richardsonengland

JERRY ENGLAND/ANDY RICHARDSON

Long & Strong is pleased to bring you an interview with coach Jerry England of I.U.- Indianapolis, and his latest prodigy, Andy Richardson. Coach England may not have the high profile and blue-chip recruits of some Division I coaches, but you would be hard-pressed to find a more universally respected throws coach. Andy Richardson is another name that many of you may not know now (I didn't), but you will shortly as he is about ready to make a splash amongst the big boys. ENJOY!

Long & Strong: Coach, assuming that Andy qualifies for DI nationals and USATFs, as well as DII (assumed), how do you plan a peak?

Jerry England: We will peak as we have always done. Remember Andy is the "defending" DII Champion and this is his first priority. We hope to be throwing far enough at that time to qualify - or have qualified - for the USATF Championships. FYI, we can no longer advance to the DI's due to the NCAA's rule that all championships are terminal and there is no advancement from DII or DIII. As for the peaking part, we lift and train hard through most of the season. We do cut back or stop lifting about a week to 10 days before the NCAA Nationals and spend the weight room time in the ring polishing our technique. Also, there are two full weeks between the NCAA'S and the USATF's so we don't have to "get up" two weeks in a row.

L&S: Coach, can you list some of the athletes you've worked with over the years?

JE: It has been my privilege to come in contact with some outstanding young men. On the high school level in '68 and '69, I had a two-time state shotput champion and record holder (Indiana State record 64'3 l/2"). In '7l, I had another 60' plus state champion. My son, Gary, was a state champion in '73 (61'4") and the '77 NCAA DI Indoor Champion and the Outdoor runner-up (64'4"). That same year I was then coaching at the University of Indianapolis (then Indiana Central College) and had Dave Wollman as the DII champion and school record holder at 61'7". Dave was also 8th in the DI's in '79.

Since that time, I have had:

'8l - Dennis Young - Discus champion
'82 -'83-'84 - Randy Heisler - Discus Champion and Record holder. Also 3-time shotput All American and a member of the 1988 Olympic team.
'92 - Brian Burkhart - Hammer champion
'94, '95 - Vijitha Amarasekara - Javelin champion
'95 - Brian Evans - Discus champion
'97 - Andy Richardson - Shotput champion and school record holder (6l' 11 3/4")
Our program has produced an All American or National Champion in one of the weight events continuously for the past 23 years...a record of which we are very proud.

L&S: Coach, can you list Andy's strengths and weaknesses?

JE: If Andy has a weakness, it has been the injury bug-a-boo. (If this can be considered a weakness.) Of course, he would love to be 6'4" or better but this isn't going to happen! On the plus size, Andy has what all good throwers must have, a genuine love of throwing. He is a student of the events. He studies, reads and understands what he is trying to do. As for the physical attributes, he is a good athlete. He played football in high school and college and moves well on the basketball floor. This athletic ability coupled with his love of the sport has led to dedication and desire to be one of the best. All I have to do, as a coach, is point him in the right direction and he takes it from there.

L&S: Coach, can you give us some of your key philosophies regarding weight training and technique development?

JE: I'm glad you asked. First, we don't send the freshmen throwers to the weightroom to get "monstrously strong" in the first year. We encourage a sound lifting program not unlike what everyone else uses. We spend most of our time working on technique, trying to get them to understand what they are doing and why. From the second year on, we place more emphasis on strength but not to the diminishment of technique. I guess my overall philosophy of throwing is, if you want to throw far, you must know how to throw far. Once you have learned this, if you want to throw farther, you get stronger and faster. If you want to throw even farther, you must have a passion to throw. Then to throw as far as you are totally capable of, you must have "heart". I can't define heart but I feel I can recognize it when I see it. I have told many people I recruited Randy Heisler for one main reason....the look in his eyes when he picked up the shot or discus. Andy has some of that same look.

L&S: Andy, how did you wind up at a Division II school?

AR: Coming out of High School I was more considered to be a football player as opposed to a shot putter. I wanted to play Div 1 football, as an offensive lineman at ( 6'2 240) but was just too small and most of the D 1's found other players. I was recrutited by the University of Indianapolis for football. My throwing coach from High School was an alum of U of I and a former All American for Coach England. So i had some pretty good ties before I walked through the door. Thats how I wound up at a D'2, but thats not how i have Division 1 marks.

