Hurdles Performance Lead Arm Technique Advancement for Hurdle Performance

McKinnon G, Comerford M. Hurdle Performance: lead arm technique advancement. Modern Athlete & Coach.50(1)Jan 2012: 26-29 (reprinted with permission of the editor of Modern Athlete & Coach) Hurdles Performance: Lead arm technique advancement for hurdle performance Geoff McKinnon & Mark Comerford Over the past 10-15 years we have witnessed a dramatic shift in the speed of the world’s leading sprinters driven largely by the exploits of the current world record holder, Usain Bolt. Bolt’s stunning onslaught on the 100 and 200m world records have tended to “hide” the considerable improvements on the previous world records by Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay. The efforts of these three sprinters have set new standards throughout the world in that the bar has risen well above previous targets in terms of qualifying times for major events such as the Olympic Games and the World Championships. Bolt and his Jamaican compatriots have dominated world sprinting in recent times to the extent they have overwhelmingly overshadowed the traditional leaders, the United States. Now everybody wants to know how this has come about. Bolt defies all the standard physical requirements of what makes a great sprinter by the mere fact he is simply too tall at 1.95m to be the sprinter that he is. We are witnessing advances in the standards of 400m and 800m running with the depth of talent at the international level getting increasingly deeper as they apply more emphasis to their speed training without losing sight of their aerobic capacities. We also appear to be witnessing a surge in hurdling with the world record for the men’s 110m hurdles event having been lowered several times over the past five years to the current standard of 12.89sec. However, Australian standards among men appear to have become bogged in quicksand. Perhaps the exception in Australian hurdling are the women, with Sally Pearson’s 2011 World Championship 12.28sec catapulting her into the heady realms of currently standing tall as history’s fourth fastest ever. Other Australian women, Pam Ryan, Shirley Strickland. Maureen Caird, Glynis Nunn-Cearns, Debbie Flintoff King and Jana Rawlinson all have strode across the world’s hurdling stage with authority. Women’s hurdling in Australia has remained consistently good by world standards over the past 50 years. There are some coaches around the world who are adamant the 110m hurdles should be edging towards the realm of 12.5sec if that event was to keep pace with the improvements we are witnessing in the 100 and 200m flat races. Where will such heady improvements come from if this is to happen? These coaches, including this writer, advocate a 12.5sec result will come from improved technique coupled with greater management of maximum speed between the hurdles In simple terms every hurdler takes the same number of strides between each hurdle. It is the speed he or she generates between those hurdles which determines the winner and the fastest hurdler. Clearly the coach and the hurdler has to come to grips with how long the hurdler spends in the air in negotiating each hurdle, and how effective he or she makes the transition from flat ground sprinting to between hurdle speed. In other words, it’s all about sprinting through all ten hurdles from start to finish. So where are the coaching guidelines that will advance hurdlers towards that 12.5sec target? It has to come from the grass roots level where young athletes make their choice to become a hurdler and explore their own sense of courage and lack of fear in racing over objects which won’t get out of their way. © Australian Track and Field Coaches Association with permission from Modern Athlete & Coach vol. 50(1) 2012: 26-29 simply because Kyle could run 100m faster. Amanda Drew and Emma MacTaggart. Curtis Frye. but he continues his endeavors to make the change in his bid to achieve a sub-14sec result. Cedric Dubler. Perhaps we should be astute enough to identify these athletes and steer them towards a hurdling career rather than waste their time trying to emulate more speed-gifted rivals from overseas who are disappointed if they cannot run 10. who was at the time. His best hurdles time was 13. During the 14 years I coached Stuart Anderson he fitted these physical requirements but his best flat 100m was 10. The ideal physical makeup for a hurdler is 1. Anthony Collins. and most importantly the downward drive of the lead arm in co-ordination with the lead leg and trail leg. thus causing unnecessary hip rotation. John Burstow.73sec by the time he retired five years ago which at that point made him the fifth fastest ever ranked hurdler in Australia. Centre of gravity (core stability) is virtually “lost” with these actions. with a ground speed between 10. also coach of two of hurdling’s greats Alan Johnson and Terrance Trammel. It was all very well of me to extoll what Alan Johnson and Terrance Trammel were doing with coach Frye. all of them have won Australian hurdling titles or represented Australia. knee drive at the hurdle. Jack Conway. Some 12 years ago I began to “experiment” with and encourage my hurdlers to adopt a forearm downward drive of the lead arm from the chin area in a bent elbow action which drove down past the hip as the lead leg began to search for the ground without causing problems with inappropriate hip rotation away from the direction of flight across the hurdle. Another squad international. © Australian Track and Field Coaches Association with permission from Modern Athlete & Coach vol. and as well there are those who preach a low lead arm pushed forward and down over the lead leg.4 and 10.6sec. I needed to understand better the physiological and biomechanical stream of internal movements to put the stamp of authority on what I was trying to teach. has struggled to adopt the downward lead arm drive.with emphasis on fast hands. With the exception of Emma and Duncan. 