Hey guys,
so we all know that sprinting is an important skill to any athlete, right? Well, I have about the worst sprinting form on this planet or any other. So… I was wondering if you guys could recommend a book/video/website etc. that explains sprinting mechanics well.
I’ve heard of a book by Dr. Ralph Mann, “Mechanics of Sprinting”, but I can’t seem to find it for sale anywhere let alone much information on it.
I want something that explains efficient mechanics well, not just the old and tired “stay relaxed, tall, and drive etc”. I came across posetech.com yesterday and the system seemed wonderful, that is, if you’re a distance runner.
The site says that it doesn’t matter, that all runners should use the same mechanics. However, I’ve seen a video of a POSE-runner and their arms were NOT moving very much, were moving LATERALLY, and the runner was very slow.
So, I guess what I’m asking is if anyone has experience with the POSE system or any other book/video/website/etc. Thanks so much and sorry to ramble on.
The absolute best way to learn the ins and outs of anything is to compete and train for it.
Sprint at different tracks and ask people politely to race, your body will do what it is supposed to naturally.
Your bound to come across somebody that knows something about it, ask them for tips.
You will increase your chances of coming across people who know about sprinting by working out at colleges around track practice time, or highschool tracks.
I realize my last post although true may not be what you had in mind or particularly helpful. Here is one of my favorites for training in general.
becareful of the pose method. If I remember correctly that is more for people with bad knees, or a competing method for endurance runners. Horrible for sprinting.
staying relaxed is true to an extent, but when your trying to learn how to sprint you may want to stay tight. As you advance people tell you to relax, but they generally mean relax the muscles you are not using.
As you are trying to learn stick to no more than 40 meters. Usually the first 20 your building your speed, the second 20 you can really learn the mechanics, go any longer you start to build your endurance but if you don’t know how to sprint your form will sacrafice as you are trying to last longer.
Sea: A coach is simply not practical for me right now. Thanks for the suggestion though.
Airtruth: Competing is also really not practical right now, but I guess I could practice at the local high school and college tracks… Maybe. I’ll have to look into it.
I’ve read through just about that entire site, its great. However, the sprinting section is rather short and vague. I’m looking for something more detailed and solid, thus my interest in the POSE system. If you say its bad for sprinting though, I’ll surely stay away from it.
I just don’t know where I can learn more… If I video tape myself, what should I look for? I want to know what angles everything should be at, y’know?!
SpeedStrength - have you tried watching Olympian sprinters? Or semi-pro, or even college level sprinters for that matter? Observation is a great way to learn, particularly since it’s usually free.
I can give you a few basic pointers, although keep in mind that these were from my sprinter friends in high school so I’m probably a little rusty (I never sprinted due to knee problems). Your elbow angle should be between 90 and 135 degrees, and your arms should stay in the sagittal plane as much as possible.
You should also watch your feet for under/overpronation (feet rolling out/in; make sure you don’t run on the outside or inside of your foot). Both of these are bad for your body and form.
One more thing; are you sprinting to get better at sprinting, to get better at athletics, or for general fitness? Because a stack of technical information will only help if you’re trying to get better at pure, unadulterated straight-line sprinting.
Sure, some of it will carry over, but you may spend a long time perfecting something that never carries over. For example, keeping your arms perfectly in the sagittal plane is not a good idea when you’re running with a football.
Foot problems are something you should be watchful for no matter what, since over/underpronation can wreck your legs in all kinds of nasty ways.
Watching top sprinters is a really good idea. Youtube is an excellent resource here, especially with the slow motion mode.
I think you might find that pose running describes some of their running mechanics, even among their respective differences: erect/still torso, forefoot to forefoot running (no heel touching at all, much less heel striking!), touching the ground behind/underneath the body.
Relaxing is extremely important - tension anywhere in your body slows you and prevents explosive force. But of course, sprinting is essentially a rhythm between relaxing & explosive force application. (Interestingly, research suggests that it’s a sprinter’s ability to switch rapidly between these two modes that makes the difference between a good and a world class sprinter.)
IMVHO, one of the best ways to learn how to sprint is to run barefoot. Barefoot running forces you to adopt good body mechanics, and strengthens your feet/lower legs - both not only make you faster, but prevent overpronation and injury-inducing mechanics. BTW, I don’t recommend stepping outside tomorrow morning and going all out - you have to start very light.
Finally, the poster above is correct I think. Sprinting is actually a highly technical, very complex sport. Everything I’ve said above is a gross simplification. And yet, at the same time, even if you are just doing it for HITT or general exercise, proper mechanics will make it more enjoyable and safer.
In addition to pose runnning stuff (the pose website also has a ton of video btw), you might also check out this guy (a bit of a cookoo, but he has some good points here and there to complement pose stuff):
Ultimately, while all these basics are helpful, neither of these guys, and no other running technique for that matter, can ever be entirely right. Really good sprinting/running is never purely the adoption of a template, but finding your own technique - one that takes best advantage of your own particular body, which of course takes years.
[quote]SpeedStrength wrote:
Sea: A coach is simply not practical for me right now. Thanks for the suggestion though.
Airtruth: Competing is also really not practical right now, but I guess I could practice at the local high school and college tracks… Maybe. I’ll have to look into it.
I’ve read through just about that entire site, its great. However, the sprinting section is rather short and vague. I’m looking for something more detailed and solid, thus my interest in the POSE system. If you say its bad for sprinting though, I’ll surely stay away from it.
I just don’t know where I can learn more… If I video tape myself, what should I look for? I want to know what angles everything should be at, y’know?! [/quote]
Simple steps.
Videotape yourself sprinting in a side angle.
Post the clip on charliefrancis.com to get a critique. (and on here if you want)
Well, I looked around and heard of the Charlie Francis Training for Speed book, but its not on his site store. I looked on amazon, not there either. Anyone know more about this book or any of Charlie’s other products? Everything in his store seemed to have more to do with training for sprinting than technique/mechanics.
Does his Training for Speed book go over mechanics(thoroughly?)? Where can I find a copy?
Also, I’m investing in a digital camera ASAP so should be able to analyse my form in depth, once I figure out what to look for and how to achieve it! Thanks all, I gotta run now!
I actually read that(along with most of the other “articles” on sprinting at elitetrack.com) last night but thanks for mentioning it! I was a little confused by what the author was saying though, he was describing the “Stride” and the “Lift” if I’m not mistaken.
I think I’m actually more confused now that I’ve read that article. None-the-less, I think I learned from that read that footstrike should NOT be directly under the COM but rather just slightly(6-12") ahead. Not sure if thats true yet, but it makes sense to me.
a lot of poor sprinting form just comes from muscle weakness. if you have weak glutes or hamstrings, or your calves sag, or your torso muscles are weak, you won’t be able to hold proper form, even if you know what you are “supposed” to do.
why do you think you have poor form? i’d be careful with the info you are learning. for example, even if it turns out that elite sprinters have a footstrike 6-12" in front of their COM, this does not mean that you should strive to plant your feet ahead of your COM when you sprint. this will most likely cause you to overstride.
^^ I agree. Even with top sprinters, you’ll see their form start to falter towards the last 10 meters.
I’d actually take issue with the strike ahead of COM - not only will it lead to overstriding, but injuries such as ham pulls that usually attend overstriding. IMO, striking ahead of you also probably slows you down.
Theory is one thing, but if you look at, say, Johnson in slow motion, he strikes directly under, even slightly behind.
Then watch the sprinters trying to catch up to him - usually, you’ll find most of them are overstriding.
Anyone know more about this book or any of Charlie’s other products? Everything in his store seemed to have more to do with training for sprinting than technique/mechanics.