Techniques November 2023

Contents Volume 17 Number 2 / November 2023

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IN EVERY ISSUE

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USTFCCCA Presidents

AWARDS

44 Coaches Hall of Fame Class of 2023 46 The Bowerman Finalists 2023 FEATURES

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Why Confidence Matters Improving self-confidence in athletes

BY MIKE THORSON

18 Power and Purpose Plyometric progressions

BY BOO SCHEXNAYDER

26 The High Jump Principles vs. pictures

BY STEVE THOMAS

32 Finding the Flow Approach training and practice

BY MIKE DELLEMANN

ON THE COVER: APR 1, 2023; AUSTIN, TX, USA; GODSON OGHENEBRUNME CELEBRATES AFTER RUNNING THE ANCHOR LEG ON THE LSU TIGERS 4 X 100M RELAY THAT WON IN 38.53 DURING THE 95TH CLYDE LITTLEFIELD TEXAS RELAYS AT MIKE A. MYERS STADIUM. PHOTOGRAPH BY KIRBY LEE IMAGE OF SPORT

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USTFCCCA PRESIDENT

CARYL SMITH GILBERT PUBLISHER Sam Seemes

USTFCCCA President Caryl Smith Gilbert is the Director of Men’s and Women’s Track & Field at the University of Georgia.

Caryl can be reached at UGATFXC@sports.uga.edu

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES Mary McInnis, Will Harrell, Kristina Taylor, Dave Svoboda, Adrian Wilson COMMUNICATIONS Garrett Bampos, Tom Lewis, Tyler Mayforth, Howard Willman

DIVISION PRESIDENTS

NCAA DIVISION III

NCAA DIVISION II

NCAA DIVISION I

MARC DAVIS Track & Field

NAIA NJCAA techniques NOVEMBER 2023

PHOTOGRAPHER Kirby Lee

Marc Davis is the Director of Track &Field and Cross Counry at Troy University. Marc can be reached at mddavis@troy.edu.

Kevin Sullivan is the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at the University of Michigan.

Kevin can be reached at krsully@ umich.edu

EDITORIAL BOARD Tommy Badon, Scott Christensen, Todd Lane, Derek Yush

DANA SCHWARTING Track & Field

JAMEY HARRIS Cross Country

PUBLISHED BY

Dana Schwarting is the Head Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach at Lewis College. Dana can be reached at schwarda@ lewisu.edu

Jamey Harris is the Head Men’ and Women’s Track & Field Coach at CAL Poly Humboldt University.

Jamey can be reached at jamey@humboldt.edu

110 Veterans Memorial Blvd.,

KENNETH COX Track & Field Kenneth Cox is the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Birmingham-Southern College. Kenneth can be reached at kcox@bsc.edu

MIKE COLLINS Track & Field

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KEVIN SULLIVAN Cross Country

Mike Collins is the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at LewisClark State College. Mike can be reached at mcollins@lcsc.edu

MATTHEW BARREAU Cross Country Matthew Barreau is the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach at Lewis and Clark College. Matthew can be reached at barreau@lclark.edu

ART DIRECTOR Tiffani Reding Amedeo

Renaissance Publishing LLC Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 myneworleans.com

USTFCCCA National Office 1100 Poydras Street, Suite 1750 New Orleans, LA 70163 Phone: 504-599-8900 Website: ustfccca.org

RYAN SOMMERS Cross Country Ryan Sommers is the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach at Bethel (Ind.). Ryan can be reached at ryan.sommers@bethelcollege.edu

CHIP GAYDEN Track & Field

DEE BROWN Cross Country

Chip Gayden is the Head Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach at Meridian Community College.

He can be reached at hgayden@meridiancc.edu

Dee Brown is the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Iowa Central CC. Dee can be reached at brown_dee@iowacentral.edu

If you would like to submit content for, or advertise your business in Techniques, please contact 504-599-8906 or techniques@ustfccca.org.

Techniques (ISSN 1939-3849) is published quarterly in February, May, August and November by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. techniques is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.

The opinions expressed in techniques are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazines’ managers or owners.

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Why Confidence Matters Coach Thorson examines self-confidence in athletes and how it can be improved and developed.

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ost coaches would say they have had an athlete who possessed loads of talent, but underachieved due to psychological and mental issues, and, more specifically, a lack of self-confidence. Or how about this one? We have all heard it. A coach will say they should have gotten a degree in sport psychology so they could sufficiently do their job and deal more effectively with many of their athletes. There is no question that mental skills training has risen to the forefront in the last several years. How important is this type of training? Ralph Mann, a former world class track and field athlete and a very noted sport biomechanist, in his book entitled, “The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling,” says this: “The mental aspect of an athlete is probably the most misunderstood, underestimated, and underdeveloped area of all the limiting performer related factors in sprinting and hurdling.” Dr. Mann’s statement is hardly restricted to sprinters and hurdlers. It could certainly apply to all sports, and most certainly to all the events of track and field.

The definition of self-confidence is the sureness of feeling that you are equal to the task at hand, and therefore believe you can perform a specific behavior successfully. It sounds relatively simple, but experience reveals that it is complex and there are many layers to why some athletes have more than enough self-confidence to perform at the highest levels and others don’t. Most coaches will agree that the most important skill that assists in success is self-confidence. How important? Helen Keller, the famous American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and lecturer who lost her sight and hearing when she was 19 months old, said it best: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” And a little closer to home: “If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win,” boldly stated Carl Lewis, an American track and field icon who won nine Olympic gold medals. You will even find the importance of confidence in the bible. Hebrews 10:35: “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

Obviously, self-confidence is a very individual inner trait.

Most will agree it is relatively easy to pick out athletes who possess great confidence and can step up and meet nearly any and all challenges. It is pretty simple, too, to identify the athletes that lack self-confidence. As Confucius said, ”The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.” These athletes who lack self-confidence are the ones that present a huge and oftentimes frustrating challenge to coaches. Most programs do not have the luxury of having a mental performance coach. Thus, the objective of this presentation is two-fold: 1. To explore how the coach can foster greater self- confidence in the already confident athlete, and increase and improve self confidence in the athlete who lacks that very important ingredient. 2. To assist the coach in understanding the causes and issues surrounding the lack of confidence in athletes. It will be approached from a number of different perspectives and present viewpoints from both the coach and the athlete. The topic certainly reveals that while there is a tremendous amount of science involved in coaching, there is truly an art to masterful coaching.

An extensive survey of both coaches and athletes (some present and some former) was done to seek answers about how coaches could fuel or improve self confidence in athletes. The survey contained a series of questions for both NOVEMBER 2023 techniques

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WHY CONFIDENCE MATTERS coaches and athletes pertaining to this allimportant matter. This article will examine the responses and summarize the common threads and patterns that emerged. Each section will include insights, strategies, thoughts and ideas by the various coaches and athletes. Three questions were posed to athletes and four to coaches, and we will delve into the answers, question by question, and organize the presentation into the seven different sections. Please note that the names of the current athletes who responded have been withheld.

SECTION 1: It is only fitting that we start with the numerous sources of a lack of confidence in the athlete. The first question that was submitted to current and former athletes: What can cause you as an athlete the most stress, anxiety, and lack of selfconfidence prior to a competition?

There were a number of prevalent issues that athletes found to contribute to selfconfidence issues: #The overwhelming response among current and former athletes was a lack of preparation. “A lack of preparation would be the number one factor that causes stress, anxiety and a lack of confidence,” said Cindy (Leingang) Thompson, a former national champion and six-time All American from the University of Mary. “The most anxiety-inducing thing prior to competing would include not feeling prepared for the demands of competition physically, mentally and emotionally,” noted Marceau Jovin, a Canadian hurdler who was a place winner in the 110-meter hurdles for his home country.

Coaching legend John Wooden, the “Wizard of Westwood” who won 10 NCAA basketball championships in 12 years at UCLA, summed it up best: “Confidence comes from being prepared. Hall of Fame coaching legend Dan Pfaff takes it a step further when he says, “Prepare with precision…leave no stone unturned.” Good advice indeed for all coaches and athletes. #Many of the athletes mentioned training issues, which obviously are directly related to preparation. “An injury or injuries can cause a substantial lack of confidence,” remarked Maria (Bolibruch) Meyer, a former conference champion hurdler from the University of Mary. “The results will not be what the athlete could produce and lead to self-doubt,” she added, referring to the injured athlete. Even something like a poor pre-meet warmup could affect selfconfidence. “Not having the proper warmup 10

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or pre meet can make me doubt my abilities and get in my head,” said a current athlete. #The coach not believing in the athlete or not being invested in them was also high on the list. “The athlete will certainly not be as invested,” said one current athlete, “if the coach doesn’t care about the outcome.” “A coach believing in the athlete can relieve many feelings of stress, anxiety and selfdoubt,” declared Meyer. One former Mary athlete alluded to the importance of coaches allowing athletes to make mistakes, fail and rebound, and grow from the experience. ”Teaching athletes to remain positive and come back from failure and disappointment is a very important concept,” according to Mandy (Schroeder) Sheldon, a four-time national champion, 11-time All American from the University of Mary and a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame. “Athletes need to be empowered over their performances and own both success and failure,” added Sheldon. “Coaches can greatly help in that respect,” she noted. #Another issue athletes noted was focusing on negative factors and the athlete concerning themselves with things they cannot control. A fear of failure was also mentioned by many of the athletes as a leading cause of self-doubt leading to a lack of self-confidence. “I hyper-fixate on what could go wrong in my race instead of thinking about all the things that could go right,” expressed a current athlete. That statement prompts a quote from Robert Schuller, an American Christian televangelist, pastor, author and motivational speaker who was known for the television show, “The Hour of Power”: “It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive and overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.” #The final category athletes mentioned as causing issues with self-confidence prior to a competition was outside factors such as relationships, family, scholarships or school issues. All of these can lead to the athlete to not being able to “focus” on the things they need to and creating doubts and mental barriers.

