How to run faster: diary of an intern

Posted On Friday, 11th November 2011 at 08:00

Coach: What
do you do with your arms when you run?

Athlete: I
have no idea

Cause and Effect

Running is a crucial aspect of many sports, with good technique meaning faster and more efficient performance. Arm action is critical to running performance as it keeps the body in line by opposing the rotating action of the hips. I have always considered that the first step in correcting running technique is to look at the arm movement of the athlete and use drills to improve the action.

However in recent coaching experience, James explained how arm movement is a result of what is happening with the rest of the body. If arm action is incorrect,
something else must be going wrong.

At first I struggled to understand this concept, however through a series of drills
working on hip drive, body position and foot placement, athletes overall running style, including arm action, began to improve.

This highlighted to me the importance of understanding the relationship between cause and effect of the body’s systems during movement. For an inexperienced coach like me, it would be easy to see a movement deficiency and try to correct the problem you see rather than focus on the underlying cause.

The importance of understanding cause and effect also arose recently when a couple
of rugby players had concerns that they were starting to lose muscle mass and strength. James asked a series of questions which revealed that the players were not eating adequately to cope with the volume of training they were doing. As a result, James was able to advise them about nutrition and the importance of increasing
calorie intake, rather than the need to increase the training load. This was a vitally important lesson, as continuing to train hard without sufficient nutrient intake would lead to the athletes becoming ill and overtrained, the effects of which can last a long time.

Situational Leadership

One aspect of coaching which has been at the forefront of my coaching practice so far is the need to change coaching style depending on the athletes in that particular session. My most recent coaching experience provided an excellent example of this.

Two different groups of athletes performed the same training session involving bodyweight exercises, TRX and dumbbell exercises. The first group began working immediately and were ready to begin each exercise after the designated rest period. In this session the only coaching necessary was to ensure that the athletes were performing the exercises using the correct technique.

The second session involved a younger group of athletes who were more easily distracted, and only settled into the training after a game of clap and catch with the
medicine ball (which ended with James having done a lot of press ups!)

During the session there was a lot more focus on ensuring that the athletes were completing all of the exercises in addition to coaching the technical points. For me this was a good experience to see how it is necessary to adapt even when coaching the same session.