Sprint Colin Jackson (UK) Hurdles

Hurdling is, because of its technical and energy demands, an exciting and challenging event. The technical component of hurdling is clearly much greater than in sprinting, yet the concept of the hurdles race must be one of a sprint, with adjustment for each hurdle. The stride pattern for sprint hurdling is a 7 to 8 stride pattern to the first hurdle followed by a 3 stride pattern between the hurdles. Appropriate drills can be used to help develop the athlete's hurdling technique.

Sprint Hurdling Technique

The Start and Approach

In sprint hurdling the first hurdle is only some seven or eight strides away so the athlete must come upright at the 3rd or 4th stride, much earlier than the sprinter. To enable this to happen the block spacings will have to be slightly altered. When using an eight stride approach the take-off foot is placed in the front block.

Hurdle Clearance

The athlete must attack the hurdle and aim to clear it, by approx. 17 to 18 cm, as quickly and efficiently as possible, raising their centre of gravity only a little more than in a normal sprint action.

Leg action

Leg Action

The last stride of the approach to the first hurdle is shortened in order to allow the take-off leg to move rapidly under the hips. This ensures that a fast effective drive can be made across the hurdle. [1].

Action of the leading leg:

  • The knee must be picked up fast [1]
  • The knee is driven at the hurdle [1] & [2]
  • The lower part of the leg is left low and extends once the knee reaches the height of the barrier [1] & [2]
  • The knee must be picked up in line with the vertical centre line of the body.
  • There should be no tendency for the knee to be pulled across the body or for the lower leg to go out and round.
  • As the heel of the lead leg passes the barrier it must be pulled down and back to land under the body [3] & [4]
  • There is no necessity for the lead leg to be straight over the top of the hurdle [3].
  • The leg straightens as it descends towards the ground [4]

Action of the trailing leg:

  • The trailing leg drives the body at the hurdle as the lead leg rises [1]
  • The recovery of the trail leg must begin from well behind the body if the drive is to be completed
  • The athlete should feel the trailing knee sweeping wide and flat over the hurdle [4].
  • As the leg crosses the hurdle, the foot must be cocked at the ankle so that the foot does not hit the barrier [4]
  • After crossing the barrier, the knee continues to rise and comes round in front of the body [5]

Many young athletes have a tendency to drop the trail leg off to the side after it has crossed the barrier. This has the effect of making the first stride short and pulling the athlete off balance. The trail leg must be pulled through high and fast so that the first stride is fast [5] & [6].

Arm Action

As in sprinting, the arms act to balance the body and counter the rotations produced by the legs. The arm opposite to the lead leg actually leads the action into the hurdle and pushes/dives forwards as the lead leg rises [1]. The other arm should be taken back in a normal sprinting action. As the trail leg comes round the leading arm swings back and wide to counter the rotation of the trail leg [4].

Running Between Hurdles

Three strides are used to cover the ground between the hurdles. To achieve this, the athlete has to modify his sprinting technique to make it fit the gap. A fast leg cadence and a shorter stride length is needed. The athlete may have to use a lower knee lift than in normal sprinting with an emphasis on leg speed. The correct range of movement and speed can be achieved by training over hurdles that are slightly closer together than normal.

Safety

Hurdling is dangerous on wet grass or any other slippery surface. It is also dangerous for children to run over hurdles in the opposite way to the correct running direction (i.e. with the feet of the hurdles on the far side).

It is important to help the athletes in the learning situation, by lowering the hurdles and altering the distance between hurdles.

Training Programs

A training program has to be developed to meet the individual needs of the athlete and take into consideration many factors: gender, age, strengths, weaknesses, objectives, training facilities etc. As all athletes have different needs, a single program suitable for all athletes is not possible.

The following is a basic annual training program for the 100 metre, 200 metre, 400 metre and the Sprint Hurdle events.

Specifications

The specification for the hurdle height depends on the event distance, your gender and age.

Gender\Age 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-19 Adult
Male 75m (76.2cm) 80m (84cm) 100m (91.4cm)
400m (84cm)		 110m (1.067cm)
400m (91.4cm)		 110m (1.067cm)
400m (91.4cm)
Female 70m (68.2cm) 75m (76.2cm) 80m (76.2cm)
300m (76.2cm)		 100m (84cm)
400m (76.2cm)		 100m (84cm)
400m (76.2cm)

Evaluation Tests

The following evaluation tests can be used to monitor the sprint athlete's development:

Rules of Competition

The competition rules for this event can be obtained from:

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

Associated Books

The following books provide more information related to this topic:

  • How to Teach Track Events, M. Arnold, ISBN 0 85134 085 7
  • Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
  • Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
  • Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
  • Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
  • The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
  • Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
  • Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
  • Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
  • PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2