Developing a Good Standing Start

Learning to position and balance the body, 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 the hand(s) is/are in contact with the ground and required to accept some body weight, ie; 3-point and 4-point starts, with and without starting blocks.

Standing Start Position

Generally Speaking

To not over complicate this, forward to the 3 minute 10 second mark of this video and note how the athletes move into their starting position. In my mind it should be that simple. When it comes to being prepared to react well and to aggressively apply forces to sprint from a standing start, without being allowed to roll into the start in some way, however, it does require a certain level of skill development. Having said that, I believe that an over-focus on starting explosively from the standing or any other position can be detrimental.

Some Basics

The feet should be spread enough to begin a good base, with the feet under the hips. The athlete should have the feeling of being up to the line with feet properly spread as the athlete begins assuming a folded type of position with a hinging type of hip movement (described below), with the body (hips and torso) angled forward to some extent. There is some knee bend and an attempt to have sufficient body lean, positioning, and balance that will allow him/her to be able to overcome inertia and to explosively move up the track in response to the starting signal. The head should be in a good alignment with the shoulders when the "set" position is established. See the "Cheating and what is Allowed" section below for a very important aspect of positioning at the start. In my "Effective Recruitment" blog I also described how the running surface, footwear, and not wanting to slip are parts of the equation.

Method of Practicing

I like to have athletes stand two or more steps behind the line, and then move up to it, learning how the various body parts work together to get into a good standing start position. I also often times allow the athletes to cheat, and even false start during workout runs to practice coordinating movements, not to mention that allowing them to move into the start during practice runs results in less wear and tear on the legs.

More Details

The head should be 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 as stated above and should be angled forward somewhat along with the torso. The knee and shin of the forward leg in the starting stance should feel close enough to the line and may even feel like the knee is 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, and that there likely is some lean of the torso over to the side of the front leg, there still should be some recognition of the hips and shoulders being squared enough to the direction the athlete is to travel, up the track. The "sufficient body lean" I alluded to above that helps overcoming inertia is similar to the type of body movement seen in these falling start drills. "Sufficient body lean", along with the hips and torso adequately angled forward while in the "set" position, applies to all starts in order for the athlete to be prepared to move up the track. Being able to do so skillfully without cheating (rolling start) is important in my mind, as it requires maximizing positioning, balance, etc..., that can be applied to powerfully starting.

Head Position and Line of Vision

Again, the head, along with being ahead of the starting line, should at least be carried/positioned in natural alignment with the shoulders. This means that when the shoulders move forward and down to get into position, that the head should do the same. That should affect the line of vision so that if the head is angled down toward the ground, then the line of vision should also be downward. This can get more challenging as the athlete improves the ability to crouch/coil and otherwise fold the body more. The head still needs to be in a stable position and the athlete has to be able to handle the line of vision being further down and even toward the rear than was previously the case. Technically speaking, ideally, I guess you can say there is some pretension present in the glutes and gastroc-soleus complex.

For the first step the head is to move forward and upward along with the rest of the body. What you don't want is for the athlete to look up and forward before the rest of the body moves forward and upward. Since the body's posture should be inclined forward during the initial acceleration, the head, again, should be in that alignment also, with the line of vision affected as explained above.

Reflexes

On the home page and during the "First Three Steps" blog I addressed reflexes. 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. As much as anything this knowledge can help a coach to understand excellent performances and not just say "you were in the zone", LOL. 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. Besides, there are other contributing reflexes. I prefer to talk about reacting well and moving well.

Additionally, fast forwarding to the four-point start, it is thought by some that while in the "set" position, having the head dropped and rounding of the spine and shoulder/chest area will aid spinal reflex actions, and thus allow athletes to apply more force.

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 be poised to produce force to set the body in motion from a basically still position (overcome inertia).

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 as the athlete is poised to react, etc... Although the front leg side of the body is emphasized to be ready to apply big force, the rear leg's role in regulating the body lean of the "set" position helps lead to it pushing off noticeably as part of setting the body in motion. With some athletes you'll see them reduce the angle of the rear shin to the ground while balancing themselves. Doing this along with properly emphasizing the front leg can also be done to help prevent a backward movement of the rear foot during the push off. Football coaches call the backward movement of the foot a "false step".

