Day 9 of "Coaching From a Distance"

Hey everyone.

Before I get into today's practice details I wanted to quickly address something that I've noticed over the last couple of days.

I was recently invited to be part of a Facebook Group dedicated to the sport of track and field that was created by a few of our nation's top collegiate coaches. Since my invitation I have been pouring over the posts coaches are creating in regards to COVID-19 and how to properly react to it.

Many coaches are wondering if they should change their practice plans, if they should encourage more or less training, and/or if they are doing enough to help athletes prepare for the potential of a season.

Reading over these various posts I felt it very important to say this - "Stay the course." Don't change everything just because of what is going on. Keep things as routine based as possible and try to keep things "normal" during this time. Don't attempt to change things so drastically that it affects our athlete's mind/body. Stay the course.

I know that we are all doing our best to answer the call during this time, but the best approach to something like this (in my opinion) is to keep things much the same.

Stay positive.

Workout when able.

Reach out to coaches/athletes often like a normal practice day.

Sprinting when possible.

Etc.

That is why I will NOT be changing my practice plans even when they feel somewhat repetitive. This isn't due to some kind of cockiness or self-belief but is rooted in my knowledge of how athletes generally respond to stressful situations. In my plans, athletes are able to work on BOTH their physical and mental strength during this time.

With that said, today is an X-Factor day.

Again, athletes will work on bounding and general all-body athleticism as a way to be a better overall athlete when they return.

If you have any questions please reach out anytime!

Coach Ewing

longandtriple3@gmai.com