The Start is Actually the First Three Steps!

In his book, The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling, the late Ralph Mann said he considers the first three steps to be the start because, "the magnitude of the change in Horizontal Velocity generated during block clearance and the first two steps of the Sprint race is radically different than any other portion of the race." Meaning that the athlete goes from being basically stationary, to moving really fast. I like to refer to these three steps as "getting out". More specifically, I believe steps two and three both help the athlete to "get out" as well as blend into the "driving" portion of the race. It is very important for coaches to recognize how the limiting factors I articulated on the home page impact the first three steps, as collapsing of joints, deficiencies in flexibility, power, etc..., can be evident from the very first step!

When reading Mann's materials concerning the start, it is important to note that he refers to the first step out of the blocks as “Block Clearance,” and the next two steps as “Step One,” and “Step Two.” Although these three steps occur quickly, executing them successfully can begin certain effective patterns and sequences that continue throughout the race, ie; an effective projection and rising of the body utilizing appropriately explosive and powerful movements and good ranges of motion. Again, it must be understood that efficiently moving to achieve an effective top speed (max velocity) is the priority! In other words, the objective of a good start is not to jump out to a lead and then try to hang on to it, but rather to execute a start that will help lead to running the best race.

Overview

While assessing athletes, some may display impressive qualities, ie; explosiveness and quick twitch abilities, along with some good fundamental movement aspects. A coach's basic challenge, however; is to help the athletes to apply their talents in an effective way to the tasks at hand.

Some Fundamental Aspects

Ralph Mann, very importantly notes, that the amount of vertical and horizontal forces produced during these first three steps is virtually the same. It may surprise many to hear about the importance of vertical forces being applied to the ground at the start, because this may seem to imply the "popping up" during the start that we know is not what we want our sprinters to do. This video does a good job of showing how horizontal and vertical ground forces combine to take a runner from a starting position toward an upright running position while moving up the track. In his book, Mann thoroughly illustrates and explains how vertical force is required to both, "control rotation" and to deal with "gravity", during the start.

Mann also refers to the start as consisting of "three very short air phases. These are performed to minimize the Vertical emphasis while maximizing the time on the ground and, thus, the ability to produce forces to accelerate the body down the track". Having said this, there should still be an attempt at sufficient elevation, including a good knee lift. In my mind, the coordination of the body position and movements to produce sufficient horizontal and vertical movement up the track during the start is a critical element, as it helps lay the foundation for the athlete effectively continuing to project and rise effectively. This very importantly includes the rising of the hips, which if it doesn't occur very early on, if not from the very beginning, likely won't occur as it should. Read on for more details of this!

Very Common

It can be very tempting for athletes to bypass learning how to position and prepare to execute explosive movements that are big enough, but instead, settle for reacting quickly and use the angled starting block pedals to propel forward in too low of a trajectory, with incomplete movements, bad body positions, and fail to come close to high level combination of stride length and stride frequency that can be applied to the rest of the race.

High Post Position

It is important for the sprinter to be positioned and poised to put big enough forces into the track at effective angles, and to use big enough movements, to move up and forward into what is referred to as a "high post" position (shown below). Very importantly, this is to be accomplished while moving sufficiently up the track. Although not having starting blocks to push off against, when coming out of a standing start, this intention can still be there in order to strive to maximize the skills related to positioning and balancing the body to move up the track while vigorously applying force to overcome inertia. My preference is for the athlete to try to accomplish effectively positioning and launching into the race from a good standing start position, as a "lead up" to adding the other aspects of starting that comprise the other starting positions. Again, check out my "Standing Start", "Three-Point and Four-Point Start" blogs for critical information.

Although the front leg contributes the most to the push off into the first step, the rear foot/leg should also contribute as both feet should simultaneously be pushing together for a brief period (double leg drive) as the body moves up the track. Reading further, you will see my explanation of how the quick side of the body (side of the rear leg) and the power side (side of the front leg) coordinate during the execution of the push off from the different starting positions.

As the front leg continues pushing, in coordination with vigorous arm action, the rear leg should continue to explosively flex into the high knee position that you see above. If sufficient hip joint mobility is present, and the body is properly launched into the race, there should be a large split at the knees as the athlete moves up the track (also seen above). Some may refer to this split as the "thighs being separated". Establishing and maintaining this split/separation during acceleration is fundamental to good sprinting and is part of good front side mechanics. This aspect is also evident in this short video.

In my mind, teaching athletes to position the body and express power while moving at least fairly skillfully up the track when not using starting blocks is a far easier task than doing so while using blocks. Not that everything has to be perfect during the "lead up" starts before having the athlete use blocks, but I place high importance on having the athlete to at least begin to develop good fundamentals during the easier scenarios of starting without blocks before adding blocks. Read on for details.

Trunk Discipline

Although a big and explosive movement up the track with the first step is desired, it is important to have the trunk discipline that enables a vigorous hip extension without over-using the erector muscles of the back during that extension into the first step as the athlete moves up the track. (Dodoo) I specify "over-use of the back muscles" because the back does play an important part in supporting the movement and effective force production as the athlete pushes off during block clearance and moves up the track with good body positions.

In the book Running by Bosch and Klomp, it very importantly stated, "The back must be kept straight, because the dorsal muscles can work most effectively in that position, thus contributing to the force of the push-off by way of forward pelvic tilt. A great example of this is during teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout's initial acceleration in this race (lane 6). If the back is too rounded, the dorsal muscles work less effectively, thus reducing their total contribution to the force of the push-off." Core strength supports being able to separate hip extension from back extension.