SECTION 2: The second question, which was posed to coaches, directly related to the first question and read: Thinking back to your time as an athlete, what caused you the most stress, anxiety and a lack of confidence prior to a competition?

It was interesting, although there were several new items mentioned, coaches had nearly all the same thoughts as current and

former athletes regarding this topic. #Although preparation problems were high on the list for the coaches, the factor that they listed as the most problem-causing for confidence was a fear of failure and not being able to please their coach. “My own expectations and fear of failure,” stated Julia Hammerschmidt, a German athlete who is the sprint/hurdle coach at Bismarck State College (ND) and who also coached at Chadron State (NE). “I hated losing or embarrassing myself,” added the former All American hurdler at the University of Mary.

“I had a fear that I wasn’t good enough…that I didn’t belong,” revealed Jeremy Schroeder, the boys track and field coach at Bismarck High School (ND) who was an All American triple jumper at Minot State University (ND).

Kenny McDaniel, the director of track and field/cross country at Sacramento State, said, “As an athlete I struggled with pleasing my coaches and I always wanted them to be proud of my performances. “When I failed to please my coaches, it caused distress and self-doubt.” Danylle Kurywchak, an All American triple jumper who graduated from Baylor University and who is now the jumps coach at the IMG Academy in Florida added, “My best motivator was knowing that my coach loved to coach me.” #Preparation, or lack of, was a large element tabbed by coaches. Cale Korbelik, the men’s and women’s track coach at the University of Mary, summed it up very distinctly: “It all came down to preparation for me. It caused me a lot of stress if I wasn’t progressing in training.” #Like the athletes, the coaches also said things they couldn’t control were confidence busters. “I put way too much focus on variables I couldn’t control,” said Mike Silbernagel, the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Mary and a former collegiate football standout and award winning power lifter. “When and how we were traveling, eating, etc.,” he added.

“Things that I had no control over.” #Communication problems and goal setting deficiencies were also mentioned.

“One-sided communication using fear and intimidation was an issue,” noted Eric Hanenberger, the associate track and field coach at South Dakota State University.

“I would have benefited from focusing on specific goals instead of getting caught up in the ‘big picture’ and end result,” said Amelia (Maher) Sherman, a standout combined events athlete from the University of Duluth (MN) who had several coaching stops,

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including Mary and High Point in North Carolina.

SECTION 3: Question three correlated with confidence problems and it was expressed to athletes (current and former) as follows: How can a coach contribute to a lack of self confidence in you as an athlete? #The number one issue athletes named that contributes to self-confidence difficulties was a coach who did not listen and who failed to develop a relationship with the athlete. The athletes said they lacked trust and belief in the coach when no relationships were developed. Most people would agree that you are shaped by your relationships, and that communication and relationships go hand in hand. “It is not motivating at all when an athlete lacks a relationship with a coach,” explained one current athlete.

Former Rhode Island high school standout Maria (Bolibruch) Meyer, mentioned earlier, added, “It certainly relieves feelings of self-doubt, stress and anxiety if the coach believes in the athlete.” “Coaches that do not

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listen when the athlete has legitimate concerns or issues can create an environment of self-doubt and distrust for the athlete, “echoed Marceau Jovin, former Toronto, Ontario (Canada) club track and field standout who competed at the University of Mary. #The second item that many athletes mentioned was coaches who were overly negative, critical and found fault tirelessly with little or no positivity. “Endless hounding on mistakes and being constantly negative does absolutely no good,” expressed Mandy (Schroeder) Scheldon, a one-time MVP at the NAIA national championships and a standout at Mary after transferring from Kansas. “My coaches didn’t over praise, but getting the praise that I did certainly boosted my confidence.” One current athlete added this: “Criticizing every mistake and only providing negative feedback with no positive is a real downer for confidence.” #Other items that athletes vocalized included too high of expectations, lack of consistency and structure in the training plans, or many changes to the training plan.

Several current athletes noted that constantly changing training plans created a lot of doubts. Another athlete said a constant change in training caused severe doubts about the training and the coach. A current athlete also remarked that having far too high of expectations always made her feel like she was failing.

SECTION 4: The same question was posed to the coaches: How can a coach contribute or cause a lack of confidence in an athlete?

The coaches were adamant that negativity, overcorrecting and not allowing the athlete to fail were large factors in hampering the athlete’s confidence. #Dennis Newell, the cross country coach at North Dakota State University and many time coach of the year in a long career at the University of Mary, had this to say on the subject: “A coach that doesn’t have a plan, that doesn’t have consistency, that has unrealistic expectations, never produces objective results, and never gives positive affirmation is a recipe for deteriorating a

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student-athlete’s self-confidence. Studentathletes need to be molded and nurtured by design through intelligent planning, consistency, challenging and realistic expectations, objective results, and positive affirmation.

I often say my job is to ‘create opportunity to grow towards opportunity to achieve.’

A systematic and periodized program will lead to progression for the student-athletes to achieve by not only changing them biomechanically and physiologically, but also emotionally and psychologically.” Carl Caughell, an assistant coach at Sacramento State University (CA), had a simpler answer: “Negativity and over corrections,” he noted.

Mankato State University (MN) coach Chris Parno added to Coach Caughell’s comment: “There are certainly times when we need to be critical of athletes, but it should always come from a constructive lens.” The highly successful coach and numerous national assistant coach of the year also noted, “Consistent communication, always working to reduce stress for the athlete, and being a calming presence for the athlete are other factors.”

SECTION 5: Question 5 was asked of the coaches: Thinking back to your career as an athlete, how or what did coaches do to create self confidence in you?

The coaches surveyed felt very strongly, recalling that the best confidence building coaches were the ones who stressed proper preparation, were honest, and cared for and had a belief in them. #Proper Preparation. “My coaches had a belief in my capabilities and prepared me to believe I could handle anything that was thrown at me, “ said Mary coach Mike Silbernagel, who was a standout collegiate athlete at Valley City State University (ND).

Former collegiate hurdler Carl Caughell had basically the same thoughts: “As an athlete my coach emphasized the importance of preparation. He simply built your confidence on the fact that you had did everything in your power to prepare for the moment.” Dennis Newell, a many- time All American at Black Hills State University (SD) who had Scott Walkingshaw as a coach, had this to say about preparation: “My self-confidence was directly affected by my ability to feel prepared for the desired task. I appreciated controllability and repeatability. My coach was meticulous in his planning and preparation with our training design and was very thorough with educating me on those designs. This gave me a tremendous amount of self-confidence.” #Belief, caring, understanding and hon-

esty were traits that stood out to the coaches as important. Former longtime Mary jumps coach Jeremy Schroeder, a former Minot State University standout who competed for Coach Dave Zittleman noted that, “My coaches cared about me and not just about winning. They gave me space and gave me room to fail.” “Being honest about expectations was very helpful,” said Julia Hammerschmidt, an All American hurdler/ sprinter at the University of Mary. “The expectations were high, but they were realistic.”

SECTION 6: This was a very basic question directed to both current and former athletes: How or what can a coach do to create selfconfidence in you as an athlete?

Respondents to the question touched on a number of different components that a coach or mentor can employ to encourage self- confidence. The major ones included relationships, proper preparation and training, honesty and positivity. #Relationships (Communication, Care, Trust). A current athlete summed up very well what nearly all the athletes spoke about: “As a student-athlete, a coach that builds a relationship with you is the one that will help you succeed. I have been blessed with coaches that care not only about how fast I can run on the track, but my personal development. A coach should start by building trust with their athletes. That requires the coach to be supportive and attentive to their athletes. An athlete needs to feel the coach’s presence in their personal life as well as athletics. A coach that lacks holistic coaching has a difficult time relating to their athletes on an intimate level. Trust does not just happen. It is earned. Confidence plays a key role in an athlete’s desired achievements. An athlete that does not have their coach’s full attention will struggle with self-confidence.

It is easier to believe in yourself when your coach has faith in you.” Cindy (Leingang) Thompson, a collegiate national champion in the pentathlon at the University of Mary after transferring from Illinois State, put it very clearly: “The true sign of a great coach, great teacher or leader is to connect with the athlete.” A current athlete added a very simple thought about caring: “It has helped me to gain confidence because my coaches care about me as a person first and as an athlete second.” #Training and Preparation. Many athletes brought up training, feeling it can be a major player in leading an athlete to greater confidence. “Having a training plan that consistently breeds success over a long period of

time is very reassuring and certainly helps confidence,” said one current athlete. #Positivity, Faith and Honesty. A former national champion exclaimed, “An athlete will always believe in themselves if their coach believes in them.” She added, “Positive behavior on the part of the coach has an immense impact on the athlete’s psychological state.”

SECTION 7: The final query was for coaches: What methods or factors can a coach use to build and foster self-confidence in an athlete? #Many of the coaches acknowledged that they use many of the traditional sport psychology modalities. They included: (1.) Goal setting. (2.) Breathing exercises and routines. (3.) Mental imagery. (4.) Visualization.

