I first started strength training when I was 15 years old. My Dad had given me his old power bar and I started using that in my bedroom doing curls, presses and squats. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was doing something. I worked at my part time jobs for six months to save up for a set of plastic spinlock dumbbells and a flimsy bench with bar rack.
The Joe Weider dumbbells came with a training programme that was a split routine of bodybuilder type exercises. There was a heavy emphasis on curls and calf raises from what I can remember, all with pictures of a man in briefs looking like he had been dipped in creosote. I followed that three day a week programme for the next year or so.
My first official training programme had an effect, I was eating well and I got stronger. I was playing a lot of different sports at school before I left at 17 years old. That almost looks like an Athletic Development plan!
In the intervening 30 years I have been exposed to many different training environments including the Army, Martial Arts, health clubs and Weightlifting. Currently I am working with gymnasts and seeing a whole different side of strength development.
I have had good training, bad training, and downright ridiculous training. I have worked with many different strength and weightlifting coaches, as well as sports coaches who have helped shape my ideas. I have made a gazillion mistakes on the way, all of which have helped me improve.
It was good to be back on the James and Ian Williams’ sabre camp in Grantham, working with very experienced coaches, Army PTIs and an excellent physiologist (Leo Faulmann).
The fencers were very responsive to the speed warm ups and jumping sessions I did with them. On a busy camp, where our job is to facilitate the fencing experience, our aim was to measure the fencers, but also educate and teach them about correct fitness training.
It was interesting to see the multi bound and jump test: the lack of co-ordination and also leg strength did limit the results. This was also apparent in the multi-direction agility test. The fencers were good at lunging into the movement, but less good at getting out of it.
Improving fencing power and agility
My approach was to show them how to jump, land and then explode again with 2 legs, then with 1 leg. Vertically, linearly and laterally. Once the fundamentals are in place, then it is just a matter of working on co-ordination and timing to be able to apply it all.
As the camp progressed, so did the fencers’ leg stiffness: so we did some relaxing flexibility work outside on the grass.
On my last day I showed them the Oregon sway drill which starts with small lateral movements and progresses to big lunges and spins. This should help them with their movement into and out of the lunge.
This takes time and patience (on my part as a coach) and perseverance (from the fencers). I have to coach to the level of the person in front of me. Sabreurers are just as apt as other fencers at watching videos on youtube of “Italian pliometrics drills“, but they would fall apart if they tried that.
Start with correct mechanics, give them strengthening ideas, and then encourage them to practice.
Improving my coaching
I also had the chance to share many gymnastics ideas with Steve Chappell which was beneficial to me. Leo Faulmann was a goldmine of information and knowledge having worked with fencers for 25 years. That will prove very useful for fencers I work with at the SW fencing hub.
James, Ian and Dmitry Lapkes were all excellent at sharing their experiences and giving me feedback on whether I was going on the right lines or not. I am currently using bullet belts to help movement on the piste, so we had a trail and error play with these top coaches.
I spent a lot of time with individual fencers talking about their individual needs and ideas. It was very rewarding being able to help them in some small way. So thanks to everyone.
‘Good posture is the state of muscular and skeletal balance which protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity irrespective of the attitude in which these structures are working or resting.’ (1)
Why is good posture for athletes so important?
Having good posture means the body is aligned correctly and can work more efficiently.
Having bad posture means that the body is not balanced, therefore your muscles and joints have to work a lot harder because you are trying to align AND move accordingly for your sport.
Why is bad posture so common and how can it affect me?
Lifestyle has changed everybody’s posture dramatically. Adults and children will spend the majority of their day in a seated position i.e. at work hunched over a desk or computer, at school slouched in the chair or again over a desk and driving or being driven.
You will see a lot of bad standing positions too. It’s quite common to see young people shifting their weight onto one leg when standing too. Our bodies are active when we stand, not resting, the muscles should be working to keep our bodies upright. When we slouch we are ‘hanging’ off the joints.
As stated above, bad posture means our bodies have to work harder than usual in any activities we do. It can also cause chronic aches and pains and can lead to injuries in sports because the body isn’t efficient.
Two types of ‘bad’ postures
Lordosis
Exaggerated curve in the Lumbar region of the spine (bottom sticks out, stomach sticks out)
Caused by tight hip flexors – too much sitting – weak abdominals – relaxing these muscles when sitting rather them using them to support the spine.
Stretch hip flexors to increase length. Strengthen stomach muscles (sit up tall as well). (2)
Kyphosis
Exaggerated curve in the Thoracic region of the spine (hunched back, head leans forwards).
Caused by sitting like this at desks/ computer, driving/texting. Results in weak upper back muscles due to being overly stretched and tight chest muscles due to no stretch given in this posture.
Stretch chest muscles. Strengthen upper back muscles. (3)
Can some sports cause bad posture unintentionally?
Typical gymnastic posture
Take a look at gymnastics for example. Their common posture is more towards Lordosis. This posture is ‘practiced’ a lot i.e. after landings and during dance on the floor.
Also, due to their flexibility, a lot of gymnasts will stand badly i.e. bowed or locked out legs and flexible lumbar region of the spine which emphasises the Lordosis posture.
Gymnasts will have trained early (early specialisation) causing their bodies to only know that way of moving, rather than trying out a lot of different sports and allowing their bodies to balance out.
