(article first appeared in Long & Strong Journal)
Coach Larry Judge and Coach Mike
Judge at Olympic Development Camp
1) L&S: Larry, how did you first become exposed to track and field, and throwing? My dad (Ira) introduced me to the shot put. He coached a state champion when I was little and he used to take my brother and I to practice. My first love was basketball. He used to make a deal with me. He would open up the gym at Lew Wallace High School and let me shoot around if we (my brother Mike and I) threw the shot put for a half an hour beforehand. At first, I did not like the shot put. I started to enjoy it at the end of 10th grade.
2) L&S: Tell us a little bit about your own throwing career. I was a three-sport athlete in high school. I was all state in football and played basketball. I finished 4th in the Indiana State meet. My best throw in high school was 59'3". I was the regional champion in the discus. I went to Indiana State University where I set school records in the wt., hammer, and shot put. I still hold the Indiana State school record in the shot put at 62' 3 3/4. I set Indiana Intercollegiate records in the shot put and hammer throw. I competed in the 1985 NCAA indoor nationals in the shot put. I was a GTE Academic All American (All Region). My throwing career was cut short by a back injury in 1986. I never regained my strength from the injury and quit throwing in 1988.
3) L&S: Give us some background on your coaching history. I have been coaching for 15 years. I spent the first five years at Indiana State University as an assistant coach. I spent five years at the University of South Carolina as an assistant coach. I was the head coach at the University of Wyoming for 3 years and I have been an assistant coach at the University of Florida for the past two years. I was part of the Strength and Conditioning staff at Indiana State and South Carolina as part of my responsibilities.
4) L&S: Beyond throwing, is there any one thing that you emphasize in your program? I am really into the strength and conditioning. I feel like the weight room is the key to success. The better the level of conditioning of the athlete, the better the athlete is able to get into key positions during the throw. I combine the Olympic lifts for explosive power, the strength or power lifts for absolute strength and body building exercises for body composition.
5) L&S: I read in your BIO that you have an undergraduate degree 2 masters degrees and a P. HD. Did you feel you needed this much education to be a coach or do you have aspirations beyond coaching? Coaching was something I kind of fell into. I planned on going on to Law School after college. A coaching opportunity came available at my alma mater and I decided to take it and go to graduate school. I really enjoyed coaching and had a knack for it. I think it was because I am very patient. Things did not come easy to me when I was an athlete. I understand the process of training and the time it takes to master a discipline. Training is a process similar to chipping away at a stone. The athlete must consistent and persistent.
6) L&S: What do you look for when recruiting a Division I scholarship athlete? Initially, I look at the athlete’s current marks. After that I look and size, strength, training age, level of commitment and ultimate potential. Grades are a very important factor. Recommendations from coaches often help with the process. I often go to meets and evaluate athletes.
7) L&S: Can you give us a typical year's training schedule for your team, both in the weight room and on the field? We usually throw 2 times a day and lift following our afternoon workout. It is about a 4 hour a day commitment on the average 5 days per week. We start with morning practice at 7am and then come back at 3 for conditioning, throwing and lifting.
8) L&S: Can you profile some of the national/international caliber athletes in your program, past and present?
Christy Barrett-3 time NCAA Runner-up, 1993 World Championships
Beth Bunge-58'6" shot put
Ron Willis-NCAA Champion, American Collegiate Record 35lb wt.
Dawn Ellerbe-4 time NCAA Champion, American Record 20lb wt and hammer, 7th Olympic Games
Lisa Misipeka-4 time NCAA runner-up, NCAA Champion 20 lb wt and hammer, 1995 World Championships, 1996 Olympic Games
Crystal Brownlee-1995 World University Games
Leslie Coons-American record hammer throw
Brad Snyder-1996 Olympic Games in the shot put
John Stoikos-Canadian National Champion hammer, Commonwealth Games
finalist in the hammer
Kevin Mannon-13 time All American, American Collegiate Record 35 lb wt, 5th place in the hammer at 2000 Olympic Trials
Jason Gervais-Canadian National Champion Shot put, 2000 Olympic Games Discus
Andrew McDonagh- 240+in the javelin
Derek Woodske-Canadian National Record 35 lb weight
Julies Thomas- American Junior Record 20 lb. weight
Robin Lyons-Canadian National Records 20 lb wt and hammer
Jesseca Cross-2000 Olympics in the shot put and hammer, 4th 1999 World University Games in the shot put.
