ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" > <head> <title>Untitled Page</title> </head> <body> <p> <span style="font-size: 8pt; color: black; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Trackspeed1 has links all over the globe, and recent training programmes have </span> <span style="font-size: 8pt; color: black; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> benefited from consultation with some of the top coaches in their field. <br /> HARVARD UNIVERSITY provided Chris Lambert with four years of world class education but, along with John Powell's tutelage on the track, contacts were established that have stood the test of time well after the formers graduation in 2003. <br /> <br /> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000; font-family: Arial"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: black; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">John still visits Harvard and his contacts there, which provide invaluable advice for him as a coach, but one coach has also availed himself as a source of help and advice for any athlete within Trackspeed1 who needs it.&nbsp; Trackspeed1 prides itself as a group who are not too proud to seek advice not only externally, but if necessary beyond UK shores and the Harvard connection is an invaluable one. (Click Harvard logo to visit their site)</span><br /> </span> </p> <p class="content" style="text-align: left"> <a href="http://www.gocrimson.com/landing/index"> <img src="images/Int/harvard.jpg" style="border:0" target="_blank"/></a></p> <p class="content" style="text-align: left"> <span style="font-size: 8pt; color: black; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serifTahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> squad's annual warm weather training camp in FLORIDA explores further contacts at both Disney's World of Sports and the USA National Triathlon Training base in Clermont.&nbsp; At the latter venue, the group have worked with athletics legend Dennis Mitchell, and at Disney have engaged with other members of the US national team and their coaches. </span> </p> <p> <img id="IMG1" src="images/Int/1.gif" style="font-weight: bold" /><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p> <strong><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Disney World of Sports Athletics track </span></strong> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt"> <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> In <strong>AUSTRALIA</strong> is now based the squad's diagnostic advisor, Gavin Fernandes.&nbsp; A qualified physiotherapist and someone with vast experience of alternative approaches to sports maintenance and therapy, Gavin was a founder member of the group as one of the first ever athletes to be coached by John Powell back in 1977, before eventually emigrating in 1999.&nbsp; Again, Gavin is an priceless source of advice and provides an almost certainly unique opportunity for squad members to explore alternative ways of approaching training, rehabilitation or specific aspects of either. <br /> <br /> Former athletes have also sewn the seeds of contacts in many other countries, including <strong>FRANCE</strong>, <strong>HOLLAND</strong>, <strong>GREECE</strong>, <strong> SOUTH AFRICA</strong>, and elsewhere, giving the group a real international feel.&nbsp; The squad have also had contacts in <strong>JAMAICA</strong>, <strong>POLAND</strong>, <strong>GERMANY</strong> and <strong>ITALY</strong>.</span></p> <p> <strong><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Powell picks up Stateside advice</span></strong></p> <p> <span> <?xml namespace="" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" ?> <o:p><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">COACHING: Leading coach revises training schedules after trip to United States</SPAN></o:p> </span> </p> <p> <span> <o:p><SPAN></SPAN><o:p><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt">Sprints coach John Powell is putting into practice his fundings after returning from a fact-finding trip to the United States, writes Paul Halford.<BR />Powell, who trains the Crystal Palace-based group Trackspeed1, spent three weeks across the Atlantic in September speaking to coaches to pick up tips. Thanks to specialist funding from Norwich union for coaches, the experience provided Powell with a few new ideas.<BR />"After 30 years of coaching, I thought maybe it was time I changed, moved up a gear," said the coach to Wade Bennett Jackson, who was sixth in the 100m final at the IAAF World Junior Championships last year." I tend to do a mini-personal review every few years anyway."<BR />"I spoke to some fantastic people in the States." he said. "Many had been to the Olympics with the US team, and others worked at university level on the collegiate circuit. The result is an updated an upgraded programme that i really do think will benefit anyone in Trackspeed1 who wants to fully engage.<BR />Powell said the most significant difference that he noticed between Britain and the United States coaching methods was when it came to strength and conditioning.<BR />"One thing that hit me hard between the eyes, even though I've always been a big advocate of strength and conditioning being a big part of a sprinters program, was that the level of intensity was on a different planet," he said.<BR />"It was sometimes, in my humble opinion, over the top. Large numbers of athletes in the country need a very serious wake-up call. Its no good doing 10-15 minutes of circuits and thinking that's enough."<BR />He added. "Even in their warm-up and warm down, they were doing 300-400 variable sit ups and other core stability exercises. That intensity is not heard of over here much."<BR />Powell, who has previously helped Dwayne Grant, Chris Lambert, Tim Abeyie, Joice Maduaka and Phillips Idowu, updated his training programmes to reflect what he had learned.<BR />Regarding the reactions of his athletes, he said: "its been very positive, although one or two think they're working hard because they are doing so much more than they were before, when in fact they have a long way to go."<BR />Powell, whose training group has featured in all but two European and World Junior championships over the past 15 years, has recently undergone a career move in his role as Superintendent in the Met Police.<BR />He's been seconded to the Met's Olympics command where he hopes to eventually secure a permanent post. He commented: "I will want to be there as a coach as well though they'll have to let me wear a track suit some days instead of a uniform!" <o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></o:p></o:p> </span> </p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> <o:p></o:p> &nbsp;</p> </body> </html>