Learning to position, balance, and coordinate movements to react well, and move explosively in an efficient manner up the track from a standing start when the starter doesn't allow cheating, not only can carry over to other sports where athletes start while standing, but can also can carry over to starting positions where additional body parts are in contact with the ground and required to accept some weight, ie; 3-point and 4-point starts. What I've observed is that many athletes in 3-point and 4-point starting stances rely too much on the hand(s) on the ground for balance/stability and it keeps them from maximizing their explosiveness. (Keep Reading)
Standing Start Position
The feet should be spread enough to begin a good base, with the feet aligned with the knees and hips. When in the "set" position, the body, generally speaking is being positioned to be able to overcome inertia and to explosively move up the track. See the "Cheating and what is Allowed" section below for a very important aspect of positioning at the start. There is some bend at the waist and knees with the head ahead of the starting line. The shoulders should at least be up to the line, but maybe ahead of the line to some extent. The hips should feel close enough to the line and should be angled forward to some degree as I alluded to earlier. The knee and shin of the forward leg in the starting stance should feel close enough to the line, and maybe even feel like they are a bit ahead of the line, but not really angled forward like the torso, hips, and shin of the rear leg. Having a significant forward shin angle in the front leg would require too much hanging forward and likely a lower than desired hip height. When poised to launch into the race, about two-thirds of the weight is centered over the position of the front leg in the starting stance, with the hip/glute area of that front leg likely being a focal point. Although the front leg side is emphasized there still should be some recognition of the hips and shoulders squared to the direction the athlete is to travel, up the track. There also should be an effective total body lean when in the "Set" position. By effective total body lean I'm referring to that which has the athlete sufficiently balanced with his/her center of mass positioned effectively and with the joints sufficiently loaded and with the athlete poised to react well and to move explosively up the track with big enough movements. In the "Cheating vs What is Allowed" and "Bending the Body" sections below I will explain more thoroughly what I believe constitutes an effective total body lean. This is important because it applies to all starting positions that I will detail.
Having a reasonable knowledge of the roles that reflexes play in sprint success can also be important if applied in an appropriate way. This article gives a view of a role the Cross-Extensor Reflex plays. See this video and that video for more detailed info. In my mind this is an instance where the skill of the coach can be important because you can easily say too much or wrong things that distract an athlete when trying to get technical.
Quick Side/Power Side
The pursuit of trying to effectively position and balance the body to put forth a good faith effort to start in accordance with the rules of starting that prohibit illegally moving into the start, brings attention to the different roles carried out by the quick side (side of the rear leg) and the power side (side of the front leg) to set the body in motion from a basically still position (overcome inertia). As I explained in detail in my "Effective Recruitment" blog, in reference to starting from a standing position, the article, “What is the Drive Phase in Sprinting, Part 3”: adds, “You can’t push from your toes as toes are meant to grip. The gripping toes create stability for the push off. This is the key to force application and push mechanics when starting from a standstill (traction).” I also stated previously that I may add or substitute "curling/dorsi-flexion" of the toes to describe the gripping aspect, and this certainly also applies to three and four-point starting positions with and without starting blocks.
While positioning for standing starts, various body parts move in different ways that I refer to as dynamic balancing. This includes being aware of how the weight is positioned in relation to the feet. Properly loading the joints not only refers to the hips and knees, but likely will include a degree of dorsi-flexion of both ankles while positioning and preparing to start. The back foot may be on the ball of the foot and poised to react, etc...
Again, when starting blocks are added, these aspects are also part of the deal as the athlete executes the skill of the legs loading toward and against the block pedals, in preparation to launch properly. Read on!
Cheating vs What is Allowed
When watching sprints in track meets, we all have seen athletes get away with movements prior to the gun that help facilitate a good reaction and movement up the track. This occurs because effectively overcoming inertia, in this case the body's tendency to stay at rest, is an important element of starting. It is important to understand that some movements associated with leaning or rolling into the start, can be done legally during the establishment of the "set" position, and ideally is carried out in a way where the athlete is poised to be able to legally overcome inertia, while maximally coiled and poised to react and explode into the race with big enough movements. This brief video shows an athlete doing a falling start from a pretty decent standing start position, and the body lean I'm referring to is the forward position he is in prior to taking his first step. The next section gives additional body position details.
