1. Posture
is one of the most important aspects of running. It ensures that muscles work
efficiently in their optimal position, that the forces are distributed on the
right structures to absorb and redirect them. It also provides enough space for
your ribs to expand and allows an optimal breathing pattern. To work on posture
try skipping rope in your warm-up or drills like A skips with arms above your
head. You can also ask your athletes to stand against a wall, keeping contact
with heels, sacrum, and mid-back and back of the head. Once they are in the
correct position, focus on breathing.
2. Off-season
is a good time to work on less specific aspect of your event (e.g. more aerobic trainings for sprinters). It’s
also the perfect time to do injury prevention exercises and routines. Work on
mobility of the ankle, hip and thoracic spine while stabilizing the knee, core
and shoulder blades. Prepare a little routine they can do at home every day so
during the season you can focus on the important things like speed, power and
technique.
3. Neuromuscular
skills (agility, balance, coordination, speed) are the most important and basic
skills for all your athletes. Working them at a young age will be a good
investment in your future athletes. They are also important during adolescence
while the athletes height, weight and arms/legs length change a lot and
quickly. Also don’t forget that speed is a maximal effort of less than 8
seconds, no matter if you’re a sprinter or a long distance runner.
4. To
have successful athletes you need motivated and focused athletes. Using time of
your training for “mental work” will pay off. For motivation create a good team
spirit, adequate training volume/intensity and set goals at the beginning of
the season. For focus use mental imagery, relaxation technique and drills like
the clock or the raisin. The clock drill consists of looking at a clock and to
snap your fingers every given time (e.g. 5 seconds). The raisin drill consists
of looking, feeling and touching all the details of a raison for 1 minute.
After put the raisin in your mouth and taste it, chew it, feel it for another
minute before swallowing it.
5. Sleep
and nutrition are the most important aspect of recovery. Ask a nutrionnist to
prepare meal advices for before, during and after trainings and meetings.
Nutrition is a lot more than calories and proteins shakes! Educate your
athletes on the benefits of healthy food choices. Sleeping is another big part
where athletes need to be educated. Young athletes tend to have improper sleep
time and quality. Explain them why they shouldn’t play with a screen before
going to bed and how many hours of sleep they need to optimize their training
efforts. Don’t forget, we get better between trainings, not during.
