VOQ Training for Cross Country & Track by Kaplan Dan

Author:Kaplan, Dan [Kaplan, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

Tactical elements should also be covered, of course, but most of them are situation-dependent and not well suited to a generalized list like above. The most important one is to always pay attention to what's developing around you in a race and be ready to cover moves and breakaways before they happen. (Many races are lost when an athlete briefly loses focus and gets disconnected from the leaders.) This is a difficult lesson for many young athletes to learn and one which requires regularly reviewing and analyzing both good and bad races with them in order to connect the dots between tactics and outcomes.

Be Flexible

Just as important as a carefully assembled race plan is the ability and willingness to change it as new situations present themselves. Pay attention to what other teams and athletes are aiming to do and determine how you can use that knowledge to your advantage.

For instance, we learned at a Track dual meet that a brash rival (who would place 4th in the league a month later) wanted to try sticking with our #1 runner for as long as possible in the 3k. Our #2 runner was somewhat ill and doubling back from a rough 1500m, but he opted to give it a go and likely would have finished in a distant 3rd place against the two fresh runners.

We scrapped the pre-race strategy at the last minute and had our #1 run the overzealous competitor into the ground, opening up a 26 second lead over the last three laps and giving our #2 a chance to reel him in late. Another half lap and it probably would have worked. Because pacing and race planning are such fundamental pieces of our daily routine, both runners easily adapted to the change of attack. Our #1 was confident enough in the strategy that he managed to run a three second PR in the process, in spite of the improvised plan.

Aside: Coaches and Egos

Many of my associations with other coaches are quite rewarding, and a number of them have resulted in close friendships. Nonetheless, dealing with coaches can be one of the most stressful and unsatisfying aspects of the sport, in my experience. This applies to a minority of coaches, mind you. There is a constant danger of bruised egos stemming from multiple “in charge” people interacting, be it within the team or across teams. This shouldn't be the case, however, as long as every coach's focus remains squarely on what is best for all of the athletes, not just those that they are responsible for.

Because this book is intended primarily for coaches, and seeing as I'm on somewhat of a soapbox here, I ask that you please take this extremely important topic to heart. It's a classic situation of being either part of the problem or part of the solution. Do what you can to be level-headed, mature, and honest in your interactions with other coaches. Everyone will benefit, including the athletes who often get caught up in coaching feuds.

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