My point was that the black Americans (which in the US only make up a small percentage of the US population) have great success compared to the chances they have to actually win a gold medal. This article was basically saying…to put it bluntly, “there is no way in hell a black American should ever win a gold medal given the odds.” Now you can look at this two different ways. One its solely genetics. Two, you could say maybe socio-econmic reasons. And three you could say its a combo of both. Or its just hard work. Well if its just hardwork then what about white people. Are they slow because they don’t work hard. I am arguing stats. Its not like I am arguing blindly. Think about it.
Maybe you have answered part of the question yourself. Coaching is essential for realising potential it the biggest factor bar having the essential tools to run fast. I am certainly not of the school that you can turn anyone into a sprinter. Bolt may well have started puberty much earlier, developed the ability to utilise lactate as an energy system much earlier, but you still need an insiteful coach a good coach to run fast. He didn’t just gain sub 20 fitness through talent as you are asserting. A good coach would have had to see that this precocious talent was ready to run that fast, ready for the sessions that allowed him to achieve such a mark at such an early age. If you are a coach and you don’t believe that you can make such a difference then give up coaching if you are going vto be so negative simple…
Did you see the videos they had of Asafa lifting last night? He could barely do a freakin lunge or even what seemed to be a “deadlift” (not sure what it was really). Was that just supposed to be smoke in mirrors?
Is there a link to this?
Of course for anyone who has experienced and expects high quality “strength and conditioning” you quickly realise how the majority of world class athletes can never perform well in the weights room due to issues of flexibility, co-ordination etc. I see a load of athletes from Oz, the UK and Russia who are great at weights but suck at their own event!
Makes you wonder how important it all is after all.
Very true
.
Tell that to Chambers…
Beast in the gym and on the track.
In British terms he’s a beast but 9.95 won’t cut it on the world stage.
“9.95 not cutting it on World stage” ??Are you basing that on 9.69?? Because if you are…you can’t!! 9.95 is getting you a long way on the World stage. To prove it lets look at some results from some Gold League races and other GP’s (Just top 3 places)
GL - Paris:
1 Marc Burns 10.14
2 Martial Mbandjock 10.17
3 Mark Jelks 10.26
London GP:
1 Asafa Powell 9.94
2 Marc Burns 9.97
3 Michael Frater 10.00
Monaco GP:
1 Asafa Powell 9.82
2 Darvis Patton 9.98
3 Nesta Carter 10.02
Olympic Games:
Semi Final -
1 Usain Bolt 9.85
2 Walter Dix 9.95
3 Marc Burns 9.97
Just from these results alone I can’t see how you’d think 9.95 isn’t “cutting” anything!! 9.95 is getting you to finals and possibly medals. Just to add 9.95 is putting you in the top 10 in the World. If thats not enough for the “World Stage” then I don’t know what is…
Yes, at his absolute best he would have made the Olympic final but 9.95 will never win another global medal.
Where does it leave British athletes? On the World stage they are nothing.
Why would it only work if you don’t do heavy weights for indoors?
Is that type of overdistance work not compatible with heavy weights?
It was just a very quick clip about Asafa before his semi-final race I believe. He was doing walking lunges outside with some dumbbells and saw a quick clip of him deadlifting. Appeared to be intense about both exercises. I guess he could have gone a little deeper with the lunge in regard to his form.
he also coached Raymond swart to broze
if you take the simples sprint work out ( one that get results) and do most of it on grass
They do alot of drills from bud
Bud Winter coached at San Jose State University from 1944 - 1974 and was responsible for the legendary “Speed City” in the mid 1960’s.
In total, he produced 1 NCAA Championship, 49 NCAA records, and 27 Olympians including great athletes like Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, and John Carlos, just to name a few. He also coached Greece’s Chris Papanicolaou, the first man to pole vault 18 feet.
His basic approach to sprinting was a simple 8 step plan:
- Use high knee action
- Use good foreleg reach
- Run high on toes
- Have good arm action
- Maintain good forward lean
- Bound forward, not up
- Run tall, with back straight
- Be relaxed, with loose jaw and loose hands
Many thanks to Gary G. from Scotia, NY, for providing the information below.
Here is an overview of Bud Winter’s program. I consider myself kind of an expert on Bud Winter as I studied all about him and have read his two books. I also have met John Carlos and Bud Winter, who was ahead of his time and many coaches have taken bits of his program and some quote him often.
Here is his “sprint” program, I will send his endurance 400 program on another email.
Basically, he classified his sprinters as either the sprint type or the endurance type. Tommie Smith never ran farther than 320m in training but set WR’s at 200m, 440 yards and 400m. Here is his program:
Fall:
4 weeks of x/c running and strength games, every sprinter would start with 1 mile and by the end of the month they would run 10 miles
without stopping.
Off Season:
Intervals would start; slowly at first, every month faster for 5 months, here is an example of a week:
· Monday - 10x 100 on grass, 100 walk, (they started @ 15 down to 11 after 5 months.)
· Tuesday - 6x 200m, with 200 walk ( started @ 30, 23 in 5 months)
· Wednesday - 3x 320m, 15 minutes rest between (started @46 to 38)
· Thursday - Repeat Monday
· Friday - Starts and Finishes @ 150m x 5 (Winter would blow whistle 4 times and group would speed up and slow down, at tape they would practice leans.
