8-9 year olds - training runs.

At our local track recently we were discussing how far/long we should be expecting this age group to run. It came about as whilst doing a ladder - 30 secs/60secs/90secs/180secs - several of the children clearly were not enjoying the 90secs and were walking and I thought it was pointless expecting them to do 180 secs. These are a group that have been with us for some time though they usually enjoy the shorter distances/relays/games more than "distance". Any ideas as to what we should be aiming for, assuming we build up slowly and can charm them into it? I fully appreciate that enjoyment comes first at this age and that the session should be adapted to the kids, not the other way around.

A couple of quick thoughts which are just that - my thoughts. If its not working don't do it. Concentrate on making it more fun by making it more competitive and less structured. So do some relay races over varying lengths up and down like a ladder. If you want to get kids of that age running that bit further/longer then take themn for simple little pack runs over varying routes and throw in some games as you go around. Just a thought and in no way meant to be critical. i am sure you probably do what I have suggested anyway. I dont know what other coaches might say but I think 8/9 even if they have been with you a while is too young to be making training a formal process.
Cheers

At that age as you say the emphasis should be on fun rather than all out training for competition although at that age some may already be competing and doing ok without too much training to race. Lots of drills are good and providing they are done properly are a good warm up. I find the younger ones for some reason enjoy a short relay and a catch up relay is always good, boys versus girls always goes down well and makes them run hard without realising it and gives that competitive edge. Short sprints on the track around cones set about 20m apart and splitting into teams in a relay fashion always seems to go down well as does a mini obstacle type course using a ladder, small hurdles and zig zagging through cones. Adding a bit of interest into the running/exercise helps rather than just running.it can be difficult keeping youngsters at that age 'entertained' especially if it's a large group but I think as well as being fun there has also to be an element of discipline without it being like school. There are lots of good quality qualified coaches about now and Graeme Woodward is a good one to speak to and give advice on all things coaching as is Steve Pearson at Horwich.....those guys have a wealth of experience and I'm sure wouldn't mind helping out .

I'd agree with Lefty on this one; relay races are excellent sprint training for younger ones and you can control the distance/time very easily whilst keeping it fun and competitive. I think that any speed training above 30sec intervals is ineffective for this age group; they will all be pre-puberty and not ready for lactate threshold training anyway; better to keep it short and snappy to encourage good form instead.

We tend to run two different kinds of session for this age group;

1. steady long run on the fell to improve aerobic fitness and agility; nothing so steep that can't be run even at a slow pace, reasonably uneven to encourage awareness of foot technique and core balance.
2. Indoor 'game' based sessions; focussing on short interval efforts, sprints, direction changes, lateral movements etc.

I agree with your comments, short efforts are best. Dont forget you can put in some jumping throwing and cordination, balance work too. Plenty of scope for having fun there. We have an hour and it realy goes quick so you won`t need to many sets.

The trouble with youngsters is that there is a massive range of abilities. Some will manage your schedule easily, others won't. Can you give some a rest or if you have anther coach or adult then split the group into two even if running side by side.

I coach a group of ten to thirteen year olds and last week some couldn't manage a 1k warm up jog, whilst others flew round. Makes life very difficult but I have recruited some parents to help under my supervision.

Good luck

Since my initial post I have concentrated on shorter/faster efforts and there have been no problems. We have done:

1/ short sprints - about 50 metres - walking back - 4 at a time in the back straight of a track
2/ 100 metre sprints - same as above
3/ relays - total distance run per leg about 60 metres
4/ different distance races: the 9 year olds run around half (2 short halves and one length) of the inside of the track, the 8 year olds run just the length
5/ different time races: running about the length of the inside of the track - the slower runners start 4 seconds before the faster runners.

This, preceded by a warm up/drills and followed by some simple games -fish and chips for example and a warm down lap - has kept most of them happy, even though they vary considerably in ability.

It is my understanding that short/fast is good for everyone.

Mike

That sounds excellent stuff.

You could try Parlauf and Triangle relays as extras.

Parlauf uses a loop split in half. In pairs one runner stands on opposite sides of the middle split. On go, the first runner runs round and tags the second. The first then crosses back to their starting point to wait for the second, who tags them... repeat until exhaustion or earlier. You can differentiate by not splitting in half, so there is a long and a short section.

Triangle relay has 4 in a team with three flags in a triangle. 2 at one flag, 1 each at the others. On go, one of the 2 runs to the next flag and tags and waits there, the tagged runner runs to flag three and tags. Repeat until all runners are back at their starting place. Hard to explain to start with, but fun when they get the hang of it.

Both can be varied with uphill/downhill, different lengths of legs etc.

Have fun.