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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 […]

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 […]

400 Meter Training Tips from Bill Bowerman

Bill Bowerman is more famous for co-founding NIKE and coaching long distance runners, but he did coach sprinters and field events.  I covered Harry Jerome and Otis Davis in previous articles.
From his book Bill Bowerman’s High-Performance Training for Track and Field (Third Edition) he compares the training patterns of Stan Wright, Jim Bush, and John […]

Otis Davis, 1960 400 meter and 4×400m Olympic Champion

In my last article about the Harry Jerome, Bill Bowerman and the University of Oregon connection, I didn’t mention Otis Davis, the Rome 1960 400 meter and USA 4×400m Olympic Champion.
I am currently in Rome, so there is a special connection every time I visit the Rome Olympic Stadium, whether it’s for the Rome Golden […]

Proposal to the IAAF - Scheduling the 100 200 400 for Usain Bolt

If Usain Bolt runs the 400 meters in 2010 or 2011 as promised, and sets the WR in the process, he might consider running the 100, 200, 400 and 4×100m relay all in the same Olympics to achieve his 4 Gold medal dream.  He will achieve iconic status if he accomplishes this incredible feat.
To beat […]

43.18- It was 10 Years Ago Today - August 26, 1999

If the number forty-three-point-one-eight (43.18) doesn’t mean anything to you, then you aren’t a real Quarter-miler.  One day, that number (or lower) will be the 100 meter freestyle swim record.
It was ten years ago today, Michael Johnson set the Men’s 400-meter world record in Seville.
Michael Johnson should have demolished the 400 World Record in Zurich […]

100-200-400 Sprint Doubles and Triples

When Michael Johnson became the first man to win the 200-400 double at the same Olympics, a lot of people didn’t know that feat was accomplished TWICE by a female athlete.  USA’s Valerie Brisco-Hooks did it in the Eastern Boycott Olympic Games of Los Angeles in 1984.  Then Marie-Jose Perec of France did it hours […]

When Should an Athlete Double Up?

This is part 2 of the article Running 100 Meters before your Big Race.
With the USATF National Championships around the corner, you have to ask yourself when is a good time to double.
Unlike the Olympics or Olympic Trails spread over 8 –10 days, the USA system is 4 days long and only 3 days for […]

World Championships Relay Team Selection Policy

Interesting email from the USATF this week.  Relay selections has always been a center of controversy ever since the 1936 Olympics.
Prior to 1936, the 4×100m relay pool was a special group of athletes outside of the individual 100 meter athletes.
Then, usually the medal winners at the Trials plus the 4th place finisher were the four […]

How to Run an Indoor 400 meters - 2009 Euro Champs

Thoughts on the 2009 European Indoor Athletics Championships in Torino

What is the best way to run an indoor 400 meters?

Run hard, but relaxed to the break at 150m, grab the lead, and try to hang on staying relaxed as much as possible? Surge if a runner attempts to pass you on the straightaway?

Or, run […]

Baton Exchanges: How to Run the 4×200m & 4×400m

The post on the CIS indoor 4×200 meter relay showed some interesting analysis on how to properly exchange batons for a relay. April is around the corner, and that means Relay season. Penn, Drake, Texas… you name it!

I prefer to use a visual exchange for both 4×200 and 4×400m relay. The 1968 […]

Sebastian Bayer - 8.71m Long Jump

The world is still buzzing about Sebastian Bayer’s 8.71m Long Jump on his 6th and final jump. And it wasn’t performed with a fancy 2-and-a-half hitch kick either.

Here’s a good question for Track and Field Coaches:

In the long jump and triple jump, should you try to win the jump on your first jump?

Or try […]

Indoor 4×400 meter Relay - Put Your Best Runner First

Thank you, Dale Garland of Great Britain.

He quoted on BBC that you should put your best runner first on an indoor 4×400 meter relay.

I always use this strategy on indoor relays such as 4×200 and 4×400. It’s better to get in front, and let them catch you.

So I agree with Dale. With tight […]

IAAF 4×400 Meter Relay Split Times from Beijing 2008

The IAAF article can be found here. Click here to download the PDF file.

How were these splits recorded?

Transponder antennas were laid under the track at the 0m, 100m, 200m and 300m. Athletes wore chips on the inside of their front bib numbers, so when they crossed the transponder threshold, a time was registered.

This sound […]

Ground Contact Time, Stride Length and Fatigue in the 400m

This study showed the kinetic parameters at 150m and 350m during a 400m race. The male subject was the 44.94 by Thomas Schönlebe and the female subject was the 48.56 by Marita Koch. Some may argue the latter was also a male.

The study was from “Incidenza dell’allenamento di forza su alcuni aspetti structurali […]

What is Speed Reserve? Part 2 - Training Methods

Click here for What is Speed Reserve? Part 1 - 400 meter Sprinter types

The news of Usain Bolt going after the 400 WR in 2010 inspired me to write this article.

What is Speed Reserve?

Speed Reserve, or Anaerobic Speed Reserve (ASR), is simply the difference between your maximum speed and your maximum aerobic speed.

The concept is […]

What is Speed Reserve? Part 1 - 400 meter Sprinter types

Before I discuss the topic of speed reserve, I want to talk about the different types of 400 meter sprinters.

Types of 400 meter runners

100/200 sprinters moving up to the 400m: In the past, short sprinters moving up the distance were rare. Remember Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire? Today, we’ve […]

PODCAST - 400 meter Training with Iwan Thomas

Iwan Thomas is the current UK record holder at 400 meters with a time of 44.36 seconds. His best year was definitely 1998 where he won the gold at all 3 major “championship meets” that year, notably the IAAF World Cup, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

He also won a silver medal at the 1996 […]

IAAF New Studies in Athletics - focus on 400 meters

The latest issue of IAAF New Studies in Athletics special edition focused on the 400 meters:

The 400 metres by Jurgen Schiffer
The aerobic mechanism in the 400 metres - by Enrico Arcelli, Marina Mambretti, Giuseppe Cimadoro, Giampiero Alberti
New Studies in Athletics Interview with Clyde Hart

The IAAF New Studies in Athletics is published quarterly in March, June, […]

Obituaries - 400 meter Specialist Larry James 1947-2008

In the past 18 months this Blog has been around, we’ve had a few great ones pass away in such a short period of time:

Al Oerter
Herb McKenley
Peter Norman
Robert Taylor

And now Larry James.

Larry James is best known for his silver medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics in the 400 meters with a time of 43.97 […]

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