(5.) Self talk. (6.) Coping skills. (7.) Mental resilience training. #Coaches listed many items that could be utilized in the improvement of selfconfidence. They included (1.) Positive reinforcement and feedback. (2.) Positive team culture. (3.) Treating every athlete as an individual. (4.) Developing consistency and success in training, leading to more and more success. (5.) Proper preparation. (6.)

Belief in the athlete. #The overwhelming factor that nearly all coaches listed to improve and develop self-confidence was building relationships with the athlete and communicating effectively. Reece Vega, the sprint/hurdle coach at North Dakota State University, said the relationship issue boils down to whether the coach falls into the category of being a transactional coach, or a transformational one.

Vega explained: “Transformational coaches want to make a lasting impression that will last a lifetime. The transactional coach thinks more about the present moment, the immediate result, and not how they can benefit the athlete beyond their career. My guess is athletes who have poor relationships with coaches and suffer low self-confidence are often coached by transactional coaches.”

Coach Vega also cited the huge difference coaches can have in the lives of athletes, pointing to the famous quote: “A coach will impact more people in a year than the average person in a lifetime.” Troy Thorson, the West Fargo Sheyenne High School (ND cross country) mentor who coached Bowerman award winner Laura Roesler of Oregon when she competed for Fargo South High School (ND), had an interesting take on how he has changed perspectives on relationships and belief in athletes: ”I have definitely evolved in this area from where I began coaching to NOVEMBER 2023 techniques

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WHY CONFIDENCE MATTERS where I am at now in my career. As a new coach, I focused on trying to build confidence through workouts/training. I have moved towards more of an individual approach with my athletes. I put a lot of energy into getting to know what motivates young people and developing a relationship with them built around trust and communication. Having these conversations builds trust and gives the athlete ownership. I really like this motto when dealing with athletes: ‘Athletes trust coaches, coaches trust athletes.’

Trust people, not processes. When you have an athlete that knows that their coach believes in them, you have a powerful confidence- builder right there!” #To close this section, we have enclosed a plan by the always prepared and very detailed cross country/distance coach, Dennis Newell from North Dakota State University, to develop self-confidence, It is a five-pronged approach: PREPARATION A systematic and periodized plan that encompasses every variable necessary to accomplish a goal or task is fundamental in increasing a student-athlete’s self-confidence. Studentathletes need a plan that progressively works towards an end goal or task. An educated plan gives the student-athletes confidence that they will be prepared for the end goal or task through a series of appropriate obstacles or overloads.

CONSISTENCY The more consistent the student-athletes can be in their behaviors and tasks within the preparation, the higher their mastery will become in those behaviors and tasks, and the greater the student-athletes confidence will become in those behavior and tasks.

EXPECTATIONS Having realistic expectations that challenge the student-athletes appropriately is a great way to keep the student-athletes engaged and progressing while increasing their self-confidence.

Having expectations that keep the studentathletes engaged and driven short-term towards the long term- is important in progressing them systematically. The expectations need to be challenging enough to demand the student-athletes commitment and work-ethic, and realistic enough that they are confident in their ability to achieve.

EVIDENCE-BASED RESULTS The achievement and accomplishment of expectations is part of increasing a studentathletes self-confidence. Student-athletes need to experience objective results. They need to see

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themselves being successful. This increases their belief in their ability to achieve the goal or task successfully and repetitively, and it increases their belief in their ability to achieve beyond their current goal or task successfully and repetitively.

POSITIVE AFFIRMATION Using positive affirmation to praise the achievement of expectations is important when talking about self-confidence. Student-athletes need positive emotional and psychological reinforcement to feel good about their short-term and long-term achievements. Positive reinforcement leads to a positive perception by the studentathletes, and this will lead to a motivated and driven student-athlete.

SUMMARY The major objective for this presentation was to produce a practical roadmap for the coach to understand and improve self-confidence in athletes and guide them to success. It was very apparent that coaches and athletes alike concurred on most aspects of the topic. A note of skepticism suggested by a few of the athletes, however, was that the coach was basically a minor cog in the development of confidence, and individual differences could well be explained by simple genetics. While the author would wholeheartedly agree that confidence ultimately depends on the inner self of the athlete, I would also say that each individual is a product of their environment, rather than just a good genetic pool. I have seen the culture of a program greatly advance confidence in athletes.

It is a well-known fact that the people you spend the most time around influence you the most.

There were many common themes that rose to the top in this presentation. There was main major consensus, however, that both coaches and athletes agreed upon: The coach is a major player in the development and improvement of self-confidence in the athlete.

REFERENCES Mann, Ralph, The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling, 2018 Pfaff, Dan, Altis, Articles, Clinics A special thanks to Ann Thorson and Amelia Sherman for editing and technical assistance

MIKE THORSON, FORMER DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD/ CROSS COUNTRY @ THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY (ND)

The Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of the Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor are: Sam Seemes, 1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750 New Orleans, LA 70163. Techniques is owned by USTFCCCA, 1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750 New Orleans, LA 70163.The Average Number of Copies of Each Issue During the Preceding 12 Months: (A) Total Number of Copies (Net press run): 7.524 (B3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS: 0 (B1) Paid Circulation through Mailed Subscriptions: 7,429 (C) Total Paid Distribution: 7,429 (D4) Free Distribution Outside the Mail: 0 (E) Total Free Distribution: 0 (F) Total Distribution: 7,429 (G) Copies not Distributed: 95 (H) Total: 7,524 (I) Percent Paid: 98% The Number of Copies of a Single Issue Published Nearest to the Filing Date: (A) Total Number of Copies (Net press run): 7,113 (B3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS: 0 (B1) Paid Circulation through Mailed Subscriptions: 7,048 (C) Total Paid Distribution: 7,048 (D4) Free Distribution Outside the Mail: 0 (E) Total Free Distribution: 0 (F) Total Distribution: 7,048 (G) Copies not Distributed: 65 (H) Total: 7,113 (I) Percent Paid: 99% Signed, Sam Seems STATEMENT REQUIRED

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Power and Purpose Plyometric Progressions for the Speed and Power Events

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lyometric training is now a part of every successful training program for the speed and power events.

Plyometric training is typically thought of as a method of developing explosive power and jumping ability. This is indeed true, but plyometrics serve many other purposes, including the following.

Development of Power. Plyometrics assist in developing the ability to produce large forces quickly. Rate of force development is in most cases is more important that the magnitude of force produced, and plyometrics help in achieving this goal.

Development of Elastic and Reactive Strength. Plyometrics are perhaps the best way to develop the ability to produce forces using the elastic response or stretch reflex.

These types of exercises produce elastic energy, resulting in dramatic increases in force production. They are critical to performance in these events.

Development of Amortization Capabilities. Plyometrics are used to teach and develop proper amortization capabilities. Often, under conditions of impact, forces must be absorbed as muscle and connective tissues perform a shock-absorbing effect.

This is the case in the initial phases of a jump takeoff, during the penultimate step of a jumping effort, in preparation for a change of direction, or many other instances in sport.

In these cases, the forces must be absorbed in a controlled manner and the absorption of forces should be shared equally amongst the involved joints. Plyometric training is the best environment to train these force absorption patterns and skills.

Skill Development. Plyometrics teach athletes to apply forces to the ground effectively.

Good athletes are capable of producing and applying forces in multiple planes. For example, during acceleration, the ability to apply forces horizontally is critical. At high velocities, vertical force application is important.

Lateral force production may be important in other sports where changes of direction are important. Properly designed plyometric pro-

grams teach and develop these skills.

Stimulation. In many cases with high level athletes, training is performed not so much to produce improvements in fitness or performance, but to stimulate the athlete’s nervous system in order to produce a better, higher intensity training effort in a subsequent training unit or session. Certain types of training bring about increases in the nervous system’s ability to activate muscle tissue. These increases permit the achievement of high intensities in a training session; intensities that might be impossible to achieve without this prior stimulation. This high intensity training might occur later in the session, or on a subsequent day. Certain forms of plyometric training are an excellent way to achieve this stimulation.

Injury Prevention. Most soft tissue injuries result from high levels of tension being applied to tissues. The high levels of tension that plyometric exercises apply to muscle and connective tissue serve a valuable preparatory function, and serves as a sort of vaccination against injury.

Principles of Plyometric Training.

Following are some key principles that should govern programming of plyometric training.

Purposeful Training. Plyometrics should never be administered as a form of generic training. They should always be done with a designated purpose in mind. Each type or category of plyometrics serves a particular purpose and a specific role in the training program and the program must be organized with those roles and purposes in mind. Many programs fail because certain forms of plyometrics that are applicable in early training phases continue to exist in late training phases, long after their purpose has been fulfilled.

Progressive Intensities. When we examine long-term training, the intensity of plyometric training during developmental training phases should continue to rise. This doesn’t mean that every single plyometric session should be more intense than the last, but the key training units should indeed progress patiently, but consistently, in intensity.

Decreasing Density. The periodic increases in intensity should always be accompanied by decreases in plyometric volume in order to allow recovery. These decreases are usually accomplished by decreases in density, meaning more time is allowed between the high intensity sessions.

Phasic Training. Plyometric programs for speed/power-based sports can be organized into three phases, each applicable to certain times of the year and representing a different purpose and philosophy of training.

Phase One. This phase of training may last from three to nine work weeks, with younger athletes typically investing more time and more experienced ones less time in this phase. This phase roughly corresponds with a traditional general preparation phase. There are three key goals during this phase: Improve Neuromuscular Integration.

Plyometrics should be prescribed in order to improve the nervous system’s ability to activate muscle tissue through the processes of recruitment and rate coding. It is important to note that acceleration work and power training (like multithrows or light Olympic lifts) aid the plyometric program in accomplishing this same goal at the same time of the year.

