Who is the best coach ever in track and field?
My pick: Arthur Lydiard
- invented high mileage/aerobic training as we know it...
- multiple olympics golds and world records, from both NZ and Finland
- high level athlete himself
- a great strategist for training and racing
- theorist ahead of his time
Anyone disagree?
Asking the big question... wrote:
Who is the best coach ever in track and field?
My pick: Arthur Lydiard
- invented high mileage/aerobic training as we know it...
- multiple olympics golds and world records, from both NZ and Finland
- high level athlete himself
- a great strategist for training and racing
- theorist ahead of his time
Anyone disagree?
lol is it possible to disagree?
ACmilan wrote:
Asking the big question... wrote:Who is the best coach ever in track and field?
My pick: Arthur Lydiard
- invented high mileage/aerobic training as we know it...
- multiple olympics golds and world records, from both NZ and Finland
- high level athlete himself
- a great strategist for training and racing
- theorist ahead of his time
Anyone disagree?
lol is it possible to disagree?
Yes.
Bill Bowerman brought running to more athletes in the world than any other coach -- so for sure effectiveness in getting everyday people to be fit...Bowerman improved in Lydiards ideas, and brought them to the world triggering the running and fitness boom with a book called "Jogging" that sold 3m copies in the 60's.
Did you know Lydiard also designed shoes?
So did Bowerman's. Guess who's shoes have encouraged more athletes to succeed?
Arguably, by more measures, Bowerman is the greatest coach ever.
There's really no comparison.
Oh, and I met both of these coaches. Lydiard, a true gentleman. Bowerman, everything Kenny Moore depicted in his book.
Corrected wrote:Yes.
Bill Bowerman brought running to more athletes in the world than any other coach -- so for sure effectiveness in getting everyday people to be fit...Bowerman improved in Lydiards ideas, and brought them to the world triggering the running and fitness boom with a book called "Jogging" that sold 3m copies in the 60's.
Did you know Lydiard also designed shoes?
So did Bowerman's. Guess who's shoes have encouraged more athletes to succeed?
Arguably, by more measures, Bowerman is the greatest coach ever.
There's really no comparison.
Oh, and I met both of these coaches. Lydiard, a true gentleman. Bowerman, everything Kenny Moore depicted in his book.
What did Kenny Moore have to say?
To be honest i only discovered Bowerman's shoe making from the movie Prefontaine. It was a pretty interesting revelation. I admire Bowerman a lot and think he did a great job as a coach, but isn't comparable to Lydiard as a coach. I do like the fact that Bowerman promoted 'jogging' to the point where it became a standard fitness trend, yet where did he get his ideas about longer running?
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There are thousands of great coaches involved in the sport.
How about Colm O'Connell, Dick Booth, Bobby Kersee or Glen Mills?
ACmilan wrote:
To be honest i only discovered Bowerman's shoe making from the movie Prefontaine. It was a pretty interesting revelation. I admire Bowerman a lot and think he did a great job as a coach, but isn't comparable to Lydiard as a coach. I do like the fact that Bowerman promoted 'jogging' to the point where it became a standard fitness trend, yet where did he get his ideas about longer running?
If you only found out about Bowerman's shoe making from a movie, you're definitely not qualified to drop opinions on who the greatest coach of all time is.
Harry Wilson took Lydiard's overdistance techniques and added the all important speed variable to produce the world's most perfect middle distance runners.
Dan Shonka
Dave-Scott Thomas is easily the best coach in the world. Just ask Reid Coolsaet or anyone from Speed-River (and they should know, right?). There simply is no other and anyone NOT in Guelph is missing out on the best thing going. End of Thread.
Bud Winter
Clyde Hart
John Smith
Bobby Kersee
Vince Anderson
John McDonnell
Arthur Lydiard
Ed Temple
1. Robert O'Rourke
2. Bowerman
3. Lydiard
4. Jumbo Elliot
John Smith
Dennis Mitchell
Ma Junren
Charlie Francis
Mark Block
Jo Vigil should be considered the greatest american coach in my opinion - probably more NCAA titles.
Salazar.
didn't Arkansas guy have more?
Running on Empathy wrote:
Harry Wilson took Lydiard's overdistance techniques and added the all important speed variable to produce the world's most perfect middle distance runners.
That's an interesting angle. Do you know how he did this?
Arthur Lydiard.
McMillan he has the best online calculator and coaches top world athletes
to the OP: if you want to start a poll, you should define the terms and establish a concept of evaluating coaches.
greatest running coach? what makes a coach great? what is great? what is running (sprinting vs. distance vs. hurdles or all 3)? Are we talking development--high school to college to international?
Is the evaluation based upon most olympic medals? world records? world records/ medals in comparison to the given country's population?
I'd say Lydiard is the most influential. He did a great job working with athletes and has had a tremendous influence on distance running around the world. Greatest coach? considering that his athletes posted times that would still be considered world class, in a country the size of California with the population of San Francisco, then yes, I'd say Lydiard is probably the best.
Bowerman? I'd say greatest Track & Field coach of all time, but not necessarily "running." He had a great understanding of all events, and was passionate about each one, not just one grouping of events.
I think honorable mention should go to Mihaly Igloi, who did a tremendous amount working within a small framework.
Honestly, I really don't know of more international coaches outside of Canova and Lydiard. Canova seems to be doing a great job with his athletes--but did he develop them like Lydiard did, or were they already good when they came to him?