Friday, July 12, 2019. We are pleased to announce that the first ever USATF San Diego "Speed, Strength & Power" Clinic at Del Norte High School was a success!
13 advanced high school level track & field athletes attended our first ever clinic of this kind, an outstanding turnout!
Most of the athletes are entering 10th grade, after having completed one year of high school track & field. The athletes included some of the best track & field athletes entering 10 grade in all of San Diego, and 9 athletes from our very own Del Norte High School. Our oldest athlete at the clinic is entering senior year, and we had one middle school athlete - the youngest is entering 7th grade!
Friday's clinic went from 9:30am to 1:00pm and was jam-packed with speed, strength, power, learning, teaching, and fun!
EVENT SCHEDULE:
Part 1: Warmup (9:30-10am)
First, Allison Halverson (IG @alli_sun_run), professional heptathlete, led a dynamic warmup.
Part 2: Assessment in Speed, Strength & Power (10-11am)
Each athlete performed a standardized test of Speed, Strength & Power:
UNDERHAND FORWARD SHOT TOSS (Allison Halverson)
OVERHEAD BACK SHOT TOSS (Allison Halverson)
STANDING VERTICAL JUMP (Vic Cabali)
STANDING BROAD JUMP (Ann Stefan)
FLYING 30 DASH (Bashir Ramzy)
These five tests are excellent to identify a baseline for each athlete's relative top speed (Flying 30m dash) and ability to generate power in multiple dimensions (four other tests). Below is an example of what the results of an assessment might look like.
These five tests (and other tests used for different contexts) are used by USA Track & Field, Team USA Bobsled, the NFL, the NBA, and many college programs to assess athletes for speed, strength, power, and risk of injury.
As coaches, we use the assessments to identify each athlete's individual strengths and weaknesses. Each athlete at our clinic was given an assessment sheet to record their marks, and then a scoring sheet to translate their mark to a score from 0 to 1000.
Regarding injury risk, as one example, if an athlete has a strong Underhand Forward Toss but a weaker Overhead Back Toss, this means the posterior chain and backside mechanics are weak and uncoordinated, which is a signal that the athlete may be at high risk of lower body injuries when landing.
Ok! So now after getting each athlete's assessment results...what do we do about it?
Part 3: Teaching Strength Circuits
Third, from 11:00-12:00, coaches Allison, Vic, and Bashir taught and reviewed:
Plyometric series (for power development)
Glute circuit (for glute strength and posterior chain activation)
Hip flexor circuit (for hip flexor strength and front-side activation)
Part 4: Lunch and Presentation
We all met up in the classroom for an interactive group lunch. We discussed track & field, watched videos, and had an informative Q&A with the coaches.😀👩🎓👨🏻🏫👩🏫
The takeaway messages from Friday's clinic revolved around the important of staying disciplined, happy, healthy, and productive over a long period time! The athletes who attended have lofty and ambitious goals, and they will have bright and promising futures ahead of them if they stay on track.
Tina Breen, USATF San Diego membership and clubs director (@coachmstee), joined us for lunch and the Q&A!
In the words of Tina Breen: "Dream Big, Work Hard, and Stay Humble."
👨👩👦👦 Thank you parents for your help and involvement!🙏
It is my hope from Friday’s clinic that everyone:
Learned something new
Made a new friend, &
Had a lot of fun!
We will be hosting 2 more clinics in July. The July clinics will be geared toward advanced high school track & field athletes. NCAA, adult, and youth athletes are welcome too! More info at the event page: USATF SD Summer 2019 Clinics at Del Norte High School.
I’m honored to have served as your event organizer (and unofficial event photographer)😂
~Mickey Ferri (IG @runningeconomist)