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4×100 Meter and 4×110 Yard Relay Trivia

Here is some history of the 4 x 100 meter world record progression.
The first time the 40 second barrier was broken was in 1936 Berlin Olympics with Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Foy Draper, and Frank Wykoff setting a WR in 39.8 seconds.
At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the 4×100m WR was 39.5 set by the American […]

Loyalty & Patriotism, Who do you Root for?

I often wondered…
What happens when you coach International athletes?  Who do you root for?  Your own country, or your own athletes?
Going back to the Rome 1960 Olympics, when Elvin "Ducky" Drake at UCLA coached both Rafer Johnson AND Yang Chuan-Kwang of Taiwan in the Decathlon, who was he rooting for?  During those incredible two days, […]

Tommie Smith’s 11 Concurrent World Records

I re-read Tommie Smith’s autobiography Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith (Sporting) and he mentions in Chapter 2 FOUR times that he held 11 World Records concurrently.  The "11 World Records" are also mentioned on his Bio on the inside of the back cover.
But nowhere in the book does it list all the […]

USATF Podium Education Project, December 2009 in Orlando, FL

INDIANAPOLIS - Some of the world’s most respected coaches and scientists are among the scheduled presenters for USATF’s Podium Education Project, Dec. 10-13 and Dec. 17-19 in Orlando, Fla.
The featured speaker for both sessions will be German biomechanist Dr. Klaus Bartonietz. The author of countless articles on biomechanics and technique for throwing events, weightlifting and […]

Dwain Chambers, Ato Boldon and Box Jumping

Several years ago in the days before YouTube, there was a viral video of Ato Boldon doing a 60 inch or 1.50m box jump (approximately).  Obviously, people confused this with the vertical jump or vertical leap test, but it is a good indication of explosiveness.  And bravery.
I am a firm believer in plyometrics, and I […]

Tom Tellez’ 5 Phases of the 100m Sprint

I mentioned the previous USATF SuperClinic in the article on Dwayne Miller, LaShawn Merrit’s coach.
Among the wealth of information provided at this clinic was a lecture and handout from Tom Tellez. 
Tom Tellez requires no introduction… you can read the article Sprinting: A Biomechanical Approach Part 1 (Part 2 is here) for a detailed look […]

Barefoot Running and the Vibram FiveFingers Sprint

I’m standing in front of the Arch of Constantine which is next to the Coliseum in the heart of Rome.
This historical monument was the finish line for the 1960 Rome Olympic marathon where Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won the race barefoot.
Did I mention barefoot?
Running barefoot has its benefits, and today’s running shoe with all […]

Another 1968 Olympic Book by Richard Hoffer, Journalist

When you think of the Political Olympics, you immediately think of 1936 & 1972.  Some may include 1968 “up there” in the ranks.  While you`re at it, add 1980 and 1984.  Heck, add Montreal 1976 with the African boycott and the whole Taiwan mess.
That is why Ben Johnson’s 1988 Seoul race was so special.  For […]

How NOT to do Sled Training

In the YouTube video below, we have Veronica Campbell-Brown training with Tyson Gay.  Two world class athletes.  Fast forward to the 1:20 mark and you will see VCB doing a variety of 4 drills with a sled or harness.
First, who am I to argue if these drills and exercise are crap, considering the success of […]

Good Luck and Bad Luck Superstitions - the Olympic 1952 110mH

Do you have any Track and Field Superstitions?  Hallowe’en is around the corner!
I used to always wear black and yellow sweat pants and sweatshirts.  Why?  Because they are the colours of a Tiger.  The last time I checked, tigers were fast animals.  (I stole the idea from a Rocky movie)
I also wore a T-shirt of […]

How to Increase Indoor Track Attendance & TV Coverage

I have an idea on how to increase the indoor Track and Field attendance, as well as TV coverage… chase after obscure World Records.  That is, chase after WRs set in Yards from over 25 years ago.
A recent case of this type of marketing was the special 500 yards WR setup for Jearl Miles-Clark, […]

Flying 30 for Sprinters: Achieving Max Velocity and Maintaining it Over the Critical Area of Race

The post was written by Ed Barber, currently the Sprints / Pole Vault / Multis coach at Hartnell College in Salinas, CA.
A Level III certified USATF Coach, Coach Barber took Calvin Harrison (44.78) to the Olympic Trials in Atlanta 1996.   Calvin went on to earn a gold medal in the 4×400m Relay.

Flying 30 for […]

Asafa Powell and Carmelita Jeter - Peak Training Age

Can you imagine having a 17 year old male sprinter on your team who runs 11.45 for 100 meters, then the following year as a Junior he runs 10.50.  10.30 is the IAAF “A” standard so you dare to write him off as “Nah, he’ll never be a world class sprinter” kind of attitude.  Would […]

WANTED: Sprinters to Test Sprint Spikes

Saucony is looking for wear testers who compete in sprints events (400m or less) and would be willing to wear test their new sprint spike.
Testers will be asked to test the spike over a period of 6 weeks, and might be asked to do several rounds of testing.
Testers who are selected and complete […]

Differences in Maximal Speed Running between Baseball Players and Sprinters

With the World Series in full swing (no pun intended), I couldn’t help but notice how baseball players run “slightly different” than Track and Field sprinters.
I’ve often argued that in a 40 yard dash test, technical changes are required just to cover the distance in 36.8 meters.  The starting position is a good example.  You […]

Italian Sprint Heroes - Livio Berruti 200m Rome 1960

During my prime running years, Pietro Mennea’s 200m WR was the holy grail.  19.72 was the 200m WR standard for 17 years.
In fact, Pietro Mennea won the 200m 1980 Olympics in the Moscow Boycotted Olympics.  He also won the Bronze medal at 1972 Munich Olympics at the same distance.  Mennea competed in 4 Olympics (72-76-80-84).
When […]

Do Curves Matter? Indoor vs. Outdoor World Records

NOTE: Some of my older guest posts on other Websites are now being shut down due to the economic climate. Thus I will present them here.
How much do the tight indoor curves affect your performance?
Even with the banked curves to counteract the centripetal forces, it does affect your stride length and stride frequency, and […]

The Return of Konami Track and Field Arcade Game

Who was a teenager or young adult during the 1980”s? 
Who remembers spending countless quarters on the Konami Track and Field Video arcade game?
What techniques did you use to hit the buttons at a rapid-fire rate?  Cadence was the key! Some even used a flat pencil back and forth to hit the two buttons.
I remember […]

Motivation for Blanka Vlasic - Kostadinova 2.09m WR High Jump

Being in the Rome Olympic Stadium sure brings back a lot memories.
In 1987, it was the prelude to Seoul when Ben Johnson beat Carl Lewis in 9.83 breaking the old record of Calvin Smith’s 9.93.  BJ’s 9.83 was later wiped from his admittance to steroid use, despite testing negative at the competition.  Carl’s 2nd place […]

Speed and Strength Training with Resistance Bands

DYNA-BAND 6ft Green Medium Resistance Band
Resistance bands are great.
They can easily be rolled up to take along for travel.
You can tie 2 together and make a large loop.
You can shorten the length for extra resistance.
Resistance bands are available in a range of colours that relate to their stiffness or resistance. Colour-coding varies between the brands […]

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