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    USATF Coaches Ed

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    I’ve been in Houston for the past week at the USATF Level 2 school. The Coaches Education only holds one Level 2 school a year (other than some rare circumstances) and it’s almost always held at the same time of the year. This year was a little later due to the Olympic trials going in to July. This is the 9th Level 2 I’ve attended (first 2 were as student only) and I’ve enjoyed every one of them. In fact, I look forward to them every year as an opportunity to meet up with my coaching friends and learn some new info.

    I’ve taught the biomechanics section of the curriculum since 2003. This year I lucked in to teaching the sprints curriculum in addition to the usual biomechanics curriculum because one of the lead instructors (one of the original members of the board) opted out of teaching and a door opened up. The same thing happened in 2006 when Xavier ran 19.63 and Carter’s former coach (Dennis Shaver) was forced to shift priorities and get over to Europe to be with Xavier. In that case, I was literally asked to give 8 hours of presentation without having prepared for it at all. This year I had a little more warning and ended up being assigned 2 of the 3 ‘marathon’ sessions….maximal velocity sprint mechanics, and planning training (hurdles is the third marathon session). I’ve got one more today about motor learning but that’s a short one. This school has been a good one. Despite terrible beds and worse food, the student body is really good. The school rejects hundreds of students each year and I know that the selection committee has the luxury of being more selective and only taking better students. This year it shows.

    The coaches ed program really is great. You’d be amazed to see how many of the successful coaches at every level of competition are products of this program. There are actually quite a few ET’ers here including several moderators and blog contributors. Next year, I think I’ll try to put together an ET social so we can start to put names to faces.
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    Mike Young

    Mike Young

    Founder of ELITETRACK at Athletic Lab
    Mike has a BS in Exercise Physiology from Ohio University, an MSS in Coaching Science from Ohio University & a PhD in Biomechanics from LSU. Additionally, he has been recognized as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength & Conditioning Association, a Level 3 coach by USA Track & Field, a Level 2 coach by USA Weightlifting.
    Mike Young
    Mike Young
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