KK, I agree 100%. You know he has retired from international rugby? 
Re the RWC he got injured in the first game and apparently was not fully recovered to play any later ones …hmmmmmm 
tc and all else, here is my overview of how I will approach the first 5 weeks of the 12 wk season followed by the types of workouts:
Overview of Macro cycles of 12 week season
Terms:
• Mv- max velocity
• Ms- distance of flying start for mv work
• Wrr- walking rest & recovery
• Jrr- jog rest & recovery
• Se1- Speed endurance
• Se2- Special endurance
• SPA- Acceleration; Mv workout
• SPB- Se1 & Se2 workout
• Ls- long sprints (400)
• Ss- short sprints 100-200)
Weeks 1, 2 (3/14- 3/24)
- SPA; weights; tempo (LS-3000 per session; SS- 2000 per session; wrr)
- SPA; weights & plyos; tempo, (LS-3000 per session; SS- 2000 per session; wrr)
Weeks 3-4 (3/27- 4/8) - SPB; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 2700 ps; SS-1800 ps; wrr)
- SPB; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 2700 ps; SS-1800 ps; wrr)
Weeks 5-6 (4/10-4/22) - SPA; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 2400/ SS- 1600; jrr)
- SPA; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 2400/ SS- 1600; jrr)
Weeks 7-8 (4/24-5-6) - SPB; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 2100; SS- 1400; jrr)
- SPB; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 2100; SS- 1400; jrr)
Weeks 9-10 (5/8- 5/20) - SPA; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 1800; SS- 1200; jrr)
- SPA; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 1800; SS- 1200; jrr)
Weeks 11-12 (5/22- 6/3) - SPA&SPB; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 1500; SS- 1000)
- SPA&SPB; wts, plyo; tempo (LS- 1500; SS- 1000)
Week 13 State Prelims and finals June 9&10th
***Core work will be on Tempo days
WEEK 1
14-Mar
2x10x20 mtr accel (short rr)
Wts- legs for SS; LS- upper
15-Mar
Tempo
SS- 2x10x 50+50
LS- 2x10x 50+50
30sec rr; 4 min b/sets
Core; As, Bs
16-Mar
10x30m accel
10x20m flys 10 buildup
Wts- SS- upper; LS legs
17-Mar
Tempo
SS- 2x10x 50+50
LS- 2x10x 50+50
30sec rr; 4 min b/sets
Core; As, Bs
WEEK 2
20-Mar
Tempo
SS- 2x10x 50+50
LS- 2x10x 50+50
30sec rr; 4 min b/sets
Core; As, Bs
21-Mar
10x30 accel
10x30 flyes 20m buildup
Wts- LS- legs; SS- upper
Plyos- Skips, Box hops, Butt kicks, lunges
22-Mar
Tempo
SS- 2x9x 50+50
LS- 2x9x 50+50
30sec rr; 4 min b/sets
Core; As, Bs
23-Mar
Light skips; As, Bs
rest
24-Mar meet
WEEK 3
27-Mar
SS & LS- 2x8x60 (3-4 min rr b/reps; 10min b/sets
Wts- SS- legs; LS- upper
plyos- same
28-Mar
100+100+100
100+100+100
100+100+100 (30sec b/reps; 4min b/sets)
Core; A&B drills
29-Mar
8x200 90% (10 mn rr)
Wts- same rotation; plyos
30-Mar
SS- 2x3x150 all @65%
LS- 3x3x150 30sec rr
Core; Drills
3/31- rest
4/1- meet
WEEK 4
3-Apr
4x150 (5min rr b/reps)
wts- SS- legs; LS- upper
Plyos
4-Apr
SS-100+100 LS- 200+100+50
200+200 200+200+100
100+100 200+100+50
200+200
100+100 all below 75%
5-Apr
3x350 (10min rr)
wts- rotate; plyos
6-Apr
SS- 2x3x100+100+100 (30 sec rr)
LS- 3x3x100+100+100
all @ 75% Core; drills
7-Apr
6x60m flyes (20m buildup; 5 min rr)
wts- cover what was missed during week
Plyos
8-Apr
SS- 2x3x300 (30-45 sec b/reps; 5min b/sets
LS- 3x3x300 samie recovery
Core; drills
Week 5
4/10- light
4/11- meet
12-Apr
SS- 4x4x50+50+50+50 all @ 75%
LS- 8x4x50+50+50+50
Core; drills
13-Apr
3x10x30m accel on hills (full rr)
Plyos; wts- rotation
14-Apr
SS LS
100+100 200+100+50
200+200 200+200+100
100+100
200+200
15-Apr
10x30m flyes w/ 30m buildup wts; plyos
Week 6
4/17- light drills; rest
4/18- meet
19-Apr
3x10x30m accel on hills (full rr)
Plyos; wts- rotation
20-Apr
rest; light tempo
4/21- meet
