On our last episode we dove in deep into the listener mailbag. But we ran out of time before getting to the best questions. Therefore we pick up where we left off on this week’s episode, exploring questions on brisket, throwing, transfer of training, and more.
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Anatoliy Bondarchuk’s success record as a coach can match any coach from any sport. The former hammer throw world record holder and Olympic champion has coached dozens of Olympic medalists over five decades. What is the key to his success? On this week’s podcast six of his former athletes get back together to discuss their first impressions of the coach, what made him so successful, and the role of language in coaching.
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What happens when a top sprint coach takes a hammer thrower into his training group? PJ Vazel has coached some of world’s best sprinters but more recently is known for his work in guiding Quentin Bigot to a silver medal in the hammer throw. On this week’s podcast he discusses the parallels between the events and what he learned from transitioning between them. Read more
The more you do something, the harder it is to change. If you have ever worked with older athletes, or been one yourself, you know first hand the struggle involved. Beginners can make drastic technical changes in a matter of minutes, but older athletes can spend a year fighting for a minuscule change. That is the great challenge facing experienced athletes, but there is hope. Read more
When we look at track and field, technique in different events have evolved at different paces over the course of the last century. Comparing different events it is interesting to see how some techniques have barely changed while others have become unrecognizable. All of this begs the question why some events move forward technically, and others do not. Read more
After leading athletes to 24 NCAA titles in 15 years, throws coach Dave Dumble packed up and headed north to take on a new challenge of building a program from scratch at Oregon State University. On this week’s podcast Dumble joins us to talk about the move, what he is building at Corvallis, his coaching philosophy, and more. Read more
Imagine this: you are an up and coming 24-year-old hammer thrower ranked in the world’s top 10. You arrived at the Olympics in the best shape of your life, having qualified in fourth position and been on the podium in every meet except one that year. As you leave the call room in the depths of the stadium and emerge onto the track you’re greeted by more than 110,000 fans and also by torrential downpour. The throwing rings has quickly turned into a slippery lake. Read more
For our March site theme, we turn our attention from jumping to throwing. This site started out focused on the throwing events in track and field: shot put, discus, javelin and the hammer throw. Over the past decade we have expanded the scope to cover training and coaching for a wide range of sports. But this month we returned to our roots by putting together 7 new articles, 4 new podcasts, and 2 new videos covering all 4 throwing events. Read more
In my post yesterday about Jean-Pierre Egger I wrote about the importance of having a technical philosophy and how that can look in practice. As important as that is, having a philosophy isn’t much use unless the athlete understands it. Teaching isn’t necessarily about what you say, it’s about what is heard. Or, as John Wooden used to put it, you haven’t taught until they’ve learned. Read more
Back in December, I invited Sergej Litinov to Zurich to present a workshop and work with some of the Swiss hammer throwers. Since I first got to train with Litvinov in 2004, I have been impressed by the different perspective he brings to the event. He conceptualizes the hammer throw different than any other thrower I know. Back in August 2017 and September 2018 he joined member hangouts to try and explain his approach, but only seeing him with with athletes in person do you really get to understand how to put the concepts into practice. Read more
