Hurdles (1960)

[Music] [Music] the great hurdler impresses us by His grace and efficiency we say that he has good form but what do we mean by good Hertling form how do we judge good form how is good hurtling form acquired notice that the hurdles seem interfere very little with the athletes forward progress the great speed to the hurdles and over the hurdles supplies the main clue the hurdle race must be looked upon primarily as a sprint race the hurdles must of course be cleared yet in clearing them the athlete must make only those departures from good running style that are absolutely necessary the athlete leaves the blocks like a sprinter nearing the hurdle he rises slightly and leans forward toward the hurdle this aggressive lean keeps the center of gravity low and permits him to drive forward rather than upward the hurdles are never jumped they are cleared with a powerful forward stride note that the head never rises during hurdle clearance the lean does more than keep the center of gravity low it permits all other points of form to be carried out thus the lean toward the hurdle is the very heart of hurdling technique correctly leg action stems directly from our general principle of keeping as close as possible to sprinting form lead leg action amounts to an exaggerated stride the knee is lifted higher for hurdle clearance notice the similarity between the action of the lead leg over the hurdle and in normal running particularly note that the lead leg is kept in alignment the flex knee of the lead leg at this point is of great significance the beginner tends to straighten his leg in to kick as he approaches the hurdle over the safe side of the hurdle the lead leg must be cut down sharply both this cut down and body lean are needed to bring about correct body angle for sprinting to the next hurdle thus the lead leg follows normal sprinting form as to my nerdy creations a greater knee lifts for clearance a cut-down to help recover body angle for sprinting in hurdle clearance it is the trail leg that shows the greatest deviation from its normal sprinting action but this deviation is brief the trail knee is brought out of alignment so that the upper leg is parallel to the hurdle we can easily see that this deviation is needed or if the knee which we brought through with normal sprinting form the body would have to be much higher over the hurdle only a very limber athlete can carry out this action but the trail legs departure from correct sprinting form is brief the first move of the trail leg is like a normal sprint stride only harder because the stride over the hurdle is about four feet longer than a normal stride once the trail leg is clear of the hurdle it comes back into alignment in preparation for a full regular stride much has been written and said about the timing of the trail leg off the hurdle but this problem of timing can be greatly simplified if we seek the answer from our general principle that is whenever possible good sprinting form is maintained in normal running the legs are always equidistant from the body this is the key to timing that is when the left leg is back the right leg is forward and vice-versa the legs cross only at one point under the body weight the relationship between legs is kept over and off the hurdle the beginner is likely to lose timing when he comes off the hurdle a hurry trail leg will tend to put both legs forward at the same time thus interfering with normal running this picture suggests a vital point good timing requires both body lean and a cut down of the lead leg thus in judging the correctness of trail leg timing the guide is simple good running form should be maintained the correct arm action over the hurdles is also governed by the effort to keep good sprinting form in normal running the opposite arm and leg work together this compensating action helps preserve alignment and balance harder the stride the more extreme the arm action now the drive over the hurdle is a hard and long stride hence the compensating arm drive must also be harder and longer one word of caution the next stride that off the hurdle is not exaggerated hence the recovery of the arm is not as extreme as the forward thrust thus all points of form stem from the effort to minimize the interference of the obstacles and to make the hurdles a sprint race anyone who wants to learn to hurdle should have the fun of doing so but success in hurdling is most likely to go to the man who is tall and limber and most of all there must be fine natural speed the candidate for the hurdles does lots of running the grass is a good place for much of this early work before he actually hurdles you should have several weeks of daily running during this period his program is very similar to that of the sprinter the great hurdler is an unusually limber athlete efficient technique requires that he be limber hence stretching exercises form an important part of the athletes work program he must become increasingly limber the exercises are progressive going from gentle stretching to more strenuous work it is highly important that the athlete be thoroughly warmed up each time before beginning his exercise routine as the athlete runs by the hurdle in slow motion we pause for an overall view of the problem of hurdle clearance remember we want him to clear the hurdle with the least possible interference with the running effort the crotch is close to the hurdle top and does not have to rise very much Drive can be forward not upward the lead leg will not have to be parked very far from normal sprint technique the knee must go higher it is the trail leg they'll present the greatest clearance problem early coaching will emphasize the forward lean into the hurdle the athlete will be taught the general principle that he must drive over the Hurdle a simple trial without a lien compared to one with a lien we'll quickly convince the athlete that efficient trail leg action requires a forward lean even the finest hurdlers continue to give special attention to the trail leg action the exercise most used is one in which the lead leg is driven forward but outside of the hurdle in this way only the trail leg passes over the hurdle when introduced to this exercise the athlete is usually a little confused but this difficulty is temporary it arises simply from forgetting to face drive the lead leg forward when this point is explained the exercise is easily carried out as our analysis indicates the trail leg action is the greatest departure from normal sprinting form this valuable exercise leaves the athlete free to concentrate on his trail leg the knowledge that it can carry out the trail leg action gives the athlete the confidence so necessary to good hurdling the hurdler must get the feeling that the high point of his forward Drive is reached just before he reaches the hurdle when directly over