Golf also repeats the kyphosis posture too, standing with a ‘hunched back’ before swinging the club, although keeping a straight back before is ideal.
Also, golf is very one sided, so there will be an in-balance due to this e.g. if you stand with your left foot at the front, your right side will be stretched after hitting the ball where as your left side won’t.
Summary
So as you can see, lifestyle really affects our posture.
Correcting it early on in life and just being aware of it as often as possible will help athletes bodies become a lot more efficient.
This will transfer into their training and games/matches.
Sit up and stretch if you are sat for long periods of time, try standing on both legs rather than shifting your weight onto one leg, and stand tall as well. All these will help and eventually become automatic for you.
This video shows you how to work on the 3 uncommon postures:
Speed kills, and every coach wants a faster team. The best way to get a faster team is to recruit faster players. Failing that, get your existing players to run faster.
Your team needs to be able to run fast at the end of each half, not to be able to jog aimlessly. around. Traditionally pre-season training has started with long slow runs and then worked towards trying to get faster.
One certain way to get your players to run slower is to keep running them into the ground until all technique has been lost (pictured right).
My focus is always on giving the players the tools to do the job. Coach them well, give the Run Fasterprogramme.
You hopefully have read and followed our guides and built a good foundation, got the strength that you can apply, and become more agile. Now is the time to get faster.
The 2 key components of running faster
Get a higher top speed
Accelerate to that top speed
“But in my sport we never get to top speed as we only sprint over short distances” I used to think this way, thinking “what is the point of getting rugby props working on top speed?” (apart from amusement!)
The question you have to ask is “What am I accelerating towards?”
If your top speed is higher, then the percentage of that top speed that you are striving for at each stage of 5m, 10m, and 20m (common sprint distances in team sports) will also be higher.
So, if you can only get to about 45% of top speed at 10m (based on what Asafa Powell can do), then all things being equal, increasing your 60m speed will also help your acceleration.
Increasing your top speed.
Sprint drills
Running is a co-ordination activity, it requires practise and refinement. I get the players to work on 7 different aspects of running (see here) and use a variety of drills designed to help them achieve this.
I focus on one thing at a time and vary the drills to challenge the learning and coordination of the players. Just like any other skill that you teach as a coach.
Get the players to practise running, focussing on that one aspect, then rest and repeat. Introduce the next drill, practice, and then use it when running. An example is shown in this video:
If you just run without technique focus, you will just get tired. If you just drill without applying them into the run, you just get better at drills.
Accelerate fast
Acceleration is crucial in team sports. “More specifically, horizontal acceleration of body weight. The simplest and most accurate description from physics for explosiveness; quickness, agility and even speed”
The ability to control the body in a Straight Line Extension (SLX) is the difference between a fast person and a slower one. Strengthening drills that incorporate the whole body in that position are very useful.
In the first 2-3 strides the Gluteal Muscles and Quadriceps are a key factor in providing force for the thrust. After that (5-25 metres) the coordination and SLX are more important.
That is why your team must be doing lower body strength work, especially on single legs and in different planes.
I work on acceleration over 5-10m using a top-down and bottom-up approach.
Top-down is “Lean, fall and go” which can be done against a wall, with partner assist, harnesses and then “free fall”. This gets the players to practice their first step and feel comfortable with SLX.
Bottom-up is from a bear crawl into a sprint. Bear crawl over 5m and then come up gradually into a sprint over 15m. This helps with reciprocal arm and leg action (coordination) and again on SLX.
Tips for fitting in pre-season speed
“This all sounds well and good, but how do I fit it into my technical and tactical sessions?”
The traditional view of team sports coaches is diametrically opposed to that of speed coaches when it comes to work: rest ratios.
We can not have team sports players having 15 minutes rest between 300m intervals. This is the real world and time is precious. Similarly, we can not have “speed sessions” turning into shuttle runs with jog back recovery. That is not Speed.
I go for the more pragmatic approach of doing shorter speed sessions, more frequently. This way your players are able to cope mentally and physically with high-quality work, and you can then do your tactical \ technical coaching afterwards.
Active recovery of skill work such as passing and catching, or dribbling is acceptable, but remember only to do that walking or stationary.
Every time you jog a drill, you have to finish it which requires braking: this is not resting. Metabolically your players will not appear tired, but mechanically they will have been loaded heavily.
Stress is stress, and your body can only cope with so much.
Avoid the volume trap on speed.
I have found that good Coaches like me getting their players faster, more resilient and less likely to get injured. This has taken some change of thinking and heavy bartering on allocated times!
Perhaps, more importantly, players appreciate getting help on How to get faster, rather than being told to run faster.
(Download our Free “Run Faster Guide” here for 6 example sessions)
At the recent GAIN conference there were plenty of great insights from the delegates and faculty.
I have put some of my favourites here.
Cole Peterson came up with this quote when describing how much time and effort we should spend on any activity.
This came up in the hypertrophy round table: at what point is an extra 2.5kg going to make a difference in this athlete’s bench press? An athlete only has so much time and energy, so we need to make sure it is devoted in the right areas.
“Function follows form, form follows function”
Tania Cotton describing the importance of having correct form. This then facilitates correct function, which again creates correct form. We are only interested in the efficiency of movement and its effectiveness in the field of play.
