Dorsiflexion is one of the most important aspects of proper sprinting form and developing speed. It doesn’t matter what the rest of the body is doing. If you don’t have correct ground contact, you won’t sprint fast. In this post you’ll learn why running on your toes dramatically reduces speed.
In this post I show you 4 sprinting drills that are incredibly effective at developing proper form and preparing the body for acceleration work. These drills are an essential element of Ken Harnden´s athletes sprinting workouts and are performed during most of the training year.
Get faster 40 yard dash times and improve your sprinting performance. A fast 40 yard dash time is one of the benchmarks in football. It can give a player an edge in tryouts and evaluations, and it can also be a factor in determining how much playing time they get and what their role on the team will be. It’s especially important for positions that require a lot of speed and quickness, like wide receivers, running backs, and defensive backs. But even players who need to tackle or cover kickoffs and punts can benefit from having a fast 40 yard dash time. But it’s not just about doing 3 point starts. It’s about doing them correctly.
In this post I highlight based on the opinion of Olympic coach Karim Abdel Wahab, some of the key differences and similarities between the 100m and 400m when it comes to sprinting technique. Studies have shown that the 400m runners whose technique is closest to 100m runners are the fastest. Topics covered include knee drive, turnover, ground contact time as well as where the foot lands in relationship to the bodies center of mass during sprinting.
Learn some of the most common errors athletes make with sprinting technique and how to avoid them. In this post I ´ll share with you coach the errors coach Karim Abdel Wahab has seen athletes make throughout his time working with elite sprinters as well as football players preparing for the NFL draft combine.
Starting with the the most common mistake, which is staying too low out of the blocks or at the beginning of the sprint, you’ll learn why staying low dramatically reduces the ability to produce force down to the ground and results in slower speed. Coach Karim provides an effective cue to help solve this issue.
Another common error is breaking at the waist. This breakdown in technique also inhibits speed and will result in slower times and can potentially lead to injuries. Learn how to spot a “fake lean” and some tips on optimal sprinting biomechanics.
Finally, there area two Athlete Insight sections in which Olympians Jeremy Dodson and Janay DeLoach discuss about the biggest myths and worst advice they heard in high school and why you should avoid them if you want to reach your potential.
Learn how to sprint faster with proper ground contact and force application. One of the biggest misconceptions out there is how the foot strikes the ground (it’s not on the toe and not on the heel). This post covers where the foot strikes the ground and why that is important for force application and speed development. In order to take advantage of the “stretch reflex” and really utilize the muscles of the lower leg, it’s important to ingrain into the nervous system how to properly land with each stride. This post teaches the fundamentals of correct ground contact throughout the entire sprint. Athlete Insight sections cover force production and how striking down and back is different than “stomping” your way down the track.
Learn how to sprint faster by improving your start. This post contains some of the key technical aspects of acceleration out of the blocks including posture, force application, and arm movement during the first phase of sprint. I´ll share with you several drills that improve reaction time that coach Karim Abdel Wahab uses prior to having athletes get into the blocks. Finally, you´ll find out Olympian Jeremy Dodson´s opinion about how video games help to improve reaction time, his mindset at the line and first 3 steps out of the blocks. He also shares some tips that have helped him perform at a peak level.
We’re going to talk about bench press tips. These are three quick tips that Starting Strength coach Pete Troupos brings us. He thinks they might help out your bench press. Hopefully, you find them useful.
The first tip is going to be about grip and gripping the out of the bar. The harder you grab the bar, the more likely you are to be able to control your wrists and elbows and get them to do what you want them to in the bench press. It also works for the press as well, but taking a deliberate grip and squeezing the bar tightly is going to help you manipulate the bar and your joints in a way that you want. So, give it a try.
Learn how to sprint faster by maximizing ground contact and developing a proper foot strike. A common mistake many sprinters make is striking the ground on their toes resulting in massive ankle amortization and increased ground contact times. The goal of these drills is to get the athlete to develop a flat foot strike by overemphasizing landing flat on the heel. The result will be a flat foot strike during sprinting (landing on the forefoot or where the track spikes are).
Run faster with proper sprinting technique. In order to maximize speed at the start of the race, you need to learn how to properly perform block starts. When done correctly, blocks starts are the best platform to apply maximum force in order to overcome inertia. This post looks at how to properly work your way down from a 3 point start to achieving the hard post and triple extension out of the blocks.