New T&F Coach - Looking for Online Help

The statement at the top of the website:

WARNING: These are the Track & Field Drills Elite Coaches Don't Want You To Know!

says to beware of the snake oil salesman. Every track coach I know is always willing to share their ideas.

Remember that you're coaching people, not events. The idea that there is a perfect "long jump practice" for every athlete is laughable.

I wouldn't waste my money on this tome until I had a lot more knowledge of the fundamentals of the events. Once you know the fundamentals and know your athletes, you will have no trouble designing your own workouts --> that's YOUR responsibility. Don't push it off on some huckster.

Once you know the fundamentals and your athletes, then you might consider buying this book because you then know enough to be able to pick out the drills & activities that are likely to help each athlete on your team.

Don't look for shortcuts. In the long run, they are not worth the trouble they create.

Not trying to start this thread off in a negative tone but this is what ticks me off about HS T&F. Athletic directors will go out of their way to find the perfect football and/or basketball coach but will hire almost anybody to coach track. I've been running competitively for 22 years now, have attended numerous coaching clinics (a couple of which I had to drive 5+ hours to get to), have a bookshelf full of books on training of which I've read all but Lore of Running, and find it almost impossible to get a coaching job because I am not a teacher. I can only think of about 3 coaches in the area who do any running at all and for most others their qualifications are simply "I ran track in high school." I am certain an AD would NEVER hire a football or basketball coach without a good bit of experience as a player and if hiring a head coach the person would probably need at least a few years experience as an assistant coach on top of that. I don't know a thing about lacrosse; should I apply for the coaching position that the local high school is advertising? Are my expectations unreasonable to expect that someone who is hired as a head track coach already knows the sport BEFORE being hired rather than trying to learn on the job? Another issue: how liable will the school/coach be if an athlete gets seriously hurt (like in the pole vault) without a qualified coach on staff? Ravenous lawyers will be salivating over that one.

A resource I would recommend is a coaching manual produced by the AAF. When I go to their site:

http://www.la84foundation.org/11pub/over_frmst.htm

the "la84foundation" name comes up. (I assume that the organization changed names.) Anyway their manual has a lot of good info on creating a track program. You used to have to pay ~$30 for the manual, but it appears you can download it for free:

http://www.la84foundation.org/3ce/CoachingManuals/LA84trackfield.pdf

There are too many great resources to list for each event. Start with a manual like this. Go to a USATF level I clinic. Go to your state coaches association clinic. Talk to coaches of teams that have a great reputation.

If you demonstrate that you care about your athletes and show that you are trying to learn everything you can, you will be forgiven by nearly everyone for your lack of event specific knowledge.

1) Never tell them they need to lose weight. Better yet, avoid the weight topic altogether.

2) Good resource online:

http://askbudd.runnersworld.com/

3) Subscribe to High School Runner or Youth Runner (youthrunner.com) so that you continually receive new articles and information to soak in.

4) Find help! Contact your local track club or road runners club and see if anyone will come be your assistant/advice-giver. At least see if they'll answer some questions and give you some tips.

read. Daniels, lore of running, selected posts from this illustrious site (watch out for the BS). Research women's track history to get a perspective. Go to McMillan running training programs online so you can get an idea of what kind of workouts your kids should be doing ( once you have established some base times for them in events). Easy mileage is a good thing for girls.Hard day should be followed by an easy day. many meets can be turned into workouts with some tweaking and count as hard days. intervals are a good thing for some girls. wieght lifting is helpful. all of them are very individual, you have to treat them that way. don't neglect the nutrition talk and be careful about weight issues. Be aware of what causes and prevents stress fractures. Apply ice to the kids frequently, also chocolate milk(INTERNALLY!) frequently.

Always pack hair ties, bandaids, tampons, and chocolate. Study shoes and feet and know which shoes are best for which feet and be prepared to ditch the recommendation if the shoes look too dorky. Try to outfit the team with flattering unis, and know that bun huggers are a landmine you don't really want to step on.

If your school lets you have them , find good assistant event coaches (we are still looking for a jumps coach at my school, wanna live on the Oregon coast and make a couple of grand? you don't even have to be a teacher, just be a total track head).

be prepared to relinquish your personal life for the next several months. Girls can be challenging to coach, especially for a woman for some weird reason that I haven't yet figured out, good luck, have fun.

Unless you are a troll, in which case this one is 6/10, the best recommendations that I can give you are:

a) tell your AD that you are not prepared to be head coach (anyone looking for advice and tips online in January fits that bill) and resign

b) hire a staff of assistants that are competent in their event specialities

It may or not be your fault, but if you are not able to lead your team the athletes will know and you will likely do them a disservice.

Sorry to be harsh, but this is the reality. The best way to learn the ropes is to first work under a knowledgeable mentor. Go to clinics/coaching schools, read everything that you can get your hands on, etc. and coach within your limitations.

that's all you need to know.

Are you going to trust this bozo?

http://www.trackpracticeplans.com/

He's a softball coach!

http://www.buerer.com/flames/2000/Memories/World02.htm

50 "Clipboard Ready" Practice Plans can't be wrong!