Tuesday, 21 January 2025

Enhancing speed in the 60m and 100m sprints necessitates a comprehensive strategy that emphasizes both strength and speed development. Below are several critical areas for consideration

Note: This is just an example, as every coach must create the program according to the athlete's physical constitution and abilities.

1. **Strength Training: **

  - **Explosive Power: ** It is essential to integrate exercises that foster explosive power, including:

     - **Plyometrics: ** Engage in activities such as box jumps, depth jumps, plyometric push-ups and medicine ball throws.

     - **Weightlifting: ** Concentrate on weightlifting exercises such as power cleans, hang cleans, and snatches, ideally under appropriate supervision.

     - **Strength Training: ** Incorporate fundamental exercises like squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts to enhance overall strength.

 2. **Speed Development: **

- **Sprint Technique: **

     - **Drills: ** Implement drills such as A-skips, B-skips, high knees, butt kicks, bounding etc, to enhance both stride length and frequency.

     - **Acceleration: ** Prioritize quick acceleration from the blocks or a standing start.

     - **Top Speed Maintenance: ** Focus on sustaining top speed over extended distances, particularly during 30–40 or 50-meter sprints.

 3. **Endurance: **

- **Interval Training: ** Introduce interval training sessions to bolster speed endurance. An illustrative example would be to sprint for 30 seconds followed by a 60-second jog, repeating for several sets.

-**As 100m/200m Sprinter to improve endurance and max speed  the athletes have to have on their program  300m/350m/400m

 4. **Flexibility and Mobility: **

- **Dynamic Stretching: ** Engage in dynamic stretching routines such as leg swings, arm circles, and torso rotations prior to each training session to enhance flexibility and range of motion.

 5. **Nutrition and Rest: **

- **Dietary Considerations: ** It is vital to adhere to a balanced diet that supplies the necessary nutrients for muscle growth and recovery.

   - **Rest Prioritization: ** Aim to achieve adequate sleep (7-9 hours per night) to facilitate recovery from training sessions.

 

**Important Considerations: **

 - **Proper Form: ** Maintain proper sprinting form throughout training sessions, which includes driving the arms, keeping the head elevated, and utilizing the toes for propulsion.

- **Body Awareness: ** Remain attuned to your body’s signals, avoiding overexertion, particularly during the initial stages of training. Gradually intensify workout volume to mitigate the risk of injury.

Important - **Professional Guidance: ** Consider enlisting the assistance of a qualified coach who can provide individualized guidance and assist in formulating a training regimen tailored to personal goals.

 

By consistently integrating these strategies into one's training regimen, significant improvements in speed for the 60m and 100m sprints can be achieved. It is important to exercise patience and perseverance while recognizing and celebrating progress throughout the journey.

 



Speed is a critical factor for individuals engaged in the triple jump for several pivotal reasons


 1. **Momentum**: The triple jump necessitates the generation of maximum horizontal velocity during the approach phase. This speed transforms into forward momentum, which is essential for achieving greater jump distances.

 2. **Explosive Power**: The relationship between speed and explosive power is significant. Triple jumpers must produce substantial force rapidly, particularly during the hop, step, and jump phases. Enhancing speed contributes to the development of this explosive power.

 3. **Technique**: Sustaining speed throughout the approach and into the initial phase of the jump is vital for executing proper technique. A loss of speed can disrupt the rhythm and flow of the jump, thereby adversely affecting the overall distance attained.

 Key Takeaways:

- Speed training is indispensable for triple jumpers. It is advisable to incorporate sprinting drills, plyometric exercises, and other speed-enhancing activities into the training regimen.

- Concentrate on maintaining speed throughout the approach. It is crucial to practice accelerating smoothly and consistently toward the takeoff board.

- Technique is of utmost importance. It is essential to ensure that one's technique facilitates the maintenance of speed and the effective generation of power during the various phases of the jump.

 

By prioritizing speed development and integrating it into training practices, athletes can significantly enhance their triple jump performance.

Wednesday, 9 October 2024

The triple jump is a highly specialized discipline

 The triple jump is a highly specialized discipline that I have been dedicated to for over twenty years, focusing specifically on sprinting and jumping techniques.

In the past year, there have been significant advancements in this discipline. When you look at the world's top jumpers, you'll notice that they are all Cuban, even though they represent other nations.

This is because of their exceptional technique, especially in terms of rhythm, ground reaction, and superior bounding. This technique gives the athlete perfect coordination and creates the ideal time and space between each jump, allowing them to achieve great distances.

To develop this technique, an athlete needs to engage in extensive plyometric exercises tailored for triple jumpers. While some may argue that plyometrics are the same for everyone, I believe that they are unique to each athlete.

There are many online videos explaining how to perform specific exercises to improve your technique, but achieving distances of 17m+ for men and 14.50m+ for women requires more than just following generic exercise guides.

During each training session, the athlete needs to focus on improving their technique and work diligently on the basics of this discipline until he can master it, which is essential even for professional athletes.