the hurdle he must feel as if he is already coming down otherwise he will float and not land in a position to sprint the dimension of the hurdle itself serves as a rough guide to the landing area which would result from correct hurdle clearance work over a single hurdle permits the athlete to concentrate on what he has learned without worrying about his stride pattern this type of drill orient the athlete to the hurdle and he will begin to look respectable if he is well conditioned if he is drilled on trail leg action and if he understands the nature of the event under racing conditions all hurdlers must of course take three strides between hurdles yet in practice the use of five slower and shortest rides between hurdles has a useful function the pressure and speed necessary for three strides are removed and the athlete is free to concentrate on efficient hurdle currents in carrying out this polishing drill the athlete always leans and drives hard at each hurdle the first hurdle is the most and hurdle of the race measurement is made to locate the take-off distance from the first hurdle this spot is prominently marked usually about 7 feet is needed the exact distance depending upon the athletes height and speed there must be sufficient room a cramped a go up interferes with the body lean so important to efficient clearance under the supervision of his coach the athlete will drill constantly to strike the proper takeoff spot he must work to make this ability almost second nature stride adjustments for the first hurdle must be made as early in the race as possible this means that such adjustments should be made right at the start at the blocks the athlete must drill until these first strides are absolutely consistent only in this way can he approached the first hurdle with speed and confidence when the early stride pattern becomes reliable the athlete is ready for extensive drill on the first hurdle in this task confidence is half the battle Gary works to approach the hurdle smoothly and without hesitation to clear the hurdle efficiently with the very minimum departure from good sprinting form the athlete who handles the first hurdle is far along from the standpoint of form the remaining hurdles will present no new problems after mastery of the first hurdle the main problems are those of conditioned experience and polish yet even for the advanced hurdler the first hurdle is always regarded as a critical part of the race the hurdlers should join the sprinters for starting practice such practices of course a necessary and valuable part of the Heartless training moreover it serves to emphasize the point that the hurdles event is a race reaction and speed are important though he must perform smoothly and efficiently with attention to technique it is essential that he acquire the habit of moving fast and driving hard the hard lure is fortunate if he has one or more teammates or equally proficient competitive conditions can be simulated in practice the chance to work under pressure quickly gains valuable experience for the athlete - the stress situation brings - early coaching attention errors that might otherwise escape notice until late season the exercise program is continued during the season a thorough warm-up always precedes all stretching exercises constantly aware of the great importance of speed the coach does all he can to increase sprinting ability the heart of the workout remains fast work over several hurdles a routine practice session an athlete cannot perform well over ten hurdles and tends to lose form full flights therefore a reserved for the meets and the occasional Time Trial the athlete who has prepared well can look forward to the thrill of competition he goes to his marks with a knowledge that he's ready to give his best it is now that he reaps the benefits of as many hours of training here are seen the results of the skills so carefully acquired and the conditioning program that was undergone win or lose the athlete has gained the high hurdler is usually called upon to run the low hurdles often he can perform this double well but his ability to run the lows will not depend very much upon the hurtling skills is developed in the highs instead performance will depend more on his speed stamina and the conditioning that he has developed the high hurdle of 42 inches presents a formidable barrier the athlete standing by a low hurdle of 30 inches shows a remarkable contrast his center of gravity is already well above the top of the hurdle the height of the low hurdle is the key to what must be done in accordance with a basic principle we must deviate as little as possible from correct sprinting form because the low hurdle is less of an obstacle it's clearance demands very little departure from running form thus the precise technique learned for the high hurdles is not used for the lows it would represent needless departure from proper running style notice that for the lower hurdle the lean is hardly more than a normal body angle of the Sprinter in general there is much less interference with the running effort the lead leg remains in alignment and is lifted only enough for hurdle clearance a quick landing puts the athlete in position continue the running effort in the high hurdles considerable deviation is required of the trail egg in the lows the trail leg is lifted only enough to clear the hurdle a greater lift would be a wasteful departure from running style however though the trail leg is not high over the hurdle the knee is brought through to alignment this action permits a full and efficient running stride the opposite arm and leg always worked together for balance the clearance of a high hurdle is a very exaggerated stride and requires in compensation an exaggerated action of the arm opposite the lead leg low hurdle clearance is a less exaggerated stride hence the arm action is also less exaggerated the high hurdler reviews with his coach the style modifications he will need for the lows there will be very little body lean the lead leg lifts only enough for hurdle cranes the trail near eyes is just enough to clear the hurdle compensating arm action is less extreme the general coaching principle remains the same is the hurdle approached without interruption does hurdle clearance occupy a minimum time is the athlete in a good running position when he comes off the hurdle in many ways the lows favour the Sprinter how does the hurdle meet this challenge he does have some advantages he is used to running toward a barrier at high speed he's had training in regulating stride length most important he should try to out condition the Sprinter if he makes the needed adjustments the hurdler will have an added chance to compete and to contribute points to his team the hurdler can take pride in his achievement for this event combines great skill speed and auditioning