I dont believe I have Division 1 athletic talent but what I do believe is that I have the coach, enviorment, and work ethic to have Division 1 marks. I can't say enough about what a coach I have and I feel so fortunate to have such a great coach in my corner. He has taken a walk-on (no scholarship) glider to a National Champion with the rotation. Its Obvious that my coach is the main reason for my success but the other is the enviorment in which we work in everyday. It has been instilled from Coach England's tenure and that enviorment is just this: Accept nothing less than your all best effort everyday, work technique to the best of your abilty and to perfection, and yes lift weights. We emphasis more technique work than strength but you do work very hard at getting stronger. This seems to be the magic formula for Coach England and his Uof I throwers present and former.

L&S: Andy, I understand that you had a back injury. Was that football related? Are you still playing?

AR: Yes, I no longer play football. I was forced out by the new coach that felt i didnt have the potetial to do two sports and excel at both, so i choose track. My back injury wasn't a football related injury. It was from some Olympic Cleans that i was doing and i just leaned forward and caught the bar out over my toes instead of on my heels.

L&S: Andy, everyone likes to hear about strength levels. Can you give us an idea where you're at in the major lifts?

AR: Height 6'2, Weight 300 up 15 from last year
Bench 480
Incline 390
Cleans 330
Snatch 250
Clean and Jerk 300
Squat 550 before back surgery, now no longer able to do, Dr.'s Orders

L&S: Andy, are you a spinner, glider? What's a good standing throw on meet day? How many feet are added with the full glide/spin.

AR: I am a spinner now. I was a glider when I came to school and threw 56' as sophmore and was an All-American with it. After a back injury that required surgery we discovered that (another great coaching move) I was able to do the rotation and this took a great deal of pressure off my back and has lead to the great deal of the recent success. I dont do standing throws anymore. I do half rotations and i have been 56' with them on my best days, but i dont always put a great deal of emphasis on them on meet day. If they go good and far great, just a little more boost but if the don't go then i just know that its only a warm up drill. I like to add somewhere between 5' to 7 feet from the full circle throw. I am still just learning the concept of the rotation and what to do in the back of the ring and thats why my progession from middle rotations to full aren't quiet what they should be but that will all change this season with another year of rotational work.

L&S: Does your back play any role in eliminating standing throws?

AR: My discontinuance of my standing throws are basically my philosophy. Since Iam no longer a glider i feel that the standing punch is not a postion that i will find myself in any longer so there is little reason to practice it. I do occasionally do some stands just to make sure that Iam following the ball in a straight line and beyond the board.

L&S: Describe your thought process during a competition attempt.

AR: I actually think a whole lot less as a spinner than I did as a glider. Things happen so fast in the rotation that you can't think as fast as you are moving in the ring. I only think about three things: 1) Is push out the corner. What I mean is to take the left leg and push the knee and hip out in front of me until I am ready to fall out of the back the ring (The direction in which I am facing when iam begining to fall out of the ring is about 10' or 11 o'clock, somewhere in between) and then I turn the knee to the front of the ring and thats where my next thought occurs. After i shift the weight and my body out the back I turn the body to face the board and sector straight on (6 o'clock), 2) I then think RUN!!! as hard, fast as i can to the board and if this happens the shot is usually gone before i know it, but the last thought is 3) Take the left leg up and over and try and kick my butt with the heel of it.

L&S: Andy, do you throw the discus and/or hammer?

AR: As we say at U of I. "I am a shot putter that throws the hammer and discus". I don't put a whole lot of emphasis on them but i do throw them both. Discus 161', Hammer 165'. I look to improve both marks this season but most of my concern will be on the shot.

Best wishes to Andy and Coach England dring the upcoming season!

In Part 2 of their interview, Andy Richardson and Coach Jerry England talk about strength, technique and more!

L&S: Andy, everyone likes to hear about strength levels. Can you give us an idea where you're at in the major lifts?

AR:.

