| Written by ThrowFarther Athletics | |
| Wednesday, 24 October 2007 | |
| ThrowFarther is excited to introduce the ThrowFarther Training Framework. This training framework and subsequent supporting framework detail information represents a successful and simplified approach to building a training program for throwers and includes the cumulative experience of several top throwing coaches, athletes and former throwers. To some of you this may be extremely basic stuff, but we believe that many of you will find this to be a very valuable resource to assist in coaching and training to be a thrower.
The key concept to the ThrowFarther Training Framework is that a successful training program for a thrower needs to be well rounded and address each of the six ‘building blocks’ represented in the below diagram. These ‘building blocks’ include the following topics related to training: 1. Technique, 2. Athleticism, 3. Functional, 4. Strength and Power, 5. Monitoring and Evaluation and 6. Mental Imagery and Preparedness. Click 'Read More' below for more info.
The track and field world, and especially the throwing world, suffers from a lack of experienced throwing coaches. As a result, the overall talent pool of athletes interested in throwing events suffers along with the overall popularity of the events themselves. The general training approach for throwing events (especially at the high school level) taken by many coaches and athletes is to focus their training and preparation time in only two of the six major areas of the ThrowFarther Training Framework, those areas being first the Strength and Power section and second, the Technique section. All too often, the training in the technique area suffers due to an intense focus on only Strength and Power training.
The goal of the ThrowFarther Training Framework is to provide a framework and guidelines for constructing a coaching and training plan for a track season that addresses all of the major areas of necessary preparation and training for a successful thrower (or any field athlete for that matter). Building your training programs around the ThrowFarther framework will not only help you develop more successful throwing athletes but also better and more successful athletes overall. Following the ThrowFarther framework for your training plans will also enable you to provide meaningful and productive training and athletic growth opportunities for your athletes that are concerned about keeping in shape and continuous athletic improvement for other sports they are involved in.
ThrowFarther will be providing specific programs and guidance to address each of these 6 areas of the framework. Content for each of these areas is currently being developed by top throws coaches, trainers and athletes to be featured on this site. A brief overview of the 6 main building blocks of the framework follows.
1. Technique. The focus of the technique block is on developing solid, event specific throwing technique. Training is focused on drilling and analyzing technique and watching technique videos, etc. for more advanced throwers. The technique block is illustrated in the framework diagram as the most important of all the training building blocks.
2. Athleticism. The focus of the Athleticism block is on developing the athlete's basic athletic skills and abilities such as jumping, coordination, speed, etc. Solid athletic ability will take a thrower a long way and may be more relevant to the event than strength training. Training aspects of the Athleticism block include plyometrics, sprints, jumping, etc.
3. Functional. The focus of the Functional block is on throwing-functional activities that help the athlete to improve overall throwing strength, power, overall body coordination to 'get into' the throw, etc. Training includes activities such as medicine ball training, throwing puds, etc.
4. Strength and Power. The focus of the Strength and Power block is on developing overall strength and power in the athlete. This type of training is typically done in the weight room and on the power lifting platform.
5. Monitoring and Evaluation. Monitoring and Evaluation is an aspect of training that is often overlooked, particularly in the throwing events. An athlete's training sessions, distances, etc. should be continually monitored for performance and adjustments should be made in the training depending on the feedback. In addition, overall technique should be monitored for the development of bad habits. A system such as the Quadrathon should be implemented to continually monitor the athlete's strength, power and overall athletics skills.
6. Mental Imagery and Preparedness. This is a very advanced topic to most coaches and throwers. The success of an individual event athlete in track and field is highly dependent upon their state of mind, attitude, and preparation for competition. Mental imagery techniques should be employed for teaching and reinforcing throwing technique. Many of the video clips of top throwers featured on this site can be used and repeatedly studied to achieve success in this area. |
ThrowFarther Throws Training Framework
