John's BLOG
Coaching, jumps, sprints & more
Everything about jumping and sprinting and how to improve your performance
Do you want to increase your coach educatIon?
Perhaps find the current set-up for educating coaches lacking? Perhaps you think that coach education (and much produced by organisations around the world) is too elitist and produced for those who only coach top athletes??? Perhaps you find it more about health and safety (vital issues of course) and not about what you really signed up for i.e. coach. Or maybe you've found that coach education actually doesn't prepare you to coach ... to answer such very "useful" questions as: What technique can I teach a 13-year-old long jumper? How can I plan my weekly training in a way that will produce better performances and not waste time??? WELL I MAY HAVE AN ANSWER! Since setting up my YouTube channel I've tried to answer these questions and many more from coaches and athletes from all around the world. The channel is nearing 20k subs and ha had 2 million plus views with an average view time of 2.5min, with viewers watching on average 2.5 videos a time. When I started making YT videos I didn't think that the momentum would build to such an extent ... so, perhaps there is the demand for answers to the questions I began with. JOIN A LIKE-MINDED COMMUNITY OF COACHES Recently I have had numerous requests from coaches in particular wanting more information, specific questions answered and longer format videos. This coincided with YT enabling memberships on my channel. So, I have taken the plunge and have set-up memberships (link to left) on the channel. THERE ARE TWO LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP Channel Supporter: £1.99 (or dollar equivalent) This level is really there should you care support the channel. However, from time to time I will release exclusive content which you won't get on the channel and occasionally I'll preview other content first with channel supporters. Coach Member: £22.99 (or dollar equivalent) This level will allow us to go into greater detail about the types of questions coaches clamour for answers to as posed at the beginning of this post i.e. how do I plan a typical week's training for a young jumper? I will upload at least one exclusive video a month which addresses such a key subject. We can also more easily communicate via the Coach Members' comments section and community posts. In time I also hope to be able to offer live streams where we can really delve into the key coaching issues that you and I face. So, if you are interested and want to find out more please take a look via this LINK to MEMBERSHIPS You can watch a clip from my first exclusive video below - please note I will still be posting free videos most Fridays too.
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A while back I posted about the Nurokor MiTouch bioelectrical device. It uses three different electrical currents called apps on the device (to put it simply) to treat and train muscles. The phone-size device enables four pads to be connected to work various body parts. I've been using the device since around April.
Initially I spent time researching the performance benefits of EMS (the catch-all term) - there's actually quite a lot which indicates that strong, short circa 10-sec x 10 bursts of EMS using a very strong intensity can increase muscle power very rapidly on individually treated muscle groups. Famed or infamous coach, Charlie Francis used EMS back in the eighties with success and indeed his protocols are still advocated today. I discovered contemporary research that vindicates a similar application. I really need to drill down on the performance use aspects of the Nurokor MiTouch and provide the older athletes who have the device with a real programme for them to follow this season. MY EXPERIENCE Myself, I've been using the device regularly and have now reached a stage where I can more fully appreciate my own experiences especially for injury and aches and pain treatment. In short the overall results are more than favourable. For example, where the MiTouch has really worked for me is in treating sore Achilles tendons. Hots sore spots and Achilles tendonosis (degradation of the tendon's tissue) are common in sprinters. I've found that regular treatment with the MiTouch has alleviated the sore to the touch symptoms virtually immediately enabling me to carry on sprinting and running. I'll use the Pain+ function (designed to reduce pain and kick-start cellular recovery processes) for 20min on the tendon (see pics) and will then switch to using the MCS (miscrocurrent app) for 30-40min. The former uses a specific pulse and waveform and therefore you feel the constant ebb and flow of the current working the area, with the MCS you don't feel it working although it is. Incidentally MCS has a long medical history of use for wound healing through specially designed bandages. On a sore hip my pain has decreased using similar protocols to the Achilles whilst treating around the hip and the ITB. I've yet to work out the reasons for why this area became sore although, it erks me to to say this, it could be age (!) or a mattress needing replacing! All in all I'd recommend the Nurokor MiTouch as a way to alleviate pain and to keep on moving freely. WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NUROKOR MITOUCH AND GET A 10% DISCOUNT CLICK HERE I must be somehow getting better at making videos as I was asked by leading athletic equipment supplier NEUFF to produce a video on acceleration for them. In it I talk about the value of developing acceleration for all athletic events and I also take a look at some of the means used to develop it - such as hill running, harnesses and sleds. Technique is also considered - such as body angles and heel recovery. I also consider the land, for example, which should be placed on a sled and how too great a resistance can negatively affect sprinting biomechanics. To hopefully provide some clarity I also explain why adding a heavy weight to a sled can also act as a conditioning means for the more senior (training mature) athlete, Let me know what you think of the video. And if you're looking for sleds, harnesses and other items of athletic kit for all events do head over to NEUFF. FOR ALL ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT: PLYO BOXES, MED BALLS, THROWING IMPLEMENTS, SLEDS AND STARTING BLOCKS GO TO NEUFF ATHLETIC What do I mean, well the lack of competitive opportunities for athletes, who have been trying to train as best as