· Saturday - Test Day, 2x 60 yards, 1x 165 yards, 1-2x 320m
· Sunday - Jog or rest
During this time period they would do drills every day, when they were in top shape they would do what Winter called a “relaxation test”, almost like Charlie Francis’ flying 20’s, they would run 9/10 effort over 30 yards with running start, timed, idea was to show the sprinters that you run faster with 9/10’s speed and not all out.
In addition, after the main workout, they would do what they called “killer dillers”, you start at the common finish and sprint out for about 25 meters, Winter would blow his whistle and the sprinters would slow to almost a walk, he would then blow the whistle again to speed up, this would go on until the 300 mark, then everyone would TRY and sprint home, if they could.
They also would do starts every day but Monday at 20-40 yards, 6 total.
In-Season: Faster, shorter reps, quality.
· Monday - Choose 1:
§ 10x 100, no time, 100 walk -or-
§ 3-4 laps of wind sprints -or-
§ 2x 275m, no time
· Tuesday - 3x 200m cut-downs, 200 walk, (Winter felt if you could do 25-24-23, you were ready for a 47 400m) Late season, just go out hard for 50m, float, 100m, sprint 50m, 3x.
· Tuesday - Time Trial Day: 2x 60 yards, 1x 320m, hard but not all out.
· Thursday - Starts and finishes or if big Meet on Saturday, then REST.
· Friday - REST
· Saturday - MEET
· Sunday - REST or jog
Olympics-Athletics-Veg power or speed gene behind Jamaica glory?
Sun Aug 17, 2008 12:59pm EDT
By Simon Evans
BEIJING, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Jamaica, an island of 2.6 million people, has produced the fastest man and the three fastest women at the Olympics and the explanations for the country’s success range from the power of root vegetables to the study of genes.
On Sunday, Shelly-Ann Fraser led a Jamaican sweep in the 100 metres with compatriots Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart sharing silver after a photo finish.
The all-Jamaican podium came a day after another Jamaican Usain Bolt shattered his own world record as he left his rivals trailing in the men’s 100 metres in a weekend where the yellow, green and black flag flew with pride.
Once known for being the land of laid-back reggae culture, Jamaica’s athletes are giving their country a new image as the island of power and pace and plenty are asking the question why?
“Its part of the natural ability of Jamaicans, I don’t know, maybe it’s in the water,” Sports Minister Olivia Grange told Reuters when asked the question recently.
Usain Bolt’s father credited the local yam for his son’s success and while that might raise smiles there are plenty on the Caribbean island who believe their diet – full of root vegetables and herbs – is behind the pace of their youth.
The popularly held idea among Jamaicans that they are born quick has been given some academic support by Professor Errol Morrison of the island’s University of Technology.
Morrison told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper that research conducted with the University of Glasgow has found a special component, called Actinen A, found in the “fast twitch fibres” in muscles.
TRADITION
Morrison says the gene is present in a disproportionately high number of Jamaicans and others of West African descent
“What it says to us is what is happening is not a flash in the pan, but there will be many potential Asafa Powells, Sherone Simpsons and Sherikas (Sherika Williams), because the genetic predisposition is there,” he added.
“The question is always there. What is it, nature or nurture that makes us so good? The answer seems to be coming that there seems to be a strong underlying genetic or nature predisposition as to why we are able to perform like this.”
There is also the power of tradition – athletics has long had strong roots in Jamaica.
Arthur Wint won the 100 metres gold medal at the 1948 Games, the first the country had entered while still a British colony, and Herb McKenley won four medals from 1948 to 1952 and later Merlene Ottey enjoyed success throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The country has won a total of 46 Olympic medals – all but one of them in track and field.
On top of that, Jamaican-born runners such as Linford Christie (Britain) and Donovan Bailey (Canada), enjoyed Olympic success after moving abroad.
“I think it’s a combination of factors,” Jamaican athletics chief Howard Aris told Reuters.
“We have the tradition from way back, from 1948. We have the talent, we have the certified coaches. From the very early stages, they are taught the right things – how to eat, how to train, how to sprint.”
Whatever may be pushing Jamaicans to run fast – it is certainly working in Beijing. (Editing by Alison Williams)
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSB60924520080817?virtualBrandChannel=10155&sp=true
Well, you have to be careful about mixing training plans, and getting worse, not better, results. There are a number of people doing 400-focused training: Bolt, Asafa, Gay, Patton. These are many of the top people for the Olympic final (assuming Gay hadn’t been injured), but none of them is doing indoors these days. Bobby Kersee had Crawford doing 400 strength training this year, and you see the result, but he isn’t doing indoors, either. Kim Collins is doing indoors and training with Mills, but Collins doesn’t do weights (but lots of plyos).
The issue in mixing fast 300’s, max weights, and indoors might be the lactate produced by the 400-focused training. If you follow Verkhoshansky, you do alactic track training (only) during a concentrated loading phase.
Kim Collins is doing indoors and training with Mills, but Collins doesn’t do weights (but lots of plyos).
Kim was looking bigger than usual (still skinny though). I think he hit some weights, at least for upper body.
If you follow Verkhoshansky, you do alactic track training (only) during a concentrated loading phase.
According to Verkkhoshanskij’s plan, during concentrated strength work (block A) you do fartlek training, long build-ups, hill runs.
But not 300’s in 47-48 sec 400 pace. Competition for resources is an issue here. And given the results we’ve just seen, I think I know which resource I will de-emphasize (more) going forward.
My sense is that the people here talking about how the Jamaicans don’t know anything about strength training–after Bolt just killed everybody on the track–are getting exactly the worng message.
In the relay where they are already!