Spacing of the Feet for Different Starting Positions
The suggested spacing for starting blocks—two shoes from the line for the front block and three shoes from the line for the back block—is too far from the starting line for four-point starts without blocks and is certainly too far from the line for 3-point starts. So be sure to identify a spacing that works well for each type of start.
Three-Point Start
For the three-point starts, I suggest having the front foot about a shoe length or maybe a little more from the line, and then place the rear foot far enough back and under the hip for a good base. I love the way Kevin White sets up for his 40 in this video, getting his feet positioned, and from a forward position on the ground, walks the hands back to the line while raising the hips and loading his joints. This method can be used not only when doing three and four point starts without blocks, but when also practicing starts from blocks using both three-point and four-point starting positions. Raising the hips while walking the hands back can make it easier to aim and direct the hips and body up the track for a good launch. Since one hand is on the track it shares in the bearing of weight (not too much though) as well as helping achieve the effective total body lean, I've described previously. In the "Four Point Start" section below, toward the end of the Tom Tellez video, he demonstrates how the hands accept body weight when in a good "set" position. This can also be applied to the single hand that is on the ground during the three-point starting position.
Athletes should be on the balls of the feet as seen in the video. As with all starts, the weight is centered more on the side of the front leg, especially when the athlete is in the "set" position. The joints should be properly loaded, with the athlete poised to react well and explode down the track with big enough movements. With the three-point start, in order to center the weight toward the front leg, the athlete will feel pressure over on the hand that is on the ground. More specifically, the hip/glute area of that front leg will likely be a focal point of where the weight is centered.
For the three-point start, when in the "set" position, with the hips up and torso angled downward, and before running, there should be that effective total body lean that will allow for a good reaction and movement up the track. This lean should be done with the hips high enough and torso and head angled downward with eyes looking down and back. Athlete is poised to explode up and out and down the track with a good acceleration posture. The body should be at about 45 degrees when extending into the first stride. It is a mistake to place the hands down on the track, spaced as they would for a four-point start, then lift up one hand. This will result in a balance problem. The hand on the ground needs to be positioned closer to the center of the body for effective balancing. During the fast reaction to the starting stimulus, ideally, the action of the hand that is on the ground during the starting action should be a sweeping back and up in coordination with the downward, forward, and upward movement of the other arm. A common mistake is for the hand on the ground to be basically just picked up, instead of the arms properly coordinating with the legs. Although football players using the three-point stance when getting timed in forty yard dashes are allowed to start without a command or signal, I suggest learning to position and balance to react and respond well as I described for the standing start. It is just a matter of being accustomed to that particular position.
Four Point Start Without Starting Blocks
For the four-point start without blocks, I suggest having the front foot about 1 1/2 shoes from the line and then place the rear foot in place accordingly. A common mistake that I see when watching high schoolers, is that in the preliminaries of a sprint, they may not be allowed to use blocks, but when blocks are allowed in the finals they try to use the same spacing as when they didn't use blocks. The result is a position that is too close to the line and cramped.
"On Your Marks"
When assuming the "On Your Marks" position, there will be a slight moving forward of the hips and upper body to prepare to aim and direct the hips and body up the track. Both feet should be somewhat curled against the ground with the front foot likely curled more than the rear one. The arms then should be perpendicular to the track and the athlete's center of mass is close enough to the line. Even in this position, I believe there is the aspect of the hips being at a sufficient height as the athlete places hands at the line and eases the body forward. (I am referencing the start where one knee is on the ground when "on your marks") The weight needs to be evenly distributed between the feet, the knee on the ground and the hands. Hands should be placed wide enough apart in anticipation of supporting some of the weight when in the "set" position. Hands should not be placed too far apart, however. This Tom Tellez video is very thorough and goes through aspects of the whole start.
"Set" Position and Weight Distribution
When rising into the "Set" position do not allow too much weight to be on the hands. This should be done trying to keep the arms perpendicular to the ground, not significantly angling the arms forward. Like with the other starts, 2/3 of the weight is toward the power side, and like when in the three-point start, in order to have most of the weight toward the front leg, the athlete will feel more pressure in the hand opposite of the front leg. The joints should be adequately loaded, and when at the top of the "Set" position, as Tellez said in the video, there should be a bit of a lean in anticipation of pushing off to start. It is important to control this by keeping the arms perpendicular to the track, and as Tellez also said, the pressure on the fingers may shift from the middle of the hands to the fingers closest to the starting line along with the thumbs. Once again, being prepared to maximally involve the glutes/hips in a push off that is to bring the limbs and body through space as has been previously described. Like mentioned before, having a good hip height, angles the torso and head downward, and requires that the eyes be focused appropriately downward and backward. The hips and body should be positioned to launch up the track.
As alluded to above and described in the "Standing Start" blog, the athlete needs to be poised to react well and explosively includes effectively coordinating the actions of the quick-side and power-side of the body.
