The Initial Acceleration Beyond the Start and During Pre-Max Velocity

An emphasis of mine is for the athlete to learn to make great use of positioning, coordination of movements, and the effective application of forces to successfully move up the track. This includes creating sufficient leverage to appropriately get the hips and body out explosively, at a good angle, and an optimal distance up the track and creating and utilizing momentum during the first three steps. There should be good front side mechanics, with hips that are rising. As was explained in a previous blog, I'm in agreement with Ralph Mann that the "start" is comprised of "first three steps". The following instruction on continuing the acceleration after the first three steps is assuming that the first three steps were executed in a decent manner. In other words, the effects of collapsing joints and deficiencies in flexibility and power, and poor fundamentals that may occur during the first three steps won't magically disappear as the run progresses.

After Starting Well

After a good job of executing the first three steps of a short sprint, there is the first transition to consider. Ralph Mann described after the first three steps as, "the Mechanics of the sprint begin a transition from a powerful Horizontally directed drive to a more Vertically directed effort seen in the Maximum Velocity Sprint Mechanics". This is not, however, to minimize the importance of horizontal forces. Alluding to the first 10 meters, Mann states this is where “the production of Horizontal ground force is of critical importance”, this implies that beyond this point that vertical forces become more and more primary. In my mind, this identifies another transition point. Another characteristic of this "First 10 Meters Zone" is that the strides shouldn’t feature as much plantar flexion on the way to ground strike as will occur later in the race. In my mind though, successfully executing the subtle shift to the "more Vertically directed effort" that Mann alluded to above, is an important contributor to an efficient acceleration.

I believe that recognizing the, "after three steps", and "after 10 meters" transition points that Mann describes can also make it easier for the athlete to execute the effective rising of the body which includes the rising of the hips. Hips that don't rise early in the race typically won't rise as they should for the rest of the race, thus limiting stride length and movement efficiency. Very importantly, the hips should also be properly positioned under the athlete during each phase of the race. Having sufficient stride length also implies that the body's musculature can handle the stresses from what typically are large ranges of motion, especially in the hip/pelvic and leg areas.

Other Transitions

As stated in the book Running, there is also a progression from long to brief contact times, from explosive to reactively working muscles, and from many to a minimum number of rotations for which the runner must compensate. The coach should learn how this impacts technique in terms that the athlete can understand.

Utilizing Momentum Effectively and Efficiently

Even in short sprints there still can be an element of energy conservation. As former 100-meter dash world record holder Maurice Greene said, in referring to the drive phase, "use as much power as possible while using as little energy as possible". The next paragraph is expanding on what Greene said, with several of his quotes. See if you can get from it how he maximized efficiency.

Greene described his starting and accelerating from starting blocks as a combination of explosiveness and control, saying, "sweep the ground with your arms during block clearance, then pump arms very strong keeping them at 90 degrees, relax the upper part of your body, hands are open and come down like you’re slamming a hammer. You want things going straight, using less energy and less time, avoiding side to side." Greene also says, "in the drive phase use as much power as possible while using as little energy as possible, controlling your breathing and feeling your way through it." In addition, Greene referred to “the body position and angles that allow you to access the power in your glutes."

The word "patience" is very appropriate as it relates to realizing that executing the start and initial acceleration adequately puts the athlete in position to maximize the effectiveness of the max velocity later in the race. I believe it is a mistake, however, to mis-interpret Maurice Greene's commentary in a way that leads away from the realization that intense and explosive efforts are needed at the start. Like with anything else, with practice, the skill level can improve and result in better control, efficiency, and effectiveness. FYI - Two sprinters in the 100-meter dash may have the exact same max velocity and the same ability to maintain that velocity, but if one who is trying to conserve energy accelerates too slowly and reaches max velocity later in the race, he/she will lose to the other sprinter that accelerated more efficiently.

World-renowned sprint coach John Smith summed things up very well when he described the objective of the start and initial portion of a sprint: “It isn’t about thrust as much as it is about balance—about each step being so perfectly placed that it sets the stage for optimizing the power of the next step.” A key aspect in my mind, however; is that different ability levels need to go about this in ways most appropriate for them, ie; the landing position of the feet in relation to the COG may differ with different ability levels.

In Addition

Along with the things Greene articulated above I like to call attention to the first 10 meters, calling it the "power zone". After the power zone the glutes/hips are still primary during the extension, but the cue "power" loses its effectiveness as the feet spend less and less time on the ground.

