Many of our IFPA Certified Youth
Fitness Instructors, Certified Speed & Agility Coaches,
Tennis Conditioning Specialists and other Sports
Conditioning Specialists have requested additional
information on the correct techniques for sprinting.
Since sprinting is the most essential and basic of all
athletic movements, I am pleased at the high level of
interest and am happy to supply detailed information on
sprinting form and techniques. Please keep in mind that
while there is no perfect style for anyone or any body
type, proper sprinting form is not a natural act. There
are approximately 200 different details I look at when I
train someone to sprint. I will cover the top 50 or so
details in this article.
The 40-yard dash has become the
single most important test used by professional and
college football coaches to evaluate potential players
for positions, scholarship offers, and pro contracts.
Other sport coaches are finding the 40-yard dash and its
variations equally important. Make no mistake on this
the success of a future in sports (football, basketball,
tennis or any sport that requires SPEED) depends on your
athletes time in as short a distance as 20-60 yards.
Teaching your athlete to sprint correctly can be the
most crucial time you will ever spend.
Our first goal in sprinting is to
strengthen core stability to enable your athlete to use
their kinetic chain as efficiently as possible. The
IFPA Tennis & Fitness Academy students spent two
hours/day on exercises to accomplish this goal.
Strength training is conducted every morning utilizing
as much core training as possible. The afternoon
session focuses on speed, agility, power, balance,
coordination, and both aerobic and anaerobic
conditioning to increase the efficient use of the
kinetic chain. One philosophy of sprinting is that an
athletes performance is based on how efficiently the
athlete can transfer ground forces through the kinetic
chain (foot - ground force generation - to - ankle -
lower leg - knee - thigh - hip - trunk - shoulders -
arms).
Many coaches look at the efficient
use of the kinetic chain as the true source of all
athleticism. Therefore, to teach correct sprinting, I
start from the ground up. Sprinting has four phases:
I.
The Propulsion Phase
1. The toes of both feet
should point directly forward or slightly toe-in. Never
toe-out! Toe-out causes some of the propulsion energy
to push the athlete laterally instead of directly
forward.
2. Extend powerfully with the
hip and thigh through the knee.
3. Extend powerfully through
plantar flexion on the ball of the foot (plantar
flexion - toes point). Many coaches teach pushing
through the toes. There is little power and no balance
on the toes. Power comes from the ball!
4. Push powerfully through the
foot to project the body forward.
1. Requires power and
coordination between arm drive and leg drive.
2. Powerful hip flexion
driving the thigh up and forward. Both thighs must
remain in the vertical plane. Watch carefully from the
front and look for any lateral movement in the driving
thigh. Lateral movement dissipates energy laterally
instead of driving 100% forward. The support leg as
well as the entire body should always remain in the
vertical plane (correct any and all lateral movements).
The thigh should drive powerfully to a position parallel
or near parallel to the ground. If this position cannot
be achieved (ordinarily because of lack of flexibility
or strength) optimum stride length cannot be achieved.
3. Arm drive is essential in
this phase. Arm drive and arm frequency control leg
drive and stride frequency (the faster the arms drive,
the faster the legs move). Arms move opposite the legs
as left leg drives forward, the right arm is driving
forward. It is important to teach arm drive forward as
well as backward. (Remember the laws of physics: for
every action there is an equal and opposite reaction).
In order to drive the arm powerfully forward, your
athlete must drive the opposite arm powerfully backward.
4. Arms should be bent at 90
throughout the sprint.
5. Arm drives forward to a
position where the hand is approximately even with nose
height.
6. Arm drives backward to a
position where the hand slightly passes the buttocks.
7. Avoid tying-up. Tying-up
occurs when both agonist and antagonist muscles
(opposing muscle groups) contract forcefully at the same
time. For instance, the athlete is trying too hard and
contracts the biceps brachii (in the front of the arm)
at the same time contracting the triceps brachii (in the
back of the arm). The inability of the over stimulated
athlete to successfully relax the antagonistic muscle
group results in inefficient arm drive and slower speed.
8. Tying-up can be avoided by
keeping the fingers of both hands relaxed and cupped.
Tell the athlete to keep his or her fingers lightly
together visualize holding sheets of paper between each
finger without wrinkling the paper.
9. Coach your athletes to
understand that their ability to relax their muscles
quickly is just as important as their ability to
contract their muscles quickly.
