Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

I'm beginning to plan for the upcoming track season (h.s.) and I'm looking at our season which runs from early March until state meet in early June (typical h.s. season)....the past couple years I have planned during the season usually looking ahead only 1 week at a time….my goal here is to plan my season out for 12 weeks and adjust as needed when the time comes…..

Can anyone offer some feedback/ideas for a TJ/LJ program….total macrocycle is right around 12 weeks and I'm looking to plan for 3 4-week mesos for the season. 

Any ideas would help….I'm talking more specifically about planning weeks and what days of the week would work best to concentrate on plyos/drills/approach, etc.

Thanks to any who can offer some feedback!

Here's a shot, 12 weeks, more power to you for getting it down.

First meso- general activities involving jump and skipping activities to teach foot contacts, take off positions.- Skip for distance, height, very small bounds, continuous hurdle jumps, galloping, continuous take offs. 
Acceleration mechanics working on consistent pushing in first 2-6 steps. 

Second Meso- Implement short approach jumps, starting at 8 steps.  Moving out closer to full approach distance through the meso. Develop full approach run. Eccentric strength development. In meet situations, possible still jumping off of short approach jumps.

Third Meso- Full approach jumps implemented and technically looking better.  Focusing on areas that need to have holes plugged.  You'll know when you get to this point on a week to week basis what needs to be polished.

I would keep the approach shorter than longer.  The high schoolers that we get, generally have too long a approach, that creaters inaccuracies at the board (i.e. slowing down from improper momentum development) and too much speed for them to handle at the board and creates technical breakdowns.
Don't rush techical development, even if it means compromising possibly jump distances.

Have fun.

Thanks much Todd.

Following up….if you had to put together a week's plan during comp. phase with one big meet falling at the end of the week on saturday, how would you set it up?

Would the following look like a quality work week?......say for a week about a month into the season (or second meso).....i do have a couple studs that I have developed so they can handle more than my beginners..

Mon.
OL /Squat in weight room—(50-85%) high intensity/low volume
Med Ball
Skipping/Bounding
Full Approach work

Tues.
Tempo work (maybe 1200-1600 m total)?
Short Approach jumps
Landing drills

Wed.
OL/ Squats in weight room (same as Mon.)
Skipping/Bounding at lower volume
Full Approach work

Thurs.
Short Approach jumps
Landing drills

Fri.
Meet Prep. (Video/Film watch)
Full Approach X 3

I just threw this together from some ideas i have….could you critique this for me?  Let me know what you would do differently!!  Thanks again….

Hey Todd, what would you suggest for a guideline concerning approach in long jump and triple jump. I currently use a 9 step approach and run a 11.5 100m time. I've played around with my approach and I started at a 7 step. Does 9 step sound correct or should I adjust with less or more steps?

Mike or anyone else….any input on the ideas posted earlier??

preferences are personal….

I would add a session of acceleration work and a session of max sprint work, 1 on monday, 1 on wednesday.  This would eliminate at least one of the full approach work sessions.

The tempo work on Tuesday, from a training theory standpoint, should be the last thing you do on Tuesday.  They could probably do without it, but that's a personal preference.

jumper 6.37-
do mean 18 steps when you refer to 9 steps?  18 steps would be 9 strides. If it is 9 steps, you could add more steps.  I guess when I said better shorter than longer, I was refering to something in the 18++ steps for an average jumper high school jumper, when it seems like they could get by with less.

The approach is less dictated by how fast you are, but how it is distributed on the runway, and what you can handle at take off in terms of speed.

Todd-
Thanks again….i see what you mean as far as acceleration/max speed work and incorporating it here on Mon/Wed.  What do you like to do for accelerators?  Also, I have added Flying 30s and/or 60s for max sprint work….is this something you think is beneficial here?  Also, I've cut full approach to one solid session on Fri.

Mon.
OL /Squat in weight room—(50-85%) high intensity/low volume
Med Ball
Skipping/Bounding
Acceleration work (10-30 m?)

Tues.
Short Approach jumps
Landing drills

Wed.
OL/ Squats in weight room (same as Mon.)
Skipping/Bounding at lower volume
Max Sprint work (flying 30s/60s?)

Thurs.
Short Approach jumps
Landing drills

Fri.
Meet Prep. (Video/Film watch)
Full Approach X 4-6

What do you think???  Thanks again.

