What would you have thought if your coach gave up on you after your injury riddled freshman year?
Question: I did some accel work today and I noticed that if I stay relaxed through out the drive phase when I transition to the upright position my strides open up and I feel much faster. Problem is, am worried about running slower staying relaxed in the drive phase. How relaxed should one be during the drive phase? Can being too relaxed put me in the back of the pack early in the race?
Yes. Saying “relaxed” doesn’t totally explain it. Again, I go back to this.
Step 1) "I really enjoyed the rush I would get before a race. Sometimes the adrenalin was so overwhelming, you felt you would die, but is was awesome. I marched into every race thinking “fuck you guys, I am going to kill you today”, even when I didn’t win."http://www.athleticslinks.com/art/issajenko.php
Step 2) Be relaxed
A lot of people show up to the line with borderline apathy and think “ok i’m relaxed…ahhhhhh” then run like crap. Relaxed means that you need to blast away but not muck everything up by pressing too hard. Not easy to explain until you experience it first hand. You can be somewhat relaxed and losing your mind at the same time (see Burrell WR, Bailey WR, Gay beating Asafa, Andrew Howe&Mike Powell LJ etc).
I’m not sure what you’re suggesting here, because I don’t think this follows from my comments above.
Either way, being injured sucks, especially when you’re on scholarship and you literally feel like you’re failing your end of the bargain; the school gives you money, and you give them performances.
I think it’s in everyone’s interest to get a scholarship athlete healthy and running again, otherwise the scholarship just sits with that person wasted.
I don’t think I said anything radically controversial. Whether or not we like it, coaching time is a finite resource and there needs to be some method for distribution other than random. Whatever method you subscribe to is your business, but there will always be drawbacks, whether it’s my way of thinking, a unilateral way of thinking, or any other way. Nothing covers all of the bases.
Anyway, coaches balance insane work loads, travel schedules, and the problems of a hundred athletes, most of the time for little or no compensation. So I’m all in support of coaches, but I’m just throwing in my $0.02.
Sorry to be a prick here but your teammates just ran 6.41, 6.43, and 6.50 55m and achieved a team conference championship under an ‘awful’ training system. Another athlete ran 6.38 under a system that wouldn’t be considered good 'round these parts either. All big PBs. Another glaring example of why we (athletes AND coaches) don’t know it all. Sure you can question the legitimacy of the results if you want just like any other meet but the results are there to stay.
6 of 6 athletes in the final from 4 different teams pr’d big in the final–all have awesome coaching it seems. I pr’d .2+ this season, so I am happy with my results regardless.
So you think there was a big conspiracy by the random time keepers, who most of the time have a hard enough time just printing out results, to make the times for one random insignificant race faster?
How would that work, do they put a cheat code in the FAT like nba jam or something?
Is that what I said at all? Anywhere? Quit being a jackass.
I was just assuming since 3 of the 6 individuals who pr’d big were from the awesome coach that coached you last year that you did not think was so awesome, I was just assuming you were trying to be a little bit sarcastic.
My mistake.
I am still trying to figure out what relevance any of this has? I did what was best for me (and may only be best for me and not someone else) and I pr’d by a lot–more than what those guys did even if you accept those times. Everyone is better off.
Hey! He asked for an honest opinion and I gave it to him. You think it’s so good- you do it!
It seems to my read that no one here is wrong while no one is 100% right either. All posts represent the personal view of the author with most not allowing for legitimate other considerations.
Yes, in a perfect world all coaches would be of the highest competency.
But lets be fair, in that world the athlete in question would be a 10.3 guy in search of sub 10.10…
For that matter, most “10.10” coaches aren’t recruiting say, 10.9 guys. Is it realistic (in all cases) for lesser talents to demand the highest level of coach? The preceding reflects my love/hate relationship with our sport’s websites. Too many kids with bigger issues in their athletic development, seeking the Holy Grail as if wearing the swoosh is a certain solution to wanting to “Be like Mike” A few years back I watched someone bash a coach on a website. Knowing both the athlete & coach, there was at the same time some validity to the athlete’s view and also a huge lack of respect and unrealistic expectation expressed.
I do not know the author of this thread. But from many years personal experience I can state that many in his peer group want something for nothing…”to go” And they don’t model near the accountability that they demand from those they interact with.
