Dylan Hicks is the Founder and one of many lead coaches at Adelaide Athletic Improvement, a monitor & area specialist group. Dylan is within the closing levels of his Ph.D. at Flinders College, the place his thesis is concentrated on force-velocity profiling in crew and particular person sport athletes. At present, Dylan is the Head of Well being & Bodily Training and Excessive-Efficiency Academy Coordinator at Cardijn Faculty in Adelaide. He’s an Affiliate Degree II ASCA coach, a Licensed Energy & Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), and a Degree III Dash Hurdles & Relays Coach (AA), and he has accomplished an MSc at Edith Cowan College (Energy & Conditioning). His space of specialty is teaching pace, and he at present has a small group of dash athletes (100m–400m). Dylan has beforehand labored with athletes in crew sports activities within the AFL, SANFL, A-League, and NBL1.
Freelap USA: In Australia, there’s the “reward” circuit, which consists {of professional} racing on grass. Are you able to clarify the format of professional working and the cross-over it might need to conventional novice athletics? Does the apply of sprinting on grass have any benefits or disadvantages when transferring to sprinting on a monitor?
Dylan Hicks: Skilled working in Australia (SAAL, VAL) is a working league that enables athletes of all ages and talents to compete in a enjoyable and aggressive atmosphere. Briefly, every athlete is given a handicap based mostly on their present (or former) skill, which, in flip, ideally offers them an equal alternative to achieve success or probably win a “reward.” A present is the normal time period for the principle race at that assembly and is normally price essentially the most cash. There may be prize cash allotted for finalists in every race, from $300 to $60,000, and a sash for each winner.
This sort of working may be very robust in South Australia (SAAL) and Victoria (VAL) and customarily enhances the normal method to trace working at weekly interclub. Usually, these sorts of leagues don’t entice the quickest athletes within the nation to each meet. As a substitute, they might be made up of athletes who could not attain national-level efficiency however are nonetheless very engaged within the sport and wish to pursue their very own athletic excellence by pushing themselves on this atmosphere.
On the greater meets across the nation, for instance, the Stawell Reward (VIC), Burnie Reward (TAS), and Bay Sheffield (SA), national-level athletes corresponding to Jack Hale, Jake Doran, Bree Masters, and Torrie Lewis have repeatedly competed, which supplies a novel environment for each their rivals and the spectators. Throughout these occasions, athletes like Bree Masters could give her rivals as much as a 10-meter head begin over a 120-meter race, which creates a novel expertise unmatched in different types of the game. My teaching colleague Gaby Philis and I encourage the junior and senior athletes in our group to compete in each grass and conventional monitor occasions.
Concerning coaching (or racing) on grass, it’s an attention-grabbing dialogue and one thing many athletes in Australia “simply do.” We’re lucky to have entry to many well-maintained grass ovals or tracks inside the area people and the college programs.
As we frequently see on-line, many Jamaican athletes seem to coach on grass continuously, however I’m unsure this reveals causation with efficiency. What I’d say is that some great benefits of coaching on grass could embrace facets corresponding to diminished mechanical price in comparison with spending each session on rubber, which could result in a larger accumulation of coaching through the preparation phases. This may increasingly result in a decrease incidence of widespread working accidents, corresponding to decrease limb “scorching spots”/stress reactions or fractures.
Some advantages of training on grass are reduced mechanical cost compared to spending every session on rubber, which might lead to greater accumulation of training during the preparation phases. Click To Tweet
The plain drawback to persistently coaching on grass is the rise in touch time, which adjustments the impulse, subsequently decreasing general dash pace. Variations to improved dash skill, significantly as the extent of the athlete will increase (i.e., nationwide stage), are velocity-specific—i.e., limb velocity coordination, vertical power software (< 100 m/s)—and these can’t be replicated by coaching on grass. An additional drawback is that the floor could affect dash kinematics (if too smooth or uneven), probably ingraining poor technical habits not conducive to sprinting. Total, like many facets of sport efficiency, a mixture of each surfaces is probably going the most effective method, however the coach should decide the easiest way to distribute these throughout the season.
Movies 1 & 2. Coaching to race on grass and on the monitor.
Freelap USA: One of many debates that takes place amongst the dash neighborhood is the stability of normal coaching versus particular coaching. Can you give your ideas on this matter? Are there any advantages to normal coaching, and in that case, how does this sort of coaching switch to dash efficiency?
Dylan Hicks: One of many main adjustments I made to my programming this previous season was based mostly across the periodization and specificity of classes. Largely, it happened from discussions with another notable Aussie coaches, Peter Fitzgerald and John Nicolosi, in regards to the adaptation time to ingrain velocity-specific adjustments.
