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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 […]

Asafa Powell, Lolo Jones in the Olympics’ Best Of Us Challenge

  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) just launched The Best of Us Challenge, a global competition in which ordinary individuals compete against their peers and Olympic athletes such as Asafa Powell, Lolo Jones, pole vaulters Steve Hooker & Yelena Isinbyeva and multi-eventer Carolina Kluft.  Yes, it even includes Michael Phelps!
It’s all for a good cause […]

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 […]

Massage, Recovery, and Massage Sticks

If you can’t afford a daily massage, then I recommend at least a weekly massage as a bare minimum.  A good therapist will cost anywhere above $70 USD per hour.  I find 1 hour insufficient for the lower body, so my sessions are usually 75 or 90 minutes long.
$70 bucks may be pretty steep for […]

NIKE Paints it Black for Marathon Season with Limited Edition NIKE LunarGlide+ Shoe Collection

NIKE, Inc. introduced the Nike LunarGlide+ Race Collection to celebrate the brave achievements of marathon runners worldwide. With a seamless blend of fashion and function, the Nike LunarGlide+ Race Collection features nine shoes that combine city-inspired design touches with premium performance benefits including Dynamic Support, LunarLite and Flywire technology.
Nothing fuels the heart and soul […]

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 […]

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 […]

How Much Sleep Do We Need? Use REM Cycles

Once again, with standard time approaching and daylight savings time ending, you actually gain an extra hour of sleep and that alone can screw up your sleeping patterns.
At least temporarily.
But what about oversleeping?  How many people, especially teenagers, sleep over 10 hours a day?  WebMD carried an article on Physical Side Effects of Oversleeping.
So the […]

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 […]

Glorified Pop Tarts - The Truth behind Cereal Bars and Breakfast Bars

Road Trips.
Jackson Browne Load-Out Stay lyrics says it all:
And these towns all look the same We just pass the time in our hotel rooms And wander ’round backstage Till those lights […]

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 […]

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 […]

More Natural Painkillers - MSM and Celadrin

I am currently based about 40 minutes north of Rome in a town called Nepi.
Nepi is famous for their natural bubbly spring water (Acqua di Nepi) where locals can bring their empty bottles and fill them up for free between the hours of 2-6pm.  The bubbly water tastes like Perrier but the price is right.  […]

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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