Starts

Starts are critical in building momentum for a great race. Study this and then come to practice and incorporate it into your workouts. 

First, keep in mind that the object is to get to the finish line as fast as you can, which doesn't always equate with being first out of the blocks. The start and acceleration phase is designed to overcome inertia and build momentum to help you reach maximum velocity efficiently and maintain it effectively to minimize deceleration in the later portion of short sprint and hurdle races.

Many times, you will watch a race where it looks like someone got out quick only to fade toward the end. When you see that, you may think they had a great start but didn't have good enough conditioning to finish. More likely, though, the athlete had a poor start. How can that be if they got out fastest? The reason is that he or she was quick but not powerful, failing to generate enough momentum to minimize the deceleration later in the race. Another way to think if this is a bit like a car spinning its wheels in the snow -- wheels are turning fast but the car isn't getting anywhere very fast.

To increase momentum, you need to generate large impulses. If you want to get technical about it, impulse = force x time. So, you need to be explosive enough to create large forces and apply them for a relatively long time. To do this, you need the right block set up and an understanding of what needs to happen. Here we go.

1. Set the front block two shoes from the start line and the other three shoes from the start line. Hurdlers may need to adjust this backward or forward, depending on leg length and takeoff point for hurdle one.

2. Set the block angle at 45 degrees for the front block and 45 degrees or slightly more for the back block.

3. Place the rear foot on the back pedal with about 1/2" of the big toe on the track.

4. Place the front foot so the big toe is on the track about an inch. This stretches the plantar fascia to create a stretch reflex for a faster, more powerful push.

5. Position the shoulders directly above the hands.

6. Use fingertip support to help position the shoulders higher, to raise center of mass to make it easier to get the hips in optimum position as acceleration begins.

7. At set, move the hips straight up -- don't lean forward or backward. The front leg should be at 90-100 degrees for strong push. If this angle is less, it adds time in reaching full extension. If it's more, you generate less impulse and may exit at a higher angle. Shin angles will be close to parallel and about perpendicular to the pedals.

8. Pre-load the glutes, hamstrings and achilles by applying pressure to the pedals, which allows you to apply more force when the gun fires and leverages stretch reflex, particularly on the achilles. You should feel the heels wrap over the top of the pedals of a typical block (some pedals are taller than others). Note: if you roll forward at set, you lose some this pre-loading and may fall out of the blocks.

9. At set, take a deep breath and hold it until crossing the first hurdle -- or about 10-11 strides into a sprint race. Don't think about the gun. Focus on movement.

10. At the gun, push hard off both blocks, though the front leg pushes for a longer time. This avoids falling out to the side, which can happen if you just pull the back foot off the block. Pushing off the back block also sets up a stretch reflex that helps that leg move faster on that first step.

11. Also at the gun, lift the chest and head so it is aligned with the spine. You are looking for extension (straight line) through the ankle, knee, hip, spine and neck, as the hips extend up and forward just as the foot leaves the front block.

12. Push back through the shin and extend the hip -- don't bend the waist -- stay in line. About 45 degrees as you exit the blocks. Might be a bit higher for less powerful athletes. Maybe a bit lower for more powerful ones.

13. In the first few steps, you are pushing back and down. Don't reach forward or rush things to be quicker. You want to maximize push and power to gain momentum and acceleration.

14. When the foot leaves the surface during acceleration, your heel recovery should be low. In other words, it should not come up very high in the back (like a butt kick). This wastes time in getting back to the ground for the next push and uses the hamstring rather than the glutes.

When you start, think about it like you are pushing a very heavy object. You want your feet way back as you use a steep angle to apply more force than you could if your feet were right under your hips.