Today we introduced sprinting form in practice. Whether you are a sprinter or distance runner, sprinting mechanics are important. All of the athletes did a really great job today and improved quite a bit in a very short time. In order to improve, it takes constant practice and constant reminding of the fundamentals. When cheering for your athletes, here are some of the cues we use:
- Keep your head still – Should picture balancing a bowl on your head and focus on a target on the horizon
- Hammer back/Slam the elbows down – powerful and dynamic arm swing , hand to face – not locked at 90 degrees
- Step over the knee – high knee recovery
- Stay relaxed – think about making your eyelids/cheeks jiggle because your face is so relaxed
- Run tall – foot under hips with upright posture
- Chest up – good posture
- Quick off the ground
- One of the biggest mistakes we hear is telling athletes to make their stride longer – Longer is NOT faster. When you try to extend your stride, your lead leg tends to land before your center of gravity, causing you to “brake” and therefore losing energy and keeping you on the ground longer.
Here are pictures of a couple all time greats showing exactly what good form looks like.