Critical Cues for the Driving Phase

For the first 10 meters. Go to the 36-minute 15 seconds mark of this video to hear Jonas Dodoo add some important details about this early portion of the race, ie; "although there is stiffness on the contact, the effort is at the end of the push" during these early strides. For some or many, the "effort is at the end of the push" is more felt as the knees lift toward the chest for each stride. FYI - This is part of the early part of the "Other Transitions" described above, ie, "long ground contact, explosive, many rotations".

As for how fast the legs move, it is important to refer back to my "The Start is the First Three Steps" blog for an explanation of having "trunk discipline" and "shin discipline" during the extension into each stride. If the glutes/hips are emphasized during without over-using the back for extension, then the extension can more easily be followed immediately by hip flexion for the next stride. A term that is often used to describe this limb exchange is "switching".

Impacts the Effectiveness of the Force Application and Rhythm of the Sprint

The athlete typically spends more time on the ground than in the air for each stride until during strides 6-8 (close to the 10-meter mark) where this reverses, and as the body continues to rise, and hopefully is effectively being projected up the track, the feet spend less and less time on the ground, and the body spends more and more time in the air for each stride.

As I alluded to earlier, a critical aspect is for the sprinter to have managed the efficiency of movement up the track during the "feeling of power" phase (first ten meters). Common mistakes include athletes trying to emphasize power for too long of a period, resulting in the athlete to spending too much time on the ground for each stride in an attempt to apply force, rather than doing so with timing and coordination. Ideally the timing a rhythm of the run results in appropriate projection and rising during each phase of the run. As speed and performance guru Dan Pfaff noted, "With most great sprinters the foot contacts are relatively silent. You don't hear a pounding slapping. You hear a dull thud, or spikes grabbing on the surface." What you don't want is what Pfaff labels "grinding", which is an over-emphasis of directing forces down into the ground.

In Addition

I also like to stress how the upper and lower body parts need to work together with proportional intensities as the hips and shoulders rise together and the feet spend less and less time on the ground while moving up the track. This supports the body being projected efficiently through space. Over-emphasizing arm movements, knee lifts, etc... work against this.

A Bit Beyond the First 10 Meter Zone and Further

If the athlete is powerful, there likely will be more driving beyond the 10-meter zone. Since the hips should be rising, with the body elevating and becoming more upright, some may refer to this as "driving from a taller position", and some may add "body continues to unfold". I'm obviously estimating here, but let's say around step 13-15 there may be the beginnings of a torso and pelvic repositioning toward a more upright position to better continue toward max velocity. In my mind, skillful starting and initial acceleration leads to a more seamless pelvic repositioning. "Foot dragging" after block clearance, in my way of thinking also repositions the pelvis to an extent, but in my opinion, this is done prematurely and fails to maximize the development of and use of momentum. See my "Max Velocity" blog for details of the "pelvic repositioning".

As the athlete is progressively more upright and moving toward max velocity, the effort for each stride is now more on delivering the feet downward toward the track before the foot actually is on the track, similar to how effort is put into directing a hammer down at a nail. This is demonstrated by Jonas Dodoo at the 27 minute 40 second mark of this video. Mind you that this is accomplished with good timing and rhythm as the strides come through very fast, and the feet are on the ground a very short period of time for each stride. Again, this works best when projection and rising of the body has been done well prior to this, and this is the latter part of the "Other Transitions" described above, ie, "short ground contact, reactive, minimum rotations".

Landing Position of the Feet

During the initial steps the feet, although landing beneath the hip, should actually be landing behind the body's COM, meaning more of the body is ahead of the foot's landing point than is behind it. As the athlete continues up the track and the body becomes more upright, the landing point of the feet progressively moves forward in relation to the COM, so that when upright at a certain point the feet land ahead of the COM. With elite sprinters this typically is only slightly ahead of their COM, minimizing the braking time. Not everyone can handle the landing point of the feet being only slightly ahead of the COM. Falls may occur for some athletes that attempt to have the feet land closer to under their COM than they can handle. As I stated in the "First Three Steps" blog, learning to position the COM in relation to the base of support when doing standing starts is a valuable fundamental that can be a stepping-stone for learning to do so from other positions.

At the End of the Day

Despite all the specific technical aspects described above, the bottom line is for the athlete to move through space, and over the ground in an effective manner. There are coordination, timing, and rhythm aspects that the athlete needs to accomplish for this to occur at a high level, and coaches need to somehow be aware of how to help the athletes achieve this. Read on!