they can. This seemingly applies to athletes from all over the world at the moment and is affecting the various track & field events differently. Of course, I’m particularly concerned with the long and triple jumps being the events I coach. Our UK’s English, Welsh and Scottish Champs have all been cancelled and we wait to see whether any higher-level comps (other that the British Champs scheduled for September) will actually happen. Elite athletes in the sprints jumps, hurdles and throws seem to be finding the odd comps abroad but here our lock-down restrictions have mitigated against limited scale meets being run for those of a lesser level and of course young athletes. One of the main issues to limit UK comps has been that very few tracks were open … and it’s only now in late July that they are unlocking their gates and putting into practise COVID secure environments. For many tracks the locks are still in place for field events as well … my local track, for example, will open soon but the pits won’t – yet, the alternative one I’m currently using does allow pit usage and has done for numerous weeks. There are anomalies and a major one is between sports where football can be played competitively … Last night I watched a specially staged long jump meeting from Sweden featuring many of the country’s top jumpers and it was supported by the Swedish Federation. The broadcast quality was top-notch. Tobias Montler and Khaddi Sagnia both competed in Gothenberg. It seems that there will be a series of these meetings. I believe the driving force behind them is top Swedish Coach – Yannick Tregaro (who presented at the European Jumps and Sprints Symposium which was held last Dec in Karlstad, Sweden and which I attended). So, it seems that I and fellow coaches will have to follow Yannick’s lead if we want to have any regular jumps comps in the UK this year, but having looked at the documentation produced to run one it’s going to take some organising and a stumbling block may well be finding a track willing to cooperate. So, watch this space for if and when we put on any jumps meets. I certainly want to make it happen. Click on the banner below to watch the meeting from Sweden. ![]() Percussive therapy Theraguns are percussive devices used by athletes to help them warn-up and recover from their workouts and competitions. They have become increasingly popular in recent years. John Shepherd takes a look at the Theragun Elite. Theraguns were invented around 2008 by chiropractor Jason Wersland. Wersland was unfortunately involved in a bad road traffic accident in the States when riding his motor bike. Paradoxically he was on his way to his final exams to become a chiropractor. The crash left him in a lot of pain – particularly soft tissue pain. And it was because of this that during his convalescence he determined to invent a machine which would treat his injuries and manage his pian. Using DIY skills and bits and pieces of various devices he constructed a rudimentary Theragun. The rest as they say is history as Wersland gained backing and support for the use of his devices - so much so that Theragun, now branded under Therabody, is the leading percussive therapy brand in the world. Putting it to the test I trialled the Theragun Elite the second from the top of the range model in the company’s line-up behind the Theragun Pro. I found it has everything that any athlete would need for such a device (the Pro has, for example, a greater stall speed and storable programmes). The stand-out feature for me was the app guidance and Bluetooth connectivity. Many times, athletes will get a hold of a device for massage or warm-up but do not know how to use it specifically, well the Therabody app takes away all the head-scratching. You connect your Theragun to the app and you can allow it to take over and lead you through a specific session. I found this very intuitive to use and obviously of great value when starting out to use the device. You can, for example, select the body part you want to work on from the app, and with the Theragun connected, work for a specific time on that body part. The app shows which attachment to use (there are five) and the recommended grip, for example, so that you can more comfortably get it into the area that you want to treat. And a graphic indicates how to sweep the device across the relevant area making sure you get maximum benefits. A further cool feature is the fact that the app will actually switch the Theragun off after each treatment. You can also manually control the amplitude of the Theragun from 2400PPM to 1750PPM depending on the type of effect you desire and vary the pressure you apply (the stall speed being 40lbs). To use the device sweeping movements are generally recommended. The lighter the pressure the more the effect will target recovery, whilst the stronger the pressure the more the effect will be stimulatory. If you have sore muscles and knots, it’s advised that you work around these to reduce the inflammation and apply gentle pressure. So, don’t “hammer” away at the painful area, as in all likelihood you will make the area worse. You want to break down the knot and achieve increased healing blood flow. After a treatment you will probably feel heat in the targeted area and sometimes a tingling feeling which is due to the increase in blood flow. I’ve used the device for both recovery and for warm-up purposes and have found it to be useful for both. A specific example, I had a sore ITB and the Theragun certainly reduced the soreness over a couple of days of treatment. I do like to see if there is any research on products tested (where relevant) and at the time of writing I was unable to locate any, unlike with for example, EMS/Bioelectrical devices. So, we have to rely on personal experience and more anecdotal evidence which is favourable for use from a wide range of sources. The Theragun Elite is easily transportable and quickly charged and is a lot quieter than the previous third generation which I previously tested. Ergonomically it’s also more comfortable to use as a result of the subtle design tweaks. Theragun Elite Specs OLED Display Can store 3 pre-set programmes 40lbs stall speed 2400-1750 PPM speed 16mm amplitude 120min battery life Wireless charge enabled 5 various treatment attachments Bluetooth connected SRP £375 $399
I regularly get questions posted on aspects of jumping, sprinting and conditioning on my various social media and in particular my YouTube channel., so I thought I would share a couple with you with my answers.
