I don’t know, but Linford said in an interwiew he did a lot of over-distance training - even up to 600m. (Although one got no idea if it was extensive or intensive Tempo).
His statement was, that if you’re strong enough you can do distances that long. But whenever his technique sufferered, whenever he got one bit tired, he stopped. (Talking about technique I would guess he talked about intensive tempo?).
So all we can do is guess what made Linford so strong…
BTW he was not very heavy for his body height, just extremely low in BF, so in that sense I would not call him the bodybuilder type like Dwain or Mo.
If you take the time to ask for help MJ is actually quite willing to answer questions and will relate it back to how much he struggled in his first few years of college. However, if you read most of his critisism of athletes it has little to do with training philosophy and everything to do with attitude, and quite frankly although his critisism is quite blunt, it’s seldom unwarrented. The UK athletes do suffer from big fish syndrome, as do Australian and Canadian athletes, US sprinters and jumpers don’t have to worry about this, because if they are able to rule the roost in their own country chances are they’ll do the same on the world scene.
And if you re-read the article you’ll notice MJ directed comments towards an elite coaching conference, he isn’t Carl trashing all todays athletes because they’ve made his records obsolete - they are legitimate critisisms.
UK athletes do have it much better than most. And conditions aren’t really an excuse when you’ve got Eddy Kanulendus taking cash out of his shipping business to pay for dozens of athletes to live in the Manly beach Park Royal in Sydney or Queenslands Gold Coast for 4 months every year before they pop off to their spring training camp in Southern Spain.
IMHO
the main problem to focus on in british sprinting is not the elite few but the incredible drop out at the junior to senior stage. This is where bad coaching (not facilities, weather or money) has serious consequences on the performance level/development/psychology of the young athlete…ultimately leading to lowered levels of motivation, self-belief and expectation. Increasing incidence of acute injury and chronic ‘niggles’ can wreck promising youngsters.
Remember that these athletes are not usually coached by our ‘top coaches’ but by the local club coaching system. I don’t want to moan…er…ok I will!Sometimes the coaching is so inappropriate its laughable plus no advice/help/knowledge of nutrition,recovery,physio,massage,gym etc etc. promising youngsters will never achieve thier potential.
Its a crime.
Don’t know what MJ can do 'bout that. Do you?
Heh Martn76! That looks like something I did with my old coach in London! You forgot the 500’s though… :rolleyes:
Thankfully my new coach has the understanding that as sprinters we must always keep in touch with speed even though we are building on endurance in the GPP. At this present moment in time I’m faster and fitter than I’ve ever been for a winter. I’m looking forward to the indoor season!I know I’ll be rolling!
I’ve always kinda felt that we (GBR) are a page or two behind the Candian/US and now even the Carribbean’s with regards to training methods. Martn you are right about the middle distance Seb Coe style training methods over here…the attitude that more (in terms of distance) is best. US Telephone code sessions (as my coach calls them) 5-9-5-6-7-4-4-5 (4 min break between each run).
As a sprinter i feel you should NEVER stray too far away from speed.
With regards to Indoors we now have far more facilities. New sites are being built as I type. If I remember correctly we now have indoor facilities in the following places: NIAC - Wales (Super Mondo) Sheffield (Super Mondo X), NIA - Birmingham (Super Mondo ), Bath, Kelvin Hall-Glasgow, Sport City (Manchester),Alexandra Stadium - Birmingham, Chemlsford Indoor Track, Sutton Indoor Arena - London, WSEH indoor track - Eton, Crystal Palace - London and the newly built 130m indoor track @ Brunel Uni -London. (opens Feb 2005). The problem is that here in London we have very few Indoor tracks to train on (especially 200m tracks - none in London).
All this may be true, but you can kill the golden goose just as easily by trashing the sprinters in the press as the sprinters can by trashing each other and everyone else.
When I first started coaching in Canada, there were a lot of left-overs from the pre-Montreal Olympic spending frenzy (like trying to put lipstick on a pig). These useless tits complained and moaned and bragged and… DISAPPEARED. As soon as serious talented people embark on a serious and sound program, money talks and bullshit walks.
