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.

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.

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

             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.

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.

 

 

                         

Youth Jumps specialisation

Youth Jumps specialisation is a topic that I am passionate about. I am asked about it a lot in my role as a professional jump coach. The most common question is:

When should a young athlete specialise in Long or Triple jump?

When it comes to track & field, specialisation refers to an athlete preparing and practising for only one event (e.g., triple jump, long jump, high jump, shot put, sprinting, etc) or event group (e.g., jumps, throws, distance running, etc).

If I am asked when a young athlete should begin to specialise in a particular event for instance Triple jump, my response is:

I firmly believe that a young athlete should be treated as a multi-event athlete, until at least 15-16 years of age.

This means that they prepare and practice for, and participate in, a wide range of events available to their particular age group. They run, jump, throw and walk

The Problems of Early Specialisation

Earlier specialisation in the triple jump can result in several problems:

A narrow development of muscles and systems

Early specialisation can result in a restricted exposure to a variety of movements and exercises, leading to a narrow skill-set. For long-term athletics and sporting involvement, and particularly if an athlete has a goal to participate in a higher level or even high-performance sport, they will need to have a wide base of movement experiences on which to call. Early specialisation just does not allow for this. 

Having said that, Where I come from (Cuba), we train talented young athletes for triple jumps, and even as a coach, I have had athletes who with 15 years are already jumping over 15m.

We never have to stop listening to scientists, but I strongly believe that everything depends on the knowledge of the coach. if you have the necessary knowledge to guide a young athlete to specialize in a triple jump or long jump, just do it.

To get results like this below, we need to use our own experience and knowledge.

                                          (Pedro Pichardo 17.98m Olympics Tokyo)

I also believe that inexperience and lack of knowledge are more likely to result in an athlete suffering sports-related injuries. Too much repetition of a particular movement or set of skills can be stressful on an immature body structure.

Also, it is my experience that kids who are specialising are often prescribed inappropriate training content for their stage of development. Too much of the wrong training too soon will almost certainly result in stress injuries.

A jumper needs to work very well on rhythm, balance, time and space, speed, coordination, plyometrics and especially in gymnastic exercises to improve the technique in the transition between the jumps. Of course, the work is of a greater range than what I am saying, that is why the importance of developing the coach's knowledge in this discipline

 

 

 

 

Athletes display the Olympic uniforms for Russian athletes in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Russia presents its Olympic kit for the Tokyo Games, which shouldn't depict any symbols of the country. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

MONACO -- World Athletics has declared 23 Russian track and field athletes eligible to compete under a neutral flag ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

With their national federation under a doping suspension, Russians must apply for individual exemptions to gain "authorized neutral athlete" status after their drug-testing records have been vetted.

High jumper Mikhail Akimenko and race walker Vasiliy Mizinov -- both silver medalists from the 2019 world championships -- were among the names on the list released Saturday by track's governing body.                                                                             

A total of 27 Russian athletes have so far been declared eligible to compete internationally in 2021 as neutrals.

The other four include three-time world champion high jumper Mariya Lasitskene and world champion pole vaulter Anzhelika Sidorova. 

No more than 10 Russian athletes, however, will be granted eligibility to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, under rules approved by the World Athletics council when it recently revived the authorized neutral athlete or "ANA" scheme.

Two applications for ANA status have so far been rejected by the World Athletics doping review board. Saturday's announcement did not identify them. 

The Russian track federation, known as RusAF, has been suspended since 2015 after investigations revealed doping was rife among elite Russian athletes.

The importance of learning a good technique to become a triple jumper.

 

The physical forces involved in triple jump can be particularly damaging to young developing athletes if correct technique is not maintained, However, the balance and co-ordination required to perform the three phases, benefits the long-term development and skill advancement of the athletes involved.

That is why it is so important that the coaches possess a high-quality knowledge, for example, about biomechanical, the kinematics and kinetics of jump for distance, with particular reference to the long and triple jump, and above all extensive knowledge of plyometrics, gymnastics, and coordination exercises, to improve the development of the athletes. There are other factors which I could add here, but I am just listing a few examples.

According to my experience as a professional jump coach, particularly in triple jump, experience plays a big role here. Training athletes for 14m or 15m male or 12m-13m female, is a different matter to training elite athletes for 17m+ male or 14m-14.90m female and I am talking here from my own experience as a coach, having trained athletes for the World and European Championship, for the Commonwealth and Olympics.