Form without function becomes stylistic and has zero relevance. Function without form is inefficient and could lead to injury.
“Preview, review, be positive”
Clay Erro describing how he starts every session.
He sets the scene for the imminent session,he reminds his players what happened last time and he is positive.
He got us to do this off the track, because when we moved onto the track, it was time to work.
He reminded us as coaches that we should be looking for effort and rewarding it. It is easy just to recognise ability.
“The human body is still a prototype”
Vinnie Comiskey reminding us that we are all different and we are still evolving as a species. Therefore we should be cautious about using modalities such as ice.
There were no refrigerators 1000 years ago, so why would we be responsive to ice?
“The body has a mind of its own, so I try to create movement maps”
Andy Stone talking about his philosophy of teaching physical education classes. He has been looking at neuroscience and is trying to train the brain within movement. He asks “where does the brain stop and the body begin?”
There was plenty more, but these highlights show just a snippet of the great information that was being shared by all.
It’s better to run around people than through them.
The ability to run “through spaces not faces” is very important in most field/court sports. You want to be agile enough to:
Avoid being tackled
Be able to get into a position to stop your opponent
Get to the ball.
Is your pre-season agility training helping you achieve this?
Do you have a series of ladders and cones laid out and run around them?
Or, are you really advanced and have a slalom series of poles laid out? Does that get players more agile, or just more tired?
Small-sided games are very popular, and one coach said to me “Gareth Edwards never needed coaching”. Nope, but he grew up at an age when kids played British Bulldog and kick the can, and had proper PE lessons where they had to get hot and sweaty.
Nowadays, your team is made up of desk jockeys or couch potatoes, so the basics have to be built in and reinforced whatever your level.
Agility training should be more than Organised Despair. It requires coaching, progression, variety and application.
A 4 Step Approach to Getting More Agile
Here is our approach to getting players more agile.
1 Body Control.
This is the foundation where the importance of strength and balance are emphasised. This allows better force reduction, force stabilisation and then force production.
The use of Single Leg Squats, multi-directional lunges, multi-directional hop and holds are essential. For the upper body, the use of lawnmower sprawls and sit throughs are coached.
These then become part of the Team’s warm-up drills.
(Get your Free 5-day agility training programme here)
2 Planned Movements. Turn and Run, Rolling and Crawling mechanics.
Coach the push-off 2 feet in different directions: forward, side and backwards. The open step and crossover step are both practised.
Practise getting up off the floor
Agility is not just important when standing up. A lot of time is spent getting up and down off the floor in sport. Players need to be taught how to land safely and then get back up quickly.
Forward rolls, sideways rolls, and backward rolls are all important parts of this. Bear crawls are useful to help teach sprint mechanics from the floor and short distance acceleration. These can then be combined to form a warm-up sequence like this video.
This is then rehearsed in drills like the Oregon Sway Drill and Foot Dot Drill.
3 Reactive Drills.
Once your players have practised their mechanics and learnt how to use them in sequence, you can start getting them to react to different stimuli.
This puts time pressure into place and you can see how robust the players’ techniques are. The cues can be:
Visual (partner or coach moving, a ball moving)
Auditory (left, right, go, or the sound of a ball being kicked)
Kinesthetic (partner push, feel of the ball on feet)
4 Random and Chaotic Games and skills drills.
Now is the chance to put the different movements into place. For example, having your players work on a 2 vs 1 drill in a narrow linear channel would follow on from the Foot Dot Drill.
Excelsior athlete Dan James
Having them work on a 3 vs 2 in a wide lateral channel would follow on from the Oregon Sway Drill.
This gives the players the chance to rehearse in a “limitedopen game“. There are specific rules and boundaries, but decisions have to be made and reactions and agility are tested.
You can do all four of these sequences in each session: If you spend 5 minutes on each part, then you are progressing through the learning process. After 20 minutes your players will be warmed up, be moving better, and have had to practise making decisions.
How to Test Pre-Season Agility
Agility is the ability to change direction at a pace in response to a stimulus. Unfortunately, most agility testing just measures the ability to change direction at pace, without an appropriate stimulus.
As you may have gathered from our previous posts on Pre-season training, we are not fans of testing for testing sake. If you do test agility, be aware that you are measuring your players’ ability to accelerate, brake and change direction.
Do not use the test as a selection process as decision-making is not measured.
The 3-cone L weave is an easily administered agility test, that measures the change of direction of both feet in a speed cut and a power cut.
What it takes to be a successful strength and conditioning coach.
“People in support positions should be seen and not heard” Jim Radcliffe at the beginning of his presentation on successful S&C coaching.
(By successful, he means producing extremely fit, agile and fast athletes that then produce results on the field, court, track or pool. Rather than how many twitter followers you have got!)
Successful coaches explain the “Why”
Most coaches are good at telling athletes the what to do, some are really good at explaining the how, but very few are great at understanding the Why.
Radcliffe explained this at the outset, based on Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle, coaches need to understand why they are doing things, before they start just doing exercises or drills.
His #1 factor of great or elite athleticism is acceleration or burst. The more people in the team who can do this, the better. This is the why.