22-Apr
SS LS
100+100 200+100+50
200+200 200+200+100
100+100
200+200
KK
thanks for putting it into such simple terms that make it seem to obvious when pointed out… guess thats what makes this CF’s No1 thread by far… yes your right acc speed is in place with 12.0 and 24.2 so far this season
we pulled the pin on the beach this year due to all events clashing with state and nationals…
TC yeah i know it all points towards that and i have every confidence in it just hope we can get it right on the day that matters… nothing like the stress of coaching to keep you on your toes…
PLEASING NEWS: OUR SPECIAL GAMES CORRESPONDENT - SPRINT-COACH - HAS FILED A POSTCARD FROM MELBOURNE IN THE CATEGORY “DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS”.
WRITTEN WITH HUMOUR AND GENUINE WARMTH IT IS A FINE INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE ON ASPECTS OF LIFE IN THE VILLAGE AT THE 2006 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, A TOURNAMENT INVOLVING 71 NATIONS AND ABOUT 4,500 COMPETITORS.
WELL WORTH READING.
THANKYOU SPRINT COACH, I THINK I CAN SAY SO ON BEHALF OF ALL AT THE C.F. FORUM. WE KNOW HOW BUSY YOU MUST BE AND WE APPRECIATE YOU GIVING UP YOUR TIME.kk.
KK
yesterdays 200/200 session inc race warm up prior and 1 race model out to 80m around bottom bend prior to 1st rep…
in targeting a sub 55 quarter this season we are working on 25.7 to 26.0 / sub 29.0 for our 400m race splits…
yesterdays session 26.2/25.8 (12.3/13.5)
1st 200m standing start and for the 2nd 200m we did a 4 step roll start.
More importantly for the first time afterwards she felt that she can actually feel that a sub 54.?? is out there now…
hey TC any comaprisons with your girl…
How much rest for the 200 200 session? I had just changed my rest from 2 mins to 1’. I felt that 2’ was too long and did not simulate the race very well. I had been able to run 48’s off of 2 mins and one of my athletes 49 and we both ran 51 low during the indoor season. I did not do the session yesterday but he did and with 1’ rest and 5 meter flying start ran 51.
Thoughts?
Nanny,
Re your lady’s race model: 25.7-26.0sec for the opening 200m of her 400m race. If she has run 24.2 for 200m, I would have thought she might be capable of going out a bit quicker than 25.7 to 26.0. Perhaps she could go out at 25.2 or close to that fast without negatively impacting on her come-home 200. If she cannot, is it because she hasn’t done a 400m-targeted general prep? Or does she have flow efficiency problems (a bit too much lateral movement, troubles on the turns etc)? What has she run for 300m this year? Does she run that distance often in training?
In her sub 55 (just) performance indoors this year my girl acutally split 26.2 at 200m and came home in 14.8 but she is more of a 400/800 runner.
Outdoors I expect her to split 25.7 and hopefully come home sub 54 so yes I see a lot of comparisons. She is consistantly running sub 26.5 for for repeat 200m from standing. Yesterday she ran 25.6/26.1 in the same session as yours. Fingers crossed all is going well.
TC
Sprint-Coach has written Postcard #2 from Melbourne in the “Discussion Suggestions” category . . . but in the interests of continuity with respect to the course taken by SC’s 400m guy through to the Commonwealth Games I have cut-and-pasted the following from the Postcard.
"My own athlete - although we don’t have time for the same “in depth discussions” as back home - is very positive. At this stage we concentratre mainly on round 1, Monday. We are very realistic - it will be HARD. But, he is ready for that. After that, the focus can shift
to the SF, etc.
