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Runners Taking Off

               The Start Doctor

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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 are of the utmost importance, the skill of executing and managing various aspects, ie; things that affect stride length, stride frequency, running position(s), 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. A problem, however; is that there must be an effective teaching strategy because using starting blocks can provide quite a challenge for athletes of all ages and stages of maturity. My suggestion is to focus on skillfully starting and accelerating from various positions without blocks before adding starting blocks. Read on for the learning progression that I use to develop fundamentally sound starting block use. This teaching method can also be used 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, and as I said above, it is the top speed (max velocity), that is the primary consideration. In my opinion this includes the top speed attained in sub max training runs, as the athlete can demonstrate the ability to react and respond effectively and coordinate movements, along with the timing and rhythm to maximize efficiency at the various speeds and intensities, with the idea being for the athlete to develop the ability to maximize running efficiency and effectiveness at any pace. I also maintain that even when moving into starts, ie; with a roll, hop, etc..., or otherwise starting and accelerating in a lesser intense manner, that these reps can still support the development of body control and the maximizing of performance that I just alluded to. When in sufficient condition, and during an appropriate time in the training period, it of course, is beneficial to get reps starting explosively and moving toward and into top speeds in a similar manner that is done during competitions. Doing so allows the athlete the opportunity to master operating with the body and its parts moving through angles, paths, trajectories and applying force in ways that correspond with competitive intensities. When not in sufficient condition, however; repeated intense sprinting can lead to injury. Check out my blogs for my take on maximizing sprint success.

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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, but I hope to make it clear how technical aspects are supported by various physical abilities. 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, and what physical abilities are strengths, and which are weaknesses. This should allow the coach(es) to individualize instruction to some degree. When dealing with youths, age-appropriateness is an important consideration in this regard. Coaches need to be able to recognize various limitations athletes may have at the varying levels of maturity and developmental stages as they are trying to accomplish various tasks. Read my blogs for my take on these matters. This very importantly includes recognizing and understanding elite level performances, and identifying areas that even the elite athletes may need to improve upon as well!

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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 important to realize that athletes at all levels exhibit compensatory actions related to body structure/development, previous injuries, etc... Although I certainly am not an expert in this area, I hope to provide helpful information in some of my blogs. I participated in the Altis Apprentice Coach Program this past summer in Atlanta, and it made a huge impression upon me when I saw the attention the athletes got on the therapy tables, getting massages and other forms of body work meant to address various issues that if untreated, could have been problematic. 

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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 well as getting the athlete to apply these abilities effectively when sprinting. As with flexibility, being able to identify various functional strength needs can be very valuable, and as with flexibility, various functional strength aspects support good technique, ie; joint stability. 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 react quickly and get out and up the track effectively includes recruiting key muscle groups and utilizing reflexes to start explosively while utilizing good ranges of motion. 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 used during sprints. A key issue in my mind, is that many athletes don't feel they are able to react well and move explosively and effectively up the track from the standing position unless allowed to cheat, ie, roll or otherwise move into the start. This leads many to feel that putting one or two hands on the ground is a basic necessity for getting a good start when not allowed to cheat, as well as feeling that having starting blocks to push off from is a necessity in order to get a good start. This belief can lead to a failure to develop positioning and balancing methods that can lead to maximizing performances from the other starting positions, not to mention that many sprinters cheat during block starts also, and as I've said, an effective start and initial acceleration, makes it easier to flow into an effective max velocity. â€‹â€‹

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In Addition

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Check out this reflexes link also (other link in previous paragraph). Forming an understanding of the roles that reflexes play, as much as anything, can help coaches better understand the high-level performances that they are looking at, and help them to better build upon and enhance these athletes' successes. At an elite or close to elite level, most of the sprinters exhibit impressive reflexes and powerful movements that occur at 4.5 - 5 strides per second, yet some sprinters are obviously consistently better than the others. I hope to be able to describe in my blogs a learning progression that can help identify areas that even elite athletes can improve upon and lead to an improvement in their sprint performances. Read on!

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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, jumping/landing, 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 school where I teach Physical Education and coach Track is in session, so, of course, I am occupied with that. You may contact me at youthspeedcoach@gmail.com to see when 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.

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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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