ELITE SPRINTING
m o c . k c a r t e t i l e
This article is a summary of the findings I have learned from my exchanges with Pierre-Jean Vazel. To T o the best of my abilities the information of what I have written is as accurate as I can recall.
The Pierre-Jean Vazel Notes a lesson in the context of sprinting By Carl Valle
Over the past seven years Pierre-Jean Vazel seems to be one of the major hidden hidden gems in the world of athletics. His insight and statistical knowledge is unmatched in regards to the context of sprinting. During the summer of 2008, I had the honor of presenting some of my best regeneration findings in a small seminar in Sweden. I was able to learn and share some great information with the brilliant Hakan Anderson and various coaches in the Scandinavian countries. Honestly it was a true wake up call to mix with European coaches, as their balanced view on training in the
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realm of strength and power. power. While the presentation was detailed, Pierre-Jean’s hour and a half presentation had some information needing some expansions as many coaches forget that those that are there to learn don’t have the inside information necessary to fully grasp the new material. In this article, I will share share some of the most practical information I have seen in a long time. The purpose of this note note collection is to preserve invaluable information that needs to be shared with coaches of all levels. Unfortunately much much of the best
information is not available to the masses as some coaches don’t have the time, speaking, or writing ability to convey their knowledge. Lately, Lately, infor mation is b eing presented and released to rapidly, rapidly, a risk of spreading information that is not time tested or reliable with speed development. Athletics is a wonderful example of art and science being performed on the world’s biggest stage. While perhaps cliche, the true reality is that coaching athletics is pure with the honesty of the clock or measuring tape. I hope you will find this information enjoyable and practical with your athletes.
“ Development of the stride cycle requires a complete grasp of understanding the development of an entire career, not a knee jerk reaction to exercises or drills. Often a new modality will create false hope of what will lead to rapid evolution of abilities”
Olusoji Fasuba runs 9.85 in Doha Stride Development in Elite Sprinting Throughout history, numerous attempts of breaking the stride into simple groupings of stride length and frequency have created a lot of misinformation such as the myth that frequency is genetic and length is weight room specific. While some truth of absolute limits may have talent and strength interactions the reality is that both qualities are likely to be developed by good coaching. While it’s artificial to break a sprint cycle into frequency and length, the value in doing so is to see what type of sprinter the athlete is and where they need to be in order to fully maximize their potential. Development of the stride cycle requires a complete grasp of understanding the development of an entire career, not a knee jerk reaction to exercises or drills. Often a new modality will create false hope of what will lead to rapid evolution of abilities. In the presentation, PJ shared a lot of charts and
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graphs of changes to athletes over years in way they improve, not just time slopes. What I found to be u seful is how elites improved with regards to their body type as well as their stride style in combination. After PJ shared his annual p lan as well as his career work with Fasuba, he started to get into some general discussions with sprinters overall. This is where things got interesting, the breakdown of how sprinters get to their genetic potential, and what trends and patterns occur because of their body types and stride characteristics. What PJ proposed was that the athletes had a relationship between stride length and body height. In fact, it almost seemed like a golden ratio of sprinting that one would eventually break 1.2 or more of their SL/BH. After knowing the ratio with elites, coaches must be aware of what is needed in order to achieve such standards.
From the graphs, it looks like both stride length and stride frequency will improve concurrently, yet the real improvement will go to the less developed quality. What is the real question is not why this happens, but if specific efforts in training to balance the stride parameters for better performance. Another question is whether improvement comes from just getting years of racing and general training versus efforts to directly improve on the weaker quality.
most successful coaches and scientists made a massive impact into the training world from a global per spective. Jacques Piasenta is not the voice for France, but his international stable of athletes must be recognized. In addition to Piasenta, Gilles Cometti is strangely removed from the lead names in athletics. I am not sure why their popularity is not as high with all of the published work behind what they do and the results they got with their athletes. One example of poor reasoning was Dan John’s support for Mike Stulce’s training, where he argued that When discussing stride mechanics PJ did n’t get much into his gold medal in 1992 in the shotput was evidence of just lift drills as he was very open on not knowing if they worked or and throw being an example of some wise KISS philosphy. My not . During a break between the seminar and the athletics video of Werner Gunthor, the Swiss three time WC in the shot, meeting I popped the question if he thought drills worked and did activities that Dan John thought was superfluous, since a he said nobody knows. What I interpreted is that no clear simple program won in 1992. He was wrong twice, as Mike evidence pointed to what was going on and my conclusions never broke 22m and likely won because of a down olympics, were that drills were specific actions that could bias the stiffn ess, and some of his training was combination methods. Ironically, muscle recruitment, or mobility of the stride. When he Dan’s information never seems to be consistent as his complex discussed the stiff legged prancing drill as being one that could training article includes such “wonderful” combinations of have an influence, my final thoughts were drills were just good mornings and behind the neck presses? categories of locomotor phases that exposed sprinters to motions that were outside the comfort zone of running. Stiffness was another theme that was discussed in brief and the polish bench, a ru ssian box with sagittal emphasis, was one One response that PJ was vehement about was the fact that of the many devices Piasenta used to help with the lower limbs there was no such thing as “French Training Methods” as no so that they could transmit the forces properly. A lot of other organized structure of training or unified training philosophy exercises with weighted vests and they were multidirectional as existed. Yet he was still forgetting that individuals such as their well, confirming my suspicion he was building massive stiffness.
