Perhaps the most high profile of these future stars is Jodie Williams, the British and European number one junior in 100m and 200m. It was the father of the young sprinting sensation who sought out Madiri to develop Williams’ raw talent and it was Madiri & McFarlane at the helm, delivering her to a sprint double victory at the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships in Italy.

Now with McFarlane as the performance coach and Madiri as her speed coach, Williams has gone from victory in the 100m at the 2010 World Junior Champions, Moncton, Canada to another sprint double at this year’s European Junior Championships in Tallin, Estonia. It was earlier this year that young Williams, made her GB senior debut in Paris at the European Indoor Championships over the shorter 60m, finishing just outside the medals in an impressive fourth.

Desiree Henry is the next rising star on the starting blocks, after claiming 200m gold at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille earlier this year. Whilst claiming gold in the northern French city, Henry – the youngest team member of Team GB&NI – also set a world leading time youth time and looks set to be hot on the heels of Williams.

McFarlane is not just a coach, but is also a role model and mentor to these young sprinters, having himself once stood where these prodigies now look to stand. His philosophy was and still is “hard work is a necessity, not an option” – especially with two major championships soon to take place on home soil. In his athlete days, McFarlane won Commonwealth gold over the 200m in 1982, where he was famously tied with Allan Wells since the officials scrutinising over the photo finish were unable to separate the two. McFarlane later went onto become the European Indoor Champion over 60m in 1985 and then claimed Olympic silver as a part of the 4x100m relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Just as McFarlane was tied over the 200m with Wells in ’82, it is difficult to separate Madiri and McFarlane over coaching expertises. Zimbabwean-born Madiri, an Msc in Applied sports science, is an IAAF Elite coach and a UK Level IV performance coach – and as McFarlane describes him, “the Master of speed drills.” Madiri played a foundational role in the development of Williams, and now assists McFarlane with all things ‘speed dynamics.’ One of his international sprint hurdles protégés was winner of the IAAF “stars of the future” at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Having served as a National coach for Zimbabwe and groomed four athletes for the 2004 Athens Olympics, Madiri is equally no stranger to the international arenas of athletics.

Madiri and McFarlane will be hosting a number of speed practical workshops and seminars at the 2011 edition of the International Festival of Athletics Coaching and will be sharing their knowledge and experiences of developing young sprinting talent and delivering them to senior performances on the world stage.

Terseus Liebenberg is the coach of champions. He is one of the most internationally renowned javelin coaches and at the World Championships in Daegu his athlete, Sunette Viljoen, excelled to claim the bronze medal – this is in addition to her World Student Games and Commonwealth Games titles. Liebenberg also delivered Marius Corbett from world junior champion onto Gold at Commonwealth Games and World Championship. At IFAC 2011, Teresus Liebenberg will be delivering javelin seminars as well as a technical coaching clinic.

Jimmy Beauttah is chief distance coach at the IAAF Kip Keino High Performance Training Centre in Eldoret, Kenya. Beauttah has a long history of coaching many world-class athletes including Moses Kiptanui (3000m Steeplechase world number one 1991-1995), Daniel Komen (5000m World Champion in Athens, 1997) Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (1500m World Champion in 2007, Osaka) and Asbel Kiprop (1500m Olympic Gold Medallist in 2008, Beijing. At the Daegu world championships, Beauttah had Chaminda Indika Wijekoon (Sri Lanka) in the 1500m and Moussa Camara in the 800m (Malia).

Dr. Elio Locatelli was in Daegu in an official capacity for IAAF. Locatelli is Director of Member Services at the IAAF and has been a prominent figure in developing the network of High Performance Training Centres and Regional Development Centres around the world. A top authority in sprinting biomechanics, especially his important research into the “modeling the energetics of 100m running by using speed curves of world champions” and “the mechanics and energetics of the 100m sprint.”

With such an impressive coaching repertoire, Babbitt has coached athletes at world-class level across the throws disciplines. When you consider that Babbitt has coached the likes of shot putters Adam Nelson (World Champion in 2005) and Reese Hoffa (World Indoor Champion in 2006 & World Outdoor in 2007), as well as javelin thrower Breaux Greer (eight-times U.S. Champion and current American record holder) and Croatian Olympic hammer thrower Andras Haklits (8th at the 2008 Olympics and 7th at the 2009 World Championships), you can appreciate why he finds it really hard to pick a favourite throws event. “It is really hard to pick a favourite, since each event is unique and fun in its own way,” explains Babbitt, however he does admit as a former javelin thrower himself, he does have a soft spot for javelin.