Directly, yes he has been on a number of World Class funding programmes assisting the development of talented sprinters. Also indirectly, his comments may have ruffled a few individuals and added some fire to the bellies. He is correct that there has been more investment in the sport in Britain, but it had not necessarily reaped the rewards.
Of all these facilities that are available, how many are actually used by our ‘superstar’ sprinters? To my knowledge only NIAC in Cardiff by Linford’s athletes. But since 98 when Darren Campbell won the Europeans, what else have his athletes achieved? The track at the NIA is temporary, it’s constructed days before its intended use!
Not that i’m poo pooing the facilities available cos we’ve been crying out for facilities like this, but i think the majority of them are under used.
To be used, facilities need good coaches. no point having an Aston Martin with no driver and no gas. When there are good coaches, athletes will be developed there or will come in to take advantage.
It been fasinating reading this about MJ and the opinion of the forum members. In what ever we do in life you alway look to people above you . The main problem in Britain is that there is no guidaince. The so called administartor are a bunch of Clown thats dont know their left from their right. So there is no body cracking the wipe to tell this so called Cheap super stars to train or naff off. I mean looking at the lastest dubicle facing UKA now it has taken them a year to find the right man for the job of Performance Director by in true UKA style they have successfully miss the 2 best guys for the position. So a year after knowing they had to fill the position they have to now re advertise the job. Even the begger on the street knew there was one man for the job (Van Commeny,Gone back to his home country to take the top job) but they saw him as a militant that does not take any non-sense but achived results, look at Denise Lewis in 96 and Kelly Sutherton on 04, they just have not lost a damn good coach but a brilliant administrator, So when the people at the top dont know what to do how then can there be any success path drawn up or administerd to athletes and coaches to follow.
Its a shame but one thing ALinford had that non of this guys have is the ability to train untill he dropped (not saying thats the write way) but he had a method and he stuck to it.
Finally Charlie you just said Gardener won the indoors and not the outdoors, Common you have ssen the way he runs outdoors, the only way he is going to get his hands on a medal outdoors(individual) is if Whal Mart starts selling Gold, Silver and Bronze plastic medal.
Some of the national coaches in Britain cant even write a weeks session once you take 6x150m out of the equation its a sad states of affair, ther are some young aggressive coaches in Britain coming through now and i hope they deliver and do well. This is a far cry from when i use to run in the 60’s
Does everything MJ says get reported or do the media like to pick up on anything negative said by former top level sports people about the next generation.
It’s like MJ stands at the periphery shouting in - some commentary here, a newspaper column there, some workshops etc…, but never really does any real day-to-day work in T&F.
britian has harsh climates and so on but this country has developed many great athletes over the past.in the sprints you had christie,regis,adam,braithwaite and many many more and also jackson in the high hurdles who still holds the WR.at the begining of their careers all of these athletes had harsh conditions with litlle indoor facilities.jackson would train in a tunnel of some sort to keep try from the rain in the early days.
at the moment the current guys are spoon fed compared to the old-school.i don’t know what the problem is with them whether its motivation to win,training approaches,money/funding or whatever but whatever it is it must be sorted quickly
BTW scotland has developed one of the best ever white sprinters.ian mackie with a 10.09 and he certainly got no hand outs like his competitors down south! this guy trained in very very harsh conditions you would not believe and trust me when i say that he was very very hungry to succeed.training in scotland is a joke whether its winter or summer.
spot on! have you got any idea of the coaching system, or rather the knowledge provided in UKA courses? since there are a few British guys in this discussion, have you got any experience of the UK Athletics seminars? are you satisfied when you come out of them with the Level X paper on hand?
let me know guys!
The Coaching courses are Pants, Level 1 is a 1 day event where theyteach you how to warm up and do drills by guys that cant do drills or tell you how to warm up. I know a Level 4 coach that cant even demonstrate how to pick up knees up. Its all well and good having qualification on paper but really the whole system is Clown teaching Clowns…
Dont get me wrong when these guys get together(the sprinters) say relays meeting all they do is piss about because they know they would be in the team no matter what…
oh really? Level 2 is not different either! you just become an “independent” coach, i.e., get the paper and that’s all that matters; just for others to stop bothering you with “health and safety” issues because you stepped on the track…
your job/carrer has to be dependant on Levels 3 & 4 to attend them, otherwise…