Improve Strength. Plyometric training should be implemented to drive improvements in power, elasticity, reactive strength, and local tissue resiliency.

Improve Skill. Plyometric training should be used to drive improvements in coordination and the ability to skillfully apply force in the proper planes and directions.

Establish Initial Training Volumes.

Plyometric training should be quality based and the accomplishment of high volumes of plyometric work is not a worthwhile goal in and of itself. However, in plyometric training programs, the establishment of a reasonably sized body of plyometric work as preparation for later, more intense training in later phases is a worthwhile goal. Establishing this body of work is an important goal in this phase.

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POWER AND PURPOSE There are three key types of plyometric training that should be included in the phase one plyometric program: Short Horizontal Bounds. These are jumping exercises that are horizontally oriented and limited to a total of five takeoffs per repetition. They are initiated from a stationary, double legged start, but subsequent contacts or takeoffs may be single or double legged.

Examples would be standing long jumps, double legged hops, standing triple jump, or any combination of single leg bounds (provided it is limited to five takeoffs, including the initial double legged start. In addition to improving neuromuscular integration and strength, this type of plyometric training drives improvements in skill, particularly horizontal force application capabilities. The improvements in horizontal force application are important tools in the improvement of acceleration capabilities and jump takeoffs.

Good sessions use four to six different exercises to increase training diversity. Athletes perform three to five repetitions of each, so that the total number of takeoffs in a session ranges from 50 to 100. Exercises should be chosen based on an athlete’s stage of development.

For example, more developmental situations call for simpler exercise choices and a higher percentage of the session being done using double legged exercises. More advanced athletes might use only single legged work in a session and complicated bounding patterns (RRRR, LLLL, RRLL, LLRR, RLRL, LRLR, etc.)

Remedial Vertical Bounds. These are vertically oriented bounds, performed at submaximal intensities, meaning the athlete is not attempting to jump as high as possible with each. The athlete remains at a mild, comfortable intensity. They are typically done single legged but can be done double legged in remedial, developmental, or rehab situations. In addition to improving neuromuscular integration and strength, this type of plyometric training drives improvements in skill, particularly vertical force application capabilities. They are usually done in a forward direction using various combinations (RRR…, LLL…, RLRL…, RRLL…etc.) The inclusion of lateral bounding is also very helpful. Lateral bounding places a premium on force generation at the hip, a characteristic of good jump technique. Good sessions use four to eight different exercises, usually performed over eight to 10 meter repetitions. If the trajectories and intensities are correct, athletes will achieve over 20 contacts in a 10 meter effort. Total session volumes usually range from 80 to 120 meters.

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In Place Jump Circuits. In place jumps are repeated jumps performed in place, without any horizontal displacement. Commonly used in place jumps use a wide variety of extension patterns, in air movements, and contact patterns. Depending upon the exercise choice, intensities and impact levels can range from low to medium. Good in-place jump sessions use predominately double legged exercises, but some single-legged exercises can be used with more advanced athletes. Typical samples of in place jumping exercises would be squat jumps, lunge jumps, split jumps, tuck jumps, rotational jumps, etc. They are arranged into circuits and quantified in terms of time. Good circuits use at least eight different exercises and use 12 to 16 total sets of work. Athletes jump for 12 to 20 seconds per exercise, and the rest time should be twice the length of the work time. If the circuit is a big one (total duration greater than 12 minutes,) then it’s a good idea to take a single, prolonged break in the middle of the session. In addition to improving neuromuscular integration and strength, these in place jump circuits are the best way to establish initial plyometric training volumes. When a diverse array of exercises is chosen, the stresses applied to the joints and tissues vary from exercise to exercise.

This variance greatly reduces the chance of repetitive movement syndromes and decreases injury risk dramatically when compared to ither forms of plyometric training. For this reason, in place jumps are preferred to other forms of plyometric training when achieving volume is the goal.

In most programs plyometrics are done three times per week, and each session should feature one of these types of training. In programs for more developmental athletes that might include only two sessions per week, these three types of training should be implemented into sessions on a rotational basis so that they are all addressed adequately during this phase.

Phase Two. This phase of training will encompass all time from the completion of phase one to the beginning of the competitive season. It may, in some cases, continue past the start of the competitive season if certain early season competitions are considered developmental. This phase roughly corresponds with a traditional specific preparation phase.

There are three key goals during this phase: Continue Strength Improvements through Intensity Increases in Key Training Sessions. Plyometric training should increase in intensity to drive further improvements in

power, elasticity, reactive strength, and local tissue resiliency. These increases in intensity occur in certain key training sessions. The increased intensity of certain plyometric sessions requires that they occur less often in order to allow more time for recovery between them.

Maintain Neuromuscular Integration.

Plyometrics should be prescribed in order to maintain stimulation of the nervous system.

These sessions maintain the nervous system’s ability to activate muscle tissue through the processes of recruitment and rate coding.

Other forms of training such as acceleration or light Olympic lifting may also assist in this goal. As previously mentioned, during this phase high intensity plyometric sessions will be implemented. These high intensity sessions are scheduled less often in order to allow recovery from these intense sessions.

This greater spacing between high intensity sessions runs the risk of allowing the nervous system’s level of stimulation to fall. For this reason, in between these high intensity sessions, we will periodically insert lower intensity types of plyometric work to maintain stimulation of the nervous system, thus enabling higher levels of performance in the high intensity sessions.

Continued Skill Improvements.

Plyometric training should continue to be used to drive improvements in coordination and the ability to skillfully apply force in the proper planes and directions.

There are four types of plyometric training that ae commonly undertaken during this phase: Extended Bounds. These are jumping exercises that resemble short horizontal bounds, but are performed over extended distances. The extended distances increase risk and intensity significantly over that experienced by the athlete performing short horizontal bounds. They normally use strictly single leg work, but double legged work could be used at times. Single legged hops and different bounding combinations can be used. Besides the usual plyometric benefits, extended bounds serve as a great way to train the ability to sustain power production. They work well in sports and events where there is a big speed/power component as well as an endurance component (400, 400H, 800, etc.).

For these reasons and contrary to decades of coaching culture, these are not truly specific to the jumping events because of their extensive nature, but they still have value in modest doses in jump training programs because they enable the achievement of lots of technical

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repetitions in a short time and are very useful in developing rhythm. These are usually done in repetitions of 20-40 meters, with total session volumes ranging from 250-400 meters.

Athletes must be physically prepared for this type of work, and this type of work should not be undertaken by athletes with low training ages.

Depth Jumping. Depth jumps are exercises that employ a fall from an elevated surface, with an immediate rebound into a jump upon landing. When the elevated surface is of a significant height, the elevation allows gravity to act upon the athlete for a longer period of time, increasing the level of impact forces at landing. Elevation directly determines intensity, and is a critical variable to manage.

Depth jumps serve a critical and unique role in the development of jumpers. They are the best and safest way to achieve very high levels of impact and intensity in training. When the height of the surface is higher than the height an athlete is capable of jumping, the landing forces are greater than the athlete could create without the aid of the elevated surface. Many programs involve box rebound work of varying intensity, but genuine depth jumping employs heights equal to or greater than an athlete’s vertical jump capability.

Individualization formulas and progressions should be based on vertical jump values.

Most sessions will employ several repetitions at lower heights as a stimulant, and eventually include work of this high intensity. Good sessions usually contain 30-40 total rebounds, with 10-15 being done at the highest level of intensity employed in the session. Subtle long-term increases in surface height are made as the athlete progresses. The work is usually double legged, but athletes of very high training ages in advanced training phases might attempt some single leg depth jumping. The preparation needed prior to this type of work cannot be understated. While box jumps of lower intensity can be used with anyone, true depth jumping must be individualized and should not be undertaken by athletes with low training ages.

Hurdle Hops. Rebounding jumps over hurdles are a good choice when looking for a moderate to high intensity exercise that stresses reactivity in a predominately vertical direction (a quality of the utmost importance in sprinting). Hurdle hops are useful in tough training cycles because unlike depth jumps, they allow (provided hurdle height is reasonable) an athlete to control their own intensity.

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intensity is desired, but fatigue might be present. Pauses or “stuck” landings and small bounces between hurdles can be added at times to train deceleration abilities and the ability to effectively move between static and elastic movement environments.

Phase 1 Repeats. High intensity work like depth jumps or extended bounds (and even some hurdle hops) cannot be done frequently. These types of work require significant recovery time between sessions. In fact, one session per week employing one of these forms of plyometric work is typical, even with high level athletes. Spacing high intensity work this way runs the risk of neural staleness and loss of reactive sharpness during the prolonged time between sessions. For this reason, between these well-spaced high intensity sessions, we typically insert a session of lower intensity work. This session usually employs the short horizontal bounds or remedial vertical bounds that were performed in the first phase of training. This practice maintains stimulation and sharpness and also continues to drive skill improvements.

Two plyometric sessions per week are typical during this phase, with one being a high intensity session.

Phase Three. This phase of training encompasses the competitive season.

Depending upon the competition schedule, athletes may need to bounce back and forth between phase two and phase three training philosophies. Prolonged interruptions in the competition schedule usually require a temporary return to phase 3 training.

There are several key goals during phase 3: Balancing the Need to Train and the Intensity Produced During Competitions.

The plyometric program, up to this point, has shown a general trend of increasing intensity in preparation for the high intensities experienced in competition. Now that competitions are a part of the schedule, the competition intensity serves as the most important plyometric training load. Frequent competitions produce a high plyometric demand, and the plyometric demand in training should decrease in response. However, long breaks in the competitive schedule might require a return to high intensity training and the Phase two training philosophy.

