AthleticSpeed

In order for us to learn how to develop the start we must first learn and understand the technical aspects of the start. It’s more than doing repetitions of exercises over and over. We must first remember that any technical deficiencies can and will hinder progress and will create inconsistencies in training and competition. We must spend the correct amount of time in the general preparation period preparing the athlete to have just what they need to sustain what is required of them which is, in all sports, core strength. Strength in the core muscles consists of the torso, chest, shoulders, arms, abs, upper and lower back, hip muscles, glute (butt) muscles and we can include the thighs and hamstrings. These are essential for technical development and to learn how to develop these muscles refer to the section on Circuits and General Strength.
 
Let us begin to understand the technical aspects of the start. When we incorporate the start into the athletes’ workouts, we must remember that these are considered part of Speed/Acceleration workouts and are always treated as such. No matter what the workout, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, etc the start is automatically incorporated in them. If we wanted to isolate the start within the speed/acceleration workout, then it would be part of the Power phase of Sprinting since the goal is to overcome the initial inertia in the crouch position and with velocity zero which means that a body at rest, stays at rest until a force is acted upon it, thus making it move! That Force would of course be the legs ‘powering’ off the starting line setting the body in motion. Now, knowing that The Start is still considered Speed/Acceleration work the same amount of rest and days in between high intensity workouts still apply.  It is recommended that the athlete has 36-72 hours to recover between high intensity workouts, so depending on how long the training week is, I would recommend that Speed/Acceleration workouts (which includes The Start as we have stated) be done 2 times per training week, at high intensity with full/max effort and speed. However, technique must be top priority and constantly taught and emphasized, not only during the initial training stages, but throughout the entire training year and off-season.
 
Now that we know how to structure the workouts and how often the athlete should be practicing this skill, let’s discuss how to teach it. Depending on which start the athlete will use whether it’s a three, four, standing, crouching or block start will require very little variation in the coaching cues, however, the set up elements remain the same. To begin, the athlete should feel comfortable and not crunched or struggling to hold a position at the start. Remember, any weaknesses at the start can be traced back to weak core muscles, the athlete being uncomfortable, the athlete being too crowded around the starting line and incorrect positioning. We should have the athlete understand that while in the starting position there should be an even distribution of energy and weight which means they shouldn’t feel like all their weight is in one place. They should feel intensity in their arms, legs, stomach, chest, etc. In other words, instruct the athlete that they should feel powerful all over. Now, please note that the “intensity” shouldn’t be an uncomfortable feeling, it should feel like a “ready to strike” feeling. However, no matter which start is going to be used the coaching cues, for the most part, will be the same.   
 
At this point let’s get the athlete to set up their start. To help the athlete understand a powerful and good start (notice how I said “powerful” not “fast” or “quick”) we must first show them the correct position of a powerful start. This starts with the power leg in the front. To determine which leg is the power leg you can ask the athlete a series of questions: which leg would you most likely kick a ball with?, which leg would you jump off of while performing a layup?, if someone pushed you unexpectedly which leg would come out first? (even though that one is debatable because the leg that comes out first can actually be seen as the leg that will recover once the body is put into motion from the start, so let’s hold off on that question) The answer to these questions will give you which leg will be put first at the start. This is known as the power leg: the leg that will generate the most force to overcome the rest state, overcome the initial inertia and the force that will set the body in motion. The leg that will be behind the power leg is the recovery leg. The function of this leg is to,………well………….., to recover the body once it is set in motion, so basically it keeps the body from falling to the ground. Now that we have the feet set, we have to put them at the correct spacing to allow for optimal power output. The basic rule of thumb is to have the front leg aka power leg two foot lengths away from the starting line. The back leg aka recovery leg should be three foot lengths away from the starting line. If the athlete is using starting blocks, then the starting blocks should be set up one foot length away from the starting line.
 
So, to help the athlete understand this have them go to the starting line and turn around and go backwards. First up is one foot length, which is for the starting blocks, the device that aids sprinters in their starting position. Next up is two foot lengths, which is for the front leg aka power leg. Then three foot lengths, which is for the back leg aka recovery leg. This will give the athlete the sense of how their legs should be set up in the starting position.
 
Now on to answer a few questions about this type of set up. The reason why the legs are positioned two and three foot lengths away from the starting line is because the athlete shouldn’t “crowd” the starting line. This type of start is known as the ‘medium’ start. The reason that the athlete shouldn’t “crowd” the starting line is because the athlete will experience a “bunching” effect which can and will lead to the athlete being very uncomfortable, feeling tense in the muscles, the athlete shaking and not being able to get set in the starting position and not being able to come to a correct ‘set’ position that will allow the athlete to power out of the starting position. For those reasons that is why the ‘bunch’ start is not preferred, HOWEVER, the bunch starts may work for some people! Hey, that’s just the way the world works! Whichever start works for the athlete will have to be determined by the coach and the athlete, but no matter which starting position is chosen, I believe the athlete should be able to stay down in that position for quite some time with no problems and as stated before, this will be determined by the athletes comfort level in that particular starting position and their general core strength.
 
At this point the athlete has set up their start and now our next goal is to help the athlete get into starting position and understand what is needed to produce the most force to allow for an effective start. Let’s take a moment and pause for a second to discuss why I continue to use the phrase “effective start” rather than say “fast” or “quick start”. The reason I use the word ‘effective’ is because if something is effective then it works pretty much all the time; it achieves a goal; it accomplishes a mission. That should be the point of a start: to set up the remainder of the race by overcoming inertia and transitioning into efficient acceleration. Always make sure that the start is effective and that when done well it accomplishes the goal of setting the athlete up for a good race. 

 

Stay tuned for Part 2!

 

Continue in knowledge!

 

Charone