Rehearse consistently is the “how”
In an average football practice at Oregon, they have 90+ acceleration reps for the exterior positions and 65+ for the interior positions.
This includes burst requiring decision making. An example was his Punt Returners hold lacrosse balls when about to return a punt. This forces them to have correct body alignment and position when they do catch, which then facilitates a burst upfield (a great example of task constraint for youmotor learning buffs).
Negative practice drills which detract from the ability to burst must be eliminated. This includes the butt kick drill which just encourages a pendulum swing action and overstriding when running: failure practice!
Thwe warm up is an opportunity for rehearsal, rather than just getting warm. Radcliffe teaches and reinforces push mechanics in every warm up.
“Agility is about efficient transitions”
Agility progresses through these stages:
Start
Acceleration
Deceleration
Change of direction
Reacceleration
This requires the ability to maintain correct posture as the body flexes, extends and rotates (pic of Excelsior athlete Sean Clifford).
One great tip was to emphasise knee seperation over foot seperation. If the feet are getting further apart than the knees, then it shows poor hip projection.
Ladder drills are redundant because they do a lot of footwork, but do nothing for knee seperation and hip projection.
This can easily be seen in drills such as the one pictured with mini bands. The athlete at the front as feet coming out wider than the knees (poor hip projection) the athlete behind has knee above foot (better hip projection).
Every drill and every athlete must be coached to ensure consistency.
The 2 key points to be emphasised here are
Body posture cues.
Increase strength- power-impulse.
How to develop explosive power on the pitch
Being able to apply and strength and power develeoped in the gym onto the pitch requires the ability to apply great force over a small base of support and great righting and tilting reflexes.
Radcliffe said that explosive power can be borken down into 3 areas as shown in diagram below.
This requires practicing fast, explosive intense movements. Another key point was “The more time spent on the ground =the more BAD things happen than good.”
Here Radcliffe was talking about an athletes’s ability to negotiate the ground. The ability to turn and run fast is a sign of efficient quickness and correct mechanics. There is a need for fast response to a stimulus.
Placing the feet outside the knees is a sign of the less agile athlete: (I question the transference of ultra-wide squats to agility work: hence my athletes squat with feet under hips).
One of the ways to get the athlete to improve mechanics is to train barefoot. This give better immediate sensory feedback about the ability to have a spring loaded foot, rather than a flat foot.
The whole foot lands on the floor, but only a tiny heel mark is left on the grass or sand. A spring loaded foot is essential for running fast and quick turns/ reactive jumps.
Agility drill progressions
Radcliffe spent some time going over how he progresses his agility work with his athletes.
Starting with the two basic actions of:
Speed cuts: Pivot action, rolling off the inside foot.
Power cuts: The sit, dip and drive action, pushing off the outside of the foot.
He then progresses to the Sway drill, lateral starts, backward starts and then elastic lead-ins to the the speed and power cuts. This could be stepping off a chair and landing on the outside edge of the foot to push sideways for a power cut.
This then leads to to reaction drills (with directional components such as a clock drill) to a games related skill or drill.
Summary
From Day 1, practice 1, Radcliffe emphasises the “Go as fast as you can go” approach to training. Initially this may only be 1/2 steps in different directions, but they are FAST.
This seminar showed how Radcliffe has a truly great understanding of Why, brilliant progressions of how, and then practically he can do the what.
What is really refreshing about Jim Radcliffe, is that he is at GAIN to learn as much as to teach, he is always writing notes, or asking the different presenters questions so he can improve his own practice (see pictures of him sharing with Vern Gambetta and Finn Gundersen).
This is the 4th year in a row I have seen him present, and I always get something new. I have completely changed how I coach agility and pliometrics as a result of seing him in action. Highly recommended.
A recent article in the New York Times hailed the Nordic Hamstring Exercise as the saviour of all athletes involved in explosive sports. Citing several published papers, the NYT suggests that this single exercise could put an end to the dreaded hamstring injuries.
We take a more in depth look at the implications of the Nordic Hamstring Exercise relating to both injury reduction, and performance.
Prevalence of hamstring injuries
Hamstring injuries are common in sports characterized by maximal sprinting, kicking and sudden accelerations. Studies have shown that hamstring strains account for about 29% of injuries among sprinters, 16–23% of injuries in Australian Rules football and 12– 16% of all injuries in soccer.1
The recent Rugby Football Union (RFU) Injury Audit showed that 92% of all hamstring injuries were running related, and were the most common training injury.
Not only are they very common, hamstring injuries can also cause significant time loss from competition and training. A rate of 5 to 6 hamstring strains per club per season has been observed in English and Australian professional soccer, resulting in an average of 15 to 21 matches missed per club per season.3
With this in mind, training methods to reduce hamstring injuries should be at the forefront of preparation for athletes of these sports.
What causes hamstrings injuries?
In order to be able to reduce the likelihood of injuries, it is first necessary to identify and understand the factors that contribute to hamstring injuries.
“ EMG analyses during sprinting have shown that muscle activity is highest during the late swing phase, when the hamstring muscles work eccentrically to decelerate the forward movement of the leg”. 1
It has been reported that most hamstring strains occur during maximal sprinting, as this is when the forward movement of the leg is at its fastest. The eccentric overload could put strain on the hamstring muscle and lead to injury. This overload is likely to be exacerbated by inadequate muscle strength.