50(1) 2012: 26-29 .88m. Figure 2: Promising junior Anthony Collins (right) loses upper body and arm control across the hurdle Our hurdlers adopted a series of pre-race drills designed to place emphasis on fast twitch fibre movements shown to us during the Goodwill Games by USA Olympic coach. He was to be the “bridesmaid” to Australia’s greatest ever hurdler Kyle Vander Kuyp on numerous occasions. These drills mirror the techniques required to negotiate each hurdle in a race . Duncan Harvey. Figure 1: Stuart Anderson demonstrates downward drive of the lead arm and good balance across the hurdle Many coaches today still persevere with the bent elbow forward across the upper body and driven outward above the trail leg. Stuart on the other hand had Kyle’s measure in air time across the hurdles.2sec or better in a picnic race. tendencies to float across the hurdle.8sec.4sec over 100m. and about 82kg. Stuart Anderson was one of the first Australian hurdlers to adopt the downward lead arm drive utilising it so well he went on to represent Australia. Others emerging from our squad with this technique included Adam Szlezak.Here in Australia we are not overly blessed with so called natural sprinters who can race quicker than 10. It is Mark’s view that the downward arm drive is biomechanically advantageous for increased forward power over the hurdle. Athletes with poor core control will have a tendency to demonstrate unwanted lateral movement (zigzag) in the first few steps as they leave the blocks and the first 2 or 3 strides after landing over the hurdle. Another rotational controlling factor is the external oblique (Fig. But he agrees it is the elbow thrust down to the side which creates a greater degree of increased power. (Fig. supported by superior hip rotation and core sidebend control. He says that elbow drive out to the side. produces significant rotation and sidebending forces at the spine. 3) which supports the down and backward drive of the shoulder with the wrist being driven down and the elbow driving backwards rather than outwards. The major muscle coming into play to achieve this downward arm action is the Latissimus Dorsi (Fig. Due to the asymmetry of the hurdling action.I found the answers when I met the noted Australian physiotherapist. the athlete with less efficient core strength or stability (especially in rotation or sidebend control) will struggle with the challenge to develop a more power advantageous downward arm action. the natural balance response whilst in the air over the hurdle is to lift the lead arm forward and out to the side. as well as assisting organisations such as the Chicago Bulls. which requires coordinated activation of the infraspinatus and the posterior deltoid at the upper shoulder which provide an outward rotation counterbalance. Mark Comerford. 5) provides control for sidebend and rotation of the trunk as it acts from a position just above the pelvis. along with the leg asymmetry. 4) The rotation forces in the trunk of the more power efficient downward arm action have to be counterbalanced at the trunk by core strength in the rotation stabiliser muscles. who spends several months of his year lecturing throughout North America and Europe. Triceps (T). This unwanted lateral movement is Figure 5: Internal Oblique controlled by the rotation stabiliser muscles. West Side Dance (New York City Ballet). efficiency and forward movement off the hurdle. Jonathan Edwards. 50(1) 2012: 26-29 . 6) which I T LD Figure 4: Latissimus Dorsi (LD). pelvis and hips that have to be controlled and counterbalanced. Posterior Deltoid (PD) & Infraspinatus (I) Figure 6: External Oblique © Australian Track and Field Coaches Association with permission from Modern Athlete & Coach vol. However. Athletes who already have good core strength for rotation and sidebend control will automatically do this well. The abdominal internal oblique muscle (Fig. Mark quickly warmed to my lead arm concept and provided me with a series of images which serve to demonstrate the differences between the downward arm drive and the “traditional” hand or elbow thrust forward technique. and athletes such as the former British Olympic triple jump gold medalist. PD Figure 3: Latissimus Dorsi The triceps also aids the down and backward drive. the athlete recognising the value of the downward lead arm drive will need to learn and train to adopt this new skill. To change a natural response. The latissimus dorsi and the triceps also produce an inward rotation twist at the shoulder. © Australian Track and Field Coaches Association with permission from Modern Athlete & Coach vol. 7) and the gluteus medius at the hip. The gracilis is the long muscle connecting the groin to the