The veteran tactician has explained some of the unspoken secrets to success and challenges athletes face in track and field.
Stephen Francis is undoubtedly one of the best coaches when it comes to sprinters having worked with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shericka Jackson and Kishane Thompson among other top Jamaican sprinters.
Francis prides himself in that and during a previous interview with Adtelligent TV, he argued why track and field is one of the toughest sports in the world.
The veteran coach of the MVP Track Club explained that track and field is the only sport where an athlete has to go to training almost every day of the week even though there is no specific event coming up.
Noah Lyles almost never uses this one tactic in his racing that he was forced to use thanks to Kishane Thompson’s threat in the final of the 100m at the Paris Olympics.
His two athletes, Shericka Jackson and Kishane Thompson had setbacks last season due to injuries with the former having to miss the Paris Olympic Games. Kishane claimed a silver in the men’s 100m but could not continue with his season due to the same issues.
Francis insisted that injuries are normal, especially in track and field due to the nature of the sport and they should be taken with utmost care before an athlete resumes training.
“The sport of track and field is the world’s only 100% sport which means that the vast majority of your training preparation is done at 100%,” Stephen Francis said.
“You are more susceptible to breaking down, to injuries but it’s important to measure and see progress. You also require technology to help you pass barriers.”
Speaking about training, Stephen Francis revealed that he always ensures that the athletes do the same routine of training until the body gets used to that.
He further noted that it is not advisable to keep changing training routines because the body will find it hard to adapt to the different structures.
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Kishane Thompson explains why he lost the Olympics 100m final despite carrying the hopes of the Jamaican nation on his shoulders.
“The human body adapts very quickly to stress so whenever you get an athlete and you train them, they get better and almost the same thing happens the next time,” he revealed.
“If you change that thing, the body becomes immune to that particular thing totally regardless of volume or intensity so you need to have different ways or find a new stimulus to help and trick the body into thinking that this is something new.”
He insisted that is important for an athlete to improve their performance, they should be invested in the process more and not the result.
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Shericka Jackson and Tobi Amusan are set to face off in an exciting season debut at a meet in Kingston, Jamaica.
An athlete can train all they want and end up losing but that does not bother Francis who believes in what it took for the athlete to get the specific result.
“If you end up being consistent, you will get good results. However, winning a race is not entirely in your control and all you can do is do what you do,” he revealed.
“You have other lanes and competitors who you want them to do worse than you but you need to focus on what you are able to do and that should be the source of your pleasure.
“People must lose and your ability to win in the future depends on your ability to ignore your losses of the past.”
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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce remains focused on fulfilling her dream of running faster times before retiring, despite speculation that the Paris Olympics might be her final appearance.
This season, Stephen Francis has detailed a different way of training and competitions for his athletes as Kishane Thompson and Shericka Jackson have started their seasons with the 60m races, sending warnings to their opponents. Other MVP Track Club athletes have also been signed up for a series of indoor races.