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Spanish Gold Fasuba wins the 60m in Valencia
“The context of athletic performance is one of the most vital aspects of coaching. Often the story behind the story is the true indicator of what is going on. Often data or recorded numbers are dead and have no merit if details are not investigated and recorded. I believe that athlete feedback to the day gives recorded training information better than any machine, since we are not looking into the interaction of the body’s systems that have yet to be measured properly.”
Pierre-Jean Vaszel spoke in fantastic detail in his work with developing the Nigerian sprinter and hi s training can’t be considered ordin ary, as his attention to the daily tasks of training was very precise. At first, the training seemed way to simple to work, yet the application of training was often simple because the circumstances were always in turmoil. Poisonous spider bites in Africa, parking lot workouts next to soccer stadiums, witch doctor tea drinks, and cold indoor training centers were all reality. While his stories of daily circumstances were at first met with perhaps apathetic response, to me they were vital documentation of painstaking recording of the context of training. One of the important lessons I learned was to ensure that detailed logs of the athletes are recorded to share the meta data of training and competing. Everything should be placed into accounting, or the numbers are meaningless. This is vital period. Many times athletes will have false peaks and poor performances that are actually indicators of early tapers or good training hit with poor circumstances. Often training is changed for the worse because the results are not indicative of good training. So many times I have changed my training protocols because I thought I was not doing the right things
but in reality sometimes life will be a stronger element influencing performances than a magical workout the week before. What I thought was excuses was in reality just honesty that sometimes life gets in the way of good training. While indoors may appear more consistent because weather does not play a major role, the reality is that many coaches will need the story behind the story to see what the fruits of their labor. I was pleasantly surprised at the elegance of a near purist program where no equipment was used. No omegawave,
Nigerian Nightmare Staying cool under fire.
World Champion Olusoji Fasuba The first world champion in the 60m from Africa, a harder achievement than just training alone.
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Midpoint during the 60m race Fasuba’s calves were cramping and he didn’t panic. What was interesting is that he ran the exact same time in the previous heat (semi time of 6.51) but did it with slight cramping. The lesson learned was that he was capable of a 6.4 but mustered another 6.51 with bad circumstances. When you are aware of your abilities because of context, confidence is galvanized because current numbers are nearly arbitrary. What could have been interpretation of fatigue
no blood lactate, just a stopwatch and paper and pencil. I am not stating that this is specifically the style of training PJ has with his athletes, I am just sure that this reality has helped me see the underlying variables and interactions of those elements much more clearly as less moving parts can allow coaches to extrapolate the primary mechanisms of improvement. My guess is that PJ uses his statistical background to safely load the athlete at the right times in the year to see annual progress for improving talent. How he does it is very thought provoking.
or going to fast in early rounds is just another case of conjecture. When your training is going well and your training times are good, you are bound to have a performance that demonstrates that ability in time. The lesson learned is that meets are all relative based on the context of the situations given. The beauty of coaching is not the art and science, but the human side of working with people that makes all difference. While PJ may be known for a statistician with times and splits, his relationship between his athletes is more than just numbers.
Elegance in Design “When you can’t deliver ornament, you have to deliver substance.” -Paul Graham My biggest concern about elegance in design is that the training will be misinterpreted as easy solutions to the challenges of developing speed and timely performance. In reality, a simple solution is often a concise decision from a complex scenario. I am fearful that one would interpret the below summary as a simple formula to success, when the truth of the matter is that the information is just a representation of the primary decision making. During the presentation PJ shared his training outlines as well as other graphs that illustrated a nice summary of what he was trying accomplish with his athletes, specifically Fasuba. I liked his reductionist approach to things but many times he would explain his rationale to what may be considered strange decision making. A primary example of this was his weight training work with Fasuba,
what could be considered very pri mitive in architecture, as no intricate periodization was demonstrated. What I believe what was a weakness became actually a strength, to say the least, as his numbers were not unimpressive or lacking. What I like about the summary of information was the absolute records and the clear characteristics of what his athletes could do. In the later part of his presentation PJ compiled his collection of data about the abilities of ultimate performance in the 100m dash and what was needed for a sub ten performance on average. While I can’t verify those numbers are 100% accurate, I am on the record on believing those power and speed values are created by the work on the track. The hardest lesson I have learned was that speed training is activation training at it’s fullest. With research on NRF-1 being scant, I must apologize to Charlie during our discussions after dinner in Toronto. My honest belief is that sufficient loading and mechanics can create a massive recruitment of HTMUs
Achilles Heel? Investigating Dorsiflexion Again On conjecture I looked at was when PJ explained to the seminar the ankle restriction of Fasuba and how this could be indirectly related to some factors in exercise selection with h is squatting. With ankle mobility being all the rage now I believe that a cause of loss of speed is not lack of anterior tibialis strength but a fluid ankle joint. The false experts will push for needed dorsiflexion in squat patterns but they forget that in sprinting dorsiflexion must be very passive, otherwise a major
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and create the abilities to express various forms of slower strength and power if properly trained. With research on depression and cytokines, I am under the belief that sprinting may be a form of supra-maximal training that can elicit massive hormone and neurological improvements if properly timed. Without sufficient rest and low intensity options, I feel that this type of trainin g will likely cause soft and connective tissue injuries that will prevent ultimate performance.