knee. as well as excessive back arch (leaning back) coming off the hurdle. and upper adductor magnus in the stabilising compartment of the adductor muscles (Fig. the downward arm drive has a lot of potential benefits in improving power and speed over the hurdle. In efficient iliacus contributes to uncontrolled rotation of the pelvis which in turn affects balance and efficiency over the hurdle. Key points to watch:     The gluteals control lateral shift and rotation of the pelvis They stabilise or stiffen the pelvis for leg propulsion. pelvis and hip are the major contributors to recurrent injuries in hurdlers. The athlete who has good core strength and the ability to control spine and pelvic rotation and sidebend will find this technique skill relatively easy to learn and integrate into their natural action. Two other key players in this process of rotation and sidebend stabilisation are the gluteus maximus (Fig. while the gracilis. 50(1) 2012: 26-29 . AL The gracilis and adductor longus are muscles that do not sit well with hurdlers. athletes with poor core strength or inefficient rotation or sidebend control will find this new skill difficult to acquire. The hip muscles also control the pelvis and thigh during weight bearing and propulsion. They will require additional training of their rotation and sidebend stabiliser muscles to improve their core control. If the deep hip flexor (iliacus) is weak or inefficient. 8). However.especially controls the degree of rotation. If the foot stays pronated too long as the body move past the foot the athlete loses propulsion off the ground. causing dropping the chest or causing the pelvis to rotate excessively over the hurdle. It is these muscle which connect with the pubic area and if torn can take many months to recover from. Adductor Brevis (AB). adductor longus and lower adductor magnus make up the mobiliser compartment of the leg adductors (Fig. Gluteus I P AB B AM M Figure 8: Iliacus (I). Mark has observed that uncontrolled rotation and sidebending in the spine. G Figure 9: Adductor Longus (AL) & Gracilis (G) In summary. especially those who tend to hurdle with a straight lead leg. the pelvis rolls backward. The external oblique controls rotation and sidebend of the trunk. The gluteal muscles (buttock) in particular control thigh and pelvic position over the foot. 9). The gluteals also control the knee from rolling in across the foot and foot pronation. Adductor Magmus (AM) Other key components include a range of muscles in the groin and upper leg region including the pectineus. Figure 7: Maximus Knee lift from the hip flexor muscles is important to drive the lead leg over the hurdle and to bring the trail leg through. Sometimes surgery is required. the adductor brevis. Pectineus (P). Towards the end of this career. seemingly drawing away for her rivals after five hurdles indicates she has the ability to sustain her “special hurdling speed” through superior core strength.8sec more than twice in his career. © Australian Track and Field Coaches Association with permission from Modern Athlete & Coach vol. even if they do improve their 100m flat speed. The ability of Pearson to demonstrate her speed endurance. Kyle Vander Kuyp at his best was a 10. Great examples among current world class hurdlers adopting this downward thrust of the lead arm coupled with good core stability can be seen in the performances of Sally Pearson (Australia) and Liu Xiang (China). While Stuart Anderson try as hard as he did could not get past 10.almost like a chain reaction. spine control and pelvic rotation . and she did so beating several rivals who have faster flat speed times than she has over 100m. Pearson dominated the recent European season with her considerable consistency leading up to her World Championship win.  Iliacus deficiencies further result is poor knee lift rolling back of the pelvis and this will be of major concern.she literally sprints through the hurdles. Uncontrolled rolling back of the pelvis is linked to dropping the chest on approaching the hurdle and is asking for trouble. Kyle worked with a specialist sprint squad and Roy Boyd continued as his technical coach in the hurdles. In the World Championships you will observe how Pearson literally ran and raced over the hurdles as if they did not exist.economy of energy outlays over the entire race simply because the various muscle components that come into play are working in alignment with each other . Hurdling aspirants would be best advised to spend more time improving their speed between the hurdles. Both hurdlers have adopted the downward drive of the lead arms and it is this writer’s view that this tends to provide an added benefit . 50(1) 2012: 26-29 . One further comment here: Hurdlers consistently training with sprint specialists to enhance their speed between hurdles will soon learn they will quickly lose their hurdles speed. They will eventually be rewarded. The speed requirements in these two events are diametrically opposed and require different techniques.4sec flat sprinter. who now have 11 months leading up to the London Olympics to figure out what she has done to become one of the genuine greats of world hurdling. Her lead arm downward drive clearly gave her the impetus to drive off each hurdle without impeding hip rotation which helped her nullify the best efforts of her rivals.