Athletics Coaching

“The 400m has a habit of making everyone impatient. The best coaching is often one sensible decision at a time.”

Hear from top Australian 400m coaches Peter Fortune (Catherine Freeman) and Nik Hagicostas (Aidan Muphy) on their approach to coaching the event. 

In this episode, “Epidemiology and Risk Factors of Lumbar Bone Stress and Hamstring Injuries,” Kevin Craigie, Richard Saw and Cory Innes explore two of the most significant injury challenges in athletics: hamstring injuries and lumbar bone stress injuries.

Led by Kevin Craigie, Australian Athletics’ High Performance Network Physiotherapy Lead, Richard Saw, Australian Athletics’ Chief Medical Officer, and Cory Innes, Australian Athletics’ High Performance Strength and Conditioning Lead, the discussion looks at how coaches can better understand injury patterns, identify key risk factors, and make informed training decisions that protect athletes while still supporting performance outcomes. 

The episode covers hamstring injury trends in speed based events, including the role of high speed exposure, fatigue, strength qualities, tissue capacity, training age and life load. It also explores lumbar bone stress injuries, why they can be difficult to identify early, and how load management, recovery, technical progression, energy availability and early referral can help reduce risk.

“Every time we find a weakness, we find a key to the next breakthrough.”

In this coaching education session, Nicola Olyslagers shares a rare insight into the mindset behind world class performance.

Nicola speaks openly about pressure, comparison, failure, confidence, athlete identity and the long term process of improvement. Through stories from major championships, tough training blocks and her relationship with her coach Matt, she shows that mindset is not just something athletes either have or do not have. It is a skill that can be trained, reviewed and strengthened over time. 

For coaches, this episode offers practical lessons on communication, trust, simple competition cues and helping athletes stay connected to progress when results are not coming quickly. For athletes, it is a powerful reminder that missed attempts, nerves and setbacks are not signs that you are failing. They are often the clearest clues for what to work on next.

Nicola also explores how she separates her worth from performance, why comparison can drain passion, how she reframes pressure as an opportunity, and why celebrating competitors can lift the entire event. It is an honest, generous and deeply practical conversation for anyone involved in track and field.

 In this episode we examine the physiology of ageing through the lens of Masters Athletics. We unpack the evidence on age-related changes in height, muscle mass, bone density and cardiovascular function, and explore how these influence performance in sprinting, distance running and field events. 

Source: Physiology and Performance of Masters Athletes

More importantly, we look at how structured training in strength, endurance and speed can mitigate decline and extend athletic capacity well beyond what is typically expected. Drawing on current research and real examples, this episode highlights how Masters athletes continue to set benchmarks that challenge traditional views of human performance across the lifespan. 

This episode explores a holistic long-term development plan for adolescent sprinters aged 13-20, emphasising a holistic approach encompassing technical, physical, and psychological progression.

Essential information for all coaches who work with 100m, 200m, 400m, sprinters and hurdlers. 

Source: Nutrition for Travel: From Jet Lag to Catering

For your performance athletes, domestic and international travel presents a regular challenge, particularly when it's associated with competition pressure or the need to support specialized training, such as altitude or heat adaptation. This episode delves into how strategic nutrition and meticulous planning can mitigate common travel woes and optimise performance for track-and-field athletes and other elite competitors.

Topics include:

• Jet Lag
• ⚠️Melatonin Supplementation - why it's not recommended
• Caffeine Intake
• Meal Timing and Composition
• Travel Fatigue
• Travel Hygiene
• Optimal Catering in New Environments

Why does feedback so often feel like a threat, not a gift?

In this episode, we unpack the discomfort of honest feedback—why it stings, why we resist it, and how to make it work for you as a coach. Drawing from real-world coaching challenges, we break down the three common 'triggers' that derail feedback:

• Truth: when the content feels off
• Relationship: when it’s coming from 'them'
• Identity: when it hits too close to who you think you are

You'll learn how emotional reactions and self-perception can distort even helpful critique, and how to move past that. We’ll also share a practical, proven technique for asking for specific feedback that drives real growth.

If you want faster learning, stronger relationships, and more confidence in your coaching, this one’s for you.

Download the Communication and Engagement Guide Here

Hey coaches, ever wonder how to make your track and field sessions truly inclusive and impactful for every athlete? Our latest episode dives into an incredible resource designed to help you do just that! We're talking about a comprehensive guide that provides essential communication and engagement strategies for assisting people living with disabilities.

Download the guide using the link above and listen to our AI hosts discuss the key takeaways to make your sessions more inclusive for all. Enjoy!

Read the Full Study (Wu 2025) Here

This episode investigates the benefits of an integrated training model for improving performance in 100m and 400m sprint events. 

The study highlights that traditional training often separates strength, speed, and endurance, whereas a combined approach may yield superior results. Through a 12-week intervention with thirty trained sprinters, the research demonstrates that an integrated training plan showed significant enhancements in sprint times, acceleration, and stride mechanics compared to a control group using traditional methods. 

In this episode, we dive into six essential articles recently published by Australian Athletics—each packed with actionable insights for accredited coaches across all event groups. From resisted sprint training to cueing strategies, this episode offers a toolkit of proven practices to enhance coaching effectiveness, athlete performance, and long-term development. 

Find the full articles at CoachAthletics.com.au

00:00 – 11:38
Best Practices for Resisted Sprint Training
Explore how to optimise sleds, hills, bands, and more to target acceleration and maximum velocity. Learn how to tailor load, distance, reps, and recovery for different phases of the season and why resisted and unresisted sprinting should complement—not compete with—each other.

11:39 – 12:48
Reflecting After a Major Competition
Use the “Good, Better, How” framework to reflect on your recent coaching at the Australian Athletics Championships. A practical tool to drive continuous improvement.

12:50 – 15:48
Planning for Youth Athletes
Understand the five foundational principles (Progressive Overload, Specificity, Variety, Planned Recovery, and Individualisation), athlete monitoring, and long-term development. Align your training plans with both the training age and biological maturity of young athletes.

15:50 – 17:58
What All Coaches Need to Know About Hamstrings
Find out why most hamstring injuries occur mid-air, not on contact, and how eccentric strength, pelvic control, and trunk stability are key to performance and injury prevention.

18:00 – 20:31
Lessons from the World’s Best Distance Runners
Discover why 80% of elite training is low intensity, how individualised periodisation trumps one-size-fits-all plans, and why managing load with precision is a competitive edge.

20:31 – 22:49
Attentional Focus: Your Secret Coaching Tool
Shift your cueing from internal to external focus to enhance learning and execution. This segment offers examples of metaphors, timing, and cue design to embed new skills more effectively.

22:49 – End
Reflection Question
What’s one principle from today’s episode that you could test in your very next training session?