It has also been suggested that hamstrings are susceptible to injury during the rapid change from their eccentric to concentric action, at the start of the downward swing of the leg. At a high intensity, the force exerted whilst changing the direction of the leg may exceed the limits tolerated by the muscle. This suggests that strength imbalance is also a factor in hamstring injuries.3
Among 64 track and field athletes, 24.2% had suffered from hamstring strains in a two year period following assessment of hip and knee flexion and extension. When these subjects were divided into injured and uninjured groups and compared using the various strength measures, the injured group had greater bilateral imbalance e.g. relatively weak hamstrings compared to quadriceps on either side.6
A literature review during the same study also reported how contralateral (side-to-side) strength imbalances could pose a similar risk for injury. A trend for higher injury rates was found in female collegiate athletes who had strength imbalances of 15% or more on either side of the body. (Ebook on strength for females here)
Strength imbalance of the hamstring muscles compared to quadriceps and contralateral imbalances are both major causes of strains.
Whilst strength is one aspect, timing of contractions could be more important. If the hamstrings are working too late in the running pattern, they will be ineffective in slowing the leg down and may therefore get injured.
Is the Nordic Hamstring the cure?
Figure 1.0 The Nordic Hamstring (NH) exercise. The subject attempts to resist a forward-falling motion using his hamstrings to maximize loading in the eccentric phase. The subject should aim to brake the forward fall for as long as possible using their hamstrings.
A program based around the NH exercise (sets of 12, 10 and 8 repetitions) has been shown to increase eccentric hamstring strength in soccer players when performed 3 times a week over a 10 week period.6 Eliminating strength imbalances in athletes with bilateral hamstring asymmetries has been shown to reduce frequency of injury. 4
However, the NH exercise only impacts on eccentric strength of the hamstring during knee extension. (Most studies also test hamstring strength performing knee flexion/extension, using a dynamometer in a seated position).
However, the concept of “eccentric- concentric” action is an oversimplistic view. The hamstrings actually act isometrically at top end sprinting, with the elastic properties of the tendons being used to transfer energy.
When running, the knee angle does not change dramatically, meaning the length of the hamstring muscle stays relatively fixed. Instead, the biarticular hamstrings (particularly the tendons) work eccentrically to decelerate the leg during the forward swing. Therefore NH does not replicate the actions of the hamstring muscle during running.
“Functional training of the hamstrings should therefore not be done through eccentric training, but in an elastic-isometric way, reflecting hamstring functioning during sprinting.”
So does NH prevent hamstring injuries?
In One study, Soccer Players performed a conditioning program for 9 months, after which, the individuals with a previous imbalance had reduced frequency of injury, similar to individuals with no initial imbalance. 4 Furthermore, the players with untreated strength imbalances were found to be 4 to 5 times more likely to sustain a hamstring injury when compared with the normal group.
Despite the apparent success of the above study, the details of the conditioning program undertaken were not given. This could mean that a number of possible exercises, or combinations of exercises were used, making conclusions about the NH impossible.
Further studies however have described how a conditioning programme of NH is effective in reducing prevalence of both new and recurring hamstring injuries. 1, 2, 8, 9
The results of these studies are positive for athletes and coaches involved in sports involving maximal sprinting as the use of the NH could potentially be effective in reducing injuries.
So is the Nordic Hamstring all that?
Despite the positive findings of these studies, there are limitations with this research that should be considered.
Lack of randomised trials within some studies
Inconsistencies with frequency of injury monitoring(In one study 1, control group were monitored daily, whereas intervention group only monitored at matches, making it possible that injuries could go unrecorded)
Inconsistencies with thoroughness of injury measurement(some groups used MRI and ultrasound to detect/confirm injuries, others only used judgment of physical therapist.)
Possible confirmation bias(therapists expecting less injuries in intervention groups or vice versa could potentially downplay severity of injuries, skewing results)
No studies compare other possible eccentric exercises, so could be a case of “better than nothing”.
One important note of these studies 1,2 is the timing of the interventions. In Both cases, NH was used as part of a pre-season strengthening intervention, meaning an absence of high intensity and volume of matches. Many experienced coaches such as Vern Gambetta have reported an increase in hamstring injuries when the volume of hamstring loading is high, caused by excessive fatigue. Although the participants in the studies may have continued the NH during the season 1, it was only once a week, allowing the hamstrings time to recover.
One major downfall of the NH is that the hip remains in a fixed position while the hamstrings contract. By working with the hip in a fixed position, the exercises fail to replicate the movement patterns that occur during running. The Hamstrings are biarticular, passing over both the hip and knee joints, and during running they play an active role in hip extension as well as knee flexion.
“Therefore the effects of the Nordic hamstring exercise on running performance can be questioned, despite the possible effects on injury prevention.” 10
What should I do to protect my hamstrings from injury?
Strength training is mode specific meaning that the body will adapt to the specific stimulus placed upon it.
It could therefore be suggested that to strengthen the hamstrings effectively to reduce injury and also maximise sprinting ability, exercises should be eccentric in nature but also replicate the movement patterns of running.1,5
(The Run Faster ebook combines specific resistance training exercises and run drills that follow this protocol. It has proven very effective).