Todd-

Off the subject of training, how many track scholarships do you offer each year?  Also, what are you looking for when you are recruiting in the horizontal jumps?

Just curious…. I'm a girls coach and I am going to be starting to help one of my athletes in the next year look for a school and go through the process….she is very talented (junior now) and could be the first D1 product we've had here in the last 5-6 years.

Yeah my bad, I meant to say 9 strides. 9 steps would be way to short. I see what your saying with being able to handle speed and get the pop necessary to achieve maximum jumps.  Thanks for the input.

Originally posted by jumpscoachmike
Todd-
Thanks again….i see what you mean as far as acceleration/max speed work and incorporating it here on Mon/Wed.  What do you like to do for accelerators?  Also, I have added Flying 30s and/or 60s for max sprint work….is this something you think is beneficial here?  Also, I've cut full approach to one solid session on Fri.

Mon.
OL /Squat in weight room—(50-85%) high intensity/low volume
Med Ball
Skipping/Bounding
Acceleration work (10-30 m?)

Tues.
Short Approach jumps
Landing drills

Wed.
OL/ Squats in weight room (same as Mon.)
Skipping/Bounding at lower volume
Max Sprint work (flying 30s/60s?)

Thurs.
Short Approach jumps
Landing drills

Fri.
Meet Prep. (Video/Film watch)
Full Approach X 4-6

What do you think???  Thanks again.

That looks good to me. I'd just add some general strength development on Tuesday and Thursday. This could come in the form of med ball work, calistenics, or body building exercises.

Mike-

Can you give me a routine of a good med ball workout?....something that would work well in that slot on tues./thurs.

Originally posted by jumpscoachmike
Mike-

Can you give me a routine of a good med ball workout?....something that would work well in that slot on tues./thurs.

I posted one of my medball workouts here.

Mike-
Hate to trouble you for explanation on these med ball drills, but I only recognized a couple….could you possibly give a brief description of them?  Very much appreciated!!!!

Sorry man….here's your routine you forwarded me to….any description would help me out alot. 

Standing Shoulder (L & R)
Back Toss
Kneeling Good Morning
Medial Kicks (L & R)
Hip Toss (CW-CCW)
Kneeling OH Forward
Lateral Kicks (L & R)
Kneeling OHB Exchange
Leg Ad-Abs
Hurdle Reach (L & R)
Prone OH Back
L-Overs
:D

One more for you Mike…..this is from an earlier thread:

"Yes, we operate on a 7 day work week (microcycle) with one complete rest day on Sunday. A typical mesocycle lasts 4 weeks (3 loading and 1 unloading). High demand CNS days are typically Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."

Our season schedule just happens to be set up where every 4th week (end of each mesocycle), we have a larger, important meet…looking at your comment above, would I then load those first 3 weeks and unload significantly that 4th week (week of big competition)??   

[list][*]Standing Shoulder (L & R): throwing MB from the shoulder to a partner or a wall while standing.
[*]Back Toss: Throwing a ball behind the body, bending over and throwing the ball over head to a partner or wall.
[*]Kneeling Good Morning: Kneeling and holding MB overhead, flex at hips and then return to upright posture.
[*]Medial Kicks (L & R): Standing on one leg only, kick a ball to a partner or friend across the midline of the body. The ball should be stopped completely with the inside of the foot and THEN kicked.
[*]Hip Toss (CW-CCW): Facing opposite directions, partners catch and recieve MB with extended arms and using the obliques rather than the arms to throw.
[*]Kneeling OH Forward: From the knees, throw MB to a partner or wall catching and throwing from an overhead position.
[*]Lateral Kicks (L & R): Just like medial kicks but kicking laterally rather than medially.
[*]Kneeling OHB Exchange: Kneeling back-to-back with toes about 12 inches apart, one partner holds MB overhead and reaches back to pass MB to partner who recieves it in a turned position. Reciever then becomes passer and passes ball overhead.
[*]Leg Ad-Abs: Seated with legs extended and MB held between ankles, ball and legs are lifted to R—> Center—> L—> Center….
[*]Hurdle Reach (L & R): Standing and holding MB with extended arms, slowly raise knee to chest and then extend the leg to tap the ball.
[*]Prone OH Back: Lying on stomach with arms extended in front of face, parner stands above and catches ball and places it back in thrower's hands…..VERY HARD.
[*]L-Overs: Lying on back, holding MB between ankles, raise legs to leg raise position and then move to inches of the ground on the left and then the right. [/list]