For the past six years I have tutored and assessed for UK Athletics as a coach educator. I have delivered many Level 1, 2 and 3 courses in Wales, the South West of England and the West and East Midlands and have come into contact with hundreds of like-minded coaches.
Skill learning has to be introduced at an early age. If youngsters are to fulfill any potential they might have then these early learning stages are very important.
So what you get in many clubs is the novice coach with the novice athlete with little or no support from coaches with more experience. Clubs in my experience are loathe to 'buy in' coaches to help in this initial development of the less experienced coach and athlete.
When a coach qualifies as a level 2 and is now able to coach on his/her own there is a distinct lack of support and coach development.
I taught for 28 years and teacher development was an ongoing compulsory process. We had to keep up with new concepts, trends and innovations. Every pupil had to be given the best chance to succeed.
This in my mind doesn't happen in athletics.
Below is a Article I wrote on Coaching The Younger Jumper
I treat younger long jumpers like sprinters. From an early age [10+] I focus on getting them to run efficiently. They have to realise that running on a runway is the same as competing in a sprint event. They have to be able to place their limbs in the most mechanically advantageous positions in order to create horizontal velocity. Simple basic bio-mechanical principles have to be applied.
CLICK ON THIS 'YOU TUBE' LINK TO SEE THE YOUNG FEMALE JUMPER ABOVE DEMONSTRATING A STRIDE JUMP - THIS WAS FILMED AT THE NATIONAL ATHLETICS ARENA AT UWIC, CARDIFF
Long and triple jumping require linear velocity with no lateral [sideways] movements so the importance of runway preparation can not be under estimated. I know that all youngsters have their own running style but when the runway in both long and triple jump is so important then the earlier you can introduce them to correct running technique the better.
When I'm asked to coach or technically advise a young jumper, the first thing I do is to see how they run. Their parents ask me why I'm not seeing their child jump. I explain that the runway is all important and that 70% of my training programmes are geared towards runway preparation. Many youngsters can take-off and jump and land in the sand. But the skill is to accelerate towards towards a 20 centimetre board, attempt to minimise any loss of speed in the last 6 strides and then effect a take-off and initiate a vertical impulse. All this comes from having an efficient running technique on the runway.
Young jumpers have to realise that it is VERY difficult to take-off at maximal speed and that an optimal speed has to be found in order to take-off efficiently.This takes time and a great deal of patience. So that's why I spend a lot of time on its development. Once you can get a young jumper running correctly over distances ranging from 20 metres to 40 metres only then can you begin to prepare for the touchdown, the take-off, flight phase and landing. The distance that a youngster achieves is governed by how well the runway was run. Its a high level skill and must be treated as such.
What do I look for when I see a younger jumper for the first time?
I set out a 30-40 metre zone on the track. I ask the youngsters to run from point A to point B. I tell them that I don't want them to run at maximal speed. I want them to feel that they have something in reserve. They are asked to do a set of 4 repetitions with a slow walk back recovery. They don't start from a static start but have a 10 metre walk or jog on. I don't offer any feedback until they have completed the 4 repetitions.
During the runs I am looking for a good head position, low shoulders to facilitate a rangy arm drive, a straight back with the backside tucked in, a high mid-point, good extension of the support leg coupled with a high knee lift. Also. I'm listening for the foot contact time with the track surface. You can hear if they are 'dwelling' on the track. I'm also looking for relaxation whilst running quickly. I don't want to see any tension.
There are other factors to look out for but the above are a starting point.Running drills are an important component of my training programmes. You get them to run to the board efficiently and you'll find that the take-off improves which will have an effect on the flight phase and landing.After a few weeks of concentrating on how to run more efficiently I place them on the runway. I still set markers down at 20, 30 and 40 metres from the board. They now begin sessions whereby they "run to the sand" and beyond. They might do 2 x 20; 2 x 30 and 2 x 40 with a slow walk back recovery.
They are implementing the basic bio-mechanical principles that they have learned. None of these runs are maximal. Its an orientation exercise which is all part of the skill building process. Remember: Time and Patience
Nigel Lewis is a Senior UK Athletics Jumps Coach. A coach for over 30 years and a teacher for 28 years. He is very concerned at how skills are developed in youngsters who possess a great deal of ability and potential.
