:mad: Just need to let off some steam as I am raging after one of my athletes attended an official ‘development’ squad training day yesterday and was outwith my control.
To put you in the picture, she is a 14-year-old girl who improved her 60m PB from 8.82 in Jan 2009 to 8.11 in Feb 2010 on three-times-a-week training.
I believe 100pc in the Charlie Francis system and apply the CFTS principles as far as I can.
So… this girl goes along to the squad day and was asked to do 6x150m sprints with an incomplete recovery as well as squats and lunges with a weighted bar. She hasn’t touched weights yet as we’re still doing medball and bodyweight circuits.
Tonight she is trashed beyond belief and I am livid. I think she will need 7-10 days on the easy list and as much therapy as possible to get things back on track.
I will think twice before allowing any of my athletes to go to ‘development’ squads now. In fact, if I can’t accompany them, I’ll be reluctant to let them go.
Sounds like something of the norm for my area. I do my best to teach them recovery methods to deal with this the best they can. You can only control so much.
I might need to emphasise recovery methods a bit more strongly with my athletes but her training yesterday was pretty alien to her and I think she was always going to be wrecked today no matter what she did post-training.
Maybe your coach’s training will work for you - I don’t know. But I do know the session my athlete got yesterday was entirely inappropriate for her - and I’m left to pick up the pieces.
I hear you but don’t blow it out of proportion. I don’t think she needs 10 days low w/ as much therapy as possible. She’s a 14yr old girl who did one hard workout… just don’t let it happen again :mad:
Yes, highly inappropriate and you should not let her go without you- better yet, make an excuse and don’t go at all - that way you avoid conflict.
Group sessions like that will always kill the beginners and are worse if a meet is near. Treat the session just like a tough meet with rounds and do all the therapy you’d do then, hot/cold showers, massage, etc, and stick with tempo for a week.
Anything you are not used to is inappropriate because your body adapts to what it does week in week out. For someone doing 6x150m with incomplete recovery as their sole training a one off speed session like Charlie’s would be “inappropriate” and probably get them injured!
This si true and the switch from the 150s to pure speed should be gradual. I remember Pavoni saying he was training in huge volume with Mennea (24 x 60 with incomplete recovery, then was given 4 days off and put in a meet. He felt like he could run through a wall and was injured after the heats.
There is not much you can do except smile and cop it on the chin, keep in mind it is some one else’s kid. On the bright side you are lucky you didn’t have a group of athletes at a high level. Classed as a genetic pool, and the attention you attract isn’t fun.
Complain directly to the offending coach. The 150s may be inappropriate but are not too harmful. The first use of free weights in this environment is downright stupid. Any coach should know proper technique and progression are critical to avoid injury - bad squats can seriously injure back/knee.
Did he stream his athletes according to age/ability/background throughout the sessions- I doubt it.
If necessary complain to the association.
I think you are right about the 150s - it was the squats and lunges that really trashed her. Proper massage today so starting to turn things around.
If I see the coach who did this I may have a word but have pretty much decided to chalk it up to experience. In future, we’ll either not go at all or I’ll accompany.