Babbitt who has a great deal of experience in his coaching from collegiate level to world class, and appreciates the challenges which athletes in the throws events face. As he sees it finding the right balance and rhythm during the throw is the biggest challenge. “It appears that many people tend to focus on strength development first as a means to get better, but in the big scheme of things this is fairly easy for everyone get to stronger,” explains Babbitt. “The main challenge that I see people struggling with is balance and reproducible technique, much the same way a golfer does.” This is an area Babbitt will focus on whilst in Glasgow for the 2011 edition of IFAC, as he hosts a number of practical workshops and coaching clinics covering the throws. In addition, before the conference get fully underway he will spend an evening with Scotland’s development shot putters and their coaches, hosting a development shot put workshop.

When it comes to the step up from development to elite level this is difficult in any event and Babbitt, an IAAF lecturer, will present his keynote speech on can this can be particularly difficult for throws events. With most medals won by throwers at around the age of 30, Babbitt emphasises that there is no ‘quick fix’ to this sporting conundrum, “There is no quick solution, but I would say that it is best if one can figure out the path that will work for them as soon as possible. Then work hard at it for a long time, as opposed to jumping around between various training programs in search of ‘the answer’.” When it comes to this step up and in order to reach the highest levels of performance, Babbitt believes that an athlete needs to very good basic throwing mechanics. “These is usually instilled at an early age of development” explains Babbitt and warns that if an athlete are missing these, “it takes a long time to re-establish good habits.”

Having served as national team coach for the USA, Canada, Croatia and Argentina, Babbitt has noted a number of factors that help make the ‘perfect’ thrower. “There are an endless list of factors, however among the most important are: body awareness and coordination; competitive spirit and long term focus; good leverage; flexibility; the ability to get stronger and naturally quick and explosive. You can be sure that Babbitt will be keeping an eye out for these characteristics amongst Scotland’s throwers, when he gets down to business at IFAC 2011.

Mike McFarlane and Stan Madiri Stan Madiri founder Training Manager of the formerly famed Millenium Athletics Academy in Harare, a former National coach and former Head of Sports at Marondera High School. He founded the still vibrant Speed Dynamics athletics club in Harare and his athletes still hold the Zimbabwe national records for the 100mH and 400mH respectively and former coach of Jodie Williams. Jodie is now coached by Mike McFarlane. Mike formerly coached Dwain Chambers and Julian Golding and was award OBE in 2001. Mike and Stan will hold workshops and practical sessions throughout the weekend.

There will also be an open forum on Sunday afternoon giving delegates the chance to interact with Keynote Speakers and Workshop Leaders
For further updates visit www.ifacscotland.org.uk.

IFAC 2011 has an excellent line up for this year’s conference.

If you would like to book your early bird discount rate, please ensure you send in your completed booking form before Friday 15th July – which can be found at www.ifacscotland.co.uk/event-booking-details. All other bookings should be received before the Friday 14th October 2011.

For 2011 we have a very exciting line up, as well as our six keynote speakers, various practical workshops will be delivered throughout the conference at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Stadium.

IFAC forms a cornerstone to any coach’s development so put IFAC, 28-30 October, in your diary and spread the word. We look forward to welcoming you to Glasgow, the host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

DON BABBITT (USA)
You will be hard pressed to find a throws coach whose international track record is as impressive as Don Babbitt’s (USA). Based at the University of Georgia, Babbitt has coached an impressive number of throwers who have competed in the Olympic Games or World Championships – 35 throwers and counting. It is a great pleasure to welcome Don Babbit to IFAC 2011 especially given his high class coaching repertoire, which includes shot putters Adam Nelson (World Champion in 2005) and Reese Hoffa (World Indoor Champion in 2006 & World Outdoor in 2007), as well as javelin thrower Breaux Greer (eigh-times U.S. Champion and current American record holder) and Croatian Olympic hammer thrower Andras Haklits (8th at the 2008 Olympics and 7th at the 2009 World Championships).

