Our next interview comes from a great, but as of recent years less recognized coach who is one of the best international coaches to have come through the sport. His name is Lyle Knudson and his expertise and knowledge of track and field rivals the best in the world. During his career he has coached at the youth, high school, college (U of Colorado, Colorado State, Utah State, U of Florida), and international (11 U.S. teams) levels. Coached 40+ internationalists, including 7 Olympians. He is or was also a HS/CC math/computer teacher, college biomechanics professor, corporate researcher, and operated his own applied tech business.
Chaz Caiado: Coach Knudson, you are a private coach for athletes across the country and have enjoyed a high degree of success. How do you correspond with them, and how to remedy the fact that you don't get to physically see your athletes often, if ever?
Lyle Knudson: Keep in mind that despite a career where I previously coached athletes in all track & field events, because I now coach only by remote, I coach only distance runners (and a few triathletes). The responses will reflect that. Before I agree to coach an athlete or family/team, I insist on meeting and discussing the training program in person, if possible. Then I prepare and send workouts biweekly as attachments by email, and communicate by email, phone, and/or in person as needed. I attend their competitions when possible.
CC: What are the advantages and disadvantages of training with a private coach?
LK: See the following article published in IOWATFXC.COM on 1/24/12: Advantages & Disadvantages of Private T&F/XC Coaching. (The following is the quoted article)
Definition, Private Coach - coach not officially affiliated with a school.
Disadvantages of Private T&F/XC Coaches:
1. Private coach may not have adequate science and teaching-coaching education & experience to
properly organize and apply a valid training-competition program.
2. If private training program is inferior to the HS program, will be detrimental to athlete and team
development.
3. If private coach is too zealous or egocentric, may result in overtraining and/or over-competing
leading to cumulative fatigue and chronic injuries/illness.
4. If private coach does not work cooperatively with the HS T&F/XC program, can be disruptive to the HS program.
Advantages of Private T&F/XC Coaches:
1. Private coach may have even a greater science, teaching-coaching education, and training, competition background in T&F/XC than the HS coach(es).
2. Private coaches are usually willing to work with athlete(s) year-around to maximize development in T&F/XC, whereas HS coaches often aren’t.
3. A quality private program may be focused on longer term development of involved athlete(s)
rather than how many points scored for the team, therefore may spread training and competition over greater periods to avoid cumulative fatigue and injuries, and promote more consistent and longer term development.
4. A quality private coach, working in cooperation with the HS T&F/XC coaches, may significantly enhance the quality of HS training program and individual as well as team performances in competitions.
CC: What is the typical type of athlete who you take on to coach?
LK: I don’t recruit athletes. They find me via referrals or searches on the internet. My only requirements for accepting athletes are - they must be distance runners (I don’t attempt to coach technical event athletes by remote), want to be good, and are willing to do the training and competing necessary to be good. I accept athletes at any age (currently have ages 8 to 55) and at any level of development.
CC: What do you feel coaches can do to make themselves stronger in their coaching abilities?
LK: Take a “research and development” approach. Get as much information (e.g., background science, technical aspects, teaching methods) from as many valid and reliable resources as possible, assimilate that information into a program that makes sense using some individual creativity, and test out that program on athletes before adopting it as a long-term strategy. Then keep repeating that over and over again year to year. Learn only from other coaches who have a history of consistently improving their athletes.
CC: You spent a few years developing your system of training which you feel is scientifically sound, can you explain a bit about what you feel the strengths of the program are?
LK: Training specific to the demands of the event(s); i.e., in distance running, emphasizing a speed, speed endurance, and specific endurance (rather than aerobic endurance) based program.
CC: Your training is not very high volume, but involves a large amount of quality work. Is there a physiological driving force that prepares an athlete best with the quality approach that does not appear in programs which emphasize distance and longer steady runs?
LK: As verified by valid international physiological research, the primary adaptive mechanism in the body is neuromuscular rather than cardio-vascular. In fact, the cardio-vascular limits the ability to stress (i.e., train) the neuromuscular, which in turn limits the adaptation. Therefore, training shorter and faster (and/or with less resistance) allows the body to adapt to run faster; and of course, that’s the objective. Training long and slow adapts the body to run longer and slower.
CC: If you had to say there was single most important aspect of training for a distance runner, what would that aspect be?
LK: Combine the two previous answers.
CC: What, if anything, do you feel is the biggest limiting factor in the average distance runner that keeps them from being elite level?
LK: Speed, speed endurance, and specific endurance.
CC: When do you feel in an appropriate age to begin training using a formalized training program?
LK: Any age. More relevant is the training/competition background and development level. In early stages, keep it very simple. Then as the athlete learns to train-compete and develops, add in and increase the level of the training aspects. I have experienced 12 year olds with fairly detailed and complex programs, and beginning older runners with very simple programs.
CC: Do you feel recent success at the Olympics for the Americans is based on a shift in training philosophies from coaches across the country?
LK: Yes, but with only a very few coaches and athletes. Most coaches still cling to the approaches they used as athletes and/or have learned from other not very knowledgeable or successful coaches; which continue to be the aerobic-based pyramid training model going back to the late 1960’s.
CC: How do you feel about the future viability of the US as an international distance power?
LK: The potential certainly is there. Our athletes and coaches are as motivated, dedicated, and work as hard as ever. The numbers and talent is higher than ever. If we can only get them to training correctly!!!
CC: If there was one thing you would like to see US coaches do more of, what would that be?
LK: Think for themselves, as opposed to doing whatever most everyone else has been doing for the last 40+ years.
CC: Do you feel that the American school system is inferior or superior to the European club system of athletic development?
LK: Each has it’s advantages; the schools to potentially provide the educational and social benefits for the majority of student-athletes, and private/club systems to potentially provide more concentrated training/competition benefits to the very interested and talented athletes. I use the work “potentially” since the majority of American public high schools are not providing quality educational opportunities for kids, and too many private/club systems are operated to serve the operators more than the athletes. Of American student-athletes, approximately 95% are only in the sport for social reasons, and after their last workout or meet their senior year, they’ll not do another workout or competition again. So the quality of their coach and program is not important; and in fact, a highly motivated and talented coach will likely be more criticized than cherished with those. Another 4% will continue training and competing at a low to moderate level beyond, requiring at least a decent training/competition program to maintain their interest and improve their performance levels some. But, that other 1% will want to become as good as he/she can be, is willing to do whatever necessary to achieve that, and perhaps desire to become an Olympian and Olympic champion some day. Those need the very rare great high school or college coach, or more likely a great private/club coach working in cooperation with or if necessary outside the school program, to get them there!!
CC: Do you have any opinion on if Mary Cain should forgo the college system and turn professional soon?
LK: That’s a question that Mary, her parents, and her private coach should answer; based on what is in Mary’s current and future best interests. Very few high school or college programs, if any, are capable of helping an athlete at her stature continue to develop over those school years. If she can attend, get a higher education, and represent a school, while still getting the quality supervision and coaching that she needs, then college can be good. Else, she’ll need to stay/go outside of school systems, as an increasing number of high school and college age athletes are, to get that help.
CC: Lastly, is the sport of Athletics missing anything?
LK: Quality leadership, that’s truly interested in the development of athletes over their own special interests!!!
CC: Thanks a lot for your time coach.
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