Most track & field coaches focus their pursuit of technical knowledge on biomechanics, physiology or training theory. While this is certainly nothing to be knocked it leaves something to be desired. If a coach has great technical knowledge in the hard sciences but?cannot convey what they know in a clear, concise and concrete way that actually produces beneficial changes then they are not as effective at coaching as they could be and their athlete’s performance will suffer. This is where a better understanding of the best practices of motor control?and?motor learning can help bridge the gap. ?I was lucky enough to have Dr. Richard Magill as a doctoral advisor for a portion of my time at LSU, had fellow doctoral students and office mates who have gone on to be leaders in the field of motor learning, and mentored under Boo Schexnayder on a daily basis and Dan Pfaff from afar….all of whom taught me the importance of simplifying concepts, practice design, effective cueing and feedback and other less well-understood aspects of motor learning and control.
So in?one of my more recent talks at the 2014 Midwest Speed Summit I figured it would be important to present on these often overlooked subjects in the context of how to best effect changes in sprint mechanics. Please like and share the blog?and post thoughts and questions to the forum.