In comparison with the earlier season, 2021–22, when the group did have some robust outcomes, we solely had 4–6 weeks of what could be termed GPP earlier than transferring on to particular work. Getting again to the teaching discussions, Peter and I’d usually talk about some athletes who spent most of their winter coaching nicely under particular race velocities and magically anticipated outcomes to seem throughout classes simply because that they had transitioned into particular preparation and competitors phases.
Too usually, coaches religiously comply with the periodization fashions set out within the Russian and East German texts with out actually realizing how they had been carried out. I feel it is a mistake (which I’ve additionally made). It takes a very long time to develop pace, and losing 12–16 weeks of preparation doing normal work could be a disservice to your athletes. Moreover, within the unlucky case that the athlete will get injured throughout this time, they’re now even additional alongside within the season, and it delays particular work for one more month or so.
In short, I think general training has limited benefit to improving sprint performance across a season, says @dylhicks. Click To Tweet
Common coaching is simply that—it’s a way to an finish to organize athletes for what’s to return. For youthful athletes, this era is nice for growing biomotor skills, enhancing technical dash traits, altering/studying (new) motor patterns, and many others., however for the extra superior athlete, I’d say it’s extra about getting ready the muscle and connective tissues for the high-velocity actions that can comply with within the upcoming months. The load room is a major a part of the overall preparation part, which we proceed to make use of throughout the entire season, however these workouts are largely normal in nature in comparison with truly sprinting. In brief, I feel normal coaching has restricted profit to enhancing dash efficiency throughout a season.
This season particularly, the place considered one of my athletes made a giant leap within the 400m, we elevated the specificity of classes by inserting a a lot larger emphasis on bend working. We additionally tried to enhance his skill to deal with the calls for of working rounds. John Nicolosi had actually inspired me to maneuver away from doing a lot work on the straights and have my athletes enhance their skill to run the bend, primarily from a technical standpoint, but in addition to develop larger kinesthetic consciousness at excessive velocity. Reflecting on the final 6–8 weeks main into the Australian Nationals, we actually solely ran 3–4pt 30m efforts on the straight. Then the rest of the classes targeted on race modeling the 400m, utilizing facets of working into or out of the bends at pace, which I do know Mike Hurst additionally endorses. So, this was a really rewarding change to my program.
Freelap USA: You’re comparatively distinctive within the teaching neighborhood in that you’ve an especially tutorial background in sports activities efficiency and have authored papers in peer-reviewed journals. You additionally had been an athlete your self. How priceless do you suppose this mix of experiences has been to your teaching, and what instruments have these experiences given you that you simply maybe in any other case would have missed out on?
Dylan Hicks: My educating and training experiences, together with my academic journey—bodily training, train science (S&C), Ph.D. in biomechanics—have developed me into the coach I’m at the moment. Proper now, I primarily reside within the teaching world slightly than analysis, as this isn’t one thing I do day by day. The combo of every of those academic packages with the “college of onerous knocks” is changing into extra priceless as I grow old.
Maybe just like the coaches of yesteryear, who had been educated as bodily training academics, I lean on a whole lot of academic pedagogy whereas teaching: i.e., the speculation and apply of studying. Whether or not I’m giving suggestions to a senior athlete or teaching a junior athlete, the motion or drill should be taught, after which discovered, on the level of the learner/athlete (see John Wood right here).
This is a crucial consideration. Superior ideas ought to most likely not be taught to, and customarily gained’t be grasped by, athletes not at this stage; or at the very least, it might lack some relevance to their present efficiency stage. For instance, within the weight room, growing athletes don’t want Westside coaching; they only want to show up and comply with progressive overload after which flip up once more tomorrow. It’s the identical on the monitor. Meet them the place they’re at.
I feel my background and information in S&C can also be an awesome addition to how I design coaching packages. I usually hear of big disconnects when athletes work with non-public facility trainers, and there may be minimal communication with the monitor coach in regards to the design of the S&C session. This sort of method to coaching can actually hamper development and sure end in soreness and/or harm.
The fitness center should complement the monitor exercises; it may’t be a 50:50 break up. What makes folks quick??? Sprinting! And that is my mindset when planning the monitor season, i.e., what kind of workouts complement particular coaching phases, classes, or athlete sorts? You don’t want a proper training to be taught this data, however I’ve discovered that it supplies me with a balanced pondering strategy of the place every bit of the puzzle “ought to” match.
Concerning my Ph.D. (which I’ll hopefully full within the coming months), different abilities you might be taught and should be taught when performing analysis are to investigate and interpret knowledge critically. Whereas writing my thesis, I used to be overly important of my very own knowledge evaluation, so I now know what to search for when studying new analysis papers and trying to interpret vital findings and whether or not that is helpful to me as a coach.
