Focus on Fundamentals

Nate Hoey, CSCS

AllAboutTrack.com

Nate Hoey, CSCS Is the founder of AllAboutTrack.com a new website devoted to providing Track & Field Event Specific Training information in an easy to follow and implement format.  He is also currently the assistant men’s and women’s track & field coach and head strength & conditioning coach at Washington and Lee University

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            In today’s athletic world athletes and coaches alike are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to enhance their performance.  There is an unlimited amount of information and “training toys” available and when used properly can be very beneficial.  However, Basic fundamental mechanics have been neglected and therefore limiting the ability of an athlete to achieve peak performance.

          More often than not complex highly intense drills and training methods are implemented without developing proper fundamental sprint mechanics first.  The skills of speed, foot quickness, acceleration, reaction time, explosive power, are just those SKILLS.  These skills must first be learned correctly and then built upon in a progressive manner.  The goal of this three part article is simple: to explain a few very BASIC drills which play a major role in over-all sprinting performance.

Part I:  Arm Action

Arms play a MAJOR role in sprinting.  Proper arm action is essential to success. An athlete is looking for aggressive elbow drive.  When the arm is in its back swing the upper-arm should reach close to parallel to the ground (the faster the athlete is running the closer to parallel the upper arm will get). 

Basic biomechanics tells us “a short lever is a fast level” having the arms open to the back or front will ultimately slow the stride frequency down.  Often the lower arms (forearm) can be seen opening up completely.  As stated, this action will slow the athletes’ frequency down.  The athletes should focus on keeping the arm angle close to 90 degrees.  This angle WILL CHANGE during the active arm motion.  However, when the athlete focuses on this angle it will minimize the arm from completely opening up and thus maintain a more consistent stride rate.

The following Drill will help develop the basic muscle memory needed to achieve proper arm action:

Seated Fast Arms

Sit on the ground with your legs fully extended out in front of you in a straight position.  Make sure your torso is in an upright position.  Forcefully use your arms in the proper running motion (90-degree angle, driving your elbow back).

This drill enables the athlete to focus on proper form.  If the arms open up (straighten) they will hit the ground and lose the power usually generated from the arms.  This drill also shows the athlete how much force the arms can produce.  When done properly the athletes’ body will bounce up and down

Purpose:    

·        Improve arm action

Technique:

·        Sit on the floor with the chest up, and back  flat

·        With the shoulders and hands relaxed, drive the arms past the hips and slightly above the shoulders (no higher then eye level).

·        keep the chin level and eyes focused straight ahead.

Points:       

·        Arm action-Think: hip pocket - eye socket.

·        Swing from the shoulder

·        Fast arms equal fast legs

·        Drive the elbows back

Part II: Knee drive/lift

When looking at basic sprinting mechanics, EVERYONE can benefit. 

In a continuation of our look at fundamental mechanics and their benefit to overall sprint performance we will now look at knee drive.  Going into the specific mechanics of the stride during specific phases of a race are beyond the scope of this article (but will be covered in future articles).  The “high knee” drill is often used as a warm up tool our sport, but question is why?  The main focus of completing the high knee drills are as follows:

·        Strengthening and wiring neuro-pathways to the hip-flexor region (muscles in the hips which lift the knee)

·        Driving the leg down to the ground (extension), and pushing off the ground.

This is a very important aspect.  Often athletes will lift their knee up, but their supporting leg (the one in contact with the ground) is bent.  The focus should be to fully extend and straighten this leg.  This is often referred to as triple extension (extension of the hip - knee - ankle) This will bring about a full “extension” and efficient push off the ground. 

When an athlete misses this explosive portion of their stride they are missing out on peak performance!  Think of your self squatting….could you lift more weight with a 1/4 squat or a full squat.  A quarter squat is the “stronger” of the two movements.  This is the strongest part of the athletes motion!  Let’s use it to our advantage when looking for maximum speed!

HIGH KNEE DRILL

Purpose:    

·        Aid in improving running technique

Technique:

·        While in place, drive knee up to about parallel to the ground, then drive the foot to ground landing on the ball of the foot.

·        Continue to use an opposite arm opposite leg action.

·        Once foot hits the ground, explosively drive the knee back up.

Points: 

·        Stay tall

·        Explode off the ball of the foot

·        Maintain proper arm swing

·        Bring the knee up as quickly as possible and drive it downward

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