The importance of the hop cycle Part I

Yoandry Betanzo


A good Cycle, defines amplitude, altitude and distance and it keeps the jump always horizontal when the athlete keeps the knee horizontal. To have a good result, the triple jumper must always keep the hip up and raise the knee to the horizontal level (90°).  When the flight reaches the required distance, the athlete has to start to open the legs to 130° so you can put the hip in to the centre point of gravity to avoid a break down.  This makes a good transition for the second jump.

 If the knee is at 90 degrees and there is a good coordination between arms and leg, the athlete will keep a perfect rhythm and body control.  When you are available   to meet these requirements mostly you can maintain the speed in the transition for the next two jumps.

Maintaining the speed between the jumps is the most difficult thing for the triple jumper, therefore it is so important to work really hard to perform a good cycle with the hop.

I want to say, for me it is understandable that even when athletes have their own coach, he has to go to the internet to see how he has to improve the cycle in the hop. If this happens to you, the first thing you have to do is talk to your coach and analyse very well where the problem is.

Well, it is hard to say this but if your coach can’t help you to perfect the technique, then I think you have to start thinking about finding a new coach, who has more knowledge about Triple Jump.

In part II, I will talk about body position, speed and drive after it hits the ground.

Another success for a Cuban Coach

I was really pleased today to read about 17 year old Miguel Assen winning the Gold Medal for Triple Jump at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing China (representing Surinam).

It didn’t surprise me, as when I saw his technique, I knew that he had been trained by a Cuban Coach. As a Cuban coach myself, I’m very proud of the excellent results the Cuban coaches abroad-they have great methodological skills training much knowledge in the foundation of the base of triple jump.

One of the best qualities of the Cuban Coaches is that they are able to develop an athlete from nothing, from zero to the top. We are expert at creating training programmes specific to each athlete. We have high levels of theoretical and practical education, and we are specialized to a deep level in all aspects of Jumps. For example, in Cuba,  if you want to be a coach, at any level, you need to have a degree in Sports Science, which requires 5 years of study at University, and on most occasions, you need to have a Masters degree or Doctorate to work with the Elite squad.

On top of that, after graduation, Coaches are sent to work abroad to e.g. Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, although some coaches, like me, work in Europe or the USA. This inter-exchange allows the possibility of not only using their knowledge, but also the opportunity to expand their methodological knowledge and enrich all types of practical experience.

In most European countries, you can qualify as a Coach after taking a only a 6 month course given by The Federation, and although there are many good coaches, I believe that there is a lack of knowledge of the general technical base amongst coaches trained in this way.

As a Cuban Coach, I am very proud of our coaching results abroad, for example, if we look at the 2012 Olympics, the Columbian woman who won the Gold medal for Triple Jump, had a Cuban Coach behind her, and the French athlete who won the Gold for men’s Triple Jump, also was trained by a Cuban Coach.

If we look at the results in the world of Triple Jump at the moment, we have to say that the good results tend to have a Cuban coach behind them, and this is testament, I believe, to the depth and breadth of their profound level of education and training, making Cuban Coaches amongst the best in the World. This is the secret of The Cuban Coach.

Triple Jump IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015

Every two year the IAAF organizes the word athletics championships. Next year Beijing shall have the privilege of hosting the game.  Many athletes will have the opportunity to compete in this important event. I know that for some athletes it is hard to make the limit to compete there, but I think it is not impossible.

An elite athlete has a training program made for 4 years, but every year you have many competitions in a row, for example, the diamond league, Grand prix, world championships etc.  Every four years you have the Olympics; and although this is one of the most important competitions for most athletes, there are athletes who only train for world championships, because of the possibility of lucrative financial reward.

With the new Preparation Season starting in September/October, athletes have the chance to prepare in the best possible way, in order to increase their chances of making the limit and participating in the next World Championship –How is this best done?

Remember: “The organization and planning of a good training program leads to  the success of a good outcome”

First:

-          Analyze the results of this year, for example; Speed, distance achieved in each competition, technique, coordination and rhythm, together with reaction between jumps.

