Relay

TRACK & FIELD

Exploiting Your 400-Meter Relay Personnel(Don't Overlook the Intangibles)By Dennis Best, Retired Track and Field Coach, Coal City (IL) H.S.

T he selection of your 400-meter personnel can be adifficult task for somecoaches or a cut-and-dried proposition for others {especial-ly in small schools with limited buttalented personnel).

The starters may be determined byvisual observation or a time trial.Speed does not necessarily guaranteea good relay runner. There are factorsother than speed that may count morein the positioning of the relay team.

We look, ideally, for the rightrunner in the right position -enabling them to function as a unitand develop the necessary confi-dence in one another.

Team chemistry is an intangiblethat cannot be stressed enough.Rather than expound one philosophyof relay selection, we would like todwell on several concepts.

Key component: Make the deci-sion early in the season so that the

runners can begin working togetherearly and often. Regardless of whichphilosophy you utilize in determiningnmner placement nothing will workunless you practice, practice, practice.

PLACEMENT OF PERSOKNELWhat the coach has to decide

upon first is which of his variousquintets will produce the fastest time.

Obviously, speed will be a factorin the selection process. But the coachcannot overlook the intangibles thatalso play an important role. He mustbegin by discussing (by position) themost basic factors in the placement ofthe personnel.

First runner: Good in the blocks. Runs the curve well. Exchanges the baton well. Usually the 1" or 2"^ fastest

runner.

Second runner: Usually the 3"* or 4"" fastest

runner.

Good with the baton. Good spot for the taller runner

because of the straightaway.Third runner: Usually the S"* or 4"' fastest

runner.

Good curve runner. Disciplined in the exchange

zone (Tension and excitementwill be building at thisexchange.).

Good position for the shorterrunner because of the accelera-tion around curve.

Competitor.Fourth runner: Usually the 1~' or 2"'' fastest run-

ner on the team. Disciplined in the exchange

zone (Tension and excitementwill be at its peak at thisexchange.).

Mentally tough. Enjoys running people down. Competitor.

400-M RELAY POTPOURRIFollowing is an eclectic compila-

tion of the many factors that caninfluence the positioning of 400-meter relay runners. There may betimes when the coach may have to goagainst conventional wisdom due tovarious circumstances.

1. Perhaps your fastest man is anexcellent curve runner. You mayconsider running him first or thirdto take advantage of his strength.

2. If a runner is a very good curverunner but average out of theblocks, he could still be used onthe first leg. Starting techniquecan always be improved andworked on in practice. Manycoaches feel that the ability to runthe curve well is more importantthan excellence in the blocks.

3. A runner may possess excellentblock technique, but is either toofast or too tall to run the curveeffectively. Perhaps positions twoor four would be a better fit for

6 O

TRACK & FIELD Exploiting Your 4OO-Meter Relay Personnelthis runner, since those positionsare run on a straightaway. 7

4. You may have a runner who is def-initely your fastest runner and youwant to utilize his speed at the endof the race. However, he does nothandle pressure well and is veryinconsistent. This runner may bemore effective in the early stages ofthe relay where the pressure maynot be as great.

5. You may have a runner who, forwhatever reason, has difficulty 8.receiving the baton in a certainhand. Move the runner into aposition where he can utilize his"better" hand. This will make himmore confident and his handoffsmore consistent.

6. Some coaches want their mostaggressive and most competitive 9.athlete running last, even thoughhe's not the fastest runner on theteam. Just because an athlete isfast, doesn't mean he's aggressive

or competitive.You may have a runner with excel-lent speed, but cannot exchange abaton properly. This is always adifficult predicament for a coach.Where do you put a runner withsuch a mixture of talent? (Wherecan he do the least harm?)Remember, all the speed in theworld isn't going to help if youcan't get the baton around thetrack.Do you have an athlete who is notwell liked? Team chemistry isextremely important in the relays.A relay team will not perform upto its capability with a problemchild in its midst. A slower personwho meshes well with the otherthree runners may be a better fit.You may have a runner who runsbetter with a lead than frombehind. This can be a difficultdecision for a coach. Do you placethis runner in a more favorable

position or do you keep him in thesame position and hope for thebest?

10, Some athletes do not perform wellunder pressure. This can be veryfrustrating for a coach: An athletewho is fast enough to run the 400-meter relay, performs well in prac-tice, but cannot handle the pres-sure in a big meet, thus, performspoorly. It's unfortunate, but in fair-ness to the other members of therelay team, and the entire trackteam in general, this runner shouldbe replaced, if possible. Hopefully,the team will have enough depthto make this possible.

11. You have an athlete who is talent-ed enough to run the 400-meterrelay but has a very poor attitudetoward practice in general. Notonly wUI this individual's poorattitude affect the timing of hishandoff, his poor training habitswill affect the overall chemistry of

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