John Shepherd

The take-off is fundamental to the long jump, yet many are unsure as to how to specifically coach it. 

In this 13 minute video England team coach John Shepherd showcases numerous drills that you can use to coach better take-off mechanics. Positioning correclty on the final steps to take-off is cricial and so forms the focus of this video. Coach Shepherd shows you how to use mats (first 2, then 1) and then lines placed in the optimum positions on the run-up.

The various drills will create the correct patterning of the last steps (3rd last, penultimate and take-off). 

As a coacg you will gain an understanding of where to place the mats and lines and of what to look for. You'll also gain appreciation as to why it's worth regualarly doing these drills with your jumpers. As well as developing greater ability to take-off your jumpers will also develop greater board accuracy as a result.

Coach Shepherd also explains the specifics of the penultimate step and the way this establishes the path of the swing leg into the take-off and what he calls the "take-off drive".

He also provides some info in passing on the difference between the triple and long jump take-off. This is to shwcase why the long jumper needs to set their jump up specifically to gain and utilise greater vertical velocity.

When booking this course you will also be able to download a copy of The Jumper multi-media magazine, which is all about long and triple jump. It includes video links and research-based articles on, for example, run up accuracy and plyometric training for the long and triple jump. 

Please refer to The Jumper and the article on run-ups as mentioned in the video to assist your learning of the run-up and numerous other aspects of jumps coaching.

This course comprises of a video which explain how to coach the hitch kick. 

We see Coach Shepherd working with a jumper in real-time and we see his progressions and see and in some instances hear his interaction with the jumper - Andrew (17 at time of making video).

Andrew is from the US and has a best 100m of 10.70sec and a long jump of 7.31m. He was a hang jumper - and this technique was not idea for him. Why? Andrew was not holding his take-off nor making the most of his speed. His take-off set-up on the three steps prior to taking off was not optimal and his incorrect positioning was taking away from jump distance. In the video (which focssess one session) you will see pretty significant changes being made as we transfer to a hitch-kick..

The video provides you with:

Step by step progressions

Drill descriptions

The rationale for doing certain drills and movements

The sequencing of the key positions for the hitch-kick

Hitch-kick variations and nuances 

In short you will be able to see and understand much of the process needed to teach the hitch-kick.

Watch the video, pick up coaching tips and ideas and session structure.

In this video I show you how you can immediately change the way your triple jumpers hop and ultimately triple jump better.

The focus is on the take-off and the movement of the hopping leg. The aim is to pull the foot diagonally across from behind the body at take-off to infront of the body - with a thigh parallel to the ground position - in front of the hips.

If your jumpers do this then they will present their leg in the optimum way to transfer into the step phase and ultimately the jump.

I show you a drill that will teach your jumpers how to get the right take-off positions and hop movement. We then move onto implementing this in actual jumping. You will see the difference.

There are plenty of graphics in the video for you to focus on and these will allow you to fully understand just how to get your jumpers, hopping and ultimately jumping optimally.

As a coach who works across all levels from college level to international you can rest-assured that what you'll see does work. Indeed you will see this from the videos of some of my athletes implementing the techncial changes I reference.

In this course with it's 15min video and accmpanying notes I talk throught the benefits of undulating periodisation and how I contruct training sessions and blocks. There is a specific focus on the post indoor training block of work.

There are also links to twoother videos which reference fast twitch muscle fibres (something you need to know about when planning the training of sprinters and jumpers) and alos on wearable resistance and Lila Exogen. Some of my training group have been using Lila for over 6 months and the benefits are beginning to show. One of the female jumpers Leigh has progressed from 5.80m to 6.24m. 

Peaking for sprinting, long jump, triple jump and other power based events is the prime focus of this video - although the content will be of use to anyone working with speed and power based athletes in the main. There is also a bonus video which looks into how to plan training during the indoor season so that the athlete is not only optimsied for that but also for the subsequent training phases which lead onto the outdoor season.

The Central Nervous System is referenced in both videos so I thought it would be worth including an article on this which I wrote. This will put into context why evaluation and understanding of the role of the CNS in training planning is crucual.

I take a look at numerous jump options, such as French Contrast Training, Triphasic Training and Assisted Plyometrics and specifically look at how they can benefit jumpers. Specific reference is made to the triple jump - although the majority of the information I provide will also apply to long jump and sprints and indeed any coach looking to better programme jumps conditioning options. 

Much of what I talk about is backed up by reseacrh and just as importantly practical coaching experience.

In the video you will be able to pause and study various research studies I elude to.

CONTENTS: 

Near 15min video presentation

Article: Understanding Potentiation

Article: The Shock Method - Understanding Drop Jumps

Both articles compliment the video content and provide another level of detail and aid to understanding. Again, and as with the video, the articles are very much research based.

TRAINING PLANNING FOR THE LONG AND TRIPLE JUMP - GETTING STARTED

IN THIS COURSE you will learn the latest methods for use in training your jumpers and the rationale for doing so. Coach Shepherd has over 20 years experience of working with athletes of all levels from European Champoions to county and national champions. He brings this knowledge to you in this two video course (with associated other learning materials). 

