What is Speed Reserve? Part 1 - 400 meter Sprinter types
January 5, 2009 by Jimson Lee
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 […]
Frank Wykoff on Track and Field Starting Blocks Controversy
January 4, 2009 by Jimson Lee
When you hear the name Frank Wykoff, you immediately think of Jesse Owens in the 1936 Gold medal 4×100 meter relay, along with Ralph Metcalfe and the 2 Jewish athletes that didn’t run (Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller). Frank Wykoff ran the anchor leg in a World Record time of 39.8 seconds.
Frank Wykoff had […]
3 Feel Good Stories of the Year
December 31, 2008 by Jimson Lee
I am going to end the 2008 calendar year with my 3 “good sportsmanship stories” or what I call “Feel Good Stories” of the year. I will focus on the Olympics (of course) and surprisingly this list does not include a gentlemen named Mr. Bolt.
Tia Hellabaut Retires
On December 5, Tia Hellabaut announces retirement and […]
Track and Field Starting Blocks Evolution
December 29, 2008 by Jimson Lee
Starting blocks were developed in the late 1920’s over the alternative of digging holes into the ground. They were patented in 1935, and have officially been used at the start of sprint races since 1937. Several iterations of starting blocks have been filed by the US patent office since then.
They have always been […]
Million Dollar Man Richard Thompson - Bigger than Ato Bolden?
December 28, 2008 by Jimson Lee
I have to admit, it wasn’t until the 3rd or 4th slow motion replay of the Beijing 100 meter final that I noticed the 2nd place finisher raising his arms in triumph.
He was wearing the red and white colours of T&T - Trinidad and Tobago (sorry, Canada). That man was Richard Thompson. He […]
Olympic 100 meter Sprint Videos
December 22, 2008 by Jimson Lee
This YouTube video is called Break the limit - Tribute to Sprinters with the background music “Desert Rose” by Sting.
It starts off with the first electronic recorded 100 meters under 10 seconds by Jim Hines in the 1968 Olympics. I love this video because Lennox Lewis of Jamaica is wearing a simple short sleeve […]
Mondo Rubber Tracks and the Mondo Olympics
December 17, 2008 by Jimson Lee
What would Bob Hayes or Ben Johnson run on today’s new artificial track surfaces?
Mondo has been around since the 1976 Montreal Olympics for Track and Field (Athletics), but Beijing 2008 was the first time using the new Mondotrack.
Like the Speedo LZR swimsuits, the new Mondotrack from Mondo gives sprinters a technological advantage.
We witnessed World Records […]
Increase Vertical Jump with Plyometric Exercises
December 10, 2008 by Jimson Lee
The vertical jump is one of many tests performed at the Football Combine. The following speed, power and explosive tests are as follows:
40 yard dash
Vertical Jump
Max 225 Bench Reps
Standing Long Jump
For Football quickness and agility, they may do the following:
Pro-Agility Test (lateral agility or I-test)
J or L cone Test (another agility test performed in […]
Ben Johnson - The 1988 Lost Seoul Series
December 8, 2008 by Jimson Lee
Where were you on December 8, 1980?
I was studying for my College finals when I heard the news about John Lennon.
Some dates you will always remember. July 20, 1969. September 11, 2001. September 24, 1988. December 26, 2004.
Did I say September 24, 1988?
With the 20th anniversary of the 1988 Seoul 100 […]
Is Bolt the Greatest Athlete Today?
December 5, 2008 by Jay Hicks
Is Bolt the Greatest Athlete Today?
He may not be a decathlete, but Usain “Lightening” Bolt is hands-down the top male athlete in professional sports today. Yes I am talking about the best today - not five years ago, or last year or even potential for the future.
Why?
Besides the fact that the six foot, five inch […]
Dwain Chambers on Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Stride Length and Stride Frequency
December 2, 2008 by Jimson Lee
Here are some quotes from the original article on timesonline.co.uk, and some commentary and analysis that follows it.
On Extrapolating 60 meters performances to 100 meters
Charles van Commenee, the new head coach at UKA, has said that Chambers is welcome back and the sprinter is hoping that this message will lead to a change in thinking. […]
Reaction Time, Usain Bolt and the Pareto 80-20 Rule
November 30, 2008 by Jimson Lee
The 100 meters can be broken down into 3 parts:
reaction time,
acceleration to top speed,
speed endurance,
If you take Usain Bolt’s 9.69 time from Beijing 2008 as a percentage of time, you get:
Reaction time = 0.165 (1.7%),
0-60m without reaction time = 6.155 (63.5%),
60-100m including celebration = 3.37 (34.8%),
The term “Acceleration”, or roughly the first 60 meters or […]
Comparing 100 meter Freestyle and 400 meter Sprinting
November 27, 2008 by Jimson Lee
The 100 meter freestyle in swimming resembles the 400 sprint in running.
Their Elite times are in the mid 40’s second range and both events have similar energy systems: Alactic anerobic and Lactic anerobic.
Between 1968 and 2004, only 7 men has run under the magic 44 seconds barrier for the 400 meters (and two of them […]
Training and the 80-20 rule of Pareto’s Principle
November 20, 2008 by Jimson Lee
Last month, I wrote about the Plan-Do-Check-Act components of the Deming Cycle.
Another theoretical concept that applies to training is the 80-20 rule of Pareto’s Principle. This is not to be confused with the Law of Diminishing Returns.
The 80/20 Rule is a general rule of thumb, or as I call it, a “guesstimate”. It […]
PODCAST - 400 meter Training with Iwan Thomas
November 18, 2008 by Jimson Lee
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 […]
Last Ten 400 meters Dash Olympic Champions
November 17, 2008 by Jimson Lee
I was going to post the last ten 400 meters dash Olympic Champions, but decided to post the last 16 Olympic medalists since the post WWII “modern era”.
To read more about these athletes, click on the link under their name. Some names require no introductions.
This list is a classic, but it leaves me with […]
Asafa Powell Coach Stephen Francis Coaching Seminar
November 16, 2008 by Jimson Lee
If you enjoyed my casual and candid live coaching videos of John Smith with Jon Drummond demonstrating a drills session or Clyde Hart Drill’s session, you might find this series of videos informative from YouTube.
In these videos, we have Coach Stephen Francis explaining how to prepare for sprinting at a session. This was organized […]
IAAF New Studies in Athletics - focus on 400 meters
November 12, 2008 by Jimson Lee
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
November 10, 2008 by Jimson Lee
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 […]
PODCAST: Frans Bosch - Author, Biomechanist, Coach
November 4, 2008 by Jimson Lee
Frans Bosch is a professor of biomechanics and motor learning at Fontys University for Applied Science in The Netherlands. He is also the co-author of “Running: Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology in Practice” with Ronald Klomp. His book “Running” is widely regarded as one of the top sprinting resources for coaches worldwide. An anatomical illustrator, […]








