This week on the podcast we’re going all in on the shot put. The World Indoor Championships took place over the weekend and we break down the results, compare different starting techniques for the rotational shot put, discuss recent trends in the event, how to make competitions more fun for athletes and fans.
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A few weeks ago we wrote about how throwers need to find their own throw. Technique is a movement problem that we all have to solve differently based on our size, strengths, and predispositions. But where do you start? To help give throwers an idea of the vast amount of variety among elite shot putters, we’ve taken 6 examples below of different ways to start the throw. This isn’t meant to show all the possible variations or even the best variations, but to illustrate some key differences, which each variety aims to do, and who it might work best for.
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It’s time to open the listener mailbag again. As the track season comes to and end and the fall sports season starts up, we answer some questions on scoring trends in track and field, general preparation, plyometrics, med balls, and share some memories of Yuriy Sedykh.
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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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Not only did this year’s Olympic Games mark the high point of the year for pole vaulters, it also presented a new era in the sport. Two first-time Olympians won gold, showing adversity of against the tough conditions, as well as two seasons training and competing under a pandemic. Below I take an in depth look at both the men’s and women’s competition, as well as some thoughts on what sets apart the sport’s biggest star: Mondo Duplantis.
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The Olympics just wrapped up. All the uncertainty leading into the games was left fans unsure of what was to come. But once the throwing started, historic performances arrived daily. On this week’s episode guest Shaun Pickering joins us to break down the performances in each of the throwing events, look at what made the Tokyo Olympics different, and draw out some key lessons for coaches and athletes from the 2020 Olympics.
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Three-time Olympian John Godina knows a thing or two about competing at the highest level. From being the favorite, to only making the team as an alternate, his wide range of experiences can help share what Olympic athletes will encounter in Tokyo. On this week’s episode he joins us to discuss his own experience, his approach to technique, and how he assesses the current generation of throwers.
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Training is often thought of in terms of exercises. Exercises might be the building blocks of training, but as Vern wrote about today, it isn’t about the exercise. Good programs stand out more from the continuity and progression between each exercises. They look at the synergies created by exercises rather than how an exercise works in isolation.
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Recently I wrote an article on substitutions and alternatives for the Olympic lifts. Those of you who have not read the article may be asking why would you want any substitutes for Olympic Lifting? Why not just do the Olympic lifts? For some coaches the reason is that they take too much time to teach. For those coaches I have another option for you: microdosing. Teaching the Olympic lifts in small doses means that you don’t take time away from other forms of strength training to learn the basic lifts.
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There are few things in coaching as rewarding as helping a young person achieve something for the first time: a forward roll, a cartwheel, leaping over a hurdle or standing up with a weight above their head. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Conversely, there are few things in coaching as difficult as coaching a group of young people whose minds and bodies are going through the turmoil of puberty and school and socialization. In this article I shall outline some of the coaching and technical ideas that I use when coaching juniors.
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