Former World and Olympic Champion Michael Johnson interacted with over 30 coaches and other individuals involved in sport and the development of local athletes when the two-day Michael Johnson Performance workshop on concepts and approaches to improving athletic performance concluded yesterday at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee house on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain.
Johnson interacted with participants for about 45 minutes through a live Internet stream.
The workshop is a collaboration between the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) and BPTT.
Tied to the TTOC's drive to achieve ten Olympic gold medals by 2024, the workshop, the third of its kind, has as its theme ?Perfecting Performance-Striving for Excellence-Faster, Stronger, Higher.?
Drew Coffee, one of two MJP facilitators, is on his third such mission to TT; he explained MJP's role as one of exposing the participants to new approaches and ideas.
?It's just about revamping the coaches, enhancing it, not necessarily changing it,? the former Abilene Christian University football player said. He added that he expects the workshop will serve to ?expose a systematic approach to training, and overall, improve athleticism.?
Having done two previous stints in TT in 2014, Coffee observed the approach to preparation and training is not nearly as intense as what is the norm in the US. ?Ideally, if you're talking TT and the Carnival season is approaching, you can see that there's a high-performance mentality toward getting ready for Carnival,? he argued. ?So if we could just use some of that same mentality to, not necessarily train, but drag that into sport, I think that would help reach our goal of ten gold medals by 2024.?
Coffee's co-facilitator, MJP's Global Performance Director Lance Walker could not make the trip; yesterday, Walker delivered an online presentation on the qualities a coach ought to possess.
Coffee, a Regeneration and Recovery Specialist, said it was not that MJP had it all figured out. ?There are certain things that people are not gonna agree with,? he admitted. ?But exposing them to what we deal with is a big thing, because then you can now take that back with you to whatever athletes you're working with, you can share that with them, with other coaches in the field on the island.?