Mary LeJour- Canadian Junior Record 20 lb weight
Jukina Dickerson-American Collegiate Record 20lb weight
Candice Scott-NCAA Champion 20 lb weight, Collegiate Record 20lb weight
Emily Carlsten-US National team in the javelin
9) L&S: You recently made the move to Florida from Wyoming. What do you for see for the throwing program there? I think Florida has the potential to be one of the best in the nation. We recently won the SEC conference indoors and finished 3rd in the indoor NCAA's. The weather, facilities, funding, and commitment to winning are second to none. Florida is a first class operation. The sky is the limit as far as potential. I am going to work very hard to maximize that potential. The program has always been very balanced and strong. I want to continue to build a strong throws program to help win a National Championship as a team,
10) L&S: Since you have been both a head coach and a throws coach, which do you prefer? Being a head coach is really no different. I spent just as much time coaching throwers in each position. The difference is the paperwork and red tape. Each position has its advantages, but being strictly a throws coach allows me to specialize even more. I would only become a head coach again if the program had the resources, support and the commitment to winning. I really enjoy Gainesville and I am committed to the University of Florida. I have a great boss in Tom Jones and plan to stay at Florida for a long time.
11) L&S: Since, Florida has a split men's and women's team. How do you fell about coaching only women? Coaching is coaching. There is really little difference in the job itself. The main difference is in methodology. Women are fun to coach. They are very technically oriented. The only thing I have had to stress is a little more intensity. I feel like you can get results faster with women.
12) L&S: What are your future goals/plans? Do you want to be a Division 1 head coach again? I plan to stay at Florida and help to strengthen our program. I want to be part of an SEC championship as well as an NCAA championship. I am committed to the program at Florida. I would only be interested in a head coaching position in the absolutely right situation.
13) L&S: You are a highly respected speaker, author, and clinician, Can you tell us some of the articles that you have written that would help some of the readers here with technique or get stronger? I have written for Scholastic Coach, Track Coach, Track and Field Coaches Review, NSCA Strength and Conditioning Journal, Modern Athlete and Coach, and a few others. I have written about 40 articles in all. I have videos on the wt. throw, hammer, glide shot put, and strength and conditioning available through Championship Sports out of Iowa.
14) L&S: What have been your favorite camps clinics that you have spoken at? I have spoken at the Ironwood Camp, The USATF Junior Elite Camp, IAAF North American Hammer Camp, and an IAAF Solidarity Clinic in American Samoa. The Ironwood camp is great because it exposes throwers to many great throwers and former Olympians. The junior elite camp is great for helping to develop our top young throwers. I host a throws camp at the University of Florida this year June 30- July 3. It is a very individualized camp for all four throws. Athletes can email at LWJudge@hotmail.com for information.
15) L&S: What exercises are the core of your athlete's strength training? The Olympic lifts. The big three: bench, squat, power clean. We also do a lot of high pulls, snatches, jerks and inclines. We perform body building exercises for muscular balance, hormonal considerations and body composition improvements.
16) L&S: How would you describe your 'coaching theory'? I am really committed to hard work and dedication. I do not have a magic wand. I set up a structured program that requires a total commitment by the athletes. I develop a very competitive environment let the athletes go to work. When the athletes buy in to the program the success follows and eventually the program runs itself. I lift with the athletes. I feel as a coach I need to know how the athlete is feeling. I feel what you put into something is what you get out of it.
