Track and Field Toolbox

Hip Mobility Drills

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Hip Mobility drills should be a regular part of all track and field athletes’ training

Drills that increase an athlete’s hip flexor strength and flexibility are imperative in order for the athlete to get their femur parallel to the ground and therefore allow them to apply maximum force.

In the video below Coach Brad Hackett shares seven drills that he uses to increase hip flexor strength and flexibility.

In the video, he talks you through the coaching points of each drill.

Here are the seven drills demonstrated in the video:

  1. Hurdle Skips
  2. Over/ Unders
  3. Side Skips
  4. Hurdle Walkovers
  5. Over two and Back One
  6. Frogs
  7. Hip Busters

These drills are taken from Coach Hackett’s complete training course for track and field. For more information about that course click the following link: The Ultimate Pre-Season Conditioning for Track and Field


Max Velocity out of the Blocks

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In this post Coach Tony Holler, creator of the Feed the Cats Sprint Training Program, uses video to teach the key components to getting max velocity out of the blocks.

Coach Holler shares the importance of coming out low and projecting the hips.

Here are some of the key teaching points he explains and illustrates with video.

  1. Press the back foot against the back block
  2. Big Split
  3. Full extension
  4. Eyes down
  5. Front foot dorsiflexed
  6. Front landing under the center of masss
  7. Lower leg horizontal to track. Spikes facing back not up
  8. Punch with the lead knee
  9. Ankle, knee, hip, and head in a straight line

Coach Holler analyzes several athletes in the video and provides great coaching points for each. This serves as a great example of how you could use video to help your sprinters be more explosive out of the blocks.

This clip was taken from one of Coach Holler’s complete courses. For more information about the course this clip was taken from click the following link: Feed the Cats: Getting to MAX Velocity Out of the Blocks

Coach Holler’s Feed the Cats Program and his less is more approach to sprint training is revolutionizing the sport of track and field. If you would like to learn more about his complete program click the following link: Feed the Cats: Track and Field Bundle

 


23 Second Drill

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You may have heard of Tony Holler and his Feed the Cats speed training program that is revolutionizing the sport of track and field.  Data-driven speed training is the centerpiece of his speed training program.

In the video below Coach Holler shares a workout that he uses with all of his athletes and how he uses the results of the workout to help motivate his sprinters.

The workout is fairly simple and is called the 23-second drill and it works like this:

  1. The athlete runs as far as he/she can in 23-seconds and the distance is recorded
  2.  8-minute recovery
  3.  Repeat the 23-second run and record the second distance.

He usually does this drill 3 times per winter.

The magic in this is that he ranks the athlete’s results.

He keeps track and racks of the best distances recorded by seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen.

Athletes in his program are then able to compare their distances with others from the past at different ages.

He finds this to be great motivation for his runners.

Coach Holler employs a “Less is More Approach” to training sprinters. Relying on great technique, recovery, and proper motivation to achieve great results.

The video below was taken from one of his many coaching courses. For more information about the course this clip came from click the following link: Feed the Cats: Data-Driven Speed Training.

If you would like to learn more about the complete program click: Feed the Cats Speed Training Program for Track and Field


High Jump Specific Drills

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Gwen Wentland is a former world-class high jumper, Olympic coach, and college coach. In the video below she shares 8 High Jump Specific Drills that you can utilize to effectively train your high jumpers.

Here are the 8 High Jump Specific Drills demonstrated in the video:

Circle Drill

  • Athletes run in a circle (males radius 30-50ft and females radius 22-30 ft)
  • Shoulders back
  • The inside foot should come across the midline of the body
  • Run both directions

Figure 8 Drill

  • Allows athletes to feel the transition on each curve
  • Aids in maintaining balance on each side

Circle Drills with Pop Offs

  • Athletes run in a circle with the same fundamentals as the circle drill
  • Every 5 steps they will execute a pop off
  • The last two steps should be really quick
  • Emphasize vertical drive

Pop Off Between Hurdles

  • Small hurdles placed approximately 3ft apart
  • Athletes will execute a pop off between each hurdle
  • Emphasize being quick off the ground

Rhythm Drill

  • Run 10 steps with a pop off at the end
  • Be sure that the last two steps are really quick

Skipping Take-Off Drill

  • Emphasize bringing the take-off leg directly under the center of mass
  • The athlete should drive their take-of foot  down into the track
  • The drive knee should come up and block

Galloping Drill

  • Push off the back foot
  • Pull with the front foot

Running the Curve

  • Run 100 meters on the curve of the track
  • 4x is a typical workout

The video below was taken from Coach Wentland’s complete high jump training course. For more information about that course click the following link: Effective Practice Drills for the High Jump


Competition Season Workout Schedule for Distance Runners

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In the video below, Coach Marisa Tuzzi of Dripping Springs High School (TX), a former Cross Country runner for Texas A&M, explains a typical competition season workout schedule for distance runners.

In this video, she breaks down what a week would look like for her team in February.

Here is a brief overview

 

Sunday
Long run of 8-10 miles for the varsity runners.

Monday
6x 200 meters fast
Recovery 5-6 miles

Tuesday
20×400 meters with one-minute rest. Boys 72 sec and Girls 82 sec
Stop if the quality drops. Not all runners will be able to finish

Wednesday
8×100 meters fast
Recovery 6- 7miles

Thursday
3 Broken 600’s: Run 400 meters – Short pause and sprint 200

Friday
Rest – off

Saturday
Race + an additional 5 miles

In the video below she also offers her warm-up and cool-down suggestions

The following clip was taken from Coach Marisa Tuzzi’s full course in which she details multiple workouts, and practice plans for long-distance training. She even reveals some of her own drills and sample weeks you need to know in order to make your athletes faster. If you are a coach who needs help planning practice or need some new drills to throw into the mix, then this is the course for you!

To learn more about that course click the link: Distance Training for Track

The video has audio so please make sure that your speakers are turned on.