Using Technology to enhance Specificity
... using technology to enhance the training principal of specificity is overlooked by many coaches. Every coach has his or her own philosophy on key workouts to prepare athletes for races. However, very few coaches use technology to there advantage to enhance specificity to its fullest potential. It does yield better preparation for the coached athletes. During this discussion, I will recognize and address several technology components which coaches can utilize to enhance the specificity training principal for each triathlon discipline. USA Swimming has a staff component addressing technical issues in swimming. They use technology through several sources to help coaches enable the athletes to perform at the highest levels. Dartfish™ is one training package they use. By using this program, the coach has several employment methods to help the athletes achieve a greater training and racing performance. This training package can be used for other disciplines as well but is most widely used by swim coaches. Through the use of this program, the coach can view technique from multiple angles, speeds, and over time show the training effect taking place with the swimmer's technique. One of the most useful components of the package is the delay option. With this delay option the coach can send the athlete off and at their return view the athlete performance instantly. With this instant visual feedback the coach can point out key points on proper technique as well as others current training issues they are attempting to address. As athletes view their performance they receive feedback from the coach which, increases specificity to a larger degree. The same program can also be used for cycling and running. In cycling the package can be used when teaching technique to the athlete. This can be extremely valuable with a skill such as cornering. On a criterium course, the athlete can ride the course while the coach films in a corner. After reviewing the line chosen by the athlete to negote the corner, the coach can demonstrate the correct line. The athlete can then reattempt the same corner with the visual picture still fresh in mind. In cycling there are great numbers of additional opportunities to employ technology. Several companies across the globe addresse multiple components of cyclists training and racing. One of the more popular technological pieces used by coaches is the CompuTrainer™. With this piece of equipment a coach can analyze power, cadence, heart rate, pedaling mechanics and efficiency. One of the greatest features employable for specificity with this tool is the ability it provides to train on an actual replicated course the athlete intends to race. Only a few months ago in Athens, USA Triathlon captured its first medal with Susan Williams earning the Bronze medal in the Women’s Triathlon. Susan’s coach utilized this technology component during Susan’s training leading up to Athens. “I had several sessions on the CompuTrainer with the Athens course prior to the race. As I didn't make the World Cup Tri in Athens last fall, it was the next best thing to getting used to the terrain on the Olympic Course, and I think it really helped me." - Susan Williams, 2005. With this piece of equipment the athlete can ride a race course profile and know beforehand the gearing they will need. Also the greatest advantage is the neuromuscular memory the athlete creates when riding the simulated course before hand. With many races around the world this piece of technology allows the athlete to have the specificity of the training directly on there computer screen. In running, technology can be used in a similar way as it is in swimming by use of analyzing technique. One of the oldest use of technology in running can be traced back to determining Vo2 max or training speeds. In the 1980’s the use of the heart rate monitor became popular by many running coaches. Though heart rate monitors are now used for almost any form of training, they provide a limitless technological tool. They can be used to address specificity of any workout to determine if the goals and objectives of a particular workout were followed and met by the athlete. Recently many companies have employed the of GPS (Global Positioning System) to track profiles of the athletes running courses, along with distance and speed models being used by several companies. With the use of the Internet and GPS, coaches can map out the courses athletes will race on for both running and cycling. This provides the coach with all the tools needed to create the Macrocycle, Mesocycles, and Microcycles to address the specific training needs of the athletes so they may train specifically for his or her races. Another very simple technological component is the use of a metronome. This tool can be used to track the athletes stride rate while the athlete is running. This can address specific limiters and allow athletes to know their specific running while training. With technological advances, coaches can now prepare the athletes they train to a greater degree by addressing specificity. It provides objective feedback to both the coach and the athlete and allows them to track the training effects of the past training and invest this knowledge into future training plans. By incorporating the use of technology, subsequent training can be both athlete and race specific. Please feel free to email me with your questions or comments.
Train Well! Denny DePriest Triathlete / T3 Coach