Four-Point Start with Blocks
Basic Set-up
This short video shows the basics using starting blocks. A critical aspect is that with starting blocks, there is the aspect of having the feet against the blocks adequately, and the legs loading against both blocks that must be done effectively. My suggestion is to not over-emphasize trying to press the feet into the blocks. When "on your marks", I believe the athlete should absolutely feel the feet touching the ground as well as the area close to the balls of the feet touching the blocks. As with the three and four-point starting positions without blocks, there is some dorsi-flexion of the feet and maybe even curling of the toes during the "on your marks" position.
When going to the "set" position, the loading back into the blocks should occur, with the feet going toward the blocks, and once again, preparing to launch up the track. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I believe it is very important to begin practicing with the front block pedal angled down as low as possible, and to have the rear pedal maybe 10 degrees or so greater, to allow the same dynamic as with the other starting positions where the bottom of the front foot is lower to the ground that that of the rear foot. I believe this helps the carry-over of the natural positioning, balancing, and coordination of loading.
As with the other starting scenarios, the athlete is to have the joints adequately loaded and be poised to react well and to primarily use the glutes for the push off. The block pedals present an angled platform. The objective is to adequately load the legs against the blocks while getting in position to launch up the track at a good trajectory. A common mistake is to not adequately load and position and then need to noticeably drop the hips just before or after the gun in order to recruit the glutes for a push off at a good trajectory. This is one aspect that can be addressed to some degree while doing starts without blocks, as the positioning while being poised to explode into the race can minimize the dropping of the hips. With blocks, good positioning can result in a feeling of the heels sinking toward the block pedals while poised to launch. Having said that there still should be an effective stretch-reflex dynamic during the pushing off into the race. Stretch-reflex is explained in the first minute of this video.
Despite the starting blocks allowing more of a launch into the race, in my mind, being overly concerned with the legs loading against the blocks can prove to be ineffective. On the other hand, not adequately loading the legs against the blocks, often results in the athlete doing some form of stepping out of the blocks or a noticeable hip drop before or after the gun to apply force. In addition, if when loading into the blocks the rear leg becomes straight or almost straight, I suggest moving the rear pedal forward some so that there is adequate bend in the rear leg.
The athlete should be able to execute the same skills described above in the Set Position and Weight Distribution section above in order to be poised to react well and to start explosively. With the angled pedals, however, trying to achieve the effective total body lean I've previously described, along with the legs loading against the pedals, can create a lot of weight on the hands as well as a feeling of being ready to fall on the face and/or head. The weight should be shared between the hands and the feet, without too much weight being on the hands. Part of adequately loading should also include avoiding a noticeable flexion in the elbows and legs when in the "set" position, so that the eccentric loading (tension) will assist leg muscles in their concentric efforts during block clearance. This is a fundamental aspect of effective starting that can be honed during starts without blocks and then progressing to having the block pedals at low angles before raising the angles. Once again, in order to center the weight over toward the power side, more pressure will be felt in the hand on the other side.
Below I explain some important things that should be accomplished during all starts. I probably need to do a blog that just focuses on the start from the blocks that include more details of the step-by-step process that is to result in maximizing effectiveness out of the blocks.
First Two Strides
Along with being poised to explode into the first step, the hips need to be high enough for the hips and body to launch adequately into the race, and this includes the rear leg, hips, and torso moving through and upward sufficiently for the first stride, with the body being elevated and moving up the track adequately. (Explained previously) This sets the athlete up for a landing that should appropriately continue the "getting out" and blend into the "driving" efficiently up the track with hips that are rising. Again, the angled platform that the block pedals present can facilitate a lower than ideal trajectory/block clearance flight path.
For those that don't think getting some elevation during block clearance is important, I like to point to what many may consider to be an extreme example, Ben Johnson's 9.79 in the 1988 Olympics. I know he was caught as being under the influence, but regardless, it showed how he maximized the abilities at his disposal, and I believe that we can learn from that. It doesn't mean that is what we should teach but rather, in my mind, it shows performance on another level. At least showing that it is good to test the boundaries of elevation and hip height during block clearance while, of course heading down the track. At about the 12 second mark of this video is Ben at competition speed. Go to the 3 minute and 46 second mark for slow motion views. FYI - If the hips are not rising as the body moves adequately up the track during the early strides, the athlete likely will not have the ability to have the hips rise as they should for the rest of the sprint. The hips rising should be a part of good front side mechanics.
Again, in my opinion it is important for the sprinter to first learn to accomplish what was described in the previous paragraph in the three-point and four-point positions before much of a focus on using starting blocks, and as I explained previously, in my opinion, developing standing start skills are important as well.
Movements of Hands and Arms
Properly involving the arms during block clearance is demonstrated at about the 2-minute 20-second mark of this video, featuring Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin and Coach Brooks Johnson.
Don't Do This but Do That
A less than great technique that I see used a lot to help the hands and arms handle body weight is having the hands placed really wide when they are on the track. This can cause the shoulders to rotate inward, which is not a good thing. Having the thumbs somewhat under the shoulders, with hands far enough apart and distributing the weight as I've explained, should be good enough.
Conclusion
Repetitiously practicing starts from the various positions is necessary for the athlete to become familiar enough with the positions to allow explosive starts that seamlessly flow into the ensuing phases of the sprint.
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