Beginning Hurdle Training
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Article
By: Fred Almond
Mission Viejo High
School, Mission Viejo, CA
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Introduction
Suppose you are a young coach with little track
& field experience. In your pre-season meeting with your other
coaches--three or four, some "walk-ons" (maybe you are a "walk-on").
It is discovered that last year's hurdle coach won't be back and
no one wants to coach the hurdles. The jump coach, shot put and
discus coach, and the distance coach all give convincing arguments
why they can't coach hurdles, and why you should coach hurdlers
since you have the sprints and relays. Disarmed, you reluctantly
agree to take on the responsibility.
With that as a premise, the following is an outline
of how it is done. Keep in mind that some of your athletes may
be multi-event performers and coordination with the other coaches
is essential. You will learn on the job.
All my runners begin practice with Mach exercises
"A", "B" and "C" and leg swings "A", "B", "C" as part of the overall
warm-up, whether it be traditional or dynamic. When the hurdle
group comes to me, I have the experienced girls model all activities
first. The following is an outline of our hurdle routine:
Fence
1. Tubes 3 x 10 each leg (add during season)
2. Lead leg and trail leg 15 each leg (add during season)
3. "Walk overs" with 5h x 3 (add during season)
4. "Grape stompers" or "mashed potatoes" 5-10h (must go left and
right) x 30 each direction
5. Liftovers 10 each leg (add during season)
Drills with soft hurdlers
or regular hurdles
1. Walk trail legs over 5h x 5 right and left leg
2. Jog trail legs over 5h x 5 right and left leg
3. Walk lead leg (B skip) over 5h x 5 right and left leg
4. Jog lead leg (B skip) over 5h x 5 right and left leg
5. Run trail leg with 5 steps between hurdles x 3
6. Run lead leg with 5 steps between hurdles x 3
7. Run over hurdles (8 step approach) 3 to 5 hurdles with 5 steps
between hurdles x 3 (add on any given day)--this could be speed
workout for the day, i.e., 4x4x40 with hurdles (3 each) or 3x3x60
with hurdles (5 each).
8. Out of blocks over 3-5 hurdles, 3 steps between
9. Out of blocks over 10h shortened x 3 with full recovery
10. Out of blocks over 10h regular x 3 with full recovery
We do the first 6 drills daily; the one-step drill
and playing with hurdle spacing are interspersed during the next
few weeks.
Drills 7-12 could be the whole workout for 100-meter
hurdlers. The 300-meter hurdlers will do different conditioning
and some different technique work.
The fence work is fundamental for the hurdler. We
use surgical tubing tied to the bottom of a chain link fence and
the girls simulate running action to activate the central nervous
system for coordination and stereotyping.
The next activity, lead legs and trail legs, is
the first and most important drill for the neophyte hurdler. Hopefully,
I have an experienced hurdler to demonstrate. We set a hurdle
against the fence at 30 inches and have the athlete use a high
"A" action with foot which attacks the fence or wall with the
toes "cocked" up. (For boys, the drills on the fence would be
at 39" and the torso would lean over lead leg and a high arm action
where the forearm is approximately at the height of the forehead.
On other drills, there should be adjustments considering boy's
races. They race at 110 meters. The momentum is like a falling
forward action. As the lead foot makes contact with the fence
or wall, the opposite foot on the ground should be on the toes.
The lead leg knee should be bent slightly upon contact with fence;
simply straighten the leg to return to the starting position.
The torso upon foot contact with the fence should be bent slightly;
do not let it lean very far--keeping the back straight and shoulder
squared.
