Some Fundamental Aspects of Sprinting

Technique General Overview

If presented with enough urgency, I feel most anyone will find a way to get from point "A" to point "B" reasonably close to their present ability and skill level. Different limiting factors play their roles, and of course, training is to address things like strength, flexibility, coordination, etc..., that play parts in the outcome of the sprinting effort, as well as learning to maximally apply skills to covering the various sprint distances. Having said that it obviously behooves coaches and athletes to be aware of the various successful ways in which techniques and races are executed, and through training and competitions, with good coaching, significant improvements in technique and performances may occur.

Some Technical Specifics

Stu McMillan in this video describes two different methods of getting up the track fast. One technique emphasizes "pushing" more, while the other utilizes "pulling" more. Ralph Mann described two different factions in track in regard to starting. One he says, "advocates a powerful, explosive start that seeks to jump out and make steps as long as possible (Jump Start), and one that believes that the action should be a quick turnover action that makes the steps as short as possible (Shuffle Start)." He said that both starts can be effective.

Another very important description that describes two different methods within the starting sequence can be found in the book Running by Frans Bosch and Ronald Klomp. It states; "At the start of a sprint, the upper body is leaning forward. This position is achieved either by bending the spinal column quite far combined with a slight pelvic tilt forward, or by tilting the pelvis far to the front combined with little or no flexion in the spinal column." Very importantly, also stated is, "The advantage of starting with the back extended (slight flexion) is that the erector spinae is very active and can contribute to the impulse at push off. When the spinal column is bent quite far, the action of the erector spinae declines. However, if the spinal column is completely bent, the function of the erector spinae will be completely taken over by tightly drawn dorsal ligaments. Starting a sprint with the back bent very round is thus more passive and less effective than when the back is straighter."

In my opinion an example of what was described in the previous paragraph can be seen by forwarding to the 45 second point of this video. The young lady in lane one assumes the starting position with less bend in the spinal column and does a better job of pushing off into the first step than the young lady in lane two that has more forward spinal column bend, but let's look a little deeper. The young lady with the more spinal column bend (lane two) has a straight back (a good thing), and in my mind, if she would conquer her somewhat of a fear of falling and would learn to do a better job of directing her push off "down and back", she would launch better into the race with her body better positioned to continue accelerating. So, in other words, I believe with time, patience, and good coaching, I believe that the girt in lane one could learn to angle her upper body a little more forward, including a bit of a hinging type of movement at her hips that would bring her hips back a bit in conjunction with her trunk angling forward some. She should still be able to push off powerfully, and maybe the girl in lane two might be encouraged to be a little more upright to get the feeling of a good push off before easing her upper body back down and continue to work on pushing off powerfully. Just my opinion.

Degrees of Pelvic Tilt/Spinal Column Flexion Out of the Blocks

Forward to the 3 minute and 25 second point in this video, and compare the "set" position of Tate Taylor, lane 4, as opposed to the "set" position of Brayden Williams, lane 5. In my mind, Taylor exhibits less spinal flexion and more forward pelvic tilt, and Williams eases back toward the pedals with his hips into the position that facilitates more spinal flexion and less forward pelvic tilt. For a sprint as short as a forty-yard dash, my belief is that the style Williams uses may often yield better times, but I believe Taylor's method generally is better for many athletes for the 100 and 200-meter dashes, considering the importance of getting the most out of max velocity. In some of my blogs I get deeper into this, but in regard to using starting blocks, as I explained on the Home Page there needs to be the ability of the athlete coordinate body weight, body positioning, and body balance management for effective execution.  

In Addition

Adarian Barr describes some key aspects of movement in this video. He references gravity and the two falls an athlete should experience with each stride while running. You may forward to the 8 minute 40 second mark of the video to hear his specific description of the two falls. The entire video says some interesting things that relate to timing, rhythm, and coordination of movements to be more in sync with gravity. Like anyone else you listen to, you need to use your own judgement as to what to accept and what not to. I found a lot of what Barr said as worth investigating and trying with my athletes. As it pertains to efficient running, the Two Mass Model that explains movement of the body during running also relates to the two falls that Barr references.

Coaches and athletes must also understand that reflexes are an important part of the deal. Three reflexes often identified as important contributors during successful sprinting are the stumble reflex, crossed extensor reflex, and the stretch reflex. In my mind, a good choice coaches can make, is to do a lot of studying to gain a deep understanding of their craft and possibly develop their "coaching eye" to the extent that they can possibly identify the contribution of reflexes during some of the athletes more impressive runs. This video briefly describes the stumble and crossed extensor reflexes, but I suggest checking out the book Running by Bosch and Klomp for a more thorough explanation. This awesome video does a super job in regard to the stretch reflex.

The Big Picture as I See It

What I described above are some basics that I believe that coaches should be familiar with. Sprinting, however, happens very fast, and developing a "Coaching eye" that can recognize things like I described above as athletes are explosively getting from Point-A to Point-B is a very useful skill. Then there is the giving of appropriate coaching cues to the athletes. Everyone doesn't get from the starting line to the finish line in the same way, and there can be overlap in the; push-pull, jump-shuffle start, and spinal flexion-pelvic tilt movement choices. Learning what is considered to be within the bandwidth of acceptability in regard to technique also should be in a coach's toolbox. In my blogs I include that as well as give suggestions for cues that may be effective.

A major theme of this website, in regard to sprinting in track and field, is to help develop a start that best sets up the entire race. Forward to the 1 minute 25 second mark of this video to see how smooth and controlled that Kayinsola Ajaye looks during his 9.84 100 meters he ran at the NCAA Eastern Regional Meet. He got out with the pack and then pulled away from the pack. Watching that race you should be able to see "starting" in its proper perspective. His start set up a smooth and efficient acceleration to a very nice max velocity. The start should not be judged by who is in front at the 10-meter mark.