Athletics Coaching Hub

What does it take to coach world class 800 metre runners? Justin Rinaldi shares a clear philosophy built around speed, endurance, race modelling, individualisation and continuous learning. We’ve pulled out five key messages from his presentation for coaches looking to better understand the demands of the 800 metres.

Plyometric training can be powerful, but more contacts are not always better. This article challenges track and field coaches to move from simply counting contacts to accounting for their purpose, quality and timing. With practical session examples, it shows how to program enough plyometric exposure to drive adaptation while avoiding wasted volume across the week, session and season.

This post invites coaches to reflect on the environment they create around athletes before, during and after major competitions. Using a simple self assessment, it challenges coaches to look beyond results and consider how their presence, communication and reactions may help athletes feel prepared, supported and ready to compete when the pressure rises.

In this coaching conversation, Peter Fortune and Nik Hagicostas share their insights on one of athletics’ most demanding events: the 400m. Drawing on decades of experience with elite and developing athletes, they explore speed reserve, race modelling, youth development, recovery, and the patience required to build robust 400m runners.