you guys want to learn how to structure a programme for any level then this is a must to buy as it is very very entertaining and full of essential info
its hard to tell which one is the best but one thing i can assure you of is whatever you buy you WILL learn something different.this stuff just gets better and better
Just a few comments after watching the Seminar myself.
First of all, on the practical side of things, as Rupert posted, you need a good connection to download it. I was able to download it VERY shortly after placing my order!
TopCat and the others outlined the content of the DVD in detail! The parts I liked most were the following:
Charlie’s way of thinking, when explaining Ben’s 1987 plan. He specifically explains the “problem” of the three tapers in that season and how he dealt with it.
The LTAD scheme, something presented for the first time, or at least it was new to me from Charlie’s work.
The L to S and S to L plans in greater detail; new elements were mentioned, which answered questions I had, since I first saw them.
Lastly, the included graphs in the zip file work very well along with the video!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and I am looking forward to one of Charlie’s seminars soon somewhere here in Europe!
Altought I look at Charlie’s DVDs with team sports on my mind, I allways pick something new.
First, I especially liked the presentation slides that comes with the Edmonton Download Review. There is some new stuff about Center of Mass oscilations in elite sprinters vs. low level sprinters.
Second, I liked how Charlie explains the year planning protocol: defining goals, making priorities and making step-by-step goals for each period. S.M.A.R.T. Going from whole-to-parts and from end-to-start in planning.
Third, I really enjoyed his LTAD model. The suggestions are really usefull and practical. It can be modified to other sport as well not just track&field.
I am still waiting for the Charlie Francis Training System for Team Sports DVD or E-Book
Sorry I didn’t read your question correctly, you DO NOT have to download it immediately after purchase but do be advised that you only have 2 tokens to download your order (in case the connection breaks etc).
Ideally, you want a fast connection and the ability to burn your purchase to DVD for safe archiving.
I’ve got a few questions about the graphs (maybe someone can clarify) In the first period there is a 12 week(3month block) from oct. to dec. can the short to long program be started that far back (in october)?
Also how much to you ease off in the special endurance 60m runs when you reach the “intensity” limit. So if you accel for 20m should you stride the rest of the 60? or should you reach for a time? If I can run a 7.0 60m should I run the 60m at 7.5? I could see myself pushing the whole 60m if I think about reaching a certain time instead of backing off the last 40m.
As you may remember from the GPP download the length of the GPP is proportional to the conditioning level of the athlete. You may only need 5-7 weeks for a top guy doing S-L and maybe 10 or so for a L-S program.
Remember that is a 1987 graphic, when the competition structure was probably quite different (I don;'t know for sure). These days you have meets going into september (the WAF is on 23rd Sep) so you need time afterwards to recover then start GPP so you arn’t going to be ready till at least November/December.
As for runs it is 30m then maintain. Which basically means don’t continue to accelerate.
For a 7.0 athlete I’d expect 30m to be in around 7.5. If you can run 7.0 for 60m you need to reduce these intensity limits by about 10m and build up in 5-7.5m increments as you will only be able to accelerate for 40m or so.