The lead arm (arm opposite of lead leg) can be taught
two different ways (the athlete will feel more comfortable with
one or the other) and I teach both. The first action of the arm
we teach is a natural bent arm; upon contact of the foot with
the wall, the opposite hand would be extended forward so that
the hand would be aligned to the center of the body, reaching
as far as the upper shin, the elbow bent about 120 degrees. This
arm action seems to be the most natural action. The other method
taught is called "reading your watch." (Many world elite hurdlers,
including this year's World Championship hurdlers, have used this
method very effectively.) The arm is raised to shoulder height,
the elbow bent about 90 degrees so that it appears that the athlete
can read a watch if it were on their wrist. The wrist would align
with the nose, the lead arm action must not allow the shoulders
to be other than square to the hurdle. The trail arm (on the same
side as the lead leg) should be "cocked" at 90 degrees with the
hand at the hip. This arm can fly all over the place if the coach
doesn't emphasize its proper location. Since this drill is so
critical, I work individually with the new girls for the first
couple of weeks. Sometimes I will take a girl out of a hurdle
drill and put her back to the fence drill to further stereotype
the proper action. Both right and left lead legs and trail legs
are instructed for two basic reasons: first, most of the 13-15-year-old
girls (boys) do not have the speed or strength to three-step when
they begin hurdling and will have to alternate or four-step when
they begin racing; secondly, being able to hurdle with either
leg is a distinct advantage for the 300-meter hurdle event.
The girls do the trail leg drill with a 33-inch
height (boys 39") and the hurdle placed approximately two feet
from the fence, adjusting for the height of the athlete. Both
hands are placed on the fence and the hurdler stands with her
lead leg beside and slightly forward of the front edge of the
hurdle. The trail leg is pulled over the hurdle with the knee
on an upward angle and the head as close to the buttock and hip
as possible. The trail leg is then advanced forward as the toe
becomes averted (the foot in a dorsiflexed position with the small
toe up) and the thigh moves to a position parallel to the hurdle
rail. This action (a hip circle) is at right angles to the body.
Keeping the heel close to the buttock-hip until the trail leg
crosses the hurdle, the knee continues to be pulled through high
under the upper arm position, and then the foot (still in a dorsiflexed
position) comes down sweeping past the hurdle, pawing the ground
as it begins another repetition over the side of the hurdle. It
is important to keep the shoulders and torso squared to the fence.
It is often necessary to physically handle the athlete's knee
and foot to help direct the proper path and technique for the
knee, leg and foot.
The next activity is used with regular hurdles set
at 33 inches (39"). The athletes do a hamstring stretch by placing
their heel (not the achilles) on the hurdle top and slowly lower
their chests to their knees--one leg, then the other. Also alternating
one leg then the other, the athletes do a groin stretch, standing
perpendicular to the hurdle, placing one leg on the top of the
hurdle knee, calf, and foot on the rail and bending the torso
toward the ground, touching both hands to the ground. The athlete
finishes this stretch, then lifts the torso up and "walks around"
with one leg on top of the hurdle while slowly moving the body
so that the hip-buttocks is next to the heel on the hurdle. Next,
the athlete moves to a station where 5-10 hurdles are lined up,
with bottom side rails touching the front rail of the next hurdle.
The athlete then walks over the hurdle. The coach should remind
the athlete the knee leads and if lifted high, don't turn the
body, keep the shoulder square, and pull the trail through, just
like the fence drill.
To increase strength in the hip flexor, our athletes
do two drills. The first drill has a variety of names--grape-stompers,
mashed potatoes, etc. Simply put, it is an "A" skip over the sides
of the hurdles that are lined up, lower rails touching. The athlete
moves sideways, lifting each leg over as she goes over each of
the 5-10 hurdles. One circuit going left is followed by another
circuit going right. The next strength developer for the hip flexor
is the lift over. When the exercise is begun, two hurdles are
used--one to hold onto and the other to lift the leg over. The
athlete will not be able to do many of these lifts at first (5-10
reps each leg), but as the season goes along, the athlete will
get stronger so that 20-25 reps each leg is manageable. Bracing
herself for balance with one hurdle, standing up very straight
and tall, she will lift her almost straight leg (knee must be
slightly bent) over the edge of the hurdle top. The new girls
will generally try to lean back on the drill, but one must insist
on bent knee and straight, tall body posture.
Drills with soft hurdles utilize walking, jogging,
and running over the sides of hurdles spaced at different intervals
and eventually different heights. With the novice on the first
day, I take off top of the hurdle, take a piece of pipe insulation
(foam rubber) and put it over the wood and lay the top of the
hurdle, standing up, and lean it against the outside front of
the hurdle. Five hurdles will be set up so that three walking
steps can be taken in between each hurdle. The girls line up and
I walk with each girl as she does a trail leg at each hurdle.
