I am a South Carolina School Teacher, Running Speed Coach, and believer in Jesus Christ whose passion is helping students and student-athletes to succeed. My Salvation Debate page is a must read for Believers that aren't aware that there is such a thing as a debate on whether or not you are really saved, and for those that have not yet given their life to Christ, there is something for you on that page as well. The Health and Wellness page describes a healthy lifestyle from the perspective of being a good steward of the health that God has blessed you with.

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In the sport of Track and Field, the start of a short sprint can set the table for success throughout the rest of the race. The top speed (max velocity) attained in the race is of the utmost importance, but the skill of executing and managing various aspects 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. In track and field, sprinters may significantly underachieve when they fail to skillfully utilize the starting blocks. There must be an effective teaching strategy because using starting blocks can provide quite a challenge for athletes of all stages of maturity and ability levels. ​

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Validation

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For those that would like to question the importance that I'm placing on learning proper use of starting blocks and how difficult it is to teach, check out this brief video by Olympic Gold Medalist Maurice Greene. Greene is now a high school track coach. Greene appears to be referencing developmental athletes like the ones he works directly with, however, if you follow track and field closely, you'll learn that many at the most elite level have expressed difficulty with mastering the start, ie, Noah Lyles, see video, and the quote below from a class I took from Altis also speaks to the challenge of using starting blocks effectively:

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"Of note, it has been very interesting for us to collect data on athletes executing relay starts, hanging starts, and 3 point starts by sprinters of all skill levels, genders, ages, under pressure, and in solo attempts, etc. Our findings reveal that when using these methods, a majority execute better in terms of velocities, acceleration curves, kinematic landmarks, and kinetic data points. Perhaps we should study how they run fast from those positions, and somehow transfer those lever positions, angles, balance points, and weight distributions over to the blocks?"​

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The Problem as I See It

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Starting technique from the various positions and drills that precede using blocks should be as simple as giving some general steering and cues and the athlete organically should be able to learn to position, balance, and coordinate actions to start effectively in those scenarios. Some athletes, obviously, learn faster than others. Blogs on this website show how I progress from standing positions, thru 3 and 4-point positions without blocks.

 

When blocks are added it is a lot more difficult to get that natural feel that allows the athlete to quickly adapt to that scenario. A major reason being the need to now load the legs against the angled pedals and learn to push off and direct actions at effective angles. Gravity is no longer directly pushing the body down toward the surface the athlete is about to push off from. To effectively load the legs against the block pedals requires the athlete to be able to skillfully manage body weight, balancing, and coordinated movements. Once again, general steering and timely cues are critical, but a major aspect that I've found in dealing with developmental athletes is that the vast majority of blocks adjust down to 45 degrees for the lowest angle, and that angle and greater presents a significant body weight and body position management challenge if the athlete is actually trying to load the legs against the block pedals. As coaches we know that having the front pedal at 45 degrees and one notch up for the rear pedal can be a great combination if the athlete can handle it but therein lies the issue. In the video above featuring Maurice Greene, he expresses how difficult it is to teach "starting block use" because he knows what constitutes a fundamentally sound start. 

 

A big part of my success teaching starts to my athletes is that I invested in the three types of starting blocks out there on the market that adjust down lower than 45 degrees and let my athletes more gradually get to the point where they are effective using the greater angles. In my blogs I mention those specific blocks and how I used them. This also led to me going a step further to design a starting block that adjusts down to lower angles than any other on the market. I describe it in the next section.

 

Level One Starting Blocks (Pictured to the Left)​

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I designed Level One Starting Blocks to feature pedal angles of 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 degrees. Beginning with the front pedal at 20 degrees and the rear pedal at 30-35 degrees, then gradually increasing the pedal angles, can help the athletes to more easily adjust to the demands of loading the legs against starting block pedals and avoid these types of bad habits.

 

When the front pedal is at 20 degrees, the foot for that pedal is not expected to be as close to being flush against that pedal as will be the case when the angle is greater. At least, however, the athlete can begin getting used to having the body in position while having the legs loading against the angled pedals. Having the head down and the hips raised above the shoulders while loading against pedals can lead to a feeling of the athlete wanting to tumble forward, so gradually learning to deal with that is a good thing. When the front pedal is at a low angle the athlete can get a little closer to the line, and I don't like for the rear pedal to be at too low of an angle because that encourages the athlete to unnaturally straighten the rear leg to make good contact with the rear pedal. When the front pedal is increased to 30 degrees and greater, then the athlete can work more on how the legs are to load against the pedals when both feet are at least close to being flush against them. In other words, Level One blocks function as a training tool, as well as equipment that can be used in competitions. It is my wish for the blocks to be available to the general public during the Fall. You may leave your email on the form below if you would like to be notified when Level One Blocks are available. Please check the little box and click "Subscribe".
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Who Am I

 

You can check out my brief Bio. More than anything, like most coaches, I learned most of what I know from others. I've chosen to pay special attention to the development of effective starts that put the athlete in position to maximize success during the rest of the race. I'm offering the blogs on this site as a resource for those that want to check them out. I wholeheartedly encourage coaches to seek to learn from others as I have. I plan to feature links to classes, camps, seminars, etc..., that I'm in favor of. Those that would like my opinion on things, have questions about my blogs, want help with their athlete(s), etc..., may contact me at leveloneathletics@gmail.com.

 

Start Doctor Speed Training

 

I live in Lexington, South Carolina, and besides remote training being a possibility, I am willing to drive in the ballpark of 1 1/2 hours to a session. I welcome coaches and parents that would like for me to watch film of their athletes and communicate my opinions to them. For athletes that are on a team and/or have a trainer of some type, I believe it is important for everyone to be on the same page, so I will seek for there to be communication with the others before prescribing specific workouts.​​ "Speed Training" like anything else, puts particular stresses on the body, and recovery is an important consideration. For those that just want work on starts, I am available to come for 1-3 sessions to primarily focus on that. You may contact me with the email included in the section above.

 

Important Consideration

 

Athletes that are on a team or in a program that addresses overall conditioning and want a limited number of sessions with me to help improve running technique and speed, then that can work. What I think is a bad idea is to not give conditioning its due attention and want to come to me for a few sessions to improve speed, and then repetitiously zoom all over the court/field while ignoring the fact that sufficient conditioning wasn't done. Injuries happen that way. In track, typically muscle strains and pulls may occur and for sports that feature changes of direction, stopping, starting, jumping, landing, etc..., more serious injuries at some point may happen, ie, knee and achilles injuries. Check out this video to see the types of things that can be a part of a good conditioning program for sports that feature changes of direction, stopping, and starting, etc... In addition, there should also be the recognition that executing the fundamental aspects of those sports still should be primary, with the goal being to successfully incorporate the improved body control and speed into their game. I address this in my blogs.

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My Blogs

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I provide very detailed information in my blogs. For a look at my basic overall outlook, I would suggest first checking out my Fundamental Aspects and Start Doctor Training blogs. Otherwise, the list of my blogs is here. Again, don't forget to use the form below to be notified when Level One Blocks will be available. Thanks for your time.