Maintain Neuromuscular Integration.

High competition intensities serve as the single greatest intensity driving factor during the competitive season. However, maintaining stimulation of the neural process of rate coding and recruitment is essential. This

means that while high intensity plyometrics might be discontinued (replaced by competitions), lower intensity work might still play an important role in training to maintain stimulation and sharpness.

Continued Skill Improvements.

Plyometric training should be used to drive improvements in coordination and the ability to skillfully apply force in the proper planes and directions.

There are two types of plyometric training that could be undertaken during this phase: Hurdle Hops. Rebounding type jumps over hurdles, as mentioned earlier, are a good choice when looking for a moderate to high intensity exercise that stresses reactivity in a predominately vertical direction. During the competitive season, it is often difficult to gauge an athlete’s training readiness due to the inseason stressors of competition and travel. Hurdle hops are a good choice because they permit an athlete ultimate control over their intensity and risk.

Phase 1 Repeats. The spacing of competitions in most competition schedules will require some type of plyometric stimulation between competitions. Sessions of lower intensity plyometric work serve this purpose.

The short horizontal bounds or remedial vertical bounds that were performed in the first phase of training are good choices that maintain stimulation and sharpness and continue to drive skill improvements.

One or two plyometric sessions per week are typical in this phase. In this phase, the coach should be especially wary of overtraining signs and stressors.

BOO SCHEXNAYDER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CURRICULUM AND TEXT FOR THE JUMPS SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION COURSE OF THE TRACK & FIELD ACADEMY. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TRACK & FIELD ACADEMY GO TO USTFCCCA.ORG.

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The High Jump

Principles versus pictures

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here are two events in Athletics (track & field for people who know the sport by its venues name) that are Hinge Moment Principle events. The “High Jump,” which is not a jump in how we think of jumping, and the “Javelin Throw,” which is not a throw. The Hinge Moment Principle is the reason that the High Jump shoe and the Javelin boot have the same spike plate.

The four spikes on the heel are there for stopping.

The Hinge Moment Principle states that when a body is in linear motion and one end of the body is stopped, the other end continues to move, rotating about the axis formed at the stopped end.

The high jump is simply converting horizontal speed into vertical velocity using the Hinge Moment Principle. To convert horizontal speed into vertical velocity requires a stopping of the lower body allowing the center of mass to rotate over the take-off leg to create vertical velocity. To convert horizontal speed into vertical velocity requires the jumper to master technique in three areas: (1.)

Approach, (2.) Takeoff and (3.) Bar Clearance. The high jump is one continuous movement and must always be performed as one continuous movement.

THE APPROACH The high jumper must become a great technician of the approach to jump high. The approach is 90% of the high jump and has three objectives: (1.) Takeoff Speed, (2.) Takeoff Accuracy and (3.)

Takeoff Position. The approach paves the way for the development of horizontal speed and puts the jumper is position to convert horizontal speed into vertical lift. High jumpers should do 600800 approaches before they get into the championship section of their season. The approach should be so well trained that it is automatic. The “J” approach allows the jumper to develop a more controlled, accurate horizontal speed to the takeoff point and it also allows the jumper to develop horizontal speed in a straight line before entering the curve. The speed in the curve creates centripetal force through the curve. Since centripetal and centrifugal force are equal and opposite to each other, the jumper does not have to jump over the bar, they just have to jump higher than the bar. Biomechanically, there is no such thing as centrifugal force because you do not name a reaction to a force mechanically.

The curve has made the high jump approach the most difficult approach of the jumping events. The high jump approach is generally six to 12 steps with a 10-step approach being the most common. The width of the curve is determined by the speed of the jumper because the purpose of the curve is to develop centripetal force (center seeking force or inward lean). The slower

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THE HIGH JUMP the approach speed, the narrower the curve; and the faster the approach speed, the wider the curve. The width of the curve is 8-14’ for women and 9-17’ for men. The curve for each jumper is developed through trial and error, for the most part. The length of the approach is determined by how many steps the jumper takes in their approach.

For the approach to be accurate and consistent, the jumper must develop a preapproach routine that will signal the neuromuscular system of the coming approach and jump. No matter the routine, it must be done before each jump the exact same way each time. The goal is to make each jump look like an instant re-play of the last jump.

In a 10-step approach, the takeoff step is 0 and placed on the start mark. The takeoff leg is the stronger of the two legs and can generate more force and speed at the start of the approach to overcome inertia. The drive leg is the first step from the start mark and will always be an odd step number (1-3-5-7-9) in the approach and the takeoff leg is always an even step number (2-4-6-810). The approach rhythm is the high jump is fast to faster. The jumper should learn to count their takeoff step to develop this rhythm and create a consistent approach.

If the jumper uses an odd number step approach (7,9,11-9 being the most common) the takeoff step will be the first step of the approach and the drive leg (penultimate step) will be an even number in the approach. It is always preferable to count the takeoff step in developing approach rhythm, and the rhythm must be fast to faster. The high jump has the fewest number of steps in the approach, so the jumper is not going to ever reach maximum speed. But the jumper must reach a high fast controllable speed in order to convert this speed into maximum vertical velocity.

The approach is broken down into three continuous segments: (1.) The Drive Phase (the first 2-4 steps), (2.) The Transition into the Curve (step 5) and (3.) The Transition Phase (the last 3 steps).

THE DRIVE PHASE The objective of the Drive Phase is to overcome inertia and generate horizontal speed before entering the curve. Inertia is the Latin word for lazy. Everything in the universe is so lazy that it needs force to get it in motion. The first two to four steps of the high jump approach make up the drive phase. The first step must be a big powerful big, fast step to get the body in motion. The 28

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optimal word here is big, too many jumpers do not push on the first step and tend to step off the start mark. This step will determine horizontal speed through the jump.

It must be accurate and consistent, hence the reason for the pre-approach routine.

Depending on the jumper, this step will be 4-6’ in length. At the start of the approach, the jumper will look at the straight-line marker during the Drive Phase, this aids in developing speed and power. The first step will be 4-6’ in length with the jumper rolling over the start mark foot and pushing forward while driving the first step with the thigh parallel to the ground overcoming inertia. As step two hits the ground, the jumper focuses on coming up into a hips tall running position. The focus is on tall hips and a vertical running position, with perfect running mechanics. The high jumper runs completely vertical with no forward body angle and no bend at the waist. The hips must be tall and forward. At the end of the drive phase, focus on using the spine to touch the belly button. This puts the jumper in a tall, hips forward position.

The biggest mistake made in the approach with the majority of American high jumpers is running mechanics. The thighs have to come up in running and there must be a negative foot strike on the ground. Negative foot strike means that the foot strikes the ground going the opposite direction of the jumper. This cannot happen if the jumper is not lifting the thighs close to parallel to the ground with the hips tall.

A great coaching cue is to have the jumper step over the top of the calf of the foot that is in contact with the ground.

Running mechanics are vital to a successful jump and must be mastered.

THE TRANSITION INTO THE CURVE This is a critical point in the approach and must be mastered by the high jumper.

Novice high jumpers tend to run a post pattern if not taught to transition into the curve, and some use the takeoff step to move into the curve making the approach very in consistent. In a 10-step approach, the jumper will run five steps in a straight line, and five steps in the curve. The transition into the curve is initiated with the drive leg on the fifth step by stepping straight and turning the foot slightly inward (pigeon toe) creating a smooth movement into the curve. This is the mid-mark of the approach and can be marked with tape. This must be practiced to the point that it becomes

second nature and automatic. When done correctly, the move into the curve isn’t noticeable.

THE TRANSITION PHASE The last three steps of the approach are critical to a successful jump and must be mastered in every detail. The objective of this phase is to increase horizontal speed through the very end of the approach.

This is accomplished by increasing stride frequency over the last three steps. Elite level female and male high jumpers can complete the last three steps in 0.5 seconds and less. It is critical that the jumper keep leaning into the curve while the frequency is increased. There is a tendency to allow the shoulders to start drifting toward the bar on the eighth step (the next to last takeoff step).

The last three steps must be active, meaning the feet must strike the ground moving back under the center of mass. The penultimate step must be perfected by the jumper-the thought process must be that made bars come from great penultimate steps. The penultimate step must be an active, flat step that lowers the jumper’s center of mass and maintains (and even increases) horizontal speed into the takeoff step. High jumpers have many variations of the penultimate step. Some land the foot flat, while others pull the penultimate step back towards the hip with the foot striking the ground on the heel and rolling through the toes going into the takeoff step. When the penultimate step is done properly, the center of mass will start upward onto the takeoff step which must be placed inward toward the mat to maintain the inward lean through takeoff.

During this phase the high jumper will also begin to prepare the arms for use in the jump. How the jumper prepares to use the arms will depend on whether they are more of a power jumper or speed jumper.

When teaching the arm action in the high jump, the objective of maintaining and even increasing horizontal speed into takeoff must be the focus. Many jumpers slow down at takeoff because they tend to gather the arms in preparation for takeoffdeviating from running mechanics, causing a deceleration. For a left foot high jumper, they will as they enter the Transition Phase have the right hand forward on the eighth step; as the step onto the penultimate step, they leave the right hand forward and bring the left hand forward to the right hand as they step onto the penultimate step. As they step into the takeoff step, there are two

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THE HIGH JUMP variations of the arms here. The first is more of a breast stroke with the hands moving outward to the side of the body and back to the hips and upward with the drive leg. The second variation is to bring the hands back to the hips and then upward with the drive leg. Both of these styles cause a horizontal deceleration. The best method to maintain or increase horizontal speed into the takeoff step is to have the jumper step onto the penultimate step (right foot), the left hand comes to the hip, the jumper holds the left hand at the hip while stepping onto the takeoff step, the right hand comes back to the right hip. This puts the hands in position to be driven upward with the drive leg.

