LET’S GET TECHNICAL IN LAST MONTH’S EDITION WE COVERED SETTING YOUR GOALS AND KNOWING WHICH DIRECTION YOU’RE HEADING, SO THIS MONTH LET’S FOCUS ON HOW WE CAN IMPROVE WITH TECHNIQUE
By David Z immer
David is a British Triathlon Level 3 triathlon coach, Swim England swim teacher, life coach and mentor. Developing people is what makes him tick and he gets immense pleasure in seeing others succeed
Email: dmz25@hotmail.com
T
echnique is an aspect that many people miss from their training programmes is technique - all sports have a technical aspect to them. Adding technical sessions will improve your overall agility, efficiency, and form.
We run naturally, and often never coached. This is where running drills come in, allowing you to become more proficinet and suffer less injuries.
Drills can make you ache when done correctly so ensure you warm up and cool down properly.
What Are Running Drills?
As a triathlete coach, coaching technical sessions is a really good way to identify an someone’s strengths and weaknesses within their field. If you are going to attempt some of the sessions below you may wish to initially try it behind closed doors; hopping and skipping in public might bring you some unnecessary attention! The only requirement for running drills is a flat surface and a bit of space.
Running drills are dynamic exercises that help to ingrain proper movement patterns into your muscle memory. These movements eventually become automatic and help to improve a number of things which are beneficial to all, for example:
Visualise a runner running and then slow it right down you can separate the necessary movements into the following parts:
The key dos and don’ts of a good running technique can be simple for some and very difficult for others. Running motion is such a natural action for most of us. We run every day as children and throughout our lives, either fast walking or running.
26 etcetera
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The strength of your muscles, tendons and joints (like your ankles).
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Communication between your brain and legs
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Agility
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Co-ordination
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Balance
RUNNING
High knees Bounding Heel flicks Skipping Where to Begin? Start by using a distance of 20m and carry out 3 to 4 repetitions, set aside about 25 minutes for this session which will include the warming up and cooling down period. I’ve given you a breakdown for the 4 key elements for running drills. If you need more guidance there are some great videos