-          Analyze the causes of the success and the causes of poor performance, for example the psychological factors, injuries and health of the athlete.

-          Within the psychological factor it’s very important to analyze problems that blocked the athlete to achieve a better result, such as financial problems, poor support by the Federation, lack of a sponsor, etc. It’s important, however  to  be reminded that money, sponsor, and support do not ultimately have to  be a brake on the development of the athlete- with the right motivation, hard training and perseverance, you can make the decision whether to become an elite or not .

-          The most important thing is to analyze over the past year, is the quality of the motivation and competitive nature of the athlete.

After having made ​​a profound analysis of the athlete, and finding ​​the conclusions how the athlete has to work to achieve a good result, then they can begin with the preparation phase.

Note:  Triple jumpers have to work very hard to achieve every inch. When an athlete reaches 29 or 30 years old and has already past the 16.50/16.80m barrier but has not yet reached the 17 m+, the training program must be different. I mean the athlete has to work harder on the basis of quality rather than quantity. The athlete should only be working on Quantity, when e.g. he has a problem with technique or rhythm, and has to fight to achieve progress.

 According to my experience working 20 year as a professional coach, I can tell you, that most of the top triple jumpers, start achieving the results from the 29 or 30 years. Only the Cuban triple jumpers, and with some exceptions in Europe, are getting better results from the age of 16-19 years old. Why? The training system of the Cubans is very strong and special, no one in the world, with all respect to the other countries, has as perfect a training system as the Cuban one.

Also I can tell you, if you are 29 or 30+ years old, that your age is not a detriment your progress- in fact this is the age i when your physical constitution is more developed and the bones are even stronger and of course your body is more mature and with more experience. For some athletes,29-30 years old is just the beginning .I know that there is a lot of opinion against that, but my experience tells me something different,  so  it  is up to you to use your determination and try to achieve your goal.

It is very important for a triple jumper to strengthen the ankles, knees and core. Also important is working on endurance and weight, in combination with special plyometric exercises for triple jumpers.

Below I  give an example of a 1 week training programme, but remember, each athlete is different, and the coach is the only one who can say what each individual athlete can or cannot do .

Note: When we build a training program as a coach, it is very important to know,

 the health, weight, physical condition and character of the athlete.

The preparation phase is the most important part that the athletes go thru during the training year,  so it is very important that the athlete completes at least 90% of each workout.

Example first week October;

Monday -45/50min jogging after beach volleyball or basketball game.

Tuesday -train on the beach; special plyometric exercise for triple jump.  Work for power reaction and distance. Specific Weight Training. I want to clarify here that it’s not always necessary to increase the weight each month just to get stronger, but instead use the necessary weight that your body needs to put everything in balance. This, used together with the correct technique, will lead to increase athlete's progress. For example, many athletes do almost 200kg squat, yet are not able to reach 16.50m.

   

Wednesday; If you train in a double session, you can work like this;

 morning session: 50mins/1 hour jogging (try running on sand or grass)

 afternoon session: –weights or special weights for triple jumps. Note; every weight exercise must be accompanied with jumps plyometric afterwards.

Thursday; it is very important for a triple jumper to work on power, time,  space and distance, but to improve these, you have to know how to push the track between the jumps to be able to maintain the speed.This will give you the necessary distance to reach  16.50 to 17m+ for men or 14.30 to 14.95m for women.

-100m uphill for power and downhill for speed.

-Quality combination jumps uphill for power and downhill for time and space. You can work with resistance and weight depending on what the athlete needs.

Friday; 1hour jogging. Special circuit weight for jumper. Core stability, etc.

Saturday- special exercises to strengthen your ankles and knees, along with exercises to increase explosiveness and reaction.

Sunday; rest

This program is for athletes that  have already jumped over  15.80/16.20m. If you jump between 14/15.00m you still have to work really hard with the special base, such as fiber exercises for reaction, special work with hurdles for coordination and rhythm etc. (Note: exercises with hurdles- everybody, elite athlete or not ,has to keep working on these exercises, it but for the young athletes, it is especially important to keep this training all the time in their program).