10. Arms should swing smoothly
and effortlessly from the ball-and-socket joint of the
shoulder joint. Tying-up can result in hard
contractions of the latissimus dorsi and other muscles.
The lat spread can cause the elbows to spread
laterally. This creates a shoulder rock that will
dissipate the energy of the arm drive out to the side,
instead of driving forward.
11. Shoulders should be
relaxed and down. If you see the shoulder rise toward
the ears, coach the athlete to relax or drop the
shoulders.
12. Eyes are focused
approximately 20 yards ahead.
13. Head is held neutral in
the vertical plane.
14. Jaw is slack in order to
prevent tying-up, therefore, aiding the athlete to
relax.
15. Keep the ankle locked up
(in dorsi flexion) until the landing phase.
16. Hips and shoulders should
be squarely facing forward in the direction of the
sprint.
17. Maintain strong
intra-abdominal pressure (suck the belly-button towards
your backbone). This is an essential foundation of all
athletic movement. Intra-abdominal pressure creates a
solid wall that the abdominal and trunk muscles can push
against. This enables the muscles of the trunk to
quickly and efficiently contract. Great athletes know
this instinctively all others must be taught in order to
become Great Athletes! Without intra-abdominal
pressure, the muscles cannot quickly and efficiently
contract and the athletes kinetic chain breaks down,
preventing optimum performance.
18. Always maintain proper
posture: head neutral, shoulders back, down and
relaxed, and allow natural spinal curves within optimal
postural alignment. (The IFPA recommends that every
athlete have a Basic Postural Assessment by a qualified
medical expert.)
19. Drill athletes to develop
both static and dynamic balance. Sprinting is 5%
support and 95% drive.
20. Drill to increase stride
frequency rate of leg turnover. Most athletes
increase total speed by working on stride frequency.
21. Use the techniques you
have developed in your IFPA Certification courses (Youth
Fitness Instructors, Speed & Agility Coaches, Tennis
Conditioning Specialists and other Sports Conditioning
Specialists) to improve running efficiency and to work
on sprinting form and technique. The students at the
IFPA Tennis & Fitness Academy improved their 20-yard
dash time by over 25% within 8 weeks of training by
utilizing the exact same drills used in these courses.
Twenty-five percent more speed means they get to many,
many more balls than they did prior to training.
22. Run sprints at 90-95% of
maximum speed and do not be surprised if some of your
athletes sprint their fastest time ever because of
greater relaxation and avoidance of tying-up.
III.
The Landing Phase
1. Coach the athlete to land
on their heels. You will find that as the athlete
approaches maximum speed, the athlete will land flat
footed. At maximum speed, the foot will quickly come
underneath the body.
2. Over striding (the foot
landing in front of the body) can actually cause a
braking action that slows the body down.
3. The leg should extend
forward and down with ankle locked in dorsi flexion
until contact.
4. The pull-through can be
practiced by straight-legged shuffles and cycling drills
that teach the athlete the brushing action following
contact.
IV.
The Recovery Phase
1.
As the foot leaves the
ground simultaneously:
Butt kick (driving heel to
buttocks)
Dorsi flexion of foot (toes and
foot curl up toward shin)
This is essential to transfer energy
from the ground, through the legs, and to the hip and
thighs. This is also essential to create the shortest
lever possible in the leg. (Short levers move quickly
picture an ice skater initiating a spin. With arms
extended out to the side [laterally], the skater rotates
slowly. When the skater begins to shorten-the-lever [by
bringing the arms into the body], the skater rotates
faster and faster until the skater is a blur with the
shortest lever possible [arms wrapped tightly to the
body].)
Starting
1. Requires quickness more
than speed.
2. Requires focus and
concentration - mental toughness. These are highly
desired traits for any athlete.
3. Use a starting position
appropriate for your sport. Track sprinters use the
4-point stance. Football players use the 3-or 4-point
football stance. Tennis players use the 2-point stance.
4. Two-point stance: athlete
stands with feet shoulder width apart, feet parallel,
toes facing forward, knees slightly inside the toes.
Knees should be bent nearly 90, hips in slight posterior
pelvic tilt, back straight, shoulders back, head neutral
and eyes looking forward (approximately 20 yards
ahead). Arms are bent at 90 at the sides and weight
should be distributed evenly over the balls of the feet
while maintaining ground contact with the heels.