17) L&S: You have been the premier women's hammer coach in the USA for several years now. Can you tell us why you have had so much success in the women's hammer? I have studied and learned from many of the top coaches. I have studied many of Kevin McGill’s articles and have watched a lot of video of proper technique. I have learned by working with many elite athletes. As a coach, I have taught the proper fundamentals of the event in the beginning. I have put my most talented athletes in the event. Many coaches have not taken the time to learn the event properly. They teach bad habits and the athlete stalls out at a certain level. Often coaches have a tendency to put the athlete that cannot do anything else in the event.
18) L&S: When introducing the hammer, what points do you emphasize? I really emphasize the start. I feel setting up the start sets up the whole throw. The position of the low point is often the cause of most technical problems. I teach the catch and the work phases when they first learn the event. I teach the athlete to be opposite the ball with their body weight and to pick up the right foot at approximately 90 degrees for early placement in the catch phases.
19) L&S: Is weight training different for the hammer as opposed to the shot and disc? Are there exercises that de-emphasized, and others that are? The Olympic lifts are really emphasized as well as the squats. I do not emphasize the upper bodywork like the bench and incline. We do a lot of high Pulls and specific strength work for the torso. We perform all torso and abdominal exercises with weight.
20) L&S: Coach, can you give us some of your key philosophies regarding weight training and technique development? Proper positions are the key to good technique. The ability to assume positions and come out of them is result of the training program. You need to test about every 4 weeks to monitor your training program. You need to always strive for anthropometric improvements as well as increases in strength and power. Increases are good sources of feedback for your training program.
21) L&S: Coach, I have noticed over the years that none of your athletes specialize in 1 event. 99% of your throwers compete in Shot, discus, hammer, and weight. Is there a reason for this? Athletes are athletes. I feel the events compliment each other in many ways. I think first and foremost the thrower should try and help the team. A two or three event scorer is more value to the team. College is too early to specialize, as an athlete may not even know what is his or her best event. Athletes must have the opportunity to train for all three and then specialize after they finish college.
22) L&S: You are the chairman for the throws for USATF coaches education. Can you tell us why you spend so much time with Coaches education in the USA? I want to give back to the sport. I want to do what I can to help improve the sport. I want to do everything I can to help get information in the hands of coaches.
23) L&S: Do you feel the coaches Education is important for all coaches? Can you tell us why? You can never learn enough. When you stop trying to learn new things, I feel you are dead professional. Coaches Education is the life blood of our sport. Athletes come and go. Coaches are always there and are the life blood of our sport.
24) L&S: Do you ever worry that you are giving away your "secrets" to the coaches that you present to? I really want to help improve our sport anyway I can. I feel there are no "secrets" out there. As an educator, I feel my ideas belong to sport. I hope when I speak I can help a coach. That is my goal. When I present, it makes me a better coach.
25) L&S: What advice would you give to aspiring collegiate coaches who might just be starting out? Go out and learn as much as you can. Go through the USATF coaches Ed program. Get into the NSCA program and the USWF coaches Ed program. Read study and network. Stay at one place as long as you can and develop a program. Do not jump from job to job. Be patient. You will never get rich doing this. Do it because you love it.
26) L&S: In 1996 you had 2 athletes in the Olympic games. In 2000 you had 5 athletes compete in the Olympic games (7 including former athletes). Do you think you will be able to keep up the trend in 2004? It is a little early to project toward 2004. I am currently working with some young but talented athletes with a lot of promise. Candice Scott recently set the Collegiate record in the 20 LB wt and won the NCAA Championship and Jukina Dickerson tied the American Collegiate record in the same event. I feel both have a bright future in the hammer. Emily Carlsten is making great progress in the javelin after surgery. She has a bright future in the event.
27) L&S: What do you feel is the reason why your athletes are so successful year after year? I develop a competitive environment in which athletes work very hard. I develop a comprehensive program
28) L&S: Can you give us a preview of your Olympic line up for 2004? It is a little too early to project that far ahead. We may have a few athletes in our program with that kind of potential.