The majority of the jumpers today have opted for the single arm takeoff where they follow the arm nearest the bar (right arm for left foot jumper) over the bar. These jumpers then to look at a point about 30 cm (one foot) above the middle of the bar and move the hand to that point. As they come off the penultimate step, they raise the right arm just to the outside of the right shoulder above the head. They focus on moving the right hand through the point 30cm above the middle of the bar. This gives them a visual point to move the body through.

THE TAKEOFF The high jumper’s primary concern at takeoff is to increase vertical velocity and the only way to increase vertical velocity is to increase vertical ground reaction forces.

When the high jumper leaves the ground, and is free in the air, the combination of forward-upward velocity and the force of gravity causes their center of mass to follow a parabolic curve. The depth of the curve (the distance from takeoff to landing) is determined by the jumper’s horizontal velocity at takeoff. The height of the curve is determined entirely by their vertical velocity.

The takeoff foot must be fixed on the ground before any forces can be exerted for takeoff. When the takeoff foot is planted, the ankle, knee, hip and shoulder joints must make a straight line that is angled backwards and inwards-creating the Hinge Moment Principle. Most high jumpers miss this position which causes a failure in the jump. They tend to let the shoulders come forward, more on top of the hips, instead of leaving the shoulders behind the hips. This position stops horizontal speed and prepares the jumper for the transition to vertical velocity. As the takeoff foot is planted, the jumper is still maintaining

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the inward lean or “staying away from the bar” position. The right shoulder (for a left foot jumper) must be higher than the left shoulder when the takeoff foot is planted.

This, along with the drive leg being driven more to the left shoulder, creates a vertical takeoff. Throughout the takeoff, the jumper accelerates the arms and drive leg upward, so that all are as high as possible when the takeoff foot leaves the ground.

The arms and drive leg are driving upward at the same time the takeoff foot is pushing against the ground. The result is an increase in the force applied to the ground, and in the force the ground returns to the jumper.

The result is increased vertical velocity at takeoff. All actions are devoted to the generation of maximal vertical velocity force directly under the center of mass with a slight rotary component added.

The foot position is not parallel to the bar, as some teach, it is at an angle ranging from 10-30 degrees with the toe being nearer the bar than the heel. The larger the radius of the curve, the more likely a parallel foot plant position. The final foot plant is a flat plant or for some jumpers more a heel-to-toe action, ending with a strong plantar flexion to make the toes the last to leave the ground. At plant, knee flexion should be minimal to ensure that the center of mass is as high as possible and to create force from the stretch-reflex mechanism. In a sense, the jumper’s leg serves as a vaulting pole, which bends at the knee under enormous stress, then extends to thrust the body vertically over the bar. It is crucial that the center of mass be straight above the plant foot, with the shoulders and head staying on top of the hips and not leaning to the bar. In relationship to the bar, the shoulders are at 90 degrees with the shoulder nearer the standard higher (right shoulder for left footed jumper) higher than the opposite shoulder. This shoulder position must be maintained while in contact with the ground. If the left shoulder gets higher than the right shoulder, the jumper is jumping into the bar and not over it. The hips are at 45 degrees and the plant foot is 10-30 degrees to the bar, just at the moment before the drive leg thrust upward. For maximum power development, the drive leg should lift quickly and high enough that the femur of the thigh is parallel to the ground.

The high position of the arms and drive leg also help raise the jumper’s center of mass at the moment of takeoff.

BAR CLEARANCE Correct bar clearance technique is a product of perfect takeoff technique. The most important mechanical principle operating during the airborne section of the jump is that the body is a non-aerodynamic projectile and thus the flight path of the center of mass will not change once determined at the final moment of takeoff. Any movements made while airborne only alters the speed of rotation and position of the body parts in relation to the center of mass. The jumper’s center of mass follows a parabolic curve that is determined at the moment of takeoff. It is important to lower (not snap) the head back after becoming airborne. This helps raise the level of the spine and hips while at the same time keeping the center of mass low. After the hips have cleared the bar, and the bar is between the hips and knees, the jumper just simply places the chin on the sternum to cause the legs and feet to move upward away from the bar.

This creates a rounded upper back area for a safe landing in the mat.

THE JUMPING CONCEPT The human brain thinks in pictures, not words. If I say to you, “I drive a white, Ford F150.” Your brain does not spell each word.

For a millisecond, your brain pictures a white, Ford F150. If I say to you, “I don’t drive a white, Ford F150.” What do you picture? Your brain does not have a picture for the word “don’t,” so your brain again pictures a white, Ford F150. The brain must have a very clear and concise picture in communication.

When the brain pictures jumping, it is not what happens in the high jump with the Hinge Moment Principle. It is more of the bending at the knees and the chest going down to the thighs to jump up. With beginning high jumpers, it is critical to overcome this concept as early as possible. There is an excellent video by the Germans on YouTube that illustrates the Hinge Moment Principle in the high jump. I would strongly suggest that you have a beginning high jumper watch the video and understand it before starting to learn the technique. The title of the video is, “High Jump Hinge Moment Demonstration with Stefan Holm.”

STEVE THOMAS IS AN ASSISTANT TRACK & FIELD COACH AT THOMAS UNIVERSITY (NAIA) IN THOMASVILLE, GA.

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Finding the Flow Approach training and practice

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oaches tend to be more invested in certain aspects of an event than others. As the jumps coach at Northern Michigan University, I am most passionate about the horizontal jumps approach. My athletes and I spend significant time developing their approaches, including proper sprint mechanics, step count, flow and approach theory. An athlete cannot have a great jump with a poor approach.

My coaching journey has also progressed throughout the years, going from simple to complex and back to simple again. In the beginning, my experience in coaching jumps was limited compared to my experience with speed, strength and running mechanics. The athletes I coached spent some time jumping, but more time sprinting and in the weight room. Besides making them better jumpers, I also wanted to make them better overall athletes. A few talented freshmen thrived in my first year of coaching with this mentality, including a female jumper who improved from 5.30 meters to 5.70 meters, and a male triple jumper who improved a full meter.

As the years passed, I thought I understood more about the event, and my training philosophy became complex. My training library became vast; day-today drills and activities changed up frequently with little continuity, resulting in the athletes never truly mastering them. Unfortunately, the progress seemed to stall, and the athletes had a harder time grasping what they were trying to do.

Nowadays, I am back to training simply, doing drills and exercises that resemble the jumps as closely as possible. I back this up by doing speed work and other training that may not directly link to the event but achieves the now secondary goal of becoming better overall athletes. A good jump starts with a solid approach, from the initial step through the penultimate step. All of the jumpers I’ve coached to date have stuck with the traditional eight-step (eight left or right, 16 total) approach. Through this article, I break down my approach training into three phases - the drive, the build, and the attack with a traditional eight-step approach. I point out common errors and my teach-and-train philosophy for each phase of the approach.

THE DRIVE PHASE A good approach starts with a good acceleration phase. For an eight-step approach, the first three are the drive phase. The athlete should focus on building momentum with each step while executing proper sprint mechanics, including low heel recov-

ery, full extension, and a powerful arm drive. The jumper should not be starting as fast as a sprinter in a dash, but it should resemble the same movements.

Typically we just use the traditional two point start, although every once and a while I may introduce a walking or skipping start based on the athlete’s needs.

COMMON ERRORS The drive phase is where I usually see the same errors, stemming from poor acceleration mechanics like rushing, poor leaning or simply not understanding how to accelerate. When novice athletes rush, they try to run too fast too early by moving their limbs and feet too fast right away. Some athletes do not lean at all, some lean too much, and some lean at the hips instead of the ankle.

TEACH AND TRAIN To offset these errors, pre-season workouts focus on acceleration and teach proper acceleration mechanics. Before the workout and in between reps, I teach the goals of acceleration. I remind them that this portion of the approach isn’t about how fast their feet move, but more so how much momentum they are creating. During the drive phase, the ground contact time should be longer than that of the later portion of the approach. I used the comparison that athletes want to be more like the freight train than the fighter jet. It takes a lot of momentum to get the train moving, but once it gets moving it will take a long time to slow down. The fighter jet takes off quickly but offers little momentum.

These drive phase workouts can be anything acceleration-based, from 10 to 40 meters, and may include sleds, hills or other resistance. Based on the USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Certification Course protocols, the total distances can range from 200 to 400 meters, broken up into different combinations of sets and reps. Rep breaks should be enough to ensure the quality of work remains high. I start with one minute at 10 meters, then add 30 to 60 seconds for every 10 meters added. Throughout these workouts, I cue athletes by saying “cover ground,” “push into the ground,” or “don’t reach, push.”

Unless the jumper also sprints, we typically use the loaded two point start for our workouts. If they do sprint or run relays, we will progress to three, four and block starts as the training season progresses.

For the loaded two point, I want to see the athlete down with most of their weight over the front foot.

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KIRBY LEE IMAGE OF SPORT

FINDING THE FLOW

arms are set. Then the athlete starts to rotate over their front foot without sacrificing the position they have set. Once they cannot fall any more, they begin to sprint. This rolling two point will get them into the correct angles during their drive phase.