Today was good. He did 2 x block starts from the 400m, on the bend, + about 60m. After that the 3 bends (on the 300m, 200m, in the 100m). His technique was good - from the reaction in the start to high hips, running tall, etc. on the bends. I am satisfied. Tomorrow will be a rest day, on Sunday a warm up, a few rhythm exercises and warm down to be “up and about” for the BIG DAY om Monday!! I will keep you updated."
yes KK the bottom bend is the achilles heal in her race… we have tried from a 25.4 1st 200m and found the bend hammered her although she finished strongly on the last 100m.
her fastest 400 of the year was off her slowest 1st 200m…
progression of best 300m times so far this year have been…
June 41.6
July 41.1
August 40.7 (comp & blocks)
Nov 40.5
Jan 39.7 and so on into the 39.1 she did from 1st movement only last week
the repeat 5 x 200m sessions targeting last 200m have been spot on to…
on 3 mins rest regularly ran 26.8 to 27.1 pace…
on 2 mins rest we did 4 x 200m and results were 27.0 to 27.4 pace…
Nanny
So many things can go wrong on that bend (the third 100m; where the waterjump is). The great 400 athletes are very efficient and aggressive there.
Others have technical and/or rhythm issues, or they back off entering the turn out of the backstraight, or they rock forward onto their quads and blow those out, or their arm action shortens and stiffens up everything, or they get emotional and start to fight for position and tighten up in that way.
It’s interesting she has the conditioning you say to come good again in the home straight.
Maybe you just need to work on keeping her stride open through that third 100m, keep it flowing; look for a different cue word (such as “flow”)?
Anyway hopefully she will run a sub-55 at least and from that will come confidence which helps in everything they attempt. Good luck
Talking about flow and keeping form at the 250m mark…
I don’t know if this has been discussed on the forum before but I have been discussing training with a guy recently who was good friends with Remi Korchemny while he was working with DC. Apparently Remi believed that at the end of the 100m you have no more energy left to expend (makes sense) and hence stride frequency would die and all you can hope to achieve is to hold your form through to the finish and maintain stride length. To this end he used a cue for Dwaine in the last 20m of the race to “open up the arms and extend them forward”. Remi believed this concious action would help to mobilise the hips and allow them to open and hence maintain stride length through the last 10-20m.
Anyway, this guy was raving about the success he has had with this cue so I thought i would try it and low and behold it seems to make a difference especially over the last 50m of a 200. There is no percievable change in arm action other than it is maintained but the hips do appear to really open up allowing the knee to drift to the centre line of the body. Now I havn’t tried this for a distance further than 50m but perhaps it would make a difference during the 3rd 100m in a 400? Perhaps at around 250m?
Has anyone else had any experience of this technique or discussed this with Remi in person. I think it has a potetnial for application during the 400m, at least with athletes of a lower level…
Cheers,
TC
TC would you mind expanding on this? I don’t quite follow what you mean by “open up the arms and extend them forward”.
Yours in thickness
John 
Essentially stretching the arm out in front of you more. Like you are reaching forwards so the arms open up to more than 90 degrees in front of the body. Kind of like in those stage shows where people run on the spot while leaning forward! Note: when people try and do this at high speed it doesn’t actually physically happen but the cue seems to open up the hips somehow…
I would think that this would lead to overstriding since you are trying to REACH further out and also cause a braking action especially when you are struggling to reach the finish line.
MIKE NIKE
It reminds me Zanna’s story…
Any relevance?
KK
thanks again… i agree if she can just crack that barrier the flow on effect in confidence will take care of the rest… i will not be at the nationals though am required back in Taiwan this week… so will have to rely on her feel and review of the race.
Might have to move to that “flow” cue from now on as she does seem to, as you say “get emotional” and lose all form on the 3rd 100m.
with this weeks roll start 300m what do you think of starting from 300m mark instead of the 400 so she can get a better feel of “flowing” around the bend in a more relaxed technical position…
nanny
It works. well for me it did
Hey John
its only 7’s but the all blacks won a major trophy and never fell at the final hurdle…
50,000 comedians outta work and I’m stuck with you
That actually makes it 3 Golds in the 7’s in a row I refuse to discuss our lack of success in RWC