There are three universal components in improving your fitness and conditioning:
-DURATION, how long you workout, which is, at a minimum 20-30 minutes
-FREQUENCY, how often you workout, which is at least 3-4 times a week
-INTENSITY, how hard you work out.
Most coaches feel comfortable with controlling duration and frequency but when it comes to intensity it becomes more of a hit or miss with most coaches.
As a former coach for 12 years I would, in my first team meeting at a new school, start with this statement, "who is the best coach in the room?" After a minute of looking at a group of young puzzled faces and a few fingers pointing in my direction, I would respond with a resounding, "nope." I quickly let them know that I might have seen their times from last year and think that they could win district this year, and that their Dad might think they will be this years state champion and that their Mom thinks they will be a national champion, heck their Grandma might think their ready for the Olympics. But when that gun goes off, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, we are not the ones competing. The outcome of that race is squarely on their shoulders.
What I also let them know it doesn't matter what I know about speed development, training, conditioning, and other various field event skills, it's not about me . I use the example of a NFL playbook being found and used by a high school football team, it doesn't mean that they will win any more games than they did the year before. What it comes down to is the individual commitment and determination of the athletes.
I always told my teams to look at me as their personal trainer and that together we would work to improve their performance. If they did what I asked them to do I guaranteed them they would improve. This might seem counter to what I was trying to convey in my earlier message about their performance being totally up to them, but one of the many things they would learn from me is how to train purposefully and with intensity. It was by their actions, by design, that they would improve their performance. Athletes that stand on the podium did not get their by accident, it was done by deliberate actions of a carefully laid out plan.
After years of coaching I went to the dark side, central administration, but stayed very connected to track by becoming a starter. What sparked my interest in starting this journey as a private track and field coach, was what I was hearing track coaches and parents telling their kids at track meets. Although the words might have been meant to be encouraging or helpful, they simply did not do anything to improve performance. Often what was actually said to athletes was counter productive and if they attempted to comply with the instructions, it would actually reduce their performance.
-DURATION, how long you workout, which is, at a minimum 20-30 minutes
-FREQUENCY, how often you workout, which is at least 3-4 times a week
-INTENSITY, how hard you work out.
Most coaches feel comfortable with controlling duration and frequency but when it comes to intensity it becomes more of a hit or miss with most coaches.
As a former coach for 12 years I would, in my first team meeting at a new school, start with this statement, "who is the best coach in the room?" After a minute of looking at a group of young puzzled faces and a few fingers pointing in my direction, I would respond with a resounding, "nope." I quickly let them know that I might have seen their times from last year and think that they could win district this year, and that their Dad might think they will be this years state champion and that their Mom thinks they will be a national champion, heck their Grandma might think their ready for the Olympics. But when that gun goes off, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, we are not the ones competing. The outcome of that race is squarely on their shoulders.
What I also let them know it doesn't matter what I know about speed development, training, conditioning, and other various field event skills, it's not about me . I use the example of a NFL playbook being found and used by a high school football team, it doesn't mean that they will win any more games than they did the year before. What it comes down to is the individual commitment and determination of the athletes.
I always told my teams to look at me as their personal trainer and that together we would work to improve their performance. If they did what I asked them to do I guaranteed them they would improve. This might seem counter to what I was trying to convey in my earlier message about their performance being totally up to them, but one of the many things they would learn from me is how to train purposefully and with intensity. It was by their actions, by design, that they would improve their performance. Athletes that stand on the podium did not get their by accident, it was done by deliberate actions of a carefully laid out plan.
After years of coaching I went to the dark side, central administration, but stayed very connected to track by becoming a starter. What sparked my interest in starting this journey as a private track and field coach, was what I was hearing track coaches and parents telling their kids at track meets. Although the words might have been meant to be encouraging or helpful, they simply did not do anything to improve performance. Often what was actually said to athletes was counter productive and if they attempted to comply with the instructions, it would actually reduce their performance.