QUESTION 1 TRANSFERENCE OF TRAINING I have been saying the same thing for years be it with runners or swimmers. It is all about thinking about transference and keeping the exercises as close to the chosen sport or activity as possible. I believe in working on challenging stability and making exercises as proprioceptively rich as possible so that the athlete figures out how to create a feeling of 'stiffness' and control is really important. So using plyometric exercises combined with landing and taking off from a slightly unstable surface or Bosu Ball can work OR stepping up onto a Bosu Ball with a weight or sandbag on the shoulders might be more rewarding. Wonder what you think? ANSWER I agree that working on unstable surfaces can be great for proprioception and injury avoidance and learning that "control" needed. One of the best ways, I believe of challenging the long jump take-off, for example, is by using a low mat for the penultimate step (as you may have seen in a video or two of mine). This should only be a couple of cms high and it overloads the take-off improves force absorption and return. We use a 6-10 step approach as it is very demanding. So this drill is very close to the requirements of the long jump take-off and has that direct transference as you indicate. I'm not one for heavy weights and Olympic Lifts in their own right, although we do do these (with the mature jumpers) following more triphasic methods. For young athletes there are far better and much more specific ways to get stronger, for jumping and sprinting from my point of view. With older athletes it's then a case of working out what they need more specifically - which could include a greater emphasis on weights and a specific muscular action. QUESTION 2 SPRINT TECHNIQUE My right thigh gets higher than Asafa Polwell’s one. Maybe it’s just about increasing frequency? ANSWER Your knees need to do forward and up and not just up (as may be the case by the sound of it). Think about moving your hips to generate speed and lifting the heel from the back of the body to the front and across the knee to achieve this also. If you improve your hip speed then your stride length and frequency will improve as well as your technique. There are plenty of videos on the channel which will help you with this. Check out this one. https://youtu.be/2hlZnNWf_wg QUESTION TRIPLE JUMP Double arms or single arm action which is the best,what is difference between this two types. Double arm is probably the best throughout all the phases from a balance and power transference perspective. A single or quarter on the take-off can allow for more speed .- but due to the way the arms can recover it can lead to imbalance in the hop going into the step. Computer models for what they are worth in the real world vindicate the use of a double arm action throughout the phases and also a hop dominant phase ratio. Women tend to use a counter movement swing more for balance than propulsion. Hope this helps Here a useful video: https://youtu.be/YwPdMri6XzA AND DON"T FORGET TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE JUMPER WHERE MANY MORE QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED. ONE OF THE STAND OUT ONES BEING HOW TO RETURN FROM LOCK-DOWN BY ENGLAND ATHLETICS MEDICAL LEAD, PHYSIO Stuart Butler. Click on link to view to go and watch video for more content.
If you are a young athlete (or even an older one) perfecting the triple jump is a bit of an arm wrestle. You get one part right, eg the hop only to mess up the step or the jump! Many coaches will say that it's very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve a perfect triple. I think that's important to consider as a coach or a jumper as invariably - and as I am eluding to - there will always be something that's not quite right in a jump. You've three take-offs, three arm actions (and these could all be different), you've huge forces to overcome .... no wonder the triple is one of the toughest track and field events to master.
