Coach Education Resources
What ALL Coaches Need to Understand About Hamstrings
Why do hamstrings always seem to blow up just when things are going well? This quick, coach-friendly deep dive unpacks the real role of the hamstrings in sprinting, why they get overloaded, and—most importantly—how to train them smarter for both injury prevention and peak performance.
🎥 Includes a must-watch video breakdown, practical takeaways, and real-world coaching strategies to keep your athletes firing on all cylinders.
Why Attentional Focus is Your Essential Coaching Tool
Want to help your athletes move more efficiently, and actually retain what you coach? This articles explores the science of attentional focus and why how you cue matters just as much as what you coach.
Optimising Tendon Properties for Track and Field Performance
Tendons are the unsung heroes of athletic performance—acting as biological springs that store and release energy to enhance movement efficiency, power, and resilience. While muscle strength often takes centre stage in training, optimising tendon properties can be the key to unlocking new levels of performance and reducing injury risks across all track and field disciplines.
This article delves into the science of tendon adaptation, exploring how plyometric and resistance training influence tendon stiffness and compliance. Backed by cutting-edge research, it provides practical coaching insights, including targeted training interventions, recovery considerations, and the ideal balance between stiffness and elasticity for different event demands.
Group B Supplements in Sport
Learn from Professor Louise Burke, one of the world’s leading sports nutrition experts, for an insightful presentation on Group B supplements within the AIS Sports Supplement Framework. Originally presented at the 2023 Endurance Coaching Conference.
Group B supplements are those with emerging scientific support, warranting further research but showing potential benefits in certain sporting contexts. In this session, Prof. Burke will explore key subcategories, including:
Fruit-Derived Polyphenols – Food compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Menthol – A tastant that interacts with sensory receptors, influencing temperature perception and breathability.
Ketone Supplements – Investigated for their role in metabolism and endurance performance.
Mental Fatigue and Strategies for Mental Recovery
Mental fatigue is an often-overlooked performance killer, impacting reaction time, decision-making, and training consistency—even in physically fresh athletes.
This article explores how mental fatigue manifests in track and field, its physiological roots, and, most importantly, practical coaching strategies to assess, train, and support mental recovery and resilience. From chaotic drills that sharpen adaptability to targeted recovery techniques like mindfulness, strategic rest, and cognitive training, this guide provides actionable tools to help coaches keep their athletes mentally sharp and competition-ready.
Coaching with Heart: How Rachel Limburg Balances Performance, Empathy, and Athlete Development
Rachel Limburg is redefining what it means to be a coach and competitor. A talented heptathlete turned triple jump and pole vault specialist, she balances her own athletic career with mentoring the next generation. But beyond her technical expertise, it’s Rachel’s deep empathy, energy, and ability to truly understand her athletes that make her stand out. She doesn’t just coach—she connects, supports, and inspires, ensuring her athletes thrive both on and off the track. In this feature, we dive into Rachel’s coaching philosophy, personal journey, and the lasting impact she’s making on the sport.
The Coach's Craft Where Data Meets Intuition in Training Olympic Jumpers
Watch a replay of this fantastic session, hosted by world class coach Nelio Moura, a veteran of seven Olympic Games. He shares key insights into high-performance jumps coaching, blending biomechanics, sprint development, accuracy training, and strength programming with real-world coaching applications.
High Jump: Overview of the Technical Model
Need a quick-reference guide for teaching high jump?
This pocket guide breaks down the technical model step by step—from approach to landing—so you can help your athletes maximise height over the bar.
🔖 Save this for your next session!
The High Jump Approach - Finding Where to Start the Curve
A well-executed approach run is the foundation of every successful high jump. In this article, we break down one of the most widely used tools in high jump coaching—the Intercept Point—and show you how to calculate, mark, and refine it for your athlete.
If you want your high jumper to run a more consistent curve, generate better takeoff force, and clear higher bars, this is the resource for you.
Helping Athletes Adapt to Travel, Time Zone Changes, and Competing Away from Home
With the 2025 National Championships in Perth approaching, our coaching community shared their best strategies for helping athletes adapt to long travel, time zone changes, and competing away from home. From adjusting sleep schedules and managing travel fatigue to maintaining familiar routines and supporting mental readiness, experienced coaches provided practical, battle-tested insights to help athletes perform at their best. Whether it’s hydration, movement, light exposure, or simply embracing travel as a learning experience, this summary captures the key takeaways to help coaches and athletes navigate competition travel successfully.