During workouts, I focus on cadence with my ears and step count with my eyes. An athlete’s step cadence while accelerating is sometimes easier to identify when listening rather than watching. The cadence should increase with each step, from slow to fast in a controlled, smooth rhythm. The amount of steps the athlete takes during a sprint should be taken into consideration. Within a 10-meter sprint, I count the number of steps my athletes take to try and find the correct amount for each athlete. Are they taking 12 or more? That may be too many. Six or less?

That too could also present a problem. The drive phase is all about balance, and there isn’t a set number for all athletes. Once I find the sweet spot for each athlete, I document it and work with them to hit those marks each sprint.

THE BUILD In the beginning, my approach theory was “push, float, attack.” This worked well, but I moved away from it because of the “float” aspect. I didn’t want my athlete to relax and not accelerate through the whole approach.

The idea is to not push for three steps and maintain that velocity, but to continue increasing speed throughout the whole approach, no different than a well-executed dash.

Nowadays, my theory has changed to “build all the way through.” After those first 36

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from the latter. More often than not, her head will still be down through step six, and then the board surprises her. Here is where the secondary check can help give them a visual cue on when to begin transitioning from acceleration mode to upright sprinting.

three acceleration steps, the drive phase transitions to the build, the middle portion of the approach. Steps four to six should showcase upright sprint mechanics while still increasing velocity. The goal is to have the athlete continue to increase their horizontal velocity in a smooth and controlled fashion. This transition must happen as smoothly as possible. The athlete should not go from leaning to upright in one step but a few steps.

Using a check mark like a piece of tape on the runway here is a great tool to help the coach determine how the athlete is doing.

Typically these check marks are after the first three steps, and with this I can determine if the athlete is successfully executing their drive phase. The athlete can use it as a reminder to begin their transition.

COMMON ERRORS Similar to the drive phase, there are many common problems that I have seen throughout the years, most of which stem from what I like to call “high school thinking.”

The most common one I see is athletes running “quick.” In my head, there is a difference between running “quick” versus fast.

Running “quick” is just trying to move limbs fast, whereas running fast is trying to have as much velocity as possible. An athlete running “quick” in the build phase will have chopping steps and short arm mechanics. They are oftentimes pressing, evidenced by their facial grimace, clenched fists and bunchedup shoulders. Instead of the soft footfalls of a smooth sprinter, I’ll hear the heavy, quick footfalls of an athlete trying too hard.

Another issue is either coming up too early or too late. One of my triple jumpers suffers

TEACH AND TRAIN After a few weeks of acceleration training in the drive phase, I increase the distance the athletes sprint and begin training in the speed development zone. Speed development includes any distance ranging from 40 to 80 meters, totaling 300 to 500 meters in a session. The goal is to have the athlete maintain their top speed for up to three seconds after the acceleration phase. Similar to acceleration, speed development training rest should be long enough to ensure a high quality of work, roughly 30 to 60 seconds per 10 meters.

Additional options include variable speed runs, or sprint/float/sprints going up to 120 meters. One example would be 60 meters hard, 20 meters float, and 30 meters hard for 110 meters total. Another option is to simply run their approach multiple times.

Most approach lengths aren’t much longer than 30 to 40 meters, but the athlete is still going through the different phases of running. Combining the different options into the same workout would be fitting, starting with six to eight approach runs followed by some 60-meter sprints as an example. The important factor is the total running volume staying consistent.

Moving on from acceleration development does not mean I stop coaching it. Speed development is merely the next step in the process. The athlete should execute 30 or so meters of acceleration before transitioning into speed development. Typical coaching cues during this stage are “long arms,” “push forward,” “run tall,” “nice and smooth” and “stay long.” The picture is an example of an athlete in the latter portion of the build phase, noting the front side mechanics, upright posture, and arms staying long.

THE ATTACK When done correctly, this has become my favorite part of the whole jump. The final two steps (seven and eight) are more mental than anything physical. While my approach theory has evolved over the years, the attack has stayed pretty much the same. The only difference is how I teach it and the cues I use for the athlete to understand what I want them to do.

To get to this point, the athlete has successfully executed a smooth drive phase and transitioned into the build phase using upright sprint mechanics while continuing to

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FINDING THE FLOW increase their speed with each step. Eyes are up, and they can see the board but aren’t fixated on it. The continual increase in velocity from the drive and build phase is evident, and I like to see athletes have a sense of urgency to finish the approach and get into the jump.

Their slight increase in momentum should indicate their desire to jump. Proper running mechanics should be implemented through the board except for the penultimate step.

This means properly lifting the front side, pushing through each step, and moving the arms all the way through.

COMMON ERRORS When the previous steps are done incorrectly, this is where a coach tends to see the repercussions. The attack should be smooth without sacrificing positioning or form. I want to see the athlete essentially find that last gear without overdoing it. When the athlete bears down, leans forward, or chops steps, it will cost them once they hit the board.

TEACH AND TRAIN This season, I have incorporated the attack philosophy since day one so they get used to moving through the takeoff. From simple pop-up drills, short approaches or box takeoffs, athletes will get used to moving through the takeoff until it becomes second nature.

The next phase in our sprint training is speed endurance and optimal speed development. Speed endurance is categorized as anything over 80 meters, totaling 500 to 800 meters per session. The goal of speed endurance for the athlete is becoming accustomed to maintaining top speed for longer than three seconds. It may seem unconventional to have a jumper sprint 80 or more meters in training when their approach is only 30 to 40 meters, but if they can become comfortable holding their maximum speed, then it will be much easier to ask them to move through the last few steps and take off at their optimum speed. Rest time considerations remain consistent as before, and I typically error on longer.

Optimal speed training has technically already been covered. This type of training encompasses training at the athlete’s optimal runway speed, typically done by running their approaches during training. A typical session would include anywhere from three to eight approaches depending on the day, week and where within the season. I advocate including the partial takeoff so the athlete can get used to converting that horizontal momentum into the takeoff with minimal loss. Similar to 38

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speed development, I often combine optimal speed and speed endurance into the same workout, while keeping the total distance parameters and rest in mind. Typical cues athletes hear in sessions would be to “attack the take off” or “move through the board.”

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Once I start to include approaches, or runway rehearsal, into an athlete’s program, I decide how in-depth to get. New or limited-experienced athletes should begin working on the drive phase first. Remember, if they don’t accelerate properly, they will be hard-pressed to hit the speeds and positions needed at the board. This means as a coach, I give the most feedback regarding their drive phase. As the athlete progresses, then I begin to focus more on the build and attack phases.

OTHER NOTES I encourage the athlete to count their steps every time they practice their approach. As I mentioned, I count only the takeoff foot contacts, so an eight-step approach is technically a 16-total-step approach. If the athlete counts every time they run the approach, they develop their rhythm in their head. I also count so I can get a feeling of the approach based on their step rhythm. When done correctly it should sound smooth, starting slow and building through the takeoff. Using this technique can show if the jump is going to be a good one or not. The best example I can give is “one.......two......three.....four....five... six..seven.Jump!” The step time starts long and decreases throughout the approach.

The graph visualizes the flow of the steps.

The vertical axis represents the approach steps while the horizontal axis represents time.

While the drive, build, attack approach above is for the horizontal jumps, the same training and theory can be easily transferred to the vertical jumps. My pole vaulters utilize the same training and theory, down to the same step counts for the drive, build, and attack phases. The high jump is different because of a much shorter run-up length.

Typically, my high jumpers utilize a 10-total steps approach so the same breakdown takes place with each phase being much shorter. I break it down by driving for the first three steps, building steps four to eight, and attacking steps eight to 10, depending on the athlete. Training and cues remain similar for these events as well.

EMPHASIS ON THE TRAINING No specific training is more important than the other, and that includes the sprint training outlined above. If a coach only assigns approach runs during practice, that would come to the detriment of the athlete.

Once full-time training starts in the fall, my athletes train six days a week, Monday through Saturday. I typically use three days at the beginning training speed and three days for jumping-specific training and recovery. As winter comes, I cut the speed training down to two days a week and introduce more event specific work and recovery. Although it is vital to train speed, athletes still need plenty of recovery and rest.

Earlier I discussed optimal speed, or the maximum speed at which the athlete will be moving down the runway. Rarely should an athlete be sprinting at 100% during the approach, but the goal would be to get as close as possible. One way to determine this is to use timing gates during approach runs and compare that to their sprint times. I have yet to do this but our goal is over 90%.

If these three aspects of the approach are properly trained, reviewed, and improved, any athlete should improve their sprint times and horizontal jumps. Even a 2% improvement in a 100-meter dash would take a 12.5-second athlete down to a 12.25 or velocity speed increase of 8 m/s to 8.1 m/s.

Although a 0.1 m/s increase doesn’t sound like much, let’s put that into the horizontal jumps’ perspective. If a six-meter female long jumper or 15-meter male triple jumper increased their runway speed by 2%, and this increase correlated to a 2% increase in their jump distance, it would improve them to 6.12 meters or 15.30 meters respectively. That increase would be the difference between taking 10th to sixth place for the female athlete or taking ninth to seventh place for the male athlete at the 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor National Championships.

I hope this article sheds some light on the training and theory of the horizontal jumps approach. Good luck and good jumping!

MIKE DELLEMANN IS THE ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD TEAM, SPECIALIZING IN THE JUMPS, HURDLES AND MULTI. HE IS ENTERING HIS SIXTH YEAR AT NMU.