The findings may be significant in a research study, but so far from moving the needle in applied practice that it’s just not worth worrying about when writing programs, says @dylhicks. Click To Tweet
An increasing number of analysis is popping out on facets of sprinting—together with acceleration, maximal velocity, and switch of coaching—however is all of it helpful in apply? The findings could also be vital in a analysis research, however so removed from transferring the needle in utilized apply that it’s simply not price worrying about when writing packages. So, I assume my analysis background has given me perception into what could also be helpful in a lab and whether or not this may be put into apply on the monitor or within the fitness center.
Freelap USA: What key technical positions do you search for along with your sprinters? What are some widespread cues or instruments you utilize to assist encourage your athletes to seek out these positions?
Dylan Hicks: The foremost focus I had throughout the previous season was the athletes’ place at maximal velocity on each the straight and the bend, as there are nuances right here. I do spend time engaged on acceleration mechanics, however I feel I’ve shifted extra just lately to focusing a bigger portion of my time on enhancing their place at maximal velocity.
A key technical attribute I attempted to handle with a couple of of my athletes is their shoulder/head place in respect to the place their hips are. Regardless of working fairly nicely, we had points previously season the place the shoulders/head had been too far forward of the hips after the acceleration part, and so they haven’t corrected again to a place the place the shoulders are “stacked” on prime of the hips. Failure to handle this results in early floor contact and extreme braking forces.
Video 3. Athletes performing hurdle hops.
One other factor I search for at prime pace is the diploma of knee flexion upon floor contact and through full stance; if there’s an excessive amount of flexion, a couple of issues could also be taking place as a result of, ideally, we would like this lever to be lengthy and principally prolonged. That is usually a results of early floor contact, however in the end it identifies {that a} nearer inspection is required. First, the impulse is suboptimal, and they’re on the bottom too lengthy, the athlete’s eccentric and/or elastic qualities are poor, or there’s a timing/coordination subject as soon as at prime pace.
Different widespread positions to search for are the “determine 4” place throughout floor contact and the place the swing leg knee is throughout this momentary place; that is one thing many coaches determine as important. Additionally, I actually encourage a “lengthy torso” to make sure athletes should not flexing on the hip, significantly on the bends. Then I search for a “massive chest” to make sure their shoulders are down and again to restrict rolling the shoulders and curvature of the thoracic backbone.
Concerning the arms, I encourage my athletes to concentrate on stroking the arms from the “chin to previous their pocket line.” I’ve used wickets, med balls overhead, dribbles, and numerous drills to appropriate and encourage higher patterns, however in the end, a lot of it comes by means of repetition, constructive reinforcement, and when numerous energy ranges enhance (i.e., reactive energy, and many others.).
Returning to the earlier query, motor studying variations inside a monitor and area setting (i.e., job/atmosphere, stimulus, suggestions, corrections/changes, job, and many others.) are sometimes larger when the atmosphere and motor sample are carried out on the desired pace. Even novice athletes can hit good angles coming off blocks or discover the determine 4 place, but can’t hit superior break up instances—so cueing positions and doing drills at pedestrian velocities is proscribed. In my expertise, technical or kinematic adjustments take longer to develop than biomechanical ones, regardless of being associated, so it may be a sluggish burn.
Freelap USA: The athletes you coach, some just lately representing Australia on the Oceania Relays (4x400m), are part-time. What sort of constraints does this place upon you and them and the way you propose their coaching? What does a typical week of coaching appear to be to your athletes through the particular preparation part and/or competitors part?
Dylan Hicks: Sure, that’s proper. One in every of my athletes, Harrison Hunt (silver medal within the 400m on the Aust Nationals, PB 46.24), just lately represented Australia on the Oceania Relays on the Gold Coast within the Males’s 4x400m and Blended 4x400m. New squad member Aidan Murphy (200m PB, 20.41, previously coached by Peter Fitzgerald) was additionally part of this relay squad. Up till this level, I’ve solely ever labored with part-time athletes (and I’m a part-time coach), so I can’t evaluate to what full-time athletes or coaches expertise. However briefly, it successfully moderates the load, depth, and density of what could be achieved through the week (i.e., after work).
In my senior group, I at present coach two full-time carpenters (considered one of which is Harrison), an train scientist, two schoolteachers, and a college pupil, and subsequently, all of them come to coaching with a supply of fatigue earlier than beginning the session. This isn’t unusual and one thing most coaches at my stage cope with. The primary factor I’ve discovered to do is get artistic with planning based mostly round good climate, monitor entry, public holidays, and the weekends.