In video 1 HOW TO PLAN TRAINING FOR LONG AND TRIPLE JUMPERS - he shows you how to do this using undulating periodisation and a very specific methodology designed to create maximum specific adaptation.

In video 2 HOW TO PLAN A TRAINING PHASE - Coach Shepherd shows you how to plan a specific phase. He uses early season as an example and shows you specifically how he (and you) can build volume and intesnity and crucially specificity. He also considers specific conditioning and the use of Triphasic methods. 

This course is a must for coaches and athletes wanting to pick-up on the latest training methods and ideas that work for jumper training.

There are two associated articles to help your understanding of the video content and there's also a link to a detailed digital resource The Jumper - which Coach Shepherd produces. This multi-media resource is packed full of articles, vidoe and links offering which will help improve your coaching. It includes articles by Coach Shepherd himself and from other top track coaches from around the world, such as Nelio Moura coach to two Olympic long jump champions.

Look out for more courses and resources in future Coach Tube courses from Coach Shepherd.

TRAINING PLANNING FOR LONG, TRIPLE JUMP AND SPRINTS COURSE 2

Elite UK coach John Shepherd builds on the previous course by taking you further into the specificS of setting and estbalishing a trainng programme that will produce great results for your athletes. He uses his over 15 years of coaching at all levels to showcase the drills, practises and workouts that will work. Coach Shepherd utilises a very systematic and specific approach to athlete prearation. He ensures that the key elements to improved performance are always of prime focus - specifically technique, specific power and speed.

Too many coaches waste time in his opinion building a foudatoinal base of strength and fitness and following old school linerar periodisation models. These methods have long been disproved and nowadays most elite coaches follow block or undulating periodisation models - where those hey variable that were previously references are never lost sight of. Coach Shepherd, for example, would want his athletes to be able to run within 90% of their best fly 20m for example at any time of the year.

IN THIS COURSE THERE ARE TWO VIDEOS AND THREE SUPPORTING ARTICLES

VIDEO 1 HOW TO PLAN TRAINING FOR THE INDOOR SEASON

In this video we take a look at how you can prep your athletes for the indoor season. Note even with the current COVID pandemic I still think it’s important to try to train through this period as if there was/is an indoors as this will pay dividends in the summer. The key driver I believe for prepping for the indoors is to ensure that the lead in is seamless ie that the jumper arrives at the start of the indoor season ready to perform well. This may sound obvious but many times a jumper can reach the indoors in a less than well prepared condition. For example, they may not feel comfortable with jumping from speed from longer run-ups (14-16 steps) ... so the prep for the indoors must include relevant step by step progression. As I indicate in previous videos in this members’ series each phase needs to allow for continued enhancement of performance and competition readiness. In How to Plan Training for the Indoors we talk in detail about how to achieve this. I reflect on the benefits of undulating periodisation and why I feel this facilitates better prep for jumping than linear periodisation models. We consider how you can integrate specific conditioning into indoor season prep and what sort of speed work will facility this. We also consider how to evaluate whether your athlete is ready. We look at the testing you can do but equally importantly what you see with your "coach’s eye".

And managing athlete expectation is also considered... it’s important as a coach to be able to do this in a "sensible" way so that the jumper is realistic yet inspired to jump well. I

This video will help your development as a coach

If you have any questions on this or other videos in the series or what you’d like to see covered in future ones do contact me.

VIDEO 2 HOW TO COACH DEVELOPING JUMPERS (AND ATHLETES)

In this video we take a look at how you can use the drills led, undulating periodisation methodology I use as described in my first Coach Tube course. Now I provide practical examples of how I use this approach. We will see a couple of case studies of athletes I coach.

Firstly, we look at heel recovery and how that can be developed and improved upon in a jumper (Ruby) who needed to work on this.

Secondly we look at how you can develop mid-air technique.

We consider a session that I did with the jumper and how we started to learn the hitch-kick. I think what's particularly interesting is the fact that because I focus on the same athlete over a number of years, you'll be able to see the technical progression coupled with physical and maturation development.

Maturation is also considered in the video by way of some slides and some commentary. You should study the slides and other content in your own time to get a further understanding as to how young athletes develop.

There is one particular slide that I think provides some very interesting information. It focusses on percentage improvements in developing jumpers and also looks at who is most likely to be successful through and into senior careers.

Here are two very telling research statistics:

1: Norwegian research shows that: Boys improve by 48% in the long jump and Girls 26% between 11-18 years of age (sex differences between males and females explains the variation).

2: Very few elite u17 and u20 jumpers actually achieve highly on the world stage as seniors. Only 2.5% of finalists at five Junior World Champ events won medals between 2005 -2011 at senior World Champs and at the 04-12 Olympics.

It therefore becomes very apparent how important it is to coach the young jumper as optimally as possible.

I believe the content of this video will help you do the best job you can in this respect.

SUPPORTING ARTICLES

The articles add further to your understanding of how to better coach the jumps and sprints.

Article 1 looks at maturation, injuries, growth spurts and periods of peak hight and weight velocity in overview. Gaining an understanding of this will better infrom your coaching

Articles 2&3 are in a way bonus material relevant to the long jump in so far as they specifically deal with coaching the take-off. The first looks at the importance of the eccentric component of the take-off and the second how to set the jump up on the penultimate and take-off steps