DR. ELIO LOCATELLI (ITALY)
Dr. Elio Locatelli is the Director of Member Services at the IAAF and has been a prominent figure in developing the network of High Performance Training Centres and Regional Development Centres around the world. As a top authority in sprinting biomechanics Locatelli is a key addition to the IFAC 2011 line-up, especially his important research into the “modeling the energetics of 100m running by using speed curves of world champions” and “the mechanics and energetics of the 100m sprint.”

JIMMY BEAUTTAH (KENYA)
Jimmy Beauttah is chief coach at the IAAF Kip Keino High Performance Training Centre in Eldoret, Kenya. Beauttah has coached a number of athletes to world class level, including World Championships, World Cross-Country, World Half-Marathon and Olympic Games. A formidable distance coach, Beauttah has transformed Moses Kiptanui (3000m Steeplechase world number one 1991-1995) and Daniel Komen (5000m World Champion in Athens, 1997) into world beaters as well as recently coaching Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (1500m World Champion in 2007, Osaka) and Asbel Kiprop (1500m Olympic Gold Medallist in 2008, Beijing).

As well as being internationally renowned for his coaching expertise, Wolfgang’s research work is equally celebrated. He has published numerous articles and research papers, including prominent papers into the research of strength training, reactive strength training and the long term adaptation of top junior athletes.

Dr. Ritzdorf was a key member of the biomechanical research team at the World Championships in both Rome (1987) and Athens (1997). His work at the IAAF has also included co-authoring the IAAF’s official guide to teaching athletics, “Run-Jump-Throw,” and his role as an IAAF lecturer since 1992.

Dr. Wolfgang Ritzdorf will certainly be raising the bar at IFAC 2011, and delegates of this year’s conference will certainly benefit from this internationally renowned expert.

Considered as the founding father of ‘Functional Sports Training,’ IFAC 2011 is delighted to announce that Vern Gambetta (USA) will be a keynote speaker as a part of this year’s high calibre line up. Vern, currently the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems, is recognised internationally as an expert in training and conditioning for sport and has worked with world class athletes and teams.

On the athletics track his coaching speciality lies in both the decathlon and the heptathlon – a natural choice for someone who can turn their hand at almost anything. Regard for his highly valued knowledge of athletics is reflected in Vern Gambetta’s involvement in some unique projects, including consultant coach for the Nike Oregon Project. He has coached from grass-roots to world-class level and has held prominent roles such as National Hurdle Coordinator and Head Coach for the Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field team at the University of California, Berkeley.

Vern’s extensive expertises saw him co-found the USA Track & Field coaching education program as well as editing its technical journal, Track Technique. On the international scene, he is a member of the advisory editorial board for the IAAF’s technical journal, New Studies in Athletics. Vern has also authored nine books and over one hundred articles related to coaching and sport performance.

A true testament to Vern’s renowned expertises is his development of the Gambetta Method, which represents a unique and innovative approach to training and rehabilitating athletes. It is a synthesis of the latest sports science theory and his forty years of practical coaching experience and research across a multitude of sports.

As one of the foremost experts in the field of athletic development, delegates of IFAC 2011 can not only look forward to learning from Vern Gambetta as leading expert, but can also look forward to being empowered by his knowledge and passion about training.

The festival offers a wide range of high value workshops, covering all disciplines and will run from 28-30 October 2011 at the Marriot Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland. A stellar line up of speakers has been confirmed and, with an increased number and variety of practical workshops, IFAC delivers something for all attendees, whatever their level of experience or expertise in athletics.

Announcement of speakers and workshop details will be published in the coming weeks on the IFAC website – www.ifacscotland.co.uk.
For all media enquires surrounding key speakers please contact jamie.bowie@scottishathletics.org.uk

The festival generates an unmatched opportunity to build and energize personal development networks all the way from club to international level.

IFAC has proven to be a hub of knowledge and learning for athletics worldwide. For all conference queries plus registration and booking details, please contact Festival Manager Mary Anderson on mary.anderson@scottishathletics.org.uk or 0131 476 7330

Put IFAC, 28-30 October, in your diary and spread the word. We look forward to welcoming you to Glasgow – host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.