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USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame Class of 2023

JOHN HOMON

MOUNT UNION Winning defined John Homon’s athletic and coaching career. As an athlete he was a North American arm/wrist wrestling champion. As a coach he led Mount Union to remarkable success in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Out of the 93 combined team titles awarded by the OAC in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field during his tenure, Homon’s teams captured an impressive 54 of those titles (21 in indoor track & field, 19 in outdoor track & field and 14 in cross country). Under Homon’s watch, the Purple Raiders excelled on the national stage, too. Mount Union athletes secured an astounding 42 national championships and earned 204 All-America honors. As a team, Mount Union finished runner-up in 1996 and 1999, achieving the team’s best finishes under Homon’s guidance.

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WES KITTLEY

PHIL LUNDIN

ABILENE CHRISTIAN/TEXAS TECH

ST. OLAF/MINNESOTA

Wes Kittley’s coaching journey has been deeply rooted in the southern plains. Hailing from Rule, Texas, he began at his alma mater, Abilene Christian, where he led an impressive 29 squads to national team titles. His Wildcats truly dominant, racking up 31 Lone Star Conference team track & field titles – never losing amid an era when the conference didn’t have an indoor championship. Texas Tech soon called – and Kittley answered. By 2005, Kittley had Texas Tech atop the Big 12 team standings in track & field for the first time. In 2019, Kittley reached an unprecedented stratum in Red Raider history: he led Texas Tech to its first national title in any men’s sport when they topped the podium at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships.

A Minnesotan through and through, Phil Lundin could go by the name of Mr. Land of 10,000 Lakes. From Burnsville High School to the University of Minnesota and finally to St. Olaf College, Lundin trekked no more than 90 combined miles from job to job in 46 years. Lundincoached athletes racked up more than 150 individual event titles, combining conference and national championships. That number counts eight individual crowns at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. The pinnacle of Lundin’s career came in 2013 when he led St. Olaf to victory at the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships with four Oles earning AllAmerica honors. St. Olaf rode the momentum of that historic win into five more top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships in the subsequent three years.

DONNA RICKS

MARTIN SMITH

VICTOR THOMAS

CARLETON

VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, OREGON, OKLAHOMA, IOWA STATE

LINCOLN (MO.)

Donna Ricks led example in the early days of her illustrious coaching career, competing and even winning various heptathlons while coaching at Dodge City (Kan.) CC and Northwest Missouri State. Her full-time coaching career began to take shape at her alma mater Minnesota State, which she led to a third-place finish at the 1987 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships.

Six years later, Ricks began to transform Carleton College into a perennial contender at both the conference and regional levels – winning 11 MIAC crowns and advancing to the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships 18 times.

The Knights broke through in 2022, finishing fourth an earning a spot on the podium for the first time in program history. Ricks-coached athletes have earned more than 60 All-America honors, including seven national titles between five athletes.

Cross country was more than a sport in which Martin Smith forged his Hall-of-Fame career: It can also describe his travels between coaching positions that spanned from coast to coast.

Smith’s destinations included some of the highest points one could imagine – national team titles at Virginia (women) and Wisconsin (men twice), plus stops at Oregon, Oklahoma and Iowa State that included multiple top-5 national finishes. His trophy collection is impressive, including cross-country team titles in the ACC, Big Ten, Pac10, and Big 12. Notably, his 12 men’s Big Ten crowns represent the most by any coach in the conference as of 2023. Under his guidance, athletes he mentored also secured individual cross-country titles in these four conferences. Combining both cross country and track & field, Smith’s athletes amassed more than 300 AllAmerica honors.

Victor Thomas brought more than incredible success in track & field to Lincoln (Mo.).

Fourteen national team titles in NCAA Division II women’s track & field stand out, as do more than 140 individual national titles and 950 All-America honors, but Thomas – a native of Jamaica who is affectionately known as “Poppy” – values the entire student-athlete experience. “I don’t really cry when we win championships, but to see the youths get their degrees and establish themselves in society there is no feeling like it.” Whether it is athletically or academically, Thomas has had plenty of opportunities to celebrate. Since taking over the men’s and women’s track & field programs at Lincoln in 2002, at least one of his squads has finished in the top-10 at the NCAA DII Championships indoors or outdoors every year but one.

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The Bowerman Finalists 2023

KYLE GARLAND

JAYDON HIBBERT

LEO NEUGEBAUER

GEORGIA

ARKANSAS

TEXAS

Garland, who hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, starred in the combined events this year. He won the heptathlon crown at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships with a near worldrecord 6639 points and demolished the collegiate record in the process.

Outdoors, Garland amassed two of the top-4 decathlon scores in collegiate history: the first coming at the SEC Outdoor Championships where he tallied 8589 points for what is now the fourthbest; the second in a runner-up effort at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships where he one-upped himself with 8630 points for the third-best. Between those three Herculean efforts, Garland notched two all-time collegiate combined event bests: a 7.96m (26-1½) long jump at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships; then a 13.54 scorcher in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships.

Garland is the first male athlete from Georgia to be named a finalist for The Bowerman.

Hibbert, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, is the undisputed King of the Triple Jump in collegiate history. The Arkansas freshman phenom completed the NCAA title sweep with a victory at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. Hibbert unified the indoor and outdoor collegiate records with a 17.54m (57-6½) effort indoors to win that NCAA crown, followed by a majestic 17.87m (58-7½) outdoors at the SEC Championships. Prior to Hibbert taking the collegiate scene by storm, both of the collegiate records in the triple jump had stood for more than 35 years. Hibbert also smashed both of those standards by more than five inches (nearly one foot outdoors!). Even more impressive might be the fact that Hibbert only needed 12 jumps all season to achieve all of those feats. Hibbert is the third male athlete from Arkansas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2016 award winner Jarrion Lawson and 2022 finalist Ayden Owens-Delerme. Hibbert is the fifth freshman man to be named a finalist and the youngest to be named a finalist in award history.

Neugebauer, who hails from Leinfeldene-Echterdingen, Germany, orchestrated a masterclass performance in the decathlon at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. It was on his home track in Austin, Texas, where Neugebauer amassed 8836 points to obliterate the collegiate record, set a German national record and climb all the way to No. 8 in world history. A few weeks earlier, Neugebauer finished top-8 at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in both the discus and long jump. To start the outdoor season, Neugebauer scored 8478 points in the decathlon at the Texas Relays in his debut for the eighth-best total in collegiate history.

Under a roof, Neugebauer finished third in the heptathlon at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. Neugebauer is the first male athlete from Texas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman.

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JULIEN ALFRED

JASMINE MOORE

TEXAS

FLORIDA

Alfred, who hails from Castries, St. Lucia, went four-for-four in national titles, sweeping the 100 and 200 at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships after taking the 60 and 200 at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. She lowered the CR in the indoor 60 five different times (ultimately to 6.94), producing eight of the top-11 marks in collegiate history. In the indoor 200, her CR 22.01 is secondfastest in world history. Her outdoor season started with four relay wins on her home track at the Texas Relays – three as the leadoff leg in CRs (4×100, 4×200 and sprint medley). Her kickstart led the Longhorn 4×100 squad in lowering the CR three times with a best of 41.55 in prelim duty before winning the NCAA title. In individual events outdoors she registered the fastest all-conditions 100 and 200 marks by a collegian in the 100 (10.72w, twice) and 200 (21.73w), while also clocking wind-legal times of 10.83 and 21.91 in becoming No. 4 and No. 2 alltime, respectively, by a collegian. Alfred is the fourth female athlete from Texas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2016 winner Courtney Okolo who was a two-time finalist, 2021 finalist Tara Davis, and 2009 finalist Destinee Hooker.

Moore, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, won three national titles – all with collegiate records. Her sweep of the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships made her the first woman in meet history to sweep the horizontal jumps twice. She started with the long jump at 7.03m (23-0¾), then finished in dominating fashion in the triple jump as she obliterated her own CR of 14.57m (47-9¾) by almost two feet as her five measured efforts – all surpassing the CR – were topped by a 15.12m (49-7¼) that was also an absolute American record.

She also became the first woman in world history to surpass 7 meters in the long jump and 15 meters in triple jump indoors in the same meet. Outdoors she completed a second-straight SEC Championships jump quad (winning LJ & TJ both indoors and out) in moving to =No. 10 collegian all-time in the long jump at 6.88m (22-7). She bounded a CR 14.78m (48-6) to win a second-straight triple jump crown at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Moore is the third female athlete to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2022 finalist Anna Hall and 2019 finalist Yanis David.

ALL PHOTOS BY KIRBY LEE

BRITTON WILSON

ARKANSAS Wilson, who hails from Henrico, Virginia, kept fans dizzy with record performances.

She set multiple collegiate records in the 400 meters – once indoors and three times outdoors. Her presence in spring included a total revision of the outdoor collegiate all-time list with five of the top-6 performances. She racked up six sub-50 times – the most-ever by a collegian, and that doesn’t include her indoor CR 49.48 (the only collegiate sub-50 time in history).

Wilson added rare double skills in the 400 hurdles, and displayed them sometimes with little rest after the 400. Her 53.23 seasonal best in the 400 hurdles – No. 3 all-time collegiately – was the fastest of the year’s five best times, three of which rate among the all-time top-10 collegiate performances. After winning the 400 in a CR 49.48 at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, she anchored Arkansas to an all-time world best 3:21.75 with a 49.19 split, the fastest ever by a woman. In January she set a CR 1:25.16 indoors in the 600. Wilson is the third female athlete from Arkansas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2019 finalist Janeek Brown and 2011 finalist Tina Sutej.

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