At least part of being "poised to react and respond with movement up the track" is what is commonly referred to as being "coiled"(see next section), and in my mind, it is important to be able to do this while in a standing position, as well as with having one or two hands on the ground without blocks. Then when other positions and starting blocks are added, it makes it that much easier to be effective in explosively starting. 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 opposing the body's tendency to stay at rest, is an important element of starting. As I stated earlier, 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. Again, this video shows an athlete doing a falling start, and rolling into the start in this way is not allowed in a competition. The athlete, however, is to move his/her body in a similar way to get into a good standing start position. The challenge is to dynamically position the body parts to be coiled and poised to react and to explosively apply force to initiate movement up the track without the body noticeably in motion prior to the gun.

When trying to lean into a good "set" position and attempting to be coiled while in a standing position, the hips and knees will likely bend a bit more while becoming more crouched with a hinging type of movement (see "hip hinge" below). I believe it is important to learn to do this without settling for a shift of the COM to the rear and downward. "Coiled" is referring to how a spring is compressed in the same way that the top to this Jack in the Box toy had to be closed before turning the handle to play the music. With practice the goal is to become better at being effective from that crouched position, and to continue onto a successful race. Although the front leg in the standing start stance will push off the hardest, along with the upper body and arm position, the position of the rear foot and shin of that leg can be important elements in helping provide balance and stability, ie; the feet are definitely spaced wider than in the falling start video above. I maintain that learning to start effectively from the standing start position will make it less likely that an athlete will need to depend on cheating when using blocks. The next section gives additional body position details.

Standing Start Example Critique

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.

Coordinating Body Parts

A starting line is not a necessity, but I like allowing athletes to walk up to a point, assuming a standing position and sprint without having to worry about being satisfactorily still in the "set" position. I like them to feel how far the feet need to be spaced, how the feet are placed in relation to their hips, to what extent the hips need to be under them and how forward the body needs to feel. Once the athlete is familiar enough with that general positioning, at certain points I then require a closer adherence to the rules of starting, not allowing cheating, and giving attention to details that I feel are important.

Problems Bending

Some athletes that don't bend and/or fold the body well naturally, ie, 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 controlling the hanging forward of the torso. The hanging forward of the torso should, in my mind, be accompanied by somewhat of a backward movement of the hips, in conjunction with whatever balancing movements need to be done, ie; legs in front, feet under the hips. The objective is to be 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), along with the rear foot pushing-off, there is a subtle movement of the power side foot (front foot) off its spot as the body begins moving forward. This helps create a forward shin angle and includes a natural supination of the foot to move it from its "pointed inward" position as the front leg continues the push off action with the rear leg. We'll refer to this shin angle 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, and the angles of both shins can be viewed as reference points when analyzing technique.

When doing a standing start where cheating is not allowed, I believe it is a mistake to scold athletes for the front foot moving off of its spot some during the pushing off as I explained above and require them to keep the ball of the front foot glued to the ground. I believe that this is a natural movement, that reflexes are also involved, and by not restricting the athlete, he/she is free to coordinate positions and actions to maximize explosive movements. In some cases, the front foot may primarily rise up high on the ball of the foot and move very little off of its spot when doing its little movement. The rear foot may also rise up high on the ball of its foot, and ideally the balance and movements can be coordinated so that the rear foot does not step backward. Decreasing the angle of the rear shin to the ground while the focal point is on the power side and having a good base, may help prevent a step backward. Although the front foot during 3-point and 4-point starts does not move off of its spot in conjunction with the rear foot's push-off, the front foot and hand(s) move quickly and explosively in a similar manner as they did during the standing start push-off.

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.

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” with a lot of bend in response to the starting command. True, this accomplishes the leaning forward of the torso and hips, but this is analogous to not having any or a little coil in the spring, and then both compressing the spring and uncoiling while the competition has already compressed their springs and basically just need to uncoil. An exception is that 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.