Wednesday, 31 January 2024

Triple Jump In Scotland

 


Having attended multiple triple jump competitions in Scotland, I have observed that while there is a dedicated effort to improve this discipline, there is still much room for refinement in perfecting the technique. It can be disheartening to watch athletes put forth their best efforts to win the gold, only to fall short due to a lack of proper technique.

The triple jump demands a high level of coordination, balance, rhythm, and speed, making it a challenging sport that requires a unique blend of talent and skill. However, success in this discipline also hinges on the athlete's mastery of the technique involved.

To cultivate and elevate an athlete's skills in this field, it is essential to place emphasis on refining their technique on a daily basis. This not only mitigates the risk of injuries but also enhances the athlete's self-assurance, priming them both physically and mentally for optimal performance and competition.

I understand that athletics coaches in Scotland are working hard to develop and improve their discipline, despite it being a volunteer position. This can make it challenging for them to fully focus and achieve their desired results. It's disappointing for both coaches and athletes to be in this situation. To see improvement in this discipline, the Scottish Federation must find ways to enhance jump development throughout Scotland

Tuesday, 28 March 2023

             Develop a triple jumper to become a professional

I have already talked about this topic before but it seems to me that we must continue talking about something that has so many problems in developing triple jumpers

I have worked as a professional coach in this discipline in different countries and I have seen many great coaches, of course, each one of them with different opinions but in the end, they all have the same goal, (results).

By this, I mean that all coaches including myself have a common goal, but to achieve results, we have to work deeply and fundamentally on the specific basis of this discipline with the athletes.

In my opinion and according to my experience, as a coach, we have to take into consideration if the athlete has the talent and the conditions to be a triple jumper, for me it is the first thing we have to observe.

Why do I say this? In this discipline, the athlete has to possess specific qualities for the development of it and as the first quality, discipline.

The second thing is to have a strong mentality in training and the ability to listen and store every technical detail for his/her development.

Third and last, the athlete has to be punctual in each training session, I can imagine that other coaches have another point of view on this, but I have worked and continue to work this way and it has always worked perfectly for me.

I have other points in consideration but since each type of athlete is different, I use them individually for each one of them.

When we are sure that the athlete has the required qualities and he or she commits to becoming a triple jumper then the other part and responsibility belongs to us then from this moment the work begins.

I am going to put some examples here, remember each coach has his book and you do what you think works with your athlete.

To train a beginner, the first thing we have to do is work on the base of this discipline. that consists of the preparation of the athlete in different technical skills.

For instance, we have to teach them how a triple jumper should run; I can imagine that many wondered, (run!)

Jumpers have to know how to push off the track to gain speed and strength, sprinters do that too but differently.

There are specific speed exercises for triple jumpers, which can be developed with cones, hurdles and different types of obstacles to develop the skills of the sense of rhythm in the approach.

To avoid all kinds of injuries we have to work the base that consists of coordination, balance and rhythm exercises, and exercises for time and space. For this last one, I particularly work uphill and downhill.

Do not forget that these exercises have to be done under the supervision of the coach

It is worrying to see many girls and boys, without the proper technique, competing in different competitions. This discipline requires an almost perfect technique and the more we work with them to perfect the technique, the better jumpers we will have in the future. Please, let's avoid losing those talents just because we want to have immediate results and let's work on developing this discipline in the safest way possible.

Sunday, 9 January 2022

Plyometrics for Triple Jump,

 


Every time that I have had a conversation with some triple jump coaches, I have always heard the same thing -that plyometrics should be used on all jumpers, with this I agree, but the question is- how it should be used?

When it comes to plyometrics, we have to consider that each human body reacts differently to any type of training.

Although Plyometric training must be included in every jumper training program even for beginners, the problem is, and here is my point of observation, for beginners, these exercises have to be specific for each athlete. Even professional athletes have to work with specific plyometric exercises that develop their technique and improve reaction, coordination, the sense of time and space and distance and also other technical qualities that will prevent to avoid any type of injury in the future.

As I explained before, each athlete reacts differently to each exercise, e.g., if we train 2 athletes, we have to take into account that a reaction exercise (dynamic or static), for one, can be good, but for the other, it can cause injuries.

So here, our role as a coach is to try to find or invent an exercise specifically for the other jumper and this exercise has to have the same objective, which in this case is a reaction exercise.

 



To become a good triple jumper, you must never forget to work on the technical foundation of this discipline, and plyometrics, no matter what must be included in your training programme.

A good foundation will guide the athlete to a great result.  There are different types of plyometric exercises, such as hard impact exercises, reaction exercises from the static or dynamic position, etc, and because of the risk attached to these exercises, they should definitely be done under the supervision of an experienced coach to avoid any type of injury.

The result of the lack of the technical foundation of this discipline (in this case speaking of plyometrics) is that unfortunately, you will see many young talented jumpers with bad techniques, and at the end of the day, most of them will never achieve the results they are dreaming of.

Triple jump is one of the most complicated technical disciplines in athletics, and therefore it is necessary to have a good coach who has the experience and knowledge capable of developing a jumper and taking them to reach their full potential.

 

 

Tuesday, 7 September 2021