Everything Track and Field Discussion Forums

I am a youth track coach and I have been really keying in on baton passes and I have found a way to make sure my team did not drop the stick or lose time messing up on it. The key to the relay is the baton pass and these are techniques that should be done. It starts with the order of the relay and it depends on what you have but now I recommend if you have one true sprinter and some decent runners but all of them in the 400 to build up their strength so that they can keep a baton going. Put the one true sprinter on second leg so you will not be out of it too early. Next put your next best sprinter on 1st leg and then your slowest on three and the remainder on four. Make sure your fourth leg can keep a position or make up ground. The first thing is steps, if you are coaching 12 and under the steps need to be between 8-14 and if they are 8 and under do not put them on the internation mark instead tell them to take about 10 steps and stay where their mark is everyone else needs to be internation or half way(I don't personally use this but it works). 13 and through 18 needs to be between 15-21. With older children they like to slow down during the passing zone and if they slow down the relay gets messed up. More steps makes them have to run the whole way but keep it in a reasonable range. The actual exchange needs to be as soon as they pass the entrance for the exchange zone. I know everyone says stick but if they automatically stick up their hand when they pass it, it works perfectly. Make sure their hand is back and tell them to adjust their hand. If the person is taller that's handing it high hand is the key and if the are shorter straight back so you can avoid someone falling. Make sure their hand is cupped so that they can receive it easier. Make sure you make them get it right 5 times perfectly with no mistakes no getting out early, no getting out late, and try to make sure the stick is passed between the first five steps once they enter the exchange zone. Anymore questions you can contact me

Coach,

I am a high school track coach in the State of Texas and I like what you posted.  I would like to get more information from you if I could and maybe we could bounce some ideas off each other.  I really would like to talk more in depth with how you work your exchanges and how you go about running order.  And why I'm at it what about your 4x200 exchanges?  Are they the same as the 4x1 blind exchange?  And do you run the same girls in the 4x1 in the 4x2, or do you pull from the 4x4 to put on the 4x2?  It's a lot I threw at you, but I enjoy talking track, and it seems like you know what your doing.

This is some good stuff Coach.  I hope that we can e-mail each other, or get on the phone and talk more in depth.