Applied Sprint Training by James Smith (2014-02-01)

This is a rare item to find and is pure gold in terms of information. I waited to see the price drop momentarily before i snagged it up.

The book is awesome and is very informative

I have personally followed James' work for around 10 years, beginning with his Q&A on Elite FTS. Though a lot of what he talked about went over my head for the first few years, it is now safe to say he is one of the smartest coaches I know. Meeting him in person and spending a few hours in his company has been one of the most insightful experiences I have had as a coach.This book is James' complete breakdown of the topic of sprinting. It represents over a decade of his own experience and learning, and also shares a great deal of material from those coaches who he has learned from including Charlie Francis, Yuri Verkhoshansky, Anatoli Bondarchuk and Dan Pfaff.Rough breakdown of contents:Science of sprinting and training theory of sprintingMerits of sprint training relative to popular methodologies (MAS, yoyo, 300yd shuttle)Practical considerations and applications of sprint training i.e. reduction of NCI, increased alactic capacity etc.Detailed biomechanical and bioenergetic analysis of sprintingSample specialised strength drills, power speed drills, and suitable activities for the development of different speed qualitiesExamples of practical programmes from various sports (100m, decathlon, football, rugby, handball)What I likedThis is the most extensive sprint training manual I have read as coach. It is all here- extensive theoretical and practical examples of why speed is so important to what we do, highly detailed breakdowns of all the variables that the coach must consider to improve speed, how to put the theory into practice, and the means the coach has at his or her disposal to achieve that goal. In particular I liked specific examples drawn from actual athletes (including images), stats and real world programmes, so that one can see how all the elements may come together in the real world, which is missing from pure track and field books.What I didn't likeThere is nothing here per se that I did not like. However I struggled with some of the ideas; some conceptually- I struggle to understand fully how a long to short progression would look relative to a short to long progression in a sport like rugby. Some ideas I just struggle with due to the practicalities, for example more or less replacing all conditioning work with pure alactic sprint work and extensive tempo. I can't argue with his logic, but it is a massive departure from what a lot of coaches are used to and that may create some political issues, and I have to consider the opinions of other coaches whom I respect and weigh up the respective arguments.If you are not used to James work, be warned that he does not dumb it down (which I can relate to and like). This will require multiple readings to get full value out of it, and like most good books you will be left with more questions rather than answers, and feeling a little dumber at the end of it. You will not find cookie cutter programmes or simple rules to satisfy you, so you will have to put a lot of work into understanding the underlying concepts so that you can make them work in the real world for yourself.Also be warned if you have travelled somewhat of a conventional educational journey as a coach so far, because you may have some traditional or popular coaching ideas dismantled, for example the real value of MAS training, management and prevention of non contact injuries, the management of the training load etc.Who would benefit from this?If you train athletes who run, so the vast majority of coaches) you should purchase this book. Speed is by far the hardest ability to develop, and this book is the most comprehensive I have read (in both theory and application) about how to tackle that problem.

Those whose passions include the insatiable desire to achieve the pinnacle of physical performance, either from themselves or from others, will most likely have already heard of James Smith. Yes, his name may be common, but I promise you, his persona and skillset is not. Myself existing as one of the aforementioned minded individuals, I was easily drawn to James’ writings and have followed his work for some time. Despite having consumed much of his published material already, it was his latest work compiled and released as “Applied Sprint Training”, which knit everything together and allowed for the realization of that “Ah-ha!” moment.If you too, have followed James Smith for a while, you’ll undoubtedly recognize some of the material that is presented in the book. Yet the order of arrangement and conglomeration of ideas into one flowing train of thought is what makes Applied Sprint Training a must read. In that constant direction and unified mindset, you as the reader can put together everything you think you already know, and realize what you might have forgotten. Better still, is the provocation of thought that comes from such a consistent stream of thought and illustration.For those who have not heard of James, nor have much knowledge of his previous work, this book is the epitome of efficiency. You’ll save countless hours researching, and garner more successful training sessions by simply reading Applied Sprint Training and applying the principles within it immediately. As athletes, time is NEVER your friend. Don’t waste any more of it.James’ impact on the human performance world is of an enigmatic profoundness. It will most likely remain as such simply because he is one force opposing a glacier of entrenched dogma. Those who listen will find themselves ahead of said mass, and moving towards their goals at a much faster pace with less destruction done to themselves and/or others.This book truly is for any athlete. The overlooked obvious is eloquently depicted and scientifically explained such that you become aware of what truly MUST be done in order to heighten performance. Inefficient means and accepted protocols of training are properly questioned and justifiably denounced for their lack of efficiency and/or purpose. I thank James for taking the time to illuminate us all and only hope that his passion for doing so continues to burn.Jeff Wettschurack

A landmark text for developing speed in all athletes and should be required reading for anyone in physical preparation. James is a unique thinker who does a superb job of taking complex ideas and simplifying them to their core to make them readily applicable. Literally every aspect of speed development is covered, from warm up to mechanics to differences in acceleration and max velocity sprinting to incorporating tempo and recovery methods; a truly comprehensive text. Of real value is the actual training programs James himself used to prepare athletes from Division1 Collegiate football, track and field, and international rugby which provide the reader an inside look at the principles and ideas in the text used in actual practice with elite and developmental athletes.The principals in this text are used on a daily basis in the development of speed in Super Rugby and International Rugby sevens players I work with.I cannot recommend this book any higher.Alex RossStrength and Conditioning Coach - Blues Super Rugby Team