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ORIGINAL ARTICLE：本校公共事務中心 (2021.07.22)

  (English Version Powered by ChatGPT, Edited by Serena H.)

While the national Olympic delegation was flying to Tokyo and the public was still debating the issue of athletes flying coach, a group of athletes at NTNU’s track and field continued training under the scorching sun, undeterred by wind and rain. Among them was Taiwan’s only female track and field athlete at the Tokyo Olympics—Hsieh Hsi-En, known as the “Hurdle goddess.” Their coach, Tsai Yu-Ju, was the key figure behind their success and dedication.

Integrating Sports Science into Coaching and Training

Tsai Yu-Ju has both experience as an athlete and an academic background in biomechanics. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Athletic Performance at NTNU. In addition to his competitive experience, he adopts a scientific approach to training, integrating biomechanics into his methods. The NTNU track and field team under his guidance has consistently performed at a high level, often winning championships in domestic competitions.

During regular training, Coach Tsai uses high-speed cameras to record athletes’ movements from the side. He then reviews the footage with athletes to identify areas needing improvement. He also regularly uses timing gates as sectional timers to evaluate athletes’ performance over specific training cycles.

These tools are not as easy to operate as they might seem and require substantial setup and post-processing work. This reflects the deep-seated care and commitment Coach Tsai invests in his athletes.

To help athletes improve, Tsai constantly experiments with various methods to push their limits. He incorporates different training tools to support their development.

To further enhance the 100-meter hurdle performances of Hsieh Hsi-En and her teammate Lin Shih-Ting, he sought assistance from Professor Hsiang Tzu-Yuan in the Department of Athletic Performance at NTNU. (Professor Hsiang also serves as the lead sports science coordinator for Taiwan’s Olympic team at the National Training Center.) They hoped to use advanced technology to analyze the hurdling techniques of Hsieh and Lin.

Professor Hsiang introduced a motion tracking system developed by Taiwan’s Chuang Ming Tech. This was a game-changer for both athletes and coaches. It allowed them to quickly identify training issues and apply targeted improvements.

This system is currently one of the most advanced tools used globally for training elite runners. It combines tracking technology with micro-sensors, enabling the measurement of distance, speed, and even stride frequency. This allows coaches to interpret performance more accurately and adjust training accordingly.

Focused on the Olympics, Aiming for the Asian Games

A few weeks ago, the Athletics Association received confirmation letter from World Athletics which cited that Taiwan’s hurdler Hsieh Hsi-En would represent the country at the Olympics. However, she would not be competing in her specialty—the hurdles—but in the 100-meter sprint.

This unexpected development led Hsieh to quickly consult with her most trusted coach, Tsai Yu-Ju.

Tsai noted that although both the 100m hurdles and 100m dash are sprint events, they require very different strategies and training approaches. Beyond the hurdles themselves, the biggest difference lies in the starting technique.

In the 100m hurdles, an athlete prepares to clear the first hurdle after just eight steps. In the 100m dash, the goal is to reach top speed within the first 30 meters after the start.

During the previous sports science assessments, it had already shown that Hsieh and her teammate Lin were on par with world-class athletes, with only a slight disadvantage in their starts. Coach Tsai is now working diligently, using data-driven analysis to quickly identify and strengthen their weaknesses.

He looks forward to seeing Hsieh’s progress showcased in upcoming competitions.