Exercises such as Good Mornings/Stiff Leg Deadlifts strengthen the hamstrings eccentrically whilst involving flexion of the hips and would therefore more closely match the specific physiological demands of running than the NH.
Concentric style hamstring exercises such as machine curls are another common method of conditioning.1 However, concentric exercise tends to reduce sarcomere numbers in muscle fibres and consequently results in muscle operating optimally at shorter lengths.3
This training effect raises the susceptibility of the muscle to damage from eccentric exercise. It should therefore be recommended that concentric style conditioning exercises for the hamstrings should be avoided in sports characterised by maximal sprinting efforts.
Other Measures to prevent injury
There are also measures which athletes can take during competition to reduce the chances of hamstring injuries. Hamstring strength has been found to deteriorate throughout the duration of a soccer game, and this fatiguing effect was consistent with a higher injury risk during sprinting movements. 5
Interestingly it was also found that the halftime interval produced a negative influence on eccentric hamstring strength. After remaining seated, strength was lower after half time than at the end of the first half.
This suggests that performing a ‘re-warm up’ after half time may be beneficial, especially with the high injury rates found in the early stages of the second half.
Take Home Message
The high prevalence of hamstring injuries in sports involving maximal sprinting and acceleration shows the importance of an effective conditioning programme for the hamstrings.
Experience of many practitioners suggests that too much eccentric loading before maximal intensity sprinting can lead to injury. Therefore high volume/intensity strength work should be completed outside of competition, with more low volume specific work being done in season.
1) Arnason, A., Andersen, T.E., Holme, I., Engebretsen, L. & Bahr, R. (2008) Prevention of hamstring strains in elite soccer: an intervention study Scandanavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 18 (1), 40-48.
2) Askling, C., Karlsson, J. & Thorstensson, A. (2003) Hamstring injury occurrence in elite soccer players after preseason strength training with eccentric overload Scandanavian Journal of Medicine and Science inSports, 13, 244-250.
3) Brocket, C.L., Morgan, D.L. & Proske, U. (2004) Predicting hamstring strain injury in elite athletes Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise, 36 (3), 379–387.
4) Croisier, J.L., Ganteaume, S., Binet, J., Genty, M. & Ferret, J.M (2008) Strength imbalances and prevention of hamstring injury in professional soccer players: A prospective study American Journal of Sports Medicine, 36, 1469-1475.
5) Greig, M. & Siegler, J.C. (2009) Soccer-specific fatigue and eccentric hamstrings muscle strength Journal of Athletic Training, 44 (2), 180-184.
6) Mjolsnes, R., Arnason, A., Osthagen, T., Raastad, T., & Bahr, R. (2004) A 10-week randomized trial comparing eccentric vs. concentric hamstring strength training in well-trained soccer players Scandanavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 14, 311-317.
7) Newton, R.U., Gerber, A., Nimphius, S., Shim, J.K., Doan, B.K., Robertson, M., Pearson, D.R., Craig, B.W., Hakkinen, J. & Kraemer, W.J. (2006) Determination of functional strength imbalance of the lower extremities Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 20(4), 971–977.
8) Petersen, J., Thorborg, K., Nielsen, M.B., Budtz-Jorgensen, E. & Holmich, P. (2011) Preventive effect of eccentric training on acute hamstring injuries in men’s soccer: a cluster-randomized contolled trial American Journal of Sports Medicine, 39 (11), 2296-2304.
9) Schache, A. (2012) Eccentric hamstring muscle training can prevent hamstring injuries in soccer players Journal of Physiotherapy, 58 (1), 58.
10) Van Hooren B., Bosch F. (2016). Influence of Muscle Slack on High-Intensity Sport Performance: A Review. Strength and Conditioning Journal 38 (5) p75-87.
The candidates came up with that term when we were discussing the myriad of “power” exercises that are just slow jumps.
Any time you add weight to a movement (or height in the case of depth jumps) you are SLOWING it down. Taken to an extreme and the stretch shorten cycle (SSC) is absent and instead you get an eccentric contraction, an isometric pause and then a concentric action to rejump.
That may be ok for certain actions, but be clear what you are trying to achieve. We did this series of pliometric drills outside to emphasise the need for speed.
Models of training came up a lot on this course: speed, agility, strength, LTAD, endurance. I was quoting a lot of good coaches who had come up with a system (or model) of training that worked for them.
When I started out as a coach, I was using random bits of stuff from everywhere. I also relied heavily on “what I have done in training“.
Now, I have a decent framework from which I adapt according to the athlete or the sport in front of me.
This helps in planning and progression.
However, one of the candidates said “you’re about mobility not stretching”. I am not “about” anything! I want what works (why stretch?). It is important that we avoid becoming slaves to an ideology or have a framework that is inflexible.
More dialogue, less monologue
Myself and Andy Ellis assessed the previous course’s candidates on Friday. Nerves get the better of even the most experienced coach. If you are talking incessantly and demonstrating at the same time, how much can your athletes learn?
Coaching groups is different from coaching individuals: positioning, vocal cues, observing many people at once and engaging everyone is hard work.
There were some really good examples of practice and progression in the practical speed and agility sessions.
well planned.
had clear progressions.
started with simple drills to more complex/ random drills.
had the athletes asking questions or making observations without being prompted.
