All Access Wartburg Track & Field Practice: Sprints

with Marcus Newsom,
Wartburg College Head Coach;
2026 American Rivers Conference Coach of the Year;
2021 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Champions;
5x NCAA Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Champions;
3x NCAA Women's Indoor Track & Field National Champion;
21x IIAC/ARC Women's Outdoor Champions;
18x IIAC/ARC Women's Indoor Champions;
13x IIAC/ARC Men's Outdoor Champions;
13x IIAC/ARC Men's Indoor Champions;
6x United States Track Coaches Association DIII Indoor Women's Coach of the Year;
6x USTFCCCA DIII Outdoor Women's Coach of the Year;
6x USTFCCCA DIII Indoor Women's Coach of the Year;
4x USTFCCCA DIII Outdoor Men's Coach of the Year

featuring Scott Ganshirt, Wartburg College Assistant Track & Field Coach

The Wartburg Track program has grown into a national power under Coach Newsom's watch. Wartburg has won 14 straight indoor women's conference championship titles and nine men's indoor championships. The women have a string of 17 consecutive outdoor titles. The men have won eight league outdoor titles since 2002. In 2009, his women's teams became only the seventh team in NCAA Division III history to sweep indoor and outdoor national titles in the same season, and earned the inaugural Deb Vercauteren Program of the Year award from the USTFCCCA. The program also won the award in back-to-back-to-back season (2012-14). The 2012 women's team swept the National Championships and set new all-time meet records in team points in both venues.

In this video, filmed 'live' showing 'all access' footage of four days of Wartburg's sprints practices, Newsom discusses in detail how he breaks down a sprinter with a combination of endurance and speed and then you'll see four typical practice days to gain valuable training insight and sample practice ideas.

This combination of endurance and speed days include:

• Structured 200m days
• Repeat 200m days
• Broken 400m days

Large Group Training

Athletes at Wartburg don't stand around for long at practice. Whether it be circuit training, bicycle work, running, or recovery exercises, Coach Newsom shares his ideas on how to structure practices to enable his sprinters to maximize their time in training and accomplish substantial work within each session.

Weekly Training Program

The most unique aspect of this video is that it unfolds throughout the course of one week, enabling you to see how each practice is placed into the structure of an entire training week. This allows coaches to watch how workouts like Tuesday's block and recovery day enables athletes to recover from the previous day, while preparing for more intense days in the middle of the week.

Coach Newsom has his athletes demonstrate 12 specific workouts that can be used to improve both speed and endurance. He breaks down a typical workout day for the athlete and explains why each component of the session is a critical part of the workout. Components include:

• The push-drive phase
• Running through the curve
• Staying relaxed and focused through the straightaway
• Keeping your power in front of you until the finish

The most unique aspect of this video is the kickboxing session with coach Russ O'Connell. O'Connell is an accomplished mixed martial arts coach who has coached numerous elite fighters, and was brought in to provide some interesting variety to the team's training program. Focusing on fighting skills that challenge both hand-eye coordination and core development, this unique aspect of the video will challenge you on how you can think creatively to provide dynamic training alternatives to sit-ups and planks.

Coach Newsom explains that his philosophy will enhance your athletes' ability to:

• Focus on staying relaxed
• Go hard and control the pace
• Keep a good tempo
• Focus on form and technique

Sprint Starts

Put your athletes in a proper block setting position for sprint starts. Coach Scott Ganshirt explains why the drive phase, arm action, and the power position are critical to maximize the sprint start. The main points needed for a good start including keeping the head down, driving out, and being aggressive.

This program features over four days of practices and a glimpse at numerous drills, from block work to 4x200 and 4x400 relay exchanges. While some of the resources, such as kickboxing, may not be available or practical, it provides a great example for coaches who like to think outside the box and seek out alternative resources that can help their program grow and develop.

171 minutes (2 DVDs). 2017.