Height 6'2
Weight 300 up 15 from last year
Bench 480
Incline 390
Cleans 330
Snatch 250
Clean and Jerk 300
Squat 550 before back surgery, now no longer able to do, Dr.'s Orders

L&S: Andy, are you a spinner, glider? What's a good standing throw on meet day? How many feet are added with the full glide/spin.

L&S: Does your back play any role in eliminating standing throws?

L&S: Describe your thought process during a competition attempt.

L&S: Andy, do you throw the discus and/or hammer?

AR: As we say at U of I. "I am a shot putter that throws the hammer and discus". I don't put a whole lot of emphasis on them but i do throw them both. Discus 161', Hammer 165'. I look to improve both marks this season but most of my concern will be on the shot.

L&S: Coach England, can you give us some of your points of technique emphasis for each of the four throws?

JE: I feel all throws are similar in that there is a basic approach to the use of forces. When you stop and think about it, on all throws, if you get yourself in the best position possible so that you can utilize or maximize your speed, explosiveness, body mass and strength behind the throw, it will go as far as you put or throw it. This is done by technique and postion - or alignment- of the body. Remember, power comes from postion NOT just strength. All the strength in the world will not do you any good if you can't use it. To answer your question, further here is what we work on as our basics:

Discus/Shot: When you stand and throw, you put yourself in the most powerful position before the throw. After you can do this well, it is then a matter of the coach and the athlete figuring out the best method ofr the athlete out the best method for the athlete to get from the back of the ring to the same positions as the standing throw. Then, accelerate through that postion into the full throw itself. It has been my observation over the years that one of the biggest problems for throwers is that they stand and throw one way but never come close to that position when going full circle. So we work hard on getting to the correct postions and accelerating smoothly through each postion the final explosive delivery.

Javelin: If postion is important in the shot\discus, it is twice as important in the javelin. Because of the explosiveness of the arm strike and body postion on the delivery phase ( and if you want to throw as far as possible and not wind up with a zipper on your elbow or shoulder) most of your practice should be on getting in the right postion from the run up\ crossover. Hammer: We do not vary from our basic principles of position. Our technique emphasis is on balance and acceleration of the ball through the delivery. By thinking use the mass of the body -rather than the arms- to accelerate the ball, it is much easier with less strength. I like the Soviet approach of accelerating the ball when both feet are on the ground (double support phase). As Sedyek said at a clinic I attended " you must push the ball a little bit each turn". We also emphasis that if everything is done properly up to the delivery phase, all you have to do then is stand up and lift. If you wind up "flinging" the hammer with the arms, you have done something wrong. Remember, you are coaching or throwing for a feel. That is what it feels like to be in - and throw from- good postions. The best way to describe the good feel is when a throw goes farther than the effort behind it. If in the shot, the athlete feels he only had enough effort for a 50 ft throw and it winds up going 52, 53 feet, then you ( and they) know they did something right. Something they had not done before. These are the best learning sessions because, as a coach, you can point out what they did and have them remember the "feel" and try to do it on the next throw...only to do it better. In summary, I must mention the confidence factor. We do not allow any fouling in practice. This doesnt mean some fouling may occur. We want the thrower to attack the toeboard or the front as much as possible but fight to stay in if at all possible. The proper delivery action coming up through the legs should keep you from fouling. The more this is done, the higher the confidence level one has in their ability to throw hhard and stay in. When we get to a meet, the last thing we are worried about is fouling. Our only thoughts are "how far am I going to throw today?" I would be remiss if I didnt mention one more thing. I have heard other coaches talk about the Russians, Germans, Chinese coaches and what they have to say about how to throw and train. I have read many of these myself and have found very little usable information with the exceptions of the Soviet approach to the hammer technique. I feel out ideas and coaching are as good as any in the world. They are based on sound princilples that all good athletes and coaches use. I have enough confidence in them and myself that I dont feel the need to turn to an opponent coach to ask them how I should be doing something. I heard a quote from my son, Gary, that really makes sense to me. It is by Tsun Tsu in "The Art of War": " Never take what your opponent gives you!!" Is your son Gary the founder of American Big Guys? Can you give some insight into that organization?

Best wishes to Andy and Coach England dring the upcoming season!