The main thing I have learned to do training part-time athletes is getting creative with planning based around good weather, track access, public holidays, and the weekends, says @dylhicks. Click To Tweet
A serious a part of my programming is predicated upon doing their highest-intensity, or most vital, classes on the weekend. That is primarily as a result of there are not any time constraints on the session, and so they are available comparatively contemporary, albeit possible coaching a lot earlier within the morning. Through the week, we clearly do push the depth, however it might usually sit on the decrease finish of the high-intensity continuum, the place I encourage the athlete to average their session based mostly on how they really feel after work or research. If the pace shouldn’t be there after a full day of labor, we simply regulate the session.
Different elements I have a look at to maximise session outcomes are the climate and the calendar. Throughout the yr, I consistently have a look at the two-week forecast, making an attempt to find out when the subsequent wave of hotter climate (particularly in winter or spring) is coming so I can regulate classes to maximise today. I’ll change classes fairly rapidly if I do know we are able to hit some high-intensity speed sessions in heat climate. This method additionally assists in making an attempt to keep away from inclement climate, the place if I do know it is going to possible be raining on the weekend, we could swap the classes round to make sure the important thing session on the weekend is as a substitute finished through the week.
Lastly, though the athletes don’t all the time prefer it, I attempt to maximize the usage of public holidays by growing the coaching density main into today and even utilizing the day as a chance to have two moderate- to high-intensity classes again to again. A lot of the data above appears widespread sense (at the very least to me), however I’ve discovered them helpful concerns when making an attempt to navigate the constraints of part-time, semiprofessional athletes.
From a programming standpoint, through the SPP and throughout many of the competitors part, we used a weekly construction, as detailed under. Session construction and content material had been usually dictated by whether or not the athlete raced or not, however this was largely the main focus for Harrison Hunt, resulting in his success over 400 meters this season.
Sunday
Monitor (grass)
Heat-up
Acceleration work + hurdle mobility + plyos
2x (150, 120), fast-easy-fast, 3 minutes between reps, 8–10 minutes between units. First set full bend; second set half bend.
(*We’d sometimes do that whether or not they raced on Saturday or not.)
Monday
Weight room (complete physique session)
Motion prep
A1: Hex bar deadlift (3–5 x 3 ≥ 85% 1RM)
A2: Loaded chin-up (10%–20% BW)
B1: Hold clear (3–6 x 2-4 ≥ 60%–80%)
B2: Field leap (BW or vest)
C1: Seated calf elevate (isometric or eccentric focus)
C2: Rotary hip flexion/extension (quick)
C3: Hanging leg elevate (core)
Tuesday
Restoration, regeneration, physio/therapeutic massage
Wednesday
Monitor (rubber)
Two forms of classes we sometimes use:
A. (non-race week)
Heat-up
Acceleration work + plyos
2 x 60m from the 400m begin. 4 pt or blocks. 6 min relaxation between reps. 6 min relaxation earlier than subsequent rep.
1 x 90m off bend (45m build-up/45m upkeep), 10 min relaxation.
1 x 180m. Begin on the 250m mark on the again straight and end on the 70m mark on the house straight. 12 min relaxation.
1 x 150m. Half bend at 400m ending pace or greater.
B. (race week)
Heat-up
Acceleration work + hurdle mobility + plyos
2 x flying 30m (30m build-up) / 60m, 5–6 minutes between reps. 6 min relaxation earlier than subsequent rep.
1 x flying 60m (30m build-up) / 90m, 6–9 min relaxation earlier than subsequent rep.
2 x 150m race mannequin. Rep 1 from the 400m begin, 10 min relaxation, Rep 2 from the 250m mark on again straight.
Thursday
Monitor (grass) or weight room (complete physique)
As per Sunday/Monday or comparable focus.
Friday
As per Tuesday.
Saturday (sometimes Day 1 of microcycle)
A. Race day
or
Two forms of classes we sometimes use relying on what the athlete wants:
B. Monitor (grass or rubber)/anaerobic capability focus
Heat-up
Acceleration work + hurdle mobility + plyos
5 x 150m (half bend), on a rolling 5-min cycle. Aiming to take care of consistency in time throughout all reps. Evaluate the common of reps week to week.
C. Monitor (grass or rubber)/anaerobic energy focus
Heat-up
Acceleration work + hurdle mobility + plyos
2x (200 + 150), 90 seconds relaxation between reps, 12–quarter-hour between units. Rep 1 (200m) stationary begin, aiming barely quicker than opening 400m pace. Rep 2 is a rolling 150m “excessive effort” run to simulate the “feeling” of the ultimate section of a 400m race.
Total, transferring to a microcycle following the above sample (monitor/comp, grass, fitness center, off, monitor, grass/fitness center, off) through the CP appeared to offer a powerful basis for working a number of rounds on the Nationals.
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