5. On GO, the athlete explodes
off both feet, driving one leg forward and the opposite
arm back.
6. Athlete should be nearly
falling forward with body lean approaching 70 for the
first three steps. The initial three steps will be
shorter than the athletes normal stride length.
7. Watch for two body angles.
The line should be straight from ground to hip at
approximately 45. The second line is from the hip to
head initially at 70 forward lean. Both lines must be
straight at all times.
8. The athletes will become
nearly upright as they approach full speed. For those
who have watched Michael Johnson burn up the track, you
have probably noticed him full upright and appearing to
lean slightly back. This technique obviously works for
him, but it is certainly not recommended
for your young athletes.
9. After the first three
steps, stride length increases to the athletes ideal
length.
10. Athletes must be coached
to accelerate all the way through the finish line.
11. World-class athletes take
up to 60-70 meters to achieve maximum speed. Your
athlete will unlikely achieve maximum speed in as short
a distance as 20-40 yards.
General Notes
1. For tennis players, use the
20-yard dash for the majority of your speed work. The
average distance a tennis player runs for a shot is 4
meters (less than 5 yards).
2. Twenty-yards is the
distance from the baseline to the opposite court service
line.
3. Since almost all tennis
courts are built on a grade to help with drainage, your
athlete can get some over-speed training by running down
hill and resisted training by running up hill.
4. Follow the drill work
outline in the IFPA Youth Fitness Instructors, Speed &
Agility Coaches, Tennis Conditioning Specialists and
other Sports Conditioning Specialists courses to correct
any form and technique faults exhibited by your
athletes.
5. Remember, it takes time to
develop proper form and technique. Use patience and
encouragement to help your athletes to get it right.
6. In order to make your
tennis players the best they can be, you must first make
the best athlete they can be. Spend time working on a
basic fitness foundation, first to develop athleticism,
and then focus on sports performance. Only then will
your athlete be able to develop into the optimum tennis
player.
__________ NEWS __________
We are proud to announce that IFPA
has signed on as a major sponsor of the American
Challenge USA to be held at the Hilton at Walt Disney
World August 30th -31st. We would like to invite all
IFPA members to come out and compete. The event includes
Figure, Fitness, Bodybuilding, Male and Female Model
Search, Powerlifting, and Kickboxing.
Prizes, sponsorships, and trophies
will be awarded. For additional information and
competitor packets go to
www.americanchallengeusa.com
Hope to see you there.
Business opportunity for IFPA
members
IFPA will be a major sponsor of the
American Challenge USA to be held at the Hilton at Walt
Disney World August 30th-31st. This creates a great
opportunity for IFPA members with businesses. IFPA
members will receive a 10% discount on booth space. All
booths also include a sixth of a page ad in Natural
Bodybuilding and Fitness magazine which will be on the
newstand and going out to all subscription orders the
first of August before the event. You can review the
event at
www.americanchallengeusa.com.
For sponsor packets email at:
james@americanchallengeusa.com,
or call 863-835-0447
______ IFPA INTERNATIONAL
NEWS ______
The IFPA is proud to announce several
unique IFPA events throughout Asia. These special
events provide all our IFPA Certified Instructors the
opportunity to participate in and learn from
World-Acclaimed Experts in exercise, nutrition, sports
and anti-aging medicine and various related fields. Not
only will these IFPA events provide you with an
unprecedented learning experience, but you will have the
opportunity to travel to the worlds most beautiful and
exotic locations, experience world-class accommodations,
dine at gourmet restaurants, visit ancient culture sites
and lounge on the worlds most beautiful beaches!
Please join us for what will be
the opportunity of a lifetime:
u
Jakarta, Indonesia February 24 - 26, 2008
u
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia February 28 - March 1, 2008
u
Singapore July 4 - 6, 2008
u
Bali, Indonesia October 13 - 15, 2008
u
Jakarta, Indonesia October 17 -19, 2008
For more information on Indonesian
events, email:
Indonesia@ifpa-fitness.com
or call +62 21 780 2778
(International).
For more information on Malaysian
events email:
Malaysia@ifpa-fitness.com
or call +60 1231 41651
(International).
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James
T. Bell, PhD. is the
founder and CEO of the International Fitness
Professionals Association, IFPA.
More
Books from Jim Bell, PhD.
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