As with most events though, if you spend a lot of time working on your technique (and developing the strength, speed and power) that's needed then it will pay off in the long run. And one of these biggest payoffs will be reduced potential for injury. If you don't hop properly with correct balance and landing mechanics for example, then it could well hurt. It's all a layering process of building up the physical and technical components. I, for example, spend much time working on skipping drills, hopping drills and hop and bound combos with the young triple jumpers in order to hopefully create robust and technically proficient jumpers. I've hence pulled together a video that will hopefully go somewhere to explaining some of the fundamentals when it comes to coaching young triple jumpers. You can check it out BELOW: Let me know what you think and stay safe GET FASTER, IMPROVE STRENGTH & RECOVER BETTER WITH BIOELECTRICITY If you're based in the US then follow the LINK and sign up and SAVE 30% on the MiTouch I've found the device helps with recovery and can improve performance by stimulating fast twitch muscle fibre and improving motor learning. The MiTouch uses 5 apps and 3 types of bioelectricity to achieve its results.Check-out the affiliate link above. And for more on the device SEE BELOW
I hope you are coping with lock-down and that in terms of your track (and other sports) participation you are at least maintaining your fitness and if you are a coach coaching virtually, if you're unable to coach face-to-face. I've been beavering away and have just published the summer issue of THE JUMPER. it's packed full of multi-media that will hopefully keep you interested!
CONTENTS In this issue we have articles on how to return to speed after lock-down written by top UK and England Athletics physio Stuart Butler. We also have an article on how to review and monitor your athletes' training by elite Brazilian coach Nelio Moura and an article on jumper's nutrition. I write on the importance of speed for the long and triple jump and unearth some research which relates 100m (and other variables) to potential distance a jumper could achieve (for the long jump). There are also more coach and athlete led features - for example, we talk to Gabe who's a coach of all track & field events based in Singapore. There's also a feature on how Electro Muscular Stimulation can boost athletic performance, plus product reviews. We talk to Markus Lundborg, the triple jumper and driving force behind the Triple Jumpers Podcast and social media.(70.6k followers on instagram!). The Jumper is also packed full of links to my YouTube videos where relevant and external sources. So, all in all there's much to read, watch and listen to. I hope the content assists, educates and entertains you, whether you be a fellow track coach or athlete or involved in another sport.
The days and weeks are becoming as one. The date is just a number and the name of the day attached to the numeral or numerals has become redundant ... to me and no doubt many others at least at this time of lock-down.
We humans live on routine and rhythm - hence the circadian rhythm. What happens when there is little structure and routine can be negative. However, training offers athletes and coaches from all sports something to create that routine and put rhythm back into lives that may be devoid of it in many other respects at present. Sunday, Well, I think it was Sunday, I got up and realised that I had not been out of the house for 5 days (we have a garden and I'd been out in that in the glorious sun that the UK had been having on more than a few occasions). However, I hadn't trained for a couple of days. I felt without energy, listless ... I had to force myself to get out of the house and get to a local park to train. I decided to go to the one that's slightly further afield (1-mile away). Once there I started to run to get to the flatter area that I train on - about a further mile and a bit away. It was an effort, but as one step followed the next I got through one and a half tracks of music on my iPhone. Then I stopped - I didn't want to push on another 500m or so to my "track". I think this can be symptomatic of the current time i.e. that we can struggle mentally to push, "to do", no matter what the task may be. However, I must add that I dislike running for more than 10 minutes - okay, struggle to run more than 10 minutes. I guess, even at my mature age, my fast twitch fibres don't like to eke out the little oxygen they can process. I walked the remaining distance to my training area and did some strides ... it then was as if a weight lifted off my shoulders and I felt light and fast and alive. Thereafter a good few drills were followed by sprints and some longer runs over 100m or so. My whole demeanour changed and I somehow felt more alive and positive (a feeling which remained for the rest of the day). Running fast (no matter how slow that fast may be) has always invigorated me throughout my life as an international athlete and after. The distance runner may have plenty of time to think as they churn through their miles and they'll have plenty of time to fight with the constant voice that might be saying "stop" "slow" "I can't go one". Yet, a sprinter will know how time can also slow down when running a distance that takes seconds. When you are running well, it's as if the world around you is still. You carve through space and time and are fully in-tune with your movements and everything feels easy ... fluent, effortless. You take your recovery but want that speed hit again. As your arms and limbs move as fast as they can they don't create tension, but harmony across your being and you just run - run as if there's nothing holding you back. It's a feeling that I'm lucky stil be able to experience. My thoughts are simple here ... I think. You have to make yourself train sometimes but when you do experience these times (of which many are experiencing at the moment) then you need to do what your mind and body wants. If it's a 5-miler because that's your run distance then that's what you should do. If you are a sprinter then running fast is what you can feed your mind and muscles with. I think the word enjoy is what's describes what I suggest. I, you, we need to sometimes just enjoy what we can do as athletes. It can be difficult at these restricted times to strive, to train as if the Olympics or whatever important meet relevant to your level is fast approaching. But it's not. So, get out, and do what your body and more importantly your mind needs, not what your training plan or even your coach says ... sometimes you just need to do what you need to do to keep yourself, and I will say it, sane. Take that first step ... |
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