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The start of a race can set the table for success throughout the rest of the race. Although executing key fundamental aspects of running, and the top speed (max velocity) attained in the race is of the utmost importance, the skill of executing and managing various aspects, ie; things that affect stride length, stride frequency, running position, and the quality of the ground contacts during the start and initial acceleration, not only impacts performance during the early portion of the race, but also can put the athlete in position to maximize the quality and effectiveness of the top speed. For sprinters in the sport of track and field, the starting blocks provide an angled platform to push off against to launch into the race. A failure to skillfully utilize the starting blocks impacts the basic elements I previously alluded to and can negatively affect the rest of the race. Read on for valuable information on a learning progression that can be used to maximize speed in the sport of track and field, as well as to enhance the abilities of starting, stopping, changing direction, and achieving top speed effectively during other sports where prowess in these areas is important.

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Ironically

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This is not to say that athletes need to spend an inordinate amount of time throughout the year practicing starts. As a matter of fact, in the sport of track, many training runs, are not done by starting and accelerating very explosively in order to save the legs from excessive wear and tear. I maintain, however; that even when moving into starts, ie; with a roll, hop, etc..., or otherwise starting and accelerating in a lesser intense manner, this can be done in a way that helps develop the skill of utilizing body position, balance, and coordination during the early stages to effectively flow into the top speed for that given run. Check out my blogs for my take on how this can be achieved. When in sufficient condition, and during an appropriate time in the training period, it is beneficial to get some reps starting explosively and sprinting for 10-60 meters or so, but doing so when not in sufficient condition can lead to injury. 

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Some Limiting Factors 

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Various limiting factors are critical components. Some of these factors are strength, flexibility, mechanics, and conditioning. Much of the information in my blogs pertain to mechanics. I believe it is important for coaches to attempt to assess their athletes early on to try to identify what mechanics are already being executed skillfully, as well as which are not. This should allow the coach(es) to individualize instruction to some degree. Care must also be taken to not assign more importance to certain technical aspects than is due them. When dealing with youths, age-appropriateness is an important consideration in this regard. An explosive start and initial acceleration of a mature sprinter that is elite, typically should look differently than that of an elite but physically immature sprinter. Read my blogs for my take on some specifics of what to look for during the assessing, and what to stress when coaching athletes. 

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Flexibility

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It is important not to underestimate the importance of flexibility. For child athletes, their flexibility is most often very impressive, but with maturity, as the muscles and tendons strengthen, flexibility inevitably lessens. According to Ralph Mann," The biggest non-genetic factor affecting flexibility, however, is neglect." He explained the critical role flexibility plays, stating, "If a sprinter is not flexible enough in their pelvic area to shift their hips forward at Touchdown, then they are forced to "sit back" at foot strike. This position not only shifts the body center back (insuring more braking forces), but also presents a "soft" (less rigid) body position which leads to time consuming hip flexion, as well as requiring the hips to move through a longer range of motion (both time and energy wasteful).

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In my mind, gaining an understanding of the movements described in the previous Mann quote, and recognizing their part in the athlete's movement up the track from the start of the race, through initial acceleration and top speed is foundational. There are varying degrees of flexibility and ranges of motion demonstrated by successful sprinters. Understanding what Mann explained can help coaches identify various methods of compensation athletes may use, as well as help coaches consider strategies to address root causes of various movement issues. Left unaddressed, some issues not only can hamper performance, but also can lead to injury. It is my aim to detail this and more throughout this website. 

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Strength/Conditioning

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There is obviously a significant genetic component to strength, but a major challenge for the coach is to adequately address the static, dynamic, and elastic strength needs. As with flexibility, being able to identify various functional strength needs can be very valuable. My "Physical Development" blog covers this as well as conditioning. 

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Important Aspects of Starting Positions Are Shared to Some Degree 

 

Learning to position, balance, and coordinate movements to get out and up the track effectively includes recruiting key muscle groups, reacting well, and starting explosively. Learning to do this from the "standing start" position not only can carry over to other sports where movements are initiated from a standing position, but can also provide valuable carryover abilities to the 4-point and 3-point starting stances. In my way of thinking, a critically important part of this "moving effectively up the track" has to do with the athlete and/or coach recognizing if the hips and body are moving through space as they should during the establishment of good front side mechanics and stride dynamics during the initial strides. I explain in my blogs how this is done from the various starting positions, and how using starting blocks can impact this! In addition, I believe that it is important to have times where the athletes attempt to start explosively from the standing start position where the starter requires abiding by the rules that prohibit moving into the start in an illegal manner. This can be difficult to master, but I go into detail in my blogs explaining how a "good faith effort" from the athlete to accomplish this skill can prove to be very valuable!