Emphasis is on the lead foot actually being past the hurdle so
there can be a "trail" leg action; also, the arms need to be in
control. The next drill with the same hurdle set up would be walk
through lead leg. The athlete would use a "B" march step over
the hurdle. Once the walking drills are completed, jogging trail
legs and lead legs is utilized. The jogging mode is a high knee
prancing stride with three strides in between hurdles. Generally,
the first day with the new hurdlers ends at this point, and the
girls are then given a conditioning workout.
Normally, progression to the jogging trail and lead
legs is faster each day in the first week as the athlete becomes
more familiar with the routine. The coach must reinforce the correct
technique steadfastly, i.e., arms in the correct position, knee
leading over the hurdle, "B" skip motion with the lead leg. From
the jogging stage, the progression is to three-quarter speed.
Three-quarter speed necessitates opening up the
hurdle spacing with the goal of getting comfortable with the rhythm
of the 100-meter event. In addition, at this time the athlete
is introduced to the eight-step approach to the first hurdle.
(Spacing of hurdles for 3/4 speed and full speed may be different
on different surfaces, i.e., I would tend to use more regulation
spacing--8.5 meters on all-weather surfaces and 8.0 meters spacing
on dirt). At first, let the athlete stand at the first hurdle,
one foot forward of the other (as in a blocksetting) and run eight
steps toward the starting line. Then have the athlete mark where
the eighth step came down, then move an additional five feet further
from the first hurdle. Do not attempt the hurdle until you (the
coach) is confident that the athlete will be taking off the ground
approximately five to six and a half feet from the first hurdle.
Five feet is usually too close for proper hurdle clearance, but
beginners will not be approaching the first hurdles with a velocity
to clear taking off at 6 to 6-1/2 feet, which is what they will
do later on in the season. Once the athletes have their own starting
line to negotiate eight steps to the first hurdle, they are ready
to go over five training hurdles. The soft training hurdles (about
$90 each) are very forgiving of a lead leg or trail leg hitting
the hurdle. Spacing on the next four hurdles is critical. Twenty-four
feet of 7.3 meters has been a successful spacing to begin with,
especially considering that these girls are not in spikes and
not in condition. Moving the spacing to 25' 7" or 7.8 meters should
happen on the fourth or fifth day, and by the ninth or tenth day
or thereabouts (it really depends on the learning curve) the spacing
should go to 26' 3" or 8 meters, which is not too far from the
regular spacing of 27' 10-1/2" or 8.5 meters, using five steps
in between. (By this time, buying spikes should be encouraged.
The hurdlers should use spikes with drills before using them in
the first meet and it should be on the surface that the athlete
will be racing on).
The coach needs to watch these drills from four
positions--directly behind the hurdles; directly in front of the
hurdler; approximately ten yards from the final hurdle; in the
middle of the flight of hurdles on the lead leg side, and on the
trail leg side. If you possess a video camera, use it. If you
can't replay it on the field, have the hurdlers go to a room at
lunch and see themselves on the monitor. This will help the learning
curve dramatically.
Speaking of learning curves, it is incumbent upon
the coach of hurdlers to do a lot of reading and viewing of video.
Also, if possible, attend clinics and listen to and see hurdle
presentations. For reading, my suggestions include the book The
Science of Hurdling by Brent McFarlane. Important periodicals
include Track Coach (formerly Track Technique), published
quarterly by Track & Field News; Track and Field Coaches Review,
published quarterly by U.S. Track Coaches Association; and Track
and Field Quarterly Review, published by N.C.A.A. Division
1 Track Coaches' Association; The Hurdles, edited by Jess
Jarver, published by Track & Field News. Finally, I suggest the
purchase of all of Speed Dynamics videos: Sprint Training Vol.
I, Vol. II, High Hurdles Vol. I, Vol. II, Drills for Speed, and
13 Seconds.
A serious coach must get informed and continue to
grow by keeping up with the literature of his sport.