I have to say that, even with 25 years of experience, I think that being a triple jump coach is like being a doctor - you never stop learning to improve and develop your own techniques as a coach.  

 

A magnificent result

Yaroslava MAHUCHIKH 2.06 METRES High Jump Banskobystrická latka 2021

I have been following this athlete since 2018 when she competed in the RomeDiamond League. At that time what impressed me the most was the suppleness in with which she overpassed the bar, and the most important thing, the strength of her take off.

Another quality is the technique that she has from the approach to the end of the jump. I think that if there is someone at the moment capable of breaking the record of Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria) 2.09 m, it is this young athlete of Ukraine. 

 

How to make a Triple jumper from zero.

 There are different paths to form a Triple Jumper, but everything has to do with whether the athlete is willing to become a professional jumper.

The other thing is, the coach has to have the knowledge to recognize a talent based on the physical constitutions of the athlete. For example, athlete’s height, coordination, sense of rhythm, posture and the athlete's ability to perform all kinds of plyometric exercises with hurdles or other equipment.

Apart from all the knowledge that the coach must have about the athlete, for a young person to achieve their goals in this discipline, there must be a joint effort between the athlete and the coach.  There must also be mutual trust in order for the athlete  to be able to perfectly comply with the training plans.

A young athlete almost always does different disciplines and within this discipline, they do Long Jump, High Jump and sometimes Pole Vault. Also, they often do sprint and throw or long distance. Even a talent with all this training is not prepared to became a Triple jumper.

To form a triple jumper, the first thing to do is work on the athlete's development base with specific exercises of rhythm and coordination. These exercises have to be done for each individual athlete, in a specific order through the preparation phase, to be able to accurately examine the athlete's progress.

When the athlete is very young and chooses to become a triple jumper, it is very important to work very carefully on the natural strength of the athlete, in combination with speed. We can also use light weights in plyometric exercises, depending on the athlete's ability.

Triple jump, as everyone knows, is a really hard discipline, and the athlete must realize a lot of jumps to improve his techniques, but a young athlete has to be carefully guided when doing all kinds of jumps, (plyometric jumps or specific technical jumps) combined with running on the track.

 

 

IMPORTANT TRIPLE JUMP- LONG JUMP

 There are many qualities you need to be a good triple jumper, for example Speed, Power and Quickness (the ability to quickly take off as soon as you hit the ground between the phases). Also, we cannot forget rhythm, coordination and balance.

When an athlete has those qualities, he has to put it all together to create a perfect balance for the jump.

The approach is one of the most important parts of an athlete's jump and this will be my first topic.

Speed during the approach is essential for Triple jump. The problem here however, is that most jumpers don`t know how to run, and this problem can be found even in professional athletes.  I know that this comment will bring controversy out there, but this is the reality.

Let me explain; as a Coach the first thing that you have to teach your athlete is how run to the board, but also how to control the approach from the beginning, to the take-off moment.

The athlete has to learnt how to push the track during the runway. It feels like grabbing the track with your spike and then passing it under the hip and pushing it back, leaving the track behind you. This push will give the jumper strength and speed.

When an athlete is able to push the track through the approach at the time of the take-off, it is even easier to put the board under the hip, achieving a good and controlled horizontal hop and especially a good distance.

Next, we cannot forget arm coordination; good arm coordination prepares the jumper for the moment of the take-off, in this case the hop.

It doesn’t matter how fast you run- if the athlete is not able to push the track and is not able to control the speed of approach, and top of that does not have good arm coordination, - this will cause instability in the first jump (hop). In most cases, this will cause the body to collapse throughout all the phases, reducing the distance, and possibly leading to injuries of the ankle or the Achilles tendon.

There are many exercises out there to teach the athlete how to really run, but remember that each athlete has their own individual qualities, and therefore any exercise programme should be tailored to meet their specific needs in order to best develop their technical qualities.

After the athlete masters how to run, he has to move on to the next stage, of learning how to bounce, a subject I'll talk about that in my next Blog.

Triple Jump and Long Jump Dutch Championships

 

I have been watching all the national championships in Europe especially the Triple jump and Long jump competitions. As I worked in the Netherlands for many years with various junior and senior athletes, this weekend I watched the Dutch National Championship and I was surprise with the result both by men and women.

I would like to talk about distance, but first I would like to talk about the technique. When I saw the technique, immediately I realized why the distance was so poor. With all respect for all the athletes that competed in the national and their coaches, the lack of technique was alarming, that is why the risk of injury over there is so common especially in triple jumpers.

