The past discussion over the many failures Team USA has had the last couple of Olympics and World Championships sent me back to this blog( excuse the different type face...forgot which one it was :-D ).There was been a heated discussion on Facebook on the ReaL Deal Track and Field page with no end of opinions. It is at best difficult as all get out to put together a quality relay team.The problem,as Jon Drummond Team USA Relays coach is trying to put a good team out there when you have the athletes,their coaches,agents and everybody else lobbying for a spot.Let me give you a peak into what is happening the HS level where I am.
When you ask folks what they come to see at any track meet,it's the RELAYS. Doesnt matter if its college,high school or age group, EVERYBODY wants to watch that stick move round the track. And when I say relays I'm talking about the sprint relays.........4x1,4x2,4x4,sprint medley...they are the reason folks go to the Penn,Drake and Texas Relays every year. If relays are so popular why is that some HS coaches dont know how to teach proper relay technique? Unlike football and basketball coaches who guard their playbooks like Ft Knox, we who coach track will give ya little peak into this is how we do it( Cue Montell Jordan please). So why is it some coaches INSIST on doing things their way,even though its wronger than two left shoes.
In order to have a successful and effective relay you need chemistry,timing and technique. You just cant throw 4 people together 5 days before a meet and expect it to be good. Let me jump on the TEAM USA thing for minute.Just a sentence ago I mentioned chemistry....that aint something that comes together in a fortnight( ooo how velly British of me guv'nor). This is not a knock on Drummond but a suggestion. Look at the most successful relay teams from the US that have worked what did they have in common? For the women in the Olympic years from 1952-1968 either all or 3/4ths of the team was comprised of ladies from Tennessee State University-The Tiger Belles(thank you Dr Temple).On the Mens side-The Santa Monica Track Club,1984-1993(includes the first World Championships-and guess who was part of that crew ? ).
The "wait until the last minute" attitude seems to be prevalent at my level.That kind of attitude means you dont give a rats backside,ya dont know what you are doing or both. When I coach the relay,we always us the blind pass-downsweep,snatch or modified snatch,no verbal command and we use all of the zone. There are a couple of other wrinkles involved but I'm not giving away the store here( Have to have some secrets now). I will say this if you want to learn how to execute a good relay watch Baylor,Texas A&M,LSU or any relay team Carl Lewis was on...oops I gave part of my formula away :-)................... I start teaching relays concepts on the first day of practice. The last school I worked with, they let the kids decide who was going to run the relays and teach them some stuff that kids in the PeeWee group in AAU/USATF would look at you and laugh. But we let these folks continue as coaches......puhleeez.... Have I been successful-yup.....no state championships( although my good friend Peter McCreary says I can claim the Parkway South 4x1,4x2 State Champions....all of the Divas got their basics with me) but EVERY relay coached by me has been ranked in the top 25 in the metro area.
Coaching relays is a science and it needs a technician/scientist..........not a English Lit prof......see ya
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