The Hard work of the Daily Grind Fasuba, Pognon, and PJ Vazel training during one of their many training sessions all over the globe.
lack of stiffness will be present during foot strike. The current screen by Cook is overly simplified and after talking to some fantastic coaches and therapists my opinion is that the foot requires specific mobility ranges and joint positions to sustain health to the lower extremities. Simply measuring ROM with goniometer is not going to solve the specific metatarsal patterns as well as unbinding of fascia from motor programs from soft tissue problems of the lower limb musculature. Foam rolling, ART, MFR and Graston are only poor solutions as the therapy I have seen is a combination of precise classic methods as well as a complete protocol of muscular balance in the lower limb training.
more of a reflexion of what could of been based on what we know with those with similar performances. My interest in this line of questioning is not because of During the second day of my a belief what races can or can not do as I questions with PJ, it seemed to me that don’t want to get into debate of the elite sprinter can make big biological differences between races as improvements in the later zone of this is very touchy subject and I wish to sprinting. While top speed has improved slightly since Carl and Ben of the 1980s, be free of controversy, but the real social my interpretation of the gains in current injustice is not investigating questions that may seem at first sensitive to race. performance is the string of consecutive splits of near top speed being done. With Every athlete deserves to reach their potential, regardless of race, may it be a the impressive performances of Powell, less expected in a certain gene pool. My Gay, and of course our poorest example hope is that sports can be a more Bolt, I feel that the advances are b etter whole races being done instead of having integrated gathering of nationalities as this world is full enough of conflict and the classic good accelerator or top speed relation issues. sprinter. My guess is that while many programs will differ, the similarities will be closer than we want to b elieve. In the Closing Thoughts original forum review, I coined short to A Savant and Artist. long and long to short when classifying the approach between Francis and Tellez I throughly enjoyed my visit to with grave consequences. No program is Sweden and learned a lot from Pierrepure, as a long to short program will have Jean Vazel. He is not only a great episodes of start work that will have resource, but a very caring person and his accompanying acceleration regardless of character is something the sport needs. the intent of the phases. Even if tempo He shares so much in depth information prescriptions are intensive, plyometrics to the internet communities without tire and weights may be more intensive, and all of my questions were answered creating a running program with some fully. While I don’t agree with everything interesting composites. Even if extensive PJ says theoretically, nothing he has said tempo is being utilized in a program, a has ever been proven to be false that I running speed at 75% is getting ground know of with my own personal contact times with stiffness qualities that exchanges. will have indirect maximal elements even if the loading is considered aerobic. I think many American coaches, especially strength and conditioning Race and Sprinting professionals would find it hard to gather White Sprinters and “stuff you can use monday” with PJ future sub 10 because he is not a classic guru with performances? regards to weight training, but what can’t be denied is the fact PJ has done some impressive accomplishments with the With the performances of Usain Bolt it circumstances he has been given to him. I looks like conjectures of race and have never seen him coach in person, but sprinting will be again raised as sub 9.8 development is a long term process and may be the new sub 10. One question is his historical perspective must be why are caucasian sprinters no longer respected. Much of the infor mation I running near sub ten times like before? have learned was so in depth and unique Where is the Pietro and Marian performances from decades before? I felt it was a true gift to be able to hear Based on many 60m and 200m times it some of the inside information that may be never available anywhere else. seems that many possible sub 10 opportunities could have been blown In addition to the discussions with from athletes tightening up at the fabled PJ, it was great to hear him converse with top end mark near the transition of top speed when other’s are in visible. It’s not Hakan Anderson, another big influence in my coaching career. While Hakan may an argument of race and potential, is
To the Future? How we can improve?
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not be a name that people think of when one brings up the elite coaches in the world, I felt that those weeks in Europe two summers ago were a major impact of what beliefs I had with training. I don’t know what to use as an example of what humbles me more, but one good story that I liked was the description of Fasuba’s 4th place performance in the 100m. While his time was not earth shattering, the true wisdom of what PJ observed was clever in that like all coaches he used his observation skills. After each round Fasuba got up from a seated position from the ground easier and quicker, barely perceivable to the naked eye, making me wonder if those that are slaves to fancy gadgets are hopelessly lost in understanding sport performance. One of Piasenta’s book on training is titled Aprender a ObservarAtletismo, a hint to all of us that sometimes it’s better to look a little more han to talk. I know many will start wondering where to go to get more information on training as the first question is likely to options for further investigation. I would start with classic PE books on teaching, hands on education with videography, and of course some sport science literature from Cometti. Those looking for quick and easy drills and workouts will again fail, and the struggle of improving the best is will only be alleviated by working every day and observing the patterns before us.