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How Speed Development Impacts Other Sports

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In a perfect world, I believe that speed training should occur in the off-season where the athlete doesn't have to be overly concerned with quickly seeing results on the field, court, pitch, etc... Having said that, I do believe that the balls, implements, sport specific movements, etc..., need to be adequately incorporated in the speed training, ie; dribbling a basketball, soccer ball, defensive movements, etc... My blogs on incorporating speed into specific sports include videos of how some of the fastest athletes in those sports looked during game play. Once again, athletes should not lose sight of the primary objective still being to effectively execute the fundamentals of the sport. An example is how basketball players are to jump off of one foot under control to shoot a layup after dribbling down the court very fast. A fundamental of jumping events in track applies here. The speed needs to be under control enough to execute the jump effectively, and the last few steps are important for executing this. In my " Speed Training for Basketball" blog I go into the details. There is also the aspect of preparing the joints, tendons, and musculature for the stresses that an improvement of speed may have when starting, stopping, changing direction, and achieving top speed during play. My blogs address this as well.  

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My Blogs

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Below are the titles of a series of blogs where I go in depth into particular topics. Most of the blogs, however; are less than a 5-minute read. The exception is my The Start is Actually the first Three Steps blog, which is a 9-minute read and pretty much lays the foundation for the rest of the blogs. In regard to sports that feature jumping, pivoting, and changes of direction, I suggest first reading my Care for the Knees blog, as it includes valuable information about the possible susceptibility to non-contact ACL Tears and how possibly to help prevent them. Even if you first read my Preparing Athletes for Sports That Feature Starting, Stopping, and Changes of Direction blog, you will see how it is necessary to get the information from the other blogs.

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That aside, my suggestion is to read the blogs in the order you see below.  You'll notice that I have numerous blogs listed before the blogs that describe the particular starting positions. This is intentional, in order to give you a good overall view before considering the starting positions. You can easily access the blogs using the "Blog" button at the top of this page, then click on each blog that you want to read. You will probably have to scroll down to the "Start is Three Steps" blog. If viewing this on your phone, click on the three lines in the search box at the top of the page, then click on "Blog". I welcome your comments, but I admit, this being a new site, I'm not sure how easy it is to post a comment. I plan to check and respond periodically. 

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My Availability

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I am located in Lexington, South Carolina. The track season and academic year at the school where I'm coaching has ended. I am able to consult with groups, ie; track teams/clubs, football teams, soccer teams, basketball teams, etc..., as well as with individuals and small groups for training. I will work with any age, but I admit, my passion is helping youths toward realizing their potential. High School football players headed to college prospect camps this summer, more than likely will be asked to run a 40-yard dash. Agree with it or not, an awful lot of importance is placed on 40-yard dash times. My approach, however; is not just to help 40-yard dash performances, but to also help improve movement fundamentals that hopefully can also be used on the field. You may contact me at youthspeedcoach@gmail.com if you are interested.

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Now Posted

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The Start is Actually the First Three Steps!

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The Initial Acceleration Beyond the Start

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Rotational and Linear Aspects of Sprinting

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Effective Recruitment and Coordination of Key Muscle Groups

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Developing a Good Standing Start

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The Three-Point and Four-Point Starts 

 

Max Velocity (Top Speed) in a Short Sprint

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Physical Development and Resistance Training for Sprinters

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Sample Early Season Training for Your Sprint - Jump - Hurdle Groups

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Running the 40-Yard Dash

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Care for the Knees During Sports That Involve Jumping, Pivoting, and Cutting

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Preparing athletes for Sports That Feature Starting, Stopping, and Changes of Direction

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Applying Sprinting Skills and Speed to the Football Field

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Speed Training and Basketball

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Speed Training and Soccer

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Contact me at youthspeedcoach@gmail.com for other topics you would like me to address

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