Fundamental Drills and Mechanics for Successful Sprinting

Adrian Wheatley, architect of the University of Illinois' powerful sprint program, explains the components behind a successful sprinter. At the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Track Meet, Illinois had two finalists in every sprint and hurdle event with Coach Wheatley's athletes scoring 74 of the team's 109 points. Their effort helped the squad to a second-place finish, the team's highest finish in 20 years. His guidance helped rewrite Illinois history with 44 of his athletes now sitting on the top ten performance list in their respective events and seven holding school records. At Illinois he coached 62 All-America performances, 58 NCAA Championship qualifiers, 93 NCAA Regional qualifiers, 27 individual Big Ten champions, 3 Big Ten relay titles and 36 All-Big Ten finishers.

Coach Wheatley shares 50 plus drills he uses develop championship sprinters. He explains the work behind the progression of the drills used, how the drills work, and the goals of each drill. Coach Wheatley uses these drills to teach coaches:

• new sprint techniques to develop a successful runner
• how to test and evaluate the successful athlete
• sound fundamentals and mechanics behind a successful sprinter
• how to plan a training session and/or a training season
• how to break down the acceleration, max velocity, and finish components behind the sprint

Highlights from Coach Wheatley's presentation include:

• Warm-up program - Coach Wheatley and All-American Hurdler/Sprinter Vanier Joseph demonstrate a series of warm-up exercises to prepare athletes for the day's workout.
• The Dynamic Flex series - Exercises that specifically target the muscles and body movements that sprinters use, and double as excellent sprint-specific strength exercises.
• Max velocity drills - Specific coaching points to teach athletes proper position and body mechanics for effective sprinting. Coach Wheatley also shows you how to correct common errors in sprinting form.
• Athletic Evaluation - Numerous tests to evaluate your athlete's improvement and add interest to practice. You'll also see drills that will improve athletes' strength and power.
• Block set-up introduction - Learn how to "spot" proper block set-up, which allows an athlete to be powerful out of the blocks
• Proper cool-down for your athlete - along with supplementary information on proper nutrition and rest to keep your athletes healthy and progressing.

Fundamental Drills and Mechanics for Successful Sprinting is an excellent resource for coaches who want to increase their knowledge of the sprints. The many drills and exercises will not only advance your coaching knowledge but will also add interest and variety to your practices. Coach Wheatley's expert instruction will make you a better sprint coach.

62 minutes. 2015.