Race Tactics in the 800m: Breaking Down the Men’s 800m at the Adelaide Invitational
At the 2025 Adelaide Invitational, young talent Daniel Williams made a fearless move at 200m to go, forcing the pace and giving himself every chance to win. But Peter Bol, with his world-class experience, stayed composed, trusting his race plan to withstand the challenge and surge home in the final straight.
This article breaks down the key tactical decisions in the race, highlighting the strengths and risks of both approaches. Coaches, how do you help your athletes develop the instincts to make the right call under pressure? Dive in to explore strategies for building race-craft and decision-making skills in middle-distance racing.
Cracking the Code of Adolescent Athlete Development: What Every Track and Field Coach Should Know
Navigating the wild ride of adolescent athlete development can be a challenge for track and field coaches. One moment, your athletes are improving by leaps and bounds, and the next, they’re struggling with coordination and stagnating in performance. This article dives into the science behind these changes—why boys experience explosive gains post-puberty, why girls may hit a plateau, and how to tailor training to capitalise on critical windows of development.
Why You Should Rethink Saying "I'm Proud of You" to Your Athletes
Athletes receive plenty of external validation—parents, teachers, and friends all tell them they’re proud. But if an athlete begins to associate success with pleasing others, their motivation can shift from self-driven to externally dependent.
Hear from Peter Hannan on why he doesn’t say “I’m Proud of You” to his athletes, and suitable alternatives that he uses with his squad.
Understanding and Managing the Performance Plateau in Adolescent Athletes
Puberty brings a wave of hormonal, biomechanical, and psychological changes that can temporarily disrupt an athlete’s performance. Sprint times may slow, endurance can dip, coordination may feel off, and frustration can set in—especially for female athletes navigating mid adolescence.
But a plateau isn’t a dead end—it’s a phase of adaptation. In this article, we explore the four key factors affecting performance during puberty and provide practical, science-backed coaching strategies to help athletes regain confidence, refine technique, and unlock their full potential.
Rotational Shot Put Technical Model
The rotational shot put isn’t just about raw power—it’s about precision, sequencing, and controlled energy transfer. In this in-depth guide, we break down the six key phases of the throw, highlighting essential coaching points, optimal body positions, and common technical errors.
The Back Squat: A Somewhat Necessary Evil of Track and Field Training (And How to Fix It)
The squat—every athlete’s best friend and worst enemy. When done right, it builds explosive power, stability, and strength. When done wrong, it’s a fast track to imbalance, inefficiency, and potential injury. In this guide, we break down squat mechanics using a bottom-up approach, helping track and field coaches identify and correct common faults. From heels lifting to knees caving in, we provide practical cues and strategies to keep your athletes squatting safely and effectively. Whether you're coaching sprinters, jumpers, or throwers, this article will ensure their squats are working for them, not against them.
Plyometrics for Track and Field Coaches: A Practical Guide
Welcome to the wonderfully explosive world of plyometrics—a training tool that’s been around since Russian athletes were wearing tracksuits you could hear before you saw. Plyometrics, or “jump training,” is a must-have in any track and field coach’s toolbox. Whether you’re coaching sprinters, jumpers, throwers, or even endurance athletes, this form of high-intensity exercise bridges the gap between raw strength and sport-specific power.
Here’s your quick guide to implementing plyometric training with a pinch of practical advice.
Coaching in Hot Weather: Practical Strategies from the Community Brainstorm
In our January Community Brainstorm, experienced coaches from across the country shared their tried-and-tested strategies for keeping athletes safe while maintaining training quality. Their insights highlight key adjustments in training scheduling, hydration, cooling strategies, shade, and alternative session planning.
Find great practical strategies for adjusting training in hot conditions in this article.
Rethinking The Role of A- and B-Skips in Improving Sprinting Performance
Go to any track on any given day and the chances are you’re going to see athletes doing A-skips and B-skips at some point. But how well do these drills actually replicate the movements of maximal sprinting? This article will look into the results of an article examining the kinematic and spatiotemporal differences between sprinting and these popular drills, providing valuable insights for coaches aiming to maximise sprint performance.
Biomechanics of Elite Pole Vaulters
The presentation highlighted insights from a recent research paper relevant to the biomechanics of pole vaulting. The data-driven analysis offered fresh perspectives on improving key aspects of the approach run, take-off, and bar clearance phases.