The theory paper proved simple for all of those who had done the Level 1 course previously. Those who had prepared and revised from the syllabus also passed.
The take home message?
Clear aims and purpose, plus proper preparation, leads to a successful outcome.
Well done to all concerned. I am looking forward to working with these coaches in the future.
Further reading:
How to pass a strength and conditioning coaching course
“I have spent my whole life devoted to writing 1 good programme”
Vince Anderson, Texas A&M sprints coach at GAIN VII.
Coach Anderson was talking about his 100m speed training programme. His belief is that coaches only need to teach 1 model of sprint mechanics, get damn good at it, then add “subtle variations“when required, for example, in the 200 meters acceleration pattern or the 110 meter hurdles acceleration pattern
When dealing with athletes, he uses a basic language. All other patterns come from that. It is hard enough for athletes to get good at 1 model, let alone several different types.
So while we may look of “sport specific speed training” in reality it all comes down to acceleration training first, then application second.
The 100 meter acceleration pattern, because it requires maximal intensity, provides the aggressive pattern language necessary for coach and athlete to work from.
This seminar then concentrated on how his model works, and more importantly, how he coaches it.
Common Problems in 100 m sprint training
Anderson describes himself as a “reactive coach” he “coaches to the problem I see“. Here are some of the problems he encounters in sprinters and how he attempts to solve them.
Too little body lean: they fail to push well or deep enough at the start. This causes them to come upright too early.
Failing to continue to accelerate to maximal; IF they manage to get upright into a sprinting posture.
Trying to claim territory: athletes step out, instead of stepping down. It should feel exactly like marching in place.
The 100m race is often broken down into phases for analysis. Whilst this may be useful for the coach to understand, it just adds complexity to the athlete. As Anderson says “My athletes can’t handle complexity“.
He describes the well run 100m as a holistic event. It is like a symphony or harmony without rhythm breaks. However, unlike an Orchestral movement, the 100m is a race of seamless aggression and smooth violence with big ranges of motion.
The start requires awareness and patience, it is easy to mistakenly use small quick actions. Instead think “The faster the run, the longer the push“.
“Don’t let the smooth taste fool you; sprinters have to work so much harder than they think.”
One anecdote Anderson related was of one of his athletes putting effort into a training run and exclaiming “I’m exhausted“! Well, the 100m is a maximal effort event: it should be tiring.
He uses “Acceleration” and “pushing” interchangeably as part of his coaching vernacular. Whilst it is impossible to accelerate for the whole race, you can PUSH for the whole race.
Anderson uses a visualisation technique of gently ascending lines, which then rise to vertical. The athlete thinks about this before training. He then places a cone at 30m and the athlete has to get to vertical at this point. By using a referential cue like this, the athlete gets used to doing things longer and harder.
When they get upright they have to think “PUSH DOWN“.
Coaching Cues for the 100 metre race
Anderson has developed some very clear coaching cues he uses with athletes. The Intent is to develop consistency on 4 fronts:
Maximum velocity mechanics (run tall).
Acceleration (pushing the whole race).
Completion runs (blending the two).
Apply to every run (pattern development).
Intent is everything in this race. “Any kid that can step down with extreme prejudice and get tall can run faster. It’s not a talent issue.”
(I hope P.E. teachers out there are paying attention: ANY kid can run faster).
The classic over reaching/ over striding that is seen is called “Casting” by Anderson. This leads to a longer ground contact time and therefore slower speed. Placing the foot down under the hip each time is the solution.
A 400m runner or half miler still have the same running mechanics: they still step down. But, they step down less hard, so the thigh recovers lower.
Things to avoid include:
The step out, cast foot, cast and grab or a “small, choppy stride“. Part of the problem is that athletes (and coaches) misinterpret the classic A/B drills as technical drills instead of the strengthening drills which was their original purpose.
Anderson called sprinting “The second worst culture in athletics, behind basketball“! Every element of the culture enables bad things to be done. It enables lack of modern thinking and “reinforces street mythology, ancient history and bad information.”
As a result, athlete use context as “an excuse to stay in dysfunction“. It is the coaches job to fix this.
“Good posture always wins”
(Declaring confirmation bias here, as I always tell my athletes the importance of good posture: “Turn up, try hard, stand tall“).
According to Anderson, running is:
A series of precisely intentional ground strikes.
The sworn enemy of landing or striding.
The opposite of striding.
He uses a series of postural drills against a wall for his athletes to help develop. Anderson calls the position coming out of the start the “Post” as in “straight as afence post“ (I refer to it as SLX: Straight Line Acceleration, adapted from Jack Blatherwick).
(Frans Bosch had made similar points 2 years previously at GAIN about running posture).
Getting out of the blocks
Anderson trains his sprinters on Acceleration from Day 1(remember Accn= pushing) and he teaches them to apply this on every run. That way they are developing a pattern.
Coming out of the blocks is like a “shock jump“; the harder you push from the blocks, the longer it takes to come up into an upright posture.
This harder push causes a more acute post position (SLX) which is only effective if the athlete has the ability to maintain this posture throughout.
The athlete should continue to “push through the post”. This requires concentration and keeping the shoulders up.
If the shoulders are down and you push hard, you fall over. “Force can’t turn a corner” so if you bend at the hips, you limit force application.
