My latest project is working with a High School hurdler that is a junior here in Massachusetts. One can use low dose cuing with a shaping and piecing approach to allow for Self-Organization. My choice is to separate the mechanics of hurdles in to what are influenced by the stretch reflex of joints and what are truly conscious actions of the athlete. Another view is to see what is motor skill and w [...]

The take off in the hurdles represents the highest cause of errors in hurdles, yet they are rarely mapped out from a cause and effect point of view. Most hurdlers look visually at tape and assume that the what you see is a product of what you are trying to do. Regardless of what one feels, the underlying elements must be based on motor learning theory and practice with a backbone of physics. The p [...]

Murder at Golgotha: Revisiting the Most Famous Crime Scene in History , is a Sunday reading book, enjoyed after football ends. I read a lot of general science books and other nonfiction books to keep me balanced as track and field can cause insanity. One of the elements I like with general reading is coming back next year with as sense of well rounded thinking. Detective work and crime scene stori [...]

The lead arm should stay as close to how it is in normal sprinting motion as possible. The hand of the lead arm should never cross the nose of the face, and should never raise any higher than the forehead. The elbow should open up just wide enough for the trail leg to drive through in its upward motion. The elbow should never be in a position where it is higher than the hand. The lead arm should b [...]

The cut step is the last stride before the hurdle and the great hurdlers purposely alter the length and stride time in order to set up optimal take off. This is very difficult to teach as the step is so fast it can't be drilled effectively without proper coaching. I am not saying I am the expert on the cut step but many hurdlers need to set up their take off point optimally or they will find them [...]

After Beijing one of my athletes came to a crossroads with his career. Hector Cotto represents Puerto Rico and competes in the 110m hurdles. Currently our goal is to final at the 2009 World championships. Making the Olympics was step one and we did that given a situation that was less than ideal. This year our goal is to make the final and run 13.25-13.34 given the right conditions and if we can r [...]

I have been traveling so much lately I am trying to catch up with myself. The trip to England was quite good. The First two days I was at Loughborough University presenting a seminar for The FA to Fitness coaches of professional teams, there were sixty coaches in attendance. Presenting in that environment is never easy because people often do not want to hear the theory and the why, they want to g [...]

How much time is needed to prepare for a decathlon? How bout 4 days. I have been missing competition more than ever before since I started coaching my girls in the pent and hep and I decided to dust off the cobwebs. Sunday: Instead of surfing, I attempt to hurdle and high jump. I had a goal of 50 hurdles at 42 and a 5 step of 6'0 in HJ. I made it to 44 hurdles and my last group of 4 felt . . .de [...]

It was neat to see Perdita get second in the 100Meter Hurdles yesterday at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka. As many of you know she fell in the final in Athens. It has taken her this long to get back to best form. I am continually amazed at how the athletes that Gary Winckler coaches can consistently be at their seasonal or lifetime best in major championships. He truly understands Plan [...]

Legendary hurdles coach Wilbur Ross dies Recognized throughout the world as one of the premier hurdles coaches in history, track coach Wilbur Ross died on Wednesday, August 8, in Hollywood, Fla. He was 80.Ross, who mentored such luminaries as National Track & Field Hall of Famers Greg Foster, Roger Kingdom and Renaldo Nehemiah among many others, achieved success coaching at the University of Maryl [...]