Hurdles: Training & Technical Phase-Based Approach to Seasonal Planning

with Richie Mercado,
St. John's High School (TX) Head Track & Field Coach;
34 years of coaching experience;
USATF Level 2 Coach in Jumps and Combined Events;
Jr. Coordinator for the USA Heptathlon; Head Coach for Team USA Heptathlon in the 2008 Thorpe Cup USA-Germany dual;
has coached several SPC state championships for Girl's Track & Field, Boy's Cross Country, and won 2 of last 3 in Boy's Track & Field.
Numerous SPC champions in sprints, jumps, hurdles; coached the USATF Junior Champion runner-up and Pan Am Junior Champion silver medalist in decathlon.

Hurdling is an activity that is speed- and power-based. The athlete must be aggressive, competitive and willing to trust in a training system. A successful hurdler must learn to adapt to training requirements and also needs to possess mental toughness.

In this video, Richie Mercado aims to provide coaches with a complete training system to plan, organize and develop athletically-competent short and long hurdlers. He's created a blueprint covering the technical aspects, profile, training philosophy and training science proven to mold average athletes into above-average hurdlers.

Mechanics and Patterning

Coaches must learn how to enhance their hurdlers through training to develop better speed, power, coordination, patience and rhythm. Hurdlers who can three-step will always outperform athletes who take more than three steps between hurdles. Coach Mercado's system teaches how to get hurdlers to eliminate faulty mechanics and establish proper neuromuscular patterning for improved speed, power, body control and angles to consistently run faster times for both short & long hurdles.

Training Philosophy for Hurdlers

Coach Mercado shows how to combine all of the different training components to make a complete program specific to hurdlers. You'll see how to factor the following segments into your overall hurdling program:

• Weight room training
• Biomotor elements
• Mental toughness and adaptability
• Speed and coordination

As a coach, the ability to troubleshoot mechanics and analyze, test and establish key performance indicators goes a long way toward helping hurdlers reach their potential. Troubleshooting requires specialized knowledge to encourage proper patterning, speed mechanics for attacking the hurdle, hip usage through the hurdle, and foot placement following the hurdle. Coach Mercado outlines all of his hurdling knowledge to help you be confident in your abilities as a coach.

This video will help you learn the training and planning secrets for the short and long hurdles used by a successful high school coach. Richie Mercado explains how he creates great hurdlers season after season. This is a must-have for any hurdles coach looking for that "championship edge!"

174 minutes (2 DVDs). 2018.