Holland is a country full of talents with the quality to be one the best in the world in this discipline, but the problem is that until now they haven`t managed to create a culture of jumpers.

When I heard that Fabian Florant is living there, I thought that something would change, but that was not the case. 

I want to say something from my own experience- to be a triple jump coach in the Netherlands is very difficult, and above all when they have to work to achieve results. The Dutch federation does not support this discipline as it does with other disciplines.

In The Netherlands, they don`t have a development program in place to raise this discipline to the second level, and that does not allow coaches to reach the level they require to take athletes to the international level

Observe the biotype of the Dutch athletes -  for example men with a height between 1.85m -2m and women between 1.80-1.90m and by nature they are very strong.  Despite having the perfect qualities to be a good athlete however, the lack of technique makes it very difficult to develop an athlete to the next level.

 I am not saying that all the coaches do not know what they are doing, that is not what I am trying to say here, because I have to acknowledge that Holland has very good coaches. I refer to the knowledge and experience of training athletes at high levels

If you train an athlete to jump over 14.50m female and over 17m male, of course your experience is completely different than when you just train athletes for 13m female and 14m male.

Sometimes you have a big talent, but you ask yourself why he or she does not make progress. You know that they are strong and have the perfect hight and the quality to become a top triple or long jumper, but still he or she doesn’t get the result you are looking for. In order to achieve the result, you will need to have the knowledge, experience and the ability to create training programs for each individual athlete.

Not all athletes can assimilate the same training system, because most of the time what works for one athlete does not work for another athlete, which is why it is so important to have the knowledge to carry out individual specific training programs.

For example, in Holland there are coaches who have no idea how to work with the triple jump base and the worst thing is those who know and have the experience,but they do not know how to implement it during all the preparation phases. The other thing is, they think that the preparation phase should only be used during the first phase, but this is a mistake; The preparation phase should be used in all phases.

To reach 16m by the man or 14m by the women, you will need to train at least 5 days a week for at least 2 hours. This is to allow the athlete to develop a perfect technique and to avoid all types of injuries and achieve satisfactory results every month. That`s why if as an athlete you want to be a professional in triple jump, you will have to train, eat and think like a professional and be able to put aside some of the things that can disturb your career as an athlete.

 I'm not talking about leaving school to became top athletes, because for me education is most important for your future, but you can combine one with the other without any problem.

 There is a way to develop this discipline, and at the same time develop the coaches. Coaches have to organize monthly meetings and talk about technique and how to develop athletes to the next step. It is really important that everyone has to contribute what they know and try to create a healthy jumper culture. You have to put pride aside and create development bases to attract jumpers across the country with the help of the federation or not. That is a good way to lift up this discipline in Holland ,a discipline which at the moment is in the doldrums.

Isinbayeva's appeal to Putin and the IOC to help save Russian athletics

The double Olympic champion warned that the clean athletes of her country will not be able to compete, if on July 1^st the 4.5 million euros fine imposed by the World Athletics is not paid.

Russian athletics is "on the brink of disaster." In this crude and heart-breaking way, former athlete Yelena Isinbayeva has appealed directly to President Putin to resolve the situation which may prevent Clean Russian athletes from competing at any international event. This disaster may happen within a few hours of the July 1 deadline, if the Russian Athletics Federation don’t pay half of the 9 million euro fine imposed by the World Athletics (IAAF). The financial penalty was imposed in January 2020 after the Russian Athletics Federation cover-up, demonstrated in the case of doping controls for high jumper Danil Lysenko. At the time of writing this article, we have no information on the resolution of this situation.

The double Olympic pole-vaulting champion signed a letter to Putin, together with other "clean" Russian athletes, warning him of the seriousness of the situation.  Given the urgency of the payment that was due last Wednesday, July 1^st ,Isinbayeva has also launched an SOS through another letter to World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and the IOC, Thomas Bach, in which she draws the attention of Both organizations, warning that being out of competitions would be "a gross violation of sporting principles and the rights of clean athletes."

In both letters she warned that if the corresponding payment is not made, the Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) process will be suspended, which allows certain Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag. "The international federation has no right to deny the opportunity to Russian Clean athletes who pass a strict selection through the most serious controls, to participate in international competitions, at least, under neutral status. In our opinion, stripping ourselves of these rights is a gross violation of sporting principles and athletes' rights clean, "she concludes.