Hi track coach! I have a stupid question… is there a key element in the average human’s “sprint technique” that always makes you go ‘that’s wrong’. For example, I was a tennis coach once and for me its always the grip. First thing everyone does is pick up the racket and they hold it wrong from start to finish. Sorry for my terrible English I hope that was clear enough.
Everyone runs differently. Not everyone is fast, but everyone can get faster.
There's no one key element, but there are lots of common problems. Hips are inflexible (that was me); One leg is longer than the other; The athlete is a woman who just happens to have large breasts.
My personal favorite was a 400m hurdler who had no sense of rhythm. You have to count 14 or 15 steps between hurdles or you will crash. Dude's in his 30s now and still can't dance. But he can hurdle!
In short, getting your athletes to run "knee-up, toe-up" and keep arms from crossing the body as much as possible is the basic goal.
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u/Carpe-Bananum 1d ago
Three time NCAA All American sprinter (200m, 400m) and track coach here. Little dude has some wheels.