“Acceleration never, ever stumbles.”
Anderson then spent some time looking at the start position and showed a great picture using an equilateral triangle superimposed over the correct position for an athlete to get into the set position. This is an inherently stable position from which to start.
For field sports athletes, a 3 point stance can be used to achieve the same position. Jevon Kearse does this well (he is also a “super, foul tempered, aggresive athlete”).
Many athletes that Anderson sees struggle with the start from the blocks. “The problem is NOT that we athletes that have too great a spatial awareness“. Every decision he makes as a coach is designed to make it easier for the athlete to know where their body is.
He sometimes starts athletes from a Post position with his hands on their shoulders, to eliminate the problem with the rise. Keeping the head in a neutral position is also a useful cue.
“Try to avoid all stylistic tendencies. I use common sense.”
Summary
It was very refreshing to hear a coach of this standard say things like “our job is to make everyone better“, “coach without judgement” and “coach your ass off on their behalf“.
I have seen several track and field coaches “cherry pick” athletes from other schools or training groups who could already run fast. But, one of the joys of coaching is to be able to coach the process, rather than just get the result.
Coach Anderson exemplifies a coach who is striving to get the best from ALL his athletes, and also himself. He turned up to Gary Winckler’s practical session in the gym the day before to learn: another sign of a great coach.
I have already applied some of these coaching cues in my speed training sessions, with the athletes responding well.
I first started strength training when I was 15 years old. My Dad had given me his old power bar and I started using that in my bedroom doing curls, presses and squats. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was doing something. I worked at my part time jobs for six months to save up for a set of plastic spinlock dumbbells and a flimsy bench with bar rack.
In the intervening 30 years I have been exposed to many different training environments including the Army, Martial Arts, health clubs and Weightlifting. Currently I am working with gymnasts and seeing a whole different side of strength development.
It was good to be back on the James and Ian Williams’ sabre camp in Grantham, working with very experienced coaches, Army PTIs and an excellent physiologist (Leo Faulmann). 
My approach was to show them how to jump, land and then explode again with 2 legs, then with 1 leg. Vertically, linearly and laterally. Once the fundamentals are in place, then it is just a matter of working on co-ordination and timing to be able to apply it all.
I also had the chance to share many gymnastics ideas with Steve Chappell which was beneficial to me. Leo Faulmann was a goldmine of information and knowledge having worked with fencers for 25 years. That will prove very useful for fencers I work with at the SW fencing hub.
One certain way to get your players to run slower is to keep running them into the ground until all technique has been lost (pictured right).
Acceleration is crucial in team sports. “More specifically, horizontal acceleration of body weight. The simplest and most accurate description from physics for explosiveness; quickness, agility and even speed”
In the first 2-3 strides the Gluteal Muscles and Quadriceps are a key factor in providing force for the thrust. After that (5-25 metres) the coordination and SLX are more important.
Bottom-up is from a bear crawl into a sprint. Bear crawl over 5m and then come up gradually into a sprint over 15m. This helps with reciprocal arm and leg action (coordination) and again on SLX.
Every time you jog a drill, you have to finish it which requires braking: this is not resting. Metabolically your players will not appear tired, but mechanically they will have been loaded heavily.
Vinnie Comiskey reminding us that we are all different and we are still evolving as a species. Therefore we should be cautious about using modalities such as ice. 
The ability to run “through spaces not faces” is very important in most field/court sports. You want to be agile enough to:
Or, are you really advanced and have a slalom series of poles laid out? Does that get players more agile, or just more tired?
The use of Single Leg Squats, multi-directional lunges, multi-directional hop and holds are essential. For the upper body, the use of lawnmower sprawls and sit throughs are coached.
This puts time pressure into place and you can see how robust the players’ techniques are. The cues can be:
Jim Radcliffe at the beginning of his presentation on successful S&C coaching.
Radcliffe explained this at the outset, based on Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle, coaches need to understand why they are doing things, before they start just doing exercises or drills.
Agility progresses through these stages:
This can easily be seen in drills such as the one pictured with mini bands. The athlete at the front as feet coming out wider than the knees (poor hip projection) the athlete behind has knee above foot (better hip projection).
One of the ways to get the athlete to improve mechanics is to train barefoot. This give better immediate sensory feedback about the ability to have a spring loaded foot, rather than a flat foot.
From Day 1, practice 1, Radcliffe emphasises the “Go as fast as you can go” approach to training. Initially this may only be 1/2 steps in different directions, but they are FAST.
What is really refreshing about Jim Radcliffe, is that he is at GAIN to learn as much as to teach, he is always writing notes, or asking the different presenters questions so he can improve his own practice (see pictures of him sharing with Vern Gambetta and Finn Gundersen).
Strength training is mode specific meaning that the body will adapt to the specific stimulus placed upon it.
a new phrase coined last week on the level 2 
When I started out as a coach, I was using random bits of stuff from everywhere. I also relied heavily on “what I have done in training“.
Vince Anderson, Texas A&M sprints coach at 
(Declaring confirmation bias here, as I always tell my athletes the importance of good posture: “Turn up, try hard, stand tall“).
Anderson trains his sprinters on Acceleration from Day 1(remember Accn= pushing) and he teaches them to apply this on every run. That way they are developing a pattern.