2 quick announcements.My company has a "Back to School" Sale on all books and DVDs. Individual DVDs are priced 25% off. The sale goes until August 30th. Check out the HPC store to take advantage of the great deals.I am slated for several upcoming USATF Level 1 schools (see HERE for more details):August 6-8 at Smith College in Northhampton, MA (~Boston) August 13-15 at Bowie State University in B [...]

This past weekend I taught at a USATF Level 1 school. Between teaching at Level 1s, 2s, and 3s this was my 40th school. For the past year, I’ve been averaging about 2 schools a month. I do them so frequently now that I practically know the material by heart and don’t need the powerpoints. I say this to point out that they are very much routine in a way that might be similar to an athlete who [...]

I will like to give my late Grandfather some credit for teaching me things beyond a track drill, an exercise, or even a discussion about training at all. I was cleaning out some 3 Ring Binders, the same black ones he kept countless research articles on everything he found interesting and I found an old horse respiration when running article that made me smile. The purity of science and engineering [...]

"That is, however, exactly what happened on the night of unprecedented cold temperatures. Like many auto- mobile drivers, these decision makers falsely believed that redundant safety devices allowed them to oper- ate in more dangerous conditions without increasing the risk of a catastrophe."Sport Specific? Special Strength? Sometimes. I will share some general principals I read and see if people [...]

I am not as concerned about the coaching registry (that is a fact of life in 2010) as much as others are, what I am concerned about is the lack of respect and understanding for the Coaching Education program that has been in place and working successfully since 1984. Here is Stephanie Hightower’s, USATF President and Chair, response on why a director of coaching was named: “One of the reaso [...]

The following editorial tells it like it is. USATF is not and never will be about coaches or coaching. They epitomize the mushroom system - Keep them in the dark and shovel shit on them. I think it time the USOC take a long hard look at USATF. It is the USOC that sanctions USATF as the governing body.Editorial: Has USATF Declared War On U.S. Coaches?by James Dunaway & Larry EderFirst came the appo [...]

At the 2010 USATF Annual meeting, I gave a presentation on the benefits and best practices of strength training for speed-power athletes. Having recently recovered a failed hard drive that had all of my presentations from the past decade on it I figured I'd start putting them on the web for 're-runs' presentations. In this one, I address the myths surrounding strength training for youths as wel [...]

I have a couple things that might be of benefit for professional development for some of our members.SOLD OUT Dynamic Warmup Considerations for Speed-Power Athletes DVD for only $14.95My DVD publisher misprinted several of one of my DVDs such that the DVD has the content of Dynamic Warmup Considerations for Speed-Power Athletes but the label of Maximal Velocity Sprint Mechanics is on the cover. Th [...]

As I write this, my thoughts are centered on Track & Field, but coaching education is important in every sport. I was fortunate to be the first graduate of the UCSB Coaching Minor program in 1969. The professors who developed that program put together a curriculum that has been my model for the ensuing 41 years. They recognized and taught us that the coach was the foundation of the sport system. [...]

Around the world successful sports and sporting nations know that that the following paradigm must be in place and fine-tuned. That paradigm is simple: A system must Athlete Centered – they are the ones who perform in the competitive arena.Coach Driven – they prepare the athlete, provide stability and continuity, they are the cornerstones.Administratively Supported – This is pretty self exp [...]