Bending the Body
When getting good at bending, there should be an awareness of having an appropriate hip height as the torso is angled forward while in the "set" position. This very importantly, should cause the head to be angled appropriately forward, resulting in the eye focus to be more downward and even toward the rear in some cases, depending on how much the torso is angled downward. As the body is poised to react well and explosively start, there should be a feeling of the total body being in a good position in relation to the starting line.
An important part of the positioning and balancing is having the hips at an appropriate position to help facilitate significant glute/hip/pelvic involvement. See the "Problems Bending" section below. Other cues that may help have to do with the "legs being in front of you" and "feet being under you" while assuming this starting position. Again, these aspects can be carried over to other starting positions. The positions may change, but the positioning and balancing to maximally involve the glutes/hip/pelvic region is always a major consideration.
Standing Start Example
This video demonstrates a pretty good standing start position, but in order to be ready to react quickly and explode into a sprint, I would suggest that the feet be spread a little more. This will also require that the arms be positioned a little differently to coordinate with that more spread position of the feet. Very importantly, the young lady in the video rolls into her starts (cheats). Again, a major challenge that needs to be dealt with is being able to have a position that allows the athlete to react quickly and move explosively without rolling or otherwise cheating prior to the starting signal.
Problems Bending
Some athletes that don't bend well naturally and/or don't have their torso angled forward, may need to be better acquainted with the hip hinge movement. Ideally, bending includes at least a fairly straight back, and skillfully controls the hanging forward of the torso, while at the same time being poised to start explosively. This also includes preparing the glutes to be recruited in anticipation of taking the body and a powerful stride forward and upward during the starting action. This movement is to be supported by a straight back. Pertaining to this, the book Running states, "The back must be kept straight, because the dorsal muscles can work most effectively in that position, thus contributing to the force of the push-off by way of forward pelvic tilt. If the back is too rounded, the dorsal muscles work less effectively, thus reducing their total contribution to the force of the push-off."
Shin Angles and Footwork
During the starting action after being required to abide by the rules (not cheat), there is a subtle movement of the power side foot (front foot) off its spot during the quick side's initial movement and as the body begins moving forward. This creates a forward shin angle as the front leg continues the push off action with the rear leg. We'll refer to this as the "push angle". This is clearly evident in football watching wide receivers begin their routes. It is important to understand, however; that both feet are in contact with the ground at the same time during some of the push off, if only for a very brief moment. Being skilled in executing this brings with it a foot quickness/lightness on the feet as the body moves that can be carried over to 3-point and 4-point starts, even though, very importantly, the front foot during 3-point and 4-point starts does not move off of its spot, but the quickness and lightness should not only be felt in the feet, but also in the hand(s).
Important Note
When athletes doing a standing start are allowed to roll or fall into the start, the subtle movement of the front foot off the spot typically won’t occur since the rolling takes the body forward and creates the forward shin angle. Note this when watching this athlete subtly roll into his start.
More on Standing Start Footwork
You don't want the athlete to rely on stepping backward with the back foot to initiate the push off into the first step, as this not only is an inefficient movement, but it can also negatively affect the trajectory of the first stride and ultimately the height of the hips. If you see an athlete be explosive while stepping backward, encourage him/her to try to do a better job of positioning, ie, having legs in front and feet under while spread enough in the stance, with the weight appropriately toward the position of the front leg while leaning. "Knees facing forward" may also be a good cue. You don't, however; settle for a start where that step backward was eliminated, but the start in general is not explosive. Hopefully reps with training partners and good coaching can continue the improvement.
I Also Don't Like
I do not like the standing start method of “stand up straight with little or no bend at the knees, lean forward, then collapse at the joints” in response to the starting command. If something like this is done to save wear and tear on the legs during workouts then that is acceptable in my mind. If this is done when the athlete is actually trying to get a good start, this will not serve as an effective lead-up to other starts in my opinion, as trying to simulate this with three- and four-point starts can—as Dan Pfaff points out—result in projection angles that are too low, and balance issues that athletes try to correct with zigzag running. As I've expressed in my other blogs, getting sufficient elevation from the very beginning is an important aspect.
Soft Standing Starts and Starts During Training
Once again, requiring the athletes too many times to be completely stationary before starting and to start explosively can be very stressful for the legs. Stu McMillan of ALTIS also explains and shows athletes moving into starts in this video. In addition, allowing an athlete to roll or fall into the standing start can also be a good way to introduce the double leg drive (both feet pushing off together) to athletes that start by merely picking up the back foot.
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