Uncategorized Archives

Training Talks

In-depth interviews with top coaches and athletes.

World-Class Coaches

Throws: Don Babbitt (Part 1, Part 2)
Rugby: Dean Benton (Part 1, Part 2, Tactical Periodization)
Training Methods: Anatoliy Bondarchuk
Motor learning: Frans Bosch
Shot Put: Jean-Pierre Egger (Part 1, Part 2, More)
Throws and Sprints: Derek Evely (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) and even more with Derek (Part 1, Part 2)
All Track and Field: Vern Gambetta (Part 1, Part 2)
Youth Throwing: Nick Garcia (Part 1, Part 2)
Discus: Vésteinn Hafsteinsson (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
MMA: Joel Jamieson (Part 1, Part 2)
Periodization: John Kiely (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Decathlon: Harry Marra (Part 1, Part 2)
American Football: Tom Myslinski (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
All Track and Field: Dan Pfaff (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) and a second interview with him (Part 1 and Part 2)
Rugby: John Pryor (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Former USOC Chief of Sport Performance: Steve Roush
Soccer: Dave Tenney (Part 1, Part 2)
Hurdles: Gary Winckler (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

International Throwers

Dutch discus thrower Erik Cadée
German hammer thrower Kathrin Klaas
Solvenian Olympic hammer champion Primož Kozmus
Russian hammer thrower Sergey Litvinov Jr.
Slovakian hammer thrower Marcel Lomnicky
Canadian shot putter Justin Rodhe

Throwing Legends

Olympic flag bearer and hammer thrower Ed Burke (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Two-time Olympic hammer thrower Kevin McMahon (Part 1, Part 2)
Olympic champion shot putter Adam Nelson
Former hammer throw world record holder and two-time Olympic medalist Jüri Tamm (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) and a second time (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Olympic champion and former discus world record holder Mac Wilkins (Part 1, Part 2)

Training Methods and Coaching

Training with Bondarchuk

Simplifying Bondarchuk
An exclusive interview with Anatoliy Bondarchuk
Sample training program and one month training journal
Reviewing Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Bondarchuk’s Transfer of Training and how 60 meters is a special number in his transfer of training. His book on periodization are reviewed here and here.
A video introduction to periodization
Bondarchuk on long term athlete development
Bondarchuk on maxmimum intensity training
Bondarchuk’s thoughts on and approach to throwing technique
A little about Bondarchuk’s background (more here), personality (more here), and sense of humor.
In defense of Bondarchuk’s training style

General Training Concepts

Building antifragile athletes
The crucial difference between force and rate of force development
The role of strengths and weaknesses in training plan design (more here)
The Peak-End Rule (more here)
Reverse transfer of training
Why more short workouts are better than fewer long workouts
Podcast interviews I did with the All Things Strength Podcast, Performance Podcast, and the Ultimate Athlete Concepts Podcast

Periodization

Special Strength/Specific Strength

Other Training Methods

Book Reviews

Reviews of various types of books relating to training and throwing

Coaching

Three steps in coaching technique
The importance of finding the right cue and cue staleness (more here)
Leadership and coaching
Coaching can come in various forms, such as Quiet coaching or the use of paradoxes
Evaluating the usefulness of a drill
Coaches are shaping athlete’s minds, not just their bodies

Hammer Throw Technique

Coaching Roundtables

Chris Cralle Video Analysis
Julia Ratcliffe Video Analysis
Olympic Weightlifting for Throwers (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Ask Martin

Archives of Q&A posts on technique and training

Biomechanics and Data Analysis

Hammer in America and Youth Throwing

Juggernaut Specific Strength Series

Beinging in October 2013 I have been writing a series on specific strength training for all sports on the popular Juggernaut Training Systems website.

Specific Strength: Theory and Practice. Putting the theory of special strength into context.
Youth Athletics and Special Strength. Defining the role of specialization for young athletes.
Specific Strength Exercises. How to create specific strength exercises for your athletes and your sport.
Selecting Specific Strength Exercises. How many specific strength exercises should you use?
Real Range Throwing. Breaking down an internet legend.
5 Tips for Training on the Road.

Published Articles

Specific Strength: An Introduction, Modern Athlete and Coach (October 2015 2010) – Classifying and applying specific exercises for your event.
Specific About Strength, Athletics Weekly (9 July 2015). An introduction to the theory and practice of specific strength training for all events.
Building the Next Generation: A Case Study in Resurrecting an Event, New Studies in Athletics (Fall 2013). This paper looks at the causes of a resurgence in American youth hammer throwing in order to see what lessons can be learned from such growth at a time when many other countries see numbers headed in the opposite direction.
Simplifying Bondarchuk, Modern Athlete and Coach (April 2010) – This articles summarizes the basic principles of Coach Bondarchuk’s training methods.
Teaching the Hammer Throw: How to Get A Beginner to Throw in Just Days, Track Coach (Fall 2010). Track Coach is the official technical periodical of USA Track & Field Association.
Teaching the Hammer Throw: Perfecting Technique, Track Coach (Fall 2011).
Rethinking Your Approach to the Weight Throw, Track Coach (Summer 2006) – This article explores alternative approaches to developing top hammer throwers under the traditional collegiate track and field system.

Complete Archive by Date

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Featured Content

Sports Science Monthly – July 2020

July 15, 2020/in Sports Science Monthly /by Craig Pickering

Every month we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In the July edition we start off by taking a look at some lessons coaches can learn from medicine in dealing with COVID-19. In addition, we break down the latest research on hamstring strength asymmetry, resilience, willpower, nitrate supplementation and more.