Track and Field Coaching Essentials

Coaching track and field is a unique challenge. The number of events, the specific technical skills to teach in each one, the event- and athlete-tailored training programs required for performing at a high level, and the planning and organization needed for practicing and competing effectively as a team can be difficult for even the most educated and experienced coaches.

Track & Field Coaching Essentials provides the information and direction to make your first, or twenty-first, season a success. Starting with the fundamentals, moving on to the sport sciences, and then detailing each of the events, this is the most comprehensive and authoritative coaching resource in the sport.

Experts such as Vern Gambetta on biomotor training for speed and power events, Joe Vigil on endurance events, and Jeremy Fischer on the jumps ensure the book contains the best and most current knowledge on each topic. Common technical faults and their corrections, as well as progressive performance drills, are included for every event, including relays.

This primary text in USA Track & Field’s coaching education program is also a go-to reference for veteran coaches. Be it races, jumps, or throws, Track & Field Coaching Essentials has what coaches need to know to help their athletes achieve their performance potential.

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running, and racewalking in the United States. Based in Indianapolis, USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the most popular sport in high school and middle school, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. Nearly 100,000 people are members of USATF. USATF member organizations include the U.S. Olympic Committee, NCAA, NAIA, Road Runners Club of America, Running USA, and the National Federation of State High School Associations. Fifty-seven USATF associations oversee the sport and its 2,500 clubs at the local level. USATF conducts coaching education courses that elevate and standardize the level of coaching across the country. More than 14,000 coaches have been educated under USATF programs.