Mental Skills and Drills for Track and Field

As a track and field athlete you put in numerous hours of training to prepare your body. You run, jump or throw more in one season than most people do in a lifetime. You train week after week to the point of exhaustion. You train diligently. You are supremely aware of your body. You train to become fast, strong and powerful! You train hard, running, jumping, or throwing to be the best you can be. But are you doing everything you can to be the best you can be?

In track and field, there are no teammates to blame, no coach to run your race, no hiding behind excuses of cold weather, hot weather, unkind wind, a slow track, or jostling competition. Athletes often train the physical component with a well-planned, systematic program that focuses on the physiological aspects, yet the mental training tools have not been provided and practiced. Mental skills training are often not an important component of training because few athletes and coaches are formally exposed to mental skills and drills.

How important is the mental side of track and field? How ironic that both athletes and coaches consider mental skills to be an extremely important part of high performance, but yet do not take the time to learn and develop a systematic program to develop the mental skills.

The mind controls the body, and as an athlete you want control over what your physical energy can create. Only when you have a fully prepared mind can you reach your full potential and perform at your peak. Like physical training, mental training must be practiced on a consistent basis. Mental Skills and Drills for Track and Field has been designed to prepare you mentally to practice and compete to your potential. It supplies mental skills and drills that will allow you to develop your mental skills and become a better athlete. Only you can make the decision to commit to the mental program to improve.

Track and Field Games contains over 200 track and field games (with variations over 500) that coaches can use to create an enjoyable and productive practice environment. The numerous track and field games help teach the fundamentals and focus on skills required to become a more compete track and field athlete. Track and Field Games combines fun with skill instruction and practice. The games are particularly useful for beginning and intermediate athletes and can be adapted to accommodate more traditional training with experienced athletes.

Track and Field Games is designed to challenge athletes and keep them active, motivated and thoroughly involved. The games are competitive and fun to play and they can be easily adapted to different ages and abilities. Both novice and experienced athletes alike will respond favorably to the activities in which they are excited and enthused about. The track and field games provided in this book are designed to create such an enthusiastic and positive attitude.

Track and Field Games is organized with multiple games that focus on: the jumping events of the high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault; the throwing events of the shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw; and the running events of sprinting, hurdles, distance and relays. Although categorized by their primary focus, most games emphasize essential elements that can be applied to multiple events in track and field.

Running Games

Running Games for Track and Field & Cross Country is divided into eight categories of running: Icebreaker and Team Building, Warm-up and Cool-Down, Tag, Relay, Running, Fartlek, Distance, and Specific. Each of the eight categories describes 20 main games and numerous variations, making a total of more than 500 games presented in Running Games for Track and Field & Cross Country that will provide fun and fitness through running!

The number one reason people participate in athletics is to have fun! The challenge lies in making running fun. It is the motivation and enthusiasm toward running that Running Games For Track & Field and Cross Country addresses. The many ideas and workouts are designed to increase motivation and develop a positive attitude towards running. Some of the running activities presented are old games that have been played for years. Other running activities are modified from games with a running component added. Still other running activities presented are new activities that specifically develop the training component, techniques and tactics involved in the development of a runner.

Excerpt from Motivational Moments in 2012 Olympic Track and Field:

Amy (Hastings) Cragg overcame the disappointment of barely missing the 2012 Olympic team in the marathon to capture the gold medal in the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials held in Los Angeles.

Amy started her running career at Leavenworth High School in Kansas. She won two state titles at 3200 meters and a state cross country title. Amy attended Arizona State, where she rose early for long training runs to beat the Arizona heat. Her hard work and dedication paid off, as she won the NCAA 5000 meters in 2006 and helped her team to two NCAA Championships, winning 10 All-American honors.

When Amy missed the 2012 Olympic Marathon team by only one spot she became more determined than ever. After years of hard work, dreaming, and running, Amy achieved her ultimate goal of becoming a member of the U.S. Olympic team by winning the 10,000-meter final at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. In the Olympic 10,000 meters, Amy was able to stay with the lead group, consisting mostly of Africans for over half the race before she fell back to finish 11th in 31:10.69. By dedicating herself to continued improvement, Amy (Hastings) Cragg overcame heartbreak with triumph to achieve a lifelong dream of becoming an Olympian.

Look for Amy wearing the U.S.A. uniform and competing in the 2016 Olympic Games.

Galen Rupp entered the 2016 Olympic Marathon Team Trials having never competed in a marathon before. No problem. His dedication and commitment to training had prepared him to cover the 26.2 mile. Galen became the first man since George Young in 1968 to win the U.S. trials in a marathon debut and it was the sixth fastest time in trials history. Galen is considering a double, competing in the 10,000 and the marathon, with the events scheduled eight days apart at Rio.

When Galen toed the starting line of the 2012 Olympic 10,000 final, only two Americans had ever won an Olympic medal in the 10,000 meters. The last medal was the upset win by Billy Mills in 1964. What Galen needed was the belief in his finish, just as Mills had demonstrated to perfection. The London Olympics featured a hometown favorite, Mo Farah, in the 10K and 5K, the same events Galen would run. In fact, the two had trained together in Portland, Oregon and both were coached by Alberto Salazar. The pace was slow in the Olympic 10,000 meters race. Farah took the lead with four laps to go and his training mate, Galen, was positioned fourth at the bell with a lap to go. Farah opened up the lead, but Rupp maintained contact, and with 90 meters to go, he moved past Kenensia Bekele, the defending Olympic champion, to win the silver medal.

With consistent training and a focus to be the best in the world, Galen Rupp is making U.S. running history. Look for Galen to contend for gold in two events in Rio.

Excerpt from: Track and Field Games

Objectives: To keep athletes focused and involved in a jumping activity as they wait in line to jump

Description: Athletes line up to high jump at heights designated by the coach. The first jumper in line approaches the bar and jumps. If the jumper clears the bar, everyone in line jumps vertically as high as they can in place one time. Periodically, after a jumper clears the bar, the coach will yell “Go Bananas!” and

everyone will jump as high as they can (in place) for three consecutive jumps.

Variations: (1) After a clearance by a jumper, the first jumper in line does one jump, the second jumper in line does two jumps, the third jumper in line does three jumps, continuing down the line to the last person, with each person performing the number of jumps associated with the position in line. (2) After a clearance, everyone in line does one vertical jump. After two consecutive clearances by jumpers in the line, everyone does two jumps to celebrate the

clearance. After a third consecutive clearance by the line, the line does three jumps. Continue to perform the number of jumps associated with the number of consecutive clearances. When the line has a miss, the count will start over.

Equipment: High jump set-up (pit, standards, crossbar)

Excerpt from: Running Games for Track & Field and Cross Country

Objective: To see which team can run the farthest while screaming. Description: Form groups with three to five runners in each group. Each group should be in a single file line with the first person in each group behind the starting line. On the starting command, the 1st runner in each group starts running and yells as loud as they can on a single breath. Teammates run right behind the yelling first runner maintaining a single file line. When the first runner can no longer yell they move to the back of the group line and continues to run. The second runner on the team takes the lead and starts yelling on a single breath and continues running (the rest of the team continues to run behind the yelling runner). When the second runner can no longer yell, they move to the back of the line and the third runner takes the lead and starts yelling on a single breath. Continue until everyone on the team has yelled. It’s fun to see who can go the farthest and scream the loudest! If a group gets to the edge of a boundary, have them turn around and come back.

Variations: (1) Make a continuous relay, when all the runners have had a turn at yelling, the yelling sequence starts over with the first runner. (2) Combine everyone on the team to see how far they can go. Note the distance and go again to see if the team can go further.