Kelsey Riggins, Asst Coach – Jumps, Murray State
Full video on Glazier Drive: Multiple Event Athlete Training: Getting the Most of Your Athletes
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MULTI-EVENT ATHLETE MINDSET
- Athletes need to want to be multi-event athletes, not simply try another event occasionally.
- They must understand that doing multiple events requires commitment, adaptability, and the ability to switch mentally between events.
- Coaches should encourage athletes to “be athletic” rather than overthink technique. Competing across several events requires athleticism, confidence, and the ability to perform without excessive stress.
- Athletes must be willing to adjust when schedules change and handle the adversity that comes with competing in multiple events.
EVENT COMBINATIONS
Some events naturally complement each other:
- 400m + high jump
- High jump + long jump
- Pole vault + long jump
- Pole vault + javelin
- Sprinting + triple jump
- High jump + triple jump
The common thread is that athletes can benefit when events share similar movement patterns, rhythm, approach mechanics, or athletic qualities.
COACH COMMUNICATION
- Multi-event athletes require coaches to communicate and coordinate training.
- A jumps coach needs to know what the athlete is doing in sprint practice, and the sprint coach needs to know what is happening in jumps.
- Do not simply combine two complete workouts. An athlete cannot handle the full volume of two event groups.
- Coaches have to work together to determine what training is most important and where volume can be reduced.
PRIORITIZE — DON’T TRY TO DO EVERYTHING
A multi-event athlete cannot receive 100% of the training demands required by every individual event.
Coaches need to decide:
- What is most important for this athlete?
- What can be reduced?
- What can be eliminated?
- Where is the athlete already sufficiently developed?
- Which technical elements need the most attention?
The answer will be different for every athlete. For example, an athlete with excellent block starts may not need to spend every sprint practice working on them. That time could be used for another event.
TECHNICAL COACHING
When coaching an athlete who only spends limited time in an event:
- Keep technical instruction simple.
- Focus on one or two important corrections rather than overwhelming the athlete.
- Be patient with development.
- Don’t try to turn a multi-event athlete into a technical specialist overnight.
For jumping events especially, approach and setup are critical. If the approach and takeoff are poor, working extensively on the finish of the jump won’t solve the fundamental problem.
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT & FITNESS
The coach’s primary questions should be:
- Did I make the athlete as strong as possible?
- Did I make the athlete as fast as possible?
- Is the athlete fit enough to handle multiple events?
Fitness is particularly important. A talented athlete may have the ability to perform several events but not yet have the physical capacity to compete in all of them on the same day.
The example given showed an athlete whose event load increased gradually over several years as her fitness and ability to tolerate the workload improved.
PRACTICE & LOAD MANAGEMENT
A useful weekly structure included:
- MONDAY: Technical/event work → acceleration → volume → lifting
- TUESDAY: Tempo/circuits and recovery
- WEDNESDAY: Event work/approaches → speed → lifting
- THURSDAY: Mobility + very light, low-impact event work
- FRIDAY: Pre-meet work, or repeat an appropriate Monday/Wednesday session
- WEEKEND: Meet or recovery
The exact schedule isn’t the point. The important concept is coordinating the sprint, jumps, lifting, recovery, and event-specific work so the athlete isn’t overloaded.
BIGGEST LOAD-MANAGEMENT LESSON
MULTIPLE-EVENT TRAINING DOES NOT MEAN ADDING TOGETHER THE COMPLETE TRAINING LOAD FOR EACH EVENT.
If the sprint program calls for X amount of work and the jumps program calls for Y, you cannot simply give the athlete X + Y.
You have to meet in the middle.
That means making concessions based on the individual athlete’s abilities, fitness, experience, injury history, and primary event.
PRIMARY EVENT
Most multi-event athletes will have a primary event.
The primary-event coach should generally have the greatest influence over the athlete’s overall training plan, while the other coaches make appropriate concessions to accommodate the athlete.
For combined-event athletes, having one coach control the entire training program can make load management much easier because one person can see the complete picture.
BOTTOM LINE FOR COACHES
The goal isn’t to give a multi-event athlete more training. The goal is to give them the right training.
Successful multi-event coaching requires:
- Coordination between coaches
- Individualized training loads
- Strong athletic development
- Adequate fitness
- Prioritization of key technical skills
- Flexibility when schedules change
- Patience with technical development
- Gradual progression toward handling multiple events
The best multi-event program is one where coaches continually ask: “What does this athlete need most right now, and what can we afford to leave out?”