There is a great spectrum between “CF level knowledge” and the “worst coach in the world”. Given some of the tone of this thread, most of us should hang up the stopwatch because we neither command equal understanding nor wield the same influence as the few true greats of the coaching profession.
While gender does not insure nor does it prevent competence, a female head coach and a very thin staff hints that the college in question (like many US schools) may view Track as a tolerated sport and uses it to address gender equity and only provides minimal staffing?
After reading some of the thread’s suggestions I have to ask this: If you get a bad haircut or have a bad experience in the dentist’s chair, are you going to pick up your family and belongings to move to where you are assured that the best possible service has been proven to exist? Aren’t there many considerations before you go and sell the family homestead?
If in a perfect scenario, one were to eradicate the world of all lesser gifted coaches, I am pretty sure there is not a legion of quality replacements lying in wait. Rather, I regularly see what is out there both for CDN & US coaching and “the devil you know…” is often the better choice if not the ultimate one.
Somewhere in this thread is a large part of why I no longer actively coach HS or college level athletics.
My teammate went from 6.47 early in the season to a 6.69 on saturday. The coach must be doing something right.
It’s not what the athletes demand, it’s what the school demands of a coach/employee in this case.
What’s so bad about asking for some level of competence in the area to be covered, especially in the information age?
Why is it OK to have bad coaching for lesser athletes and would they continue to be lesser athletes if they got better coaching?
Gerrard Mach put out a 30 page pamphlet telling you enough to go far. Is that too much to read?
You suggest that a competency standard would empty the ranks. It might change those who refuse to learn for those who will, but the ranks will remain constant.
As for the bitching aspect, trust me, that will NEVER stop for any coach.
You say you shouldn’t have to move because of one bad situation. I agree!
If your neighbour opens a pig farm next door, you go to the zoning commission to shut him down.
It’s not what the athletes demand, it’s what the school demands of a coach/employee in this case. Exactly, as in your: If your neighbour opens a pig farm next door, you go to the zoning commission to shut him down.
If the land is zoned to allow for the farm, you dont have grounds to contest do you? Hence, if the college is ok with the demonstrated level of competency/acheivement…
What’s so bad about asking for some level of competence in the area to be covered, especially in the information age? This point is upside down, as competence in this case is front loaded per the institution’s view of (see above)
Why is it OK to have bad coaching for lesser athletes and would they continue to be lesser athletes if they got better coaching?
We agree, bad is not ok, but then bad is also relative. History and human nature shows us that there will always be a curve of greats, average, and sub-par coaches. That we are discussing a curve that is currently shifted to the right wont get any arguement from me.
You suggest that a competency standard would empty the ranks. It might change those who refuse to learn for those who will, but the ranks will remain constant. Saddly the ranks will remain constant. I see too many who pursue education and yet do not improve. In the US there is (similar to the IAAF program) a testing of sciences and far too many fail on the first and followup testing. These people still maintain and get jobs.
The access via electronics to better/best information exposes “bad”
Bad was never so vilified as it is now in the www. age.
When “great” gets better, the resulting high tide will raise all ships, but then bad will still be bad on a relative scale…
My sprint coach in college was so bad that he was fired. Passing exams won’t make a coach better, its real world experience, the very reason why many of these coaches are terrible in real life. Passing spelling bees won’t make you a great coach, if it did, my coach in prep school whom had a perfect 1600 SAT score, would have been the Charlie Francis of hs prep coaches. He was by far one of the most incompetant coaches I have ever seen. Most of the people here can regenerate all of Charlie Francis’s principles but only a few can put them to use in the real world situations. CoachMdd you have such big talk, but I see that your only 30. What is your experience? I’m not disagreeing with what you are saying but you have never been someone I really liked too listen too. LOL, just being honest there buddy. By the way, could repost your post in English. Thanks.
“you have never been someone I really too listen too. LOL, just being honest there buddy. By the way could refuse your post in English.”
Coming from you, Doc, that is one of the most hilarious things I have heard in a while.
I don’t like you either Vedette.
Vedette we had a team of 15 girls. One broke the state record, one was ranked number 1 in the 55m dash. We had the top relay team in the state. And we were set to win the Mass All-states. Anyone in Mass can verify this. What has your hs done. If you want to make this personal we can.