THE ART OF SPRINTING

START

The start of the sprint race is probably the most difficult of the skills involved, because it involves reaction time of the sprinter, and his ability to accelerate. It used to be that sprinters are asked to stay low for 20 mins. What I recommend to my sprinters is to get into running position as quickly as possible. The sprinter therefore needs to learn the mechanics of that phenomenon to ensure that he does not just pop up out of the blocks without getting sufficient drive. One thing is crucial, I believe that the sprinter should look down the track a few feet ahead of him, this will prevent disorientation and the sprinter will find that his start will become more efficient.

I would like to clear up some myths of the sprint race. All too often, we have heard mentioned that a particular sprinter has a fantastic finish, "he really come on at the end." This is an optical illusion. What really happens, is that other runners in the race are slowing down at a faster rate.

It has been proven that it is physiologically impossible for any human being to run faster after 70 or 80 meters, if he in fact started with an all out effort. Hence, the important thing for the sprinter to do is to maintain top speed as long as possible. He will do this if he maintains his stride length. He will maintain his stride length if he maintains high knee action. The good word is therefore, "high knees".

 

Proper sprint techniques are unnatural. There are a few youngsters who can acquire them easier than others. This is due to the simple fact that, some people are more coordinated than others. However, one thing is certain, the speed of a beginning sprinter will improve if he acquires the skills for sprinting.

The skills are as follows:

DO: -

Lift knee high

WHY: -

The stride length will be maintained, thereby allowing the sprinter to carry top speed for a longer distance.

DO: -

Have good foreleg reach

WHY: -

This will help to lengthen the stride.

DO: -

Use vigorous arm action.

WHY: -

The faster the arms move, the faster the legs will move.

DO: -

Keep jaws and hands relaxed.

WHY: -

The body will move along more efficiently when it is relaxed.

DO: -

Swing arms paralleled to running direction and from hip forward and back.

WHY: -

The legs have a tendency to do whatever the arms do. If the arms go across the chest, it will cause, "side sway", and shorten the stride length.

 

DO: -

Run in a straight line.

WHY: -

The shortest distance between any two points is still a straight line.

DO: -

Point toes straight ahead.

WHY: -

You will lose at least one-half inch on each step if toes are not straight ahead.

DO: -

Have good forward lean.

WHY: -

The body will de-accelerate if tilted backwards.

DO: -

Run tall.

WHY: -

Running position is an extension of walking. If you sit in the bucket or bend at the waist, you will lose power.

A weight-training program is the fastest method of achieving muscle strength and endurance. The candidate must be prepared to go through a systematic training pattern for at least two years in order to achieve reasonable results. This does not mean that the candidate will not see early results, since new strength and confidence will begin to show as early as three months. In order to be able to do the workouts that are necessary to achieve top performances, it is imperative that the coach and the beginner realize that it is necessary to get in condition to do the conditioning work required.

Sometimes, it is said that an athlete is not willing to work, or that he or she is lazy when they cannot handle workload. This is mainly so, because the athlete was not conditioned slowly and easily at the start of the conditioning program. Physiologically, all potential athletes, must first provide a broad base or foundation before the body can handle the specialized workload required. The coach therefore, will think in terms of a pre-season physiological conditioning program.

1. In order to develop more capillaries which will handle added supplies of glycogen, oxygen and removal of waste products, the candidate must first do a stint of long slow running, beginning from a period of say, five minutes and eventually reaching two hours or more.
2. The candidate should also do some interval type activity, e.g. a stop and go type faster running, "killer diller", this will strengthen the heart to make it more efficient in distributing blood to the muscle tissues. This is a popular exercise situation and has been used successfully at San Jose University.
3. The coach should also consider at this stage a concept of total fitness, that is to say, muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardio-vascular fitness. The program must be a general one - total body development, to condition the total body from the head to the feet - this total fitness is the crux of the situation. It is the key to the beginning of a fantastic experience. At this stage it will do well to consider why, sprinters need to develop muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardio- vascular fitness.

The claim for muscular strength is fairly obvious. The body is required to explode from a relatively relaxed position at the start and maintain an all out effort to the end, hence, power and strength are needed. However, it is also necessary to maintain speed after acceleration. To maintain speed, the stride length must remain the same. It is when the length of stride becomes shorter, that the rate of speed falls. Therefore, in order to maintain stride length, the muscle responsible for lifting the leg must be able to withstand fatigue. If the muscular endurance is considered in the sprinters conditioning program, more capillaries will be formed in areas which will bring more oxygen to the muscle, thereby, cutting down fatigue.

The speed at which the baton goes through the change zone, is the most important thing in the sprint relay race. To achieve this, continual practice is necessary. There are several methods used for passing the baton, but there are two methods I would like to put forward, simply because, in my experience, I have found them to be the most successful. Basically, they are the same, but in one method, verbal signs are used while the other is a silent pass. The latter is best suited for beginners, while the former is best for more advanced athletes

Where to stand

It is best for the baton exchange to take place at just about the halfway mark of the change zone, this will ensure that the out going runner is already at full speed. The out going runner will stand just inside the 30 meter mark, i.e. 10 meters behind the change zone.

How to stand

The out going runner can either use the crouch start, or a standing start position, but must always remember to keep both feet pointing directly down the lane in the direction in which he is going to run. Any form of sideways stance involves unnecessary body rotation as the runner begins to move forward. This rotation will adversely affect the forward movement of the body.

The check mark

The check mark is located by means of the outgoing runner stepping back from the mark on which he will stand, heel over toe, a definite number of foot lengths. The correct distance is arrived at by trial and error, and many adjustments during practice sessions.

 

THE INCOMING RUNNER

Running into the changing zone

It is vitally important that the incoming runner maintains full speed three or four meters after the baton exchange is complete. This will ensure the speed of the baton through the zone. This is important - the baton must not lose speed.

Handing over the baton

The incoming runner must not hold the baton in the middle, but rather at one end. This will allow for a more efficient exchange. The outgoing runner receives the baton and returns to normal running action, he too will also hold the baton at one end. This is automatic and prevents any unnecessary handling of the baton.

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