Coaching Day May 2010
Well it couldn’t have been a worse day weather-wise for the first coaching session of the year if it tried. However despite the conditions a very successful morning was achieved by those hardy, keen souls who turned up; even Tony was early.
In a way it was fortunate that only seven turned up because it had to be held underneath the balcony of the club rooms to keep out of the driving rain and that’s not a very wide space.
Rachel had them performing all those loosening up and mobility exercises which she makes look so easy until you try them yourself. After that it was down to the serious stuff of the drills to give one a good race walking technique.
Anyone who has done any outdoor coaching in any sport knows how hard it is to keep the interest of a group of people in the cold and wet but with Colin & Eric’s input as well, nobody was left hanging around whilst Rachel may have been talking and demonstrating to one individual person.
Then for a short spell when the rain held off, it was onto the track to put into practice what they had learnt and what a difference to them all it ended up, as Rachel tweaked the styles of each individual as they went back and forth in front of the camera.
I think the biggest surprise to me was Tony whom I’ve watched walking for many years; he walked so upright he looked about 9ft tall. He wasn’t the only one who was now walking upright because so were Kathleen, Serena & Helen and all looked so much better for it.
We were then invited around to Rachel’s to look at it on her big screen. Tony showed some of the walking done during Ivor’s Gutbuster and Norm Read races first where everyone could see how they ‘used to’ walk and then what they did on the track.
The film was slowed down so that people could see themselves and the others and it was commented on as to what their faults were and what to do to correct them, as well as what they were doing correctly. I can tell you, there were some pretty happy faces leaving Rachel’s that morning after seeing how much better they had looked. It just remains to see if they will put their new found knowledge into practice at the next club race.
Many thanks goes to Rachel, Colin & Eric for their time & good work and for the hospitality afterwards Rachel; has your Mum given you her recipe for the ham soup, it was delicious?
Bystander.