When you train to be a professional athlete, your program has to be made to increase the development of the athlete each month. According to the quality of athlete, perhaps he has to work harder in the sand or on the grass, or has to work more with resistance and speed than other athletes, so it is very important that coaches maintain a strict look at the development of each training.  

Note, triple jumpers have to have a strong core, I mean your coach has to prepare a good training program which must include core stability exercise at least 4 times a week.

 Remember this program is to give you an idea of what you can do, not to take it as part of your program.  

  

    

I am looking for one or two athletes II:

At the moment I have a long jump athlete from Europe, but I am still looking for another athlete who is specialized in Triple jump, (Male or female).  The person, who has interest, has to be available to train only on Saturdays from 10.00am -12.30pm.

Please note that I keep the same conditions - the athlete who is prepared to train with me has to be punctual, responsible and willing to get to the top level. You don` t have to pay me, but will have to pay your own entry fee into the track, which is 3 pound per day,  and if you come from abroad, you  will have to be able to arrange your own  accommodation in London.

This is a good opportunity for athletes to improve your technique in Triple Jump under expert tuition. 

Rest--Very Important for Triple jumpers.

The training of a triple jumper is considered as the most rigorous in athletics. If we look at this discipline, the fact that the impact on the jumper’s legs is 8 times his body weight, we can determine level of training that a triple jumper has to undergo.

If an athlete with good technique is undergoing a crisis in training, almost always the reason for this crisis is because the athlete has not given the physical progress time enough to settle. Hard workouts weaken the body but rest allows the body to repair itself, becoming stronger than before.

I want to clarify that in my experience the rest of a triple jumper is not only the stopping of training, or not doing anything for a couple of days. Staying active like running for 30 or 45 minutes in an easy way --ice baths (cryotherapy) or employ restorative practices, Including massage or even yoga is one of the most effective ways to achieve full recovery and improve performance. As recovery is a fundamental basis for all athletes, they have to learn the importance of this type of Sports Break.

I want to clarify that not all athletes react in a positive way to the break, therefore is it so important to make an effective planning break for each jumper. The recovery is the most important in the improvement of performance, and periods spent in  recovery, will allow you to maintain that very difficult balance to  between rigorous training and rest, and to feel in the best conditions and compete at your best.

Many sports scientists have formed a theory about rest which generalizes to almost all athletes from different sports. But when we talk about Triple Jump, rest is almost unmatched with any of the other disciplines of athletics or other sports in general. Thus, warm up, adequate hydration and eating well, are all needed in the rest period so that the body recovers well and assimilate the training sessions. Good quality sleep is also necessary in order for the body to recover and assimilate good training sessions. For a full recovery, the athlete is required to sleep at least 8 hours, although elite athletes require at least 10 hours of sleep daily.

 Although the recovery period means taking a break from the sport, a well-prepared and fit athlete will not lose his condition if he takes some rest without training. In fact an athlete who is good and does no physical activity may end up losing 5% to 10% of his physical form, but this is something   he can easily recover. 

I am looking for one or two athletes:

It has been a while since my last comment in my blog-I’ve been busy with some research on a training program for jumpers, especially for long jump and triple jumper. In connection with this, I am now looking for one or two athletes (male or female) who are willing to train with me for three months in London. The location is at Battersea Park Athletic Track

You have to be able to train Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday Friday and Saturday in the morning session from 10am to 12.30pm.

I want to clarify that the athlete who is prepared to share these three months with me has to be punctual, responsible and willing to get to the top level. You don` t have to pay me, but will have to pay your own entry fee into the track, which is 3 pound per day,  and if you come from abroad, you  will have to be able to arrange your own  accommodation in London.

This is a good opportunity for athletes to improve your technique in either Triple Jump or Long Jump, under expert tuition. Any interested athletes can contact me by e mail at

panicoach@gmail.com.