[Carl Valle]

Carl Valle on November 20, 2011 at 12:25 am #17978

Daniel Andrews made me think about acceleration with his focus on how the body generates ate of change of velocity with time, and his use of delta was very appropriate. Currently sled work is used to create a good workout and it’s a lot of fun. I have pushed a prowler, pulled weight for sled drags, but never timed my 10m dash as I know it will not transfer. The ironic thing about heavy sleds is t

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[jwhite@madison.k12.il.us]

jwhite@madison.k12.il.us on November 22, 2011 at 4:13 am #112469

I don’t disagree about your conclusions on sled pushing and it’s carryover.

But…

observationaly, i’ve found that sled pushing is very useful for several reasons:

1. can help athletes become more comfortable in a low start/block position.
2. can help athletes feel the difference between push and pull in sprinting.
I’m coming at this from a middle school/high school background. So some of the things I am trying to do with a sled might be different than college/club/elite sprinters. I’ve found that sled pushing build confidence in that position.It can be really hard to teach blocks and the accleration phase when kids just arenot used to or comfortable with the horizontal position. I think using the sled is a nice tool to get them low and build up some confidence. Everytime I’ve done this, kids say the blocks feel easier. It’s subjective and not very scientific, but once confidence is built, then we can get down to the real business.

When followed by sprinting or maybe high knees(say sled pushes for 10m followed by a 30m sprint/drill), help younger/newer athletes feel the difference between pushing and pulling and the different phases of a sprint. Another thing for newer athletes. But is great when younger athletes have problems understanding things like “push” and “pull” when it relates to running (or at least running cues”).

3. can work core in a horizontal isometric position.
I’m just big on this…I’m not a situps kinda guy. A nice moderate length sled push is a great core lift.

4. if loaded heavy, is a good resistance workout.
It’s easier to teach than the squat and can be done outside and is usually pretty fun and competitive.

I absolutely agree with the main point of the article which is “why exactly are you pushing a sled?” I feel I’ve got some good reasons to keep sled pushing included.

[Carl Valle]

Carl Valle on November 22, 2011 at 7:16 pm #112503

Thanks for the reply Jeff, but the benefits you share are not unique to heavy sleds and those characteristics can be replicated by good coaching. As for “easier than squats” you are right, but sometimes the easier path is a dead end long term. Trying to get a quick fix often makes the process longer down the road.

[jwhite@madison.k12.il.us]

jwhite@madison.k12.il.us on November 23, 2011 at 2:07 am #112509

Thanks for the reply Jeff, but the benefits you share are not unique to heavy sleds and those characteristics can be replicated by good coaching. As for “easier than squats” you are right, but sometimes the easier path is a dead end long term. Trying to get a quick fix often makes the process longer down the road.

Never said anything was unique or that it was a quick fix.

Coaching is an art. Any tool that gets the job done is a good one.

Sleds are cheap, easy to use, easy to teach and a lot of fun. I’ve seen them improve young inexperience athletes fast. I don’t think they are magic bullets.

[star61]

star61 on November 23, 2011 at 6:43 am #112516

Carl,

When you say you don’t time 10m sprints because they don’t transfer, do you mean that you don’t believe sleds will tranfer to a better 10m time, or a better 10m time doesn’t transfer to better athletic performance?