Another baseball season is underway and, once again, the injuries are piling up. On this week’s GAINcast we speculate about what might be causing the injuries, how training is related to injuries, and where using heavy and light implements can go right or wrong.
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With some athletes, the key to coaching is about getting them to put their foot on the gas. However, with elite athletes it can often the opposite. On this week’s podcast Scott Russell joins us to share some experiences from his career as a javelin thrower, PE teacher, and coach about when to step on the gas, when to take the foot away, and much more.
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On this week’s episode we jump into the trenches and look at some recent training trends, misconceptions, and ideas on planning. We also share some examples of good training we’ve seen first hand this summer.
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Kara Winger has been the top American javelin thrower for 15 years. This season was her last, and she went out in style. Her season highlights included a world number 1 ranking, Diamond League title, World Championships silver medal, and an American record. She joins us on this week’s podcast with her husband and coach Russ Winger to discuss what made this season such a success.
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I have told this story many times in presentations and in various podcasts. It deserves to be retold to underscore the lesson I learned many years ago and is reinforced daily in my coaching.
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Throughout February and March we looked at team at topic close to our heart: throwing. Our team of contributors put together 2 new videos, 6 new podcasts, and 5 new articles on the topic from 10 contributors. Find links to both our new and archived resources on throwing below.
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When Åsmund Martinsen began working with a young Andreas Thorkildsen in 2001, they set about making the “most athletic javelin thrower in the world” in order to develop a special talent. They developed a program based on the balance of strength, speed, flexibility and gymnastics, to create a “superathlete” that happened to throw the javelin, and remain healthy enough to contest for all major titles over a long career. On this week’s podcast Martinsen breaks down the training of two-time Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen with guest interviewer Shaun Pickering.
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Recently James Marshall wrote about the need to develop general throwing skills before specific throwing skills. The topic of general throwing skills is worth diving more into. Thankfully this is a task that GAIN faculty member and award-winning physical education teacher Greg Thompson has to deal with every day at the primary school level. Watching his teaching progressions can help coaches of all levels in several areas. Below I show two key lessons we can take from Thompson: how advanced coaches can improve their understanding of movement by breaking it down to its basics, and how to balance constraints and cues in teaching movement.
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All throwing events are different. But more importantly all athletes are different. When we devise training we have to remember we’re coaching people, not machines. This is central to the philosophy of throws coach Debbie Strange. On this week’s GAINcast she joins us to discuss her coaching philosophy, the unique demands of the javelin throw, training plan design, and more.
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The dust has settled following Tokyo, giving us time to analyze the most recent trends in our sport. It’s not just a question of who is hot and who is not, but how current throwers are adapting and changing technique to reach new levels. On this week’s podcast coach Don Babbitt joins us to look at the technical trends in the throws that emerged in Tokyo.
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