"The ultimate sprint, hurdle, relay and conditioning video" is an all encompassing instructional video that will be a prized possession of any youth, club, or high school track and field program. Coach Bryan Hoddle (2004 Head Coach, Usa Paralympic Track & Field Team) is joined by five award winning athletes who demonstrate the various skills as they are being outlined. The group is made up of decathletes Gabe Garrett and Doug Sells, sprinter Brian Parris, and two female sprinters/long jumpers Razi Mason and Lakeesha Cockrell. Each section of the video progressively builds on the last with a host of topics that include goal setting, nutrition, mechanical principles, warm-up, active mobility drills, hurdle tips, testing protocol, sprint training, baton drills, medicine ball work, exercise ball, block work, sprint problems and solutions, and warm-down. Two of the most often overlooked parts of a workout, the warm up and warm down, encompass about 30 minutes of this production. Thirty-seven warm up drills are demonstrated (dynamic active, wall dynamic activity, and active mobility drills with hurdles) and 20 warm down activities are shown and explained. By incorporating these drills into the daily workout routine, common injuries, like shin splints, can often be prevented. There is also performance benefits by increasing joint range of motions in the hip area that can best be achieved doing isolated activity found in these drills. The drills presented are safe, effective, and can be used with athletes of all ages and ability level including the five baton drills, 12 medicine ball activities and 11 tasks with the oversized exercise ball. Quotes from coach Hoddle: "Today I'll be telling you not only the ‘whats', but I'll be telling you a lot of the ‘whys'; remember, today kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care"; "The rear block is usually at a steeper angle than the front block in order to present a surface that is perpendicular to the direction of the force application... You need to be thinking about the first movement, not the gun"; "We emphasize post-stretching at the end of practice to relax the body and shut down the central nervous system; again, some of the benefits are prevention of injury, promotion of circulation, and increased range of motion"; "I hope you find this tape informative; I hope that some of the drills and techniques that we've used, you'll be able to fit into your program". By bringing coach Hoddle's vast experience of coaching speed events into your workouts, you are sure to watch your athletes progress and improve as they enjoy their sprint workouts to a whole new level.
