Coaching methods for endurance running in high school gym classes

Abstract

Thirty-five male high school students were divided into three groups that showed comparable performances in the 3,000-in run, and each group was coached in a total of 6 classes by the all-out method, in which the students ran a certain distance within a limited time at full exertion, inner/outer track (I/OT) method, in which the duration of exercise was nearly equalized by having slower/faster runners use the inner/outer running tracks, and the RPE (ratings of perceived exertion) method, in which the students ran according to the RPE scale. The effects of the three coaching methods were compared in terms of performance in the 3,000-m run, physiologic responses, and the results of a questionnaire. 1) The time for the 3,000-m run improved by 7.4% when the all-out method was used, by 5.3% using the I/OT method, and by 3.1% using the RPE method. 2) The mean heart rate (HR) during running was significantly higher in the all-out group (176.2 beats/min) and I/OT group (173.8 beats/mm) than in the RPE group (156.4 beats/mm). The %Vo_2 MAX estimated from these heart rates was 67.3% in the all-out group, 66.4% in the I/OT group, and 59.7% in the RPE group, consistent with the performance in the 3,000-m run. The duration of endurance running was longest in the RPE group and shortest in the I/OT group. Therefore, there was no significant difference in work among the three groups. Significant correlations were observed between RPE and the sense of achievement, between HR and the sense of achievement, and between HR and RPE, suggesting that the sense of achievement reflects the exercise intensity. The physical condition tended to decline with repetition of endurance running in the all-out group and I/OT group, but tended to improve in the RPE group. 3) Before the subjects were coached in endurance running, they tended to like gym classes but to dislike endurance running. After coaching, dislike of endurance running increased in the all-out group, but it was considerably reduced in the I/OT group, and was, in fact, reversed in many students in the RPE group. These results suggest that the like and dislike of en durance running are caused by mental and safety factors rather than the characteristics of endurance running or physical or technical factors. 4) Coaching methods for high school students should be selected on the basis of the aim of training.