Just reading some more from Fred Wilt, in his introduction
to How
They Train – Second Edition he wrote “Regardless of their event
specialty, ancient Greek athletes sought first to develop a firm foundation of
general physical fitness by running, walking, jumping, wrestling, games,
calisthenics and weight lifting, before progressing to workouts more
specifically related to their competitive specialties.”
He goes on: “ The specialized training for running used by
the ancient Greeks included the “anatrochasmos” (running backward),
“peritrochamos” (running in circles), “ekplethrizin” (running forward and
backward over a few meters distance, lessening this each time to zero length),
running in sand, running on hard surfaces, hopping, jogging, skipping, and
running with large hoops which they rolled in front of them, especially during
warm-up.”
As far as planning the Hellenic runners trained using a
strict four day cycle called the “Tetras”. “The first day was preparation or
easy training, consisting of a number of short, brisk exercises designed to
motivate the athlete in anticipation of the next day’s efforts. The second day
was concentration, involving hard all-out effort, leaving the athlete in a
state of extreme fatigue. The third day was relaxation, during which the
athlete recovered by only very light training or rest. This sequence ended with
the fourth day, moderation, which was devoted to moderate training.”
It is so trite to say that everything old is new again, but
it is! I just
finished a booklet on training written by someone who has coached for seven years!
This guy had all the answers. It was a mish mash of pseudo science and
marketing, it was typical in so many ways of what we are seeing more and more
of today. I truly wish that the new generation of coaches would take the time and effort to understand the origins of current training concepts and methodology. As I am reading and researching for some projects that I am currently working on I
am truly appreciative for the perspective that was instilled in me when I began
coaching and teaching. Honor and respect those who have come before you, recognize that we
stand on the shoulders of giants. Somewhere, sometime, someone has probably
done what we think is new. Learn from the past –
there is so much to be learned.