I thought we should have our own version of this thread for two reasons;
- It'd be useful to see what kind of sessions other coaches are running, maybe get some fresh ideas?
- I wanted to share this picture of the hardy threesome that turned up this morning (we normally get 10-12 on a Saturday)! Yes; he really is wearing shorts!
Attachment 6852
Please feel free to add your own 'today's training' and hopefully we can generate a useful collection of information.
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Like it Andy!
In this weekend-snowy-weather my brood and their friends are always begging me to go out and play in the snow in the field behind the house.
It's on a steep slope so if not sledging or boarding I generally work out some games that end up being 'short hill reps' in disguise.
They were out this morning running around doing just that for 15-20 minutes.
[I must work out how to post photos (jpegs) on here without file size violations]
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I'd have sent the lad and adult in shorts home again. Hardy or foolhardy?
"Moors are a stage for the performance of heaven"
Had planned our 4min time trail for tues. We do this on the track once a mounth and keep a record of progress, if the track aint useable then its to the park for a relay, kids always try a lot harder in relays than they would on their own.if one team is a lot faster on the first effort then handicap the start to give a hopefully blanket finish in the next. Rivy pike this weekend then Pendle the next.
Richard Stott .Rossendale.
Actually, the photo is a touch misleading,it's in one of the fields just outside Burnley all of 200yds from the main road!Originally Posted by Clash City Rocker
Saturday is normally a structured training session; speed drills/speed intervals/hill repeats etc. in Towneley Park. Because of the weather I decided to give them a break from the norm and took them for a short loop instead. It was intended to be around 3 miles but we shortened it a bit because all the jumping into snowdrifts and snowball fights took longer than expected!
I have no problem with the lad wearing shorts; he's a very level headed individual and was in no danger. My assistant coach made his own clothing choice as did I (I was wearing shorts also). I always carry plenty of spare clothes and eqpt in my pack and we were never far from home.
The great thing about a session like this is that seems more daring than it actually is; the junior is allowed to feel as if they're being adventurous and are being trusted to do so, in a way that, perhaps, their parent wouldn't allow them to be. It's akin to the activities than they might take part in on an Outward Bound trip; seemingly risky but actually carefully controlled.
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I was at our track last night, bloody cold wind and wearing double everything. On the 5-aside pitches next to us a group of girls where training, prob 12 to 15 year old,shorts n short sleeves. The parents looked on out of their cars, windows wound-up and engine running....
If only there was someway of indication a tongue in cheek approach via a small keyboard crafted symbol. Last night we had 24 juniors out actively looking for drifts to experience and ended up sliding down 20ft drifts. Sometimes you just have to take what you have and make it fun. Care was taken to ensure warmth though and all adults carried spare kit and all kids dressed appropriately
"Moors are a stage for the performance of heaven"
Today's Training (well, last night's actually);
Warm up and agility stuff in the sports hall, followed by barefoot speed reps in the park and 'squat jog' hill reps with the shoes back on.
(squat jogs as suggested by George and reproduced by kind permission of 'Four Lions').
Not sure how much training benefit was involved but everyone was knackered and had a good time!
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Pre-puberty we are discouraged from training athletes anaerobically, so we do short/sharp or long/slowish, avoiding 400 m in particular - yet they turn on their aerobic systems quickly, and once beyond the 7 seconds or so of alactic running they are going aerobic. Once in or post puberty is when they will make lots of lactate, and yes this can be uncomfortable until they learn to cope with it. The UKA Endurance ADM actually leaves out the 400 m distance as a competition focus for the multi sport and multi event stages of development - roughly ages 9-12 and 12-15 respectively; so it includes for the multi event stage 100,200,800, and 1500. I would be interested to know how other coaches approach this.
Discouraged - an interesting word. We seem to be encouraged to follow a pathway and discouraged from going against the grain and I fear that this will stifle coaches. The great coaches of the past all have their own methods - indeed there isn't a method - there's a wide variety.
I'd suggest it's how you use the 400 distance.
6 x 400m with 3 mins rec
8 x 400m with 1 min rec
6 x 400m with 400m jog rec
Completely different sessions and the one with jog recovery really makes them think a little bit about the pacing and pull back a little.
The 400m debate that was ongoing just over a year ago was quite interesting. It was of course argued that 400m runners at 13/14/15 might be National Champs but wouldn't make Senior National 400m champs and the distance has been cut to 300m for U15 Boys.
Probably absolutely spot on, but many argued that the future 400m runners would be running 100, 200 and perhaps hurdling etc at 13, 14 and it was the future 800 and 1500 athletes that would have been running top level 400s at a younger age.
It was an interesting debate and of course the NGB won out.
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