Shin Discipline

There should also be a shin discipline (Dodoo) present that demonstrates adequate stiffness during the explosive launch into the first step (block clearance) with good angles of the body and its segments, as well as the athlete being adequately stiff when the foot comes back down to the ground. The opposite of this is a collapsing of the hips, knees, and/or ankles during the movement and push-off during block clearance, and when the foot hits the ground to continue up the track, have a rolling of the shins and pushing out of that position to find tension while on the ground. Skillfully positioning and balancing the body to recruit key muscles, react well and explode into the run is a key.

RALPH MANN'S TAKE

Ralph Mann described the importance of controlling extension during block clearance in his The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling book. Mann begins with a reference to a diagram, "At the end of the push phase for both the rear foot and the front foot, note that the knee is not fully extended. This indicates that the athlete is not pushing the leg through full extension (just as will be seen in the full speed sprint). This action of actively pulling the feet off the blocks prior to full knee extension is critical for the success of the Start because it does not waste time extending (and then flexing) the knee through the last 20-40 degrees of extension when the action produces only a small amount of additional driving force."

My Response

In my mind, the extent and skillfulness in which the athlete leans while the feet press into the blocks while he/she is in the "set" position plays a role in how the athlete pulls the feet off of the blocks. I also find interesting the cue of "the first two steps getting the feet away from the blocks" which is something I picked up online. This coincides with my "getting out" cue that I like to use. What I believe is primary, however, is that the athlete understand that an efficient recovery occurs at the end of a push effort executed with the trunk and shin discipline previously alluded to. Coaches should watch out for athletes responding to the "pulling the feet of the blocks" cue by failing to get the most out of the initial push-off action.

At the end of the day, the athlete can hone these abilities with good competition in training. Again, see my blogs for specific starting positions, and for how being fundamentally sound in the early stages of the race can yield big benefits.

In Addition

Other important aspects of the high post are, the foot of the leg that is forward is to be dorsi-flexed, and the vigorous arm action demonstrates a good range of motion. Both of these aspects are seen in the photo above. One of the most knowledgeable sprint experts I ever had the pleasure of speaking to, Remi Korchemy, referred to this arm action during a drill we did, as "bird wings".

Completing Step One and Beyond

When headed toward the ground to complete the first step (block clearance), the leg should be dropped back down aggressively and quickly, with the trailing swing leg called into action rapidly and linearly as the body continues efficiently up the track. Without the "trunk discipline" alluded to above, it is more difficult to execute this rapidly. When completing the first stride (block clearance), the arms come from the "bird wings" position, and according to Remi, "during ground contact the arms should be driven down with elbows moving toward the trunk, then immediately back and forth into pumping running actions" (in coordination with the legs for the ensuing strides).

Attached to Remi's Quote in the Previous Section

"This arm drive downward increases loading momentum during compression of the supporting leg, while the swing assists in decompression and unloading the leg. The decompression also coincides with the following ground reaction forces and active hinged pull of the trunk over the foot. These forces and actions determine the speed of the second step and trajectory of the body's center of mass. The more powerful the foot torque and the faster the hinged pull (angular velocity), the more ground reaction forces are delivered from behind the forward moving body mass. This leads to a better horizontal acceleration. The athlete who executes efficient landing and hinged pull, eventually is possessed with tremendous eccentric strength in the knee joint muscles."

FYI and My Thoughts

Among the technical explanations it should not be lost that we are basically talking about creating and utilizing momentum in a very effective way to move the body through space with strides that are executed very explosively. As for block clearance (first step), just as the coiled spring analogy applies to the athlete being loaded and poised to explode outward and upward into the first step, I believe that just as a spring will recoil some after being explosively extended, that the rear foot in the blocks, toward the end of the knee lift motion, can begin to snap back down toward the track after a very brief isometric type interruption that assists the stride's range of motion, to complete the first step, and leading into the all-important second step.

Hinged momentum is the rotary momentum the center of gravity travels from the point of ground contact to the final moment of takeoff, ie; from the landing from block clearance to leaving the ground into the next step.

Foot Torque

For foot torque, I'll give you some quotes from the Sports Biomechanics publication article, titled Runners do not push off the ground but fall forward via a gravitational torque. "Gravity is shown to cause a torque as the runner's centre of mass moves forward of the support foot", and as the title states, this torque is to lead to a "falling forwards via a gravitational torque while pulling the support foot rapidly from the ground using the hamstring muscles." This takes us back to the video I included on the home page where Adarian Barr describes the two falls precipitated by gravity.

It is also important to understand that the above quotes in the first paragraph of this section about "gravitational torque" seem to be referring to upright running, as it references the "hamstrings" as pulling the foot from the ground. To validate this assumption, I'll refer you back to the book Running. "As a rule of thumb, the hamstrings either work slightly or not at all in situations in which the rectus femoris plays a dominant role, such as during the start (knee extension + hip extension) (Jacobs & Ingen Schenau 1992). The opposite is also true: when the hamstrings have an important function, such as during speed running (extending the hip + keeping the knee bent), the rectus femoris works either partially or not at all." "During speed running" is referring to being upright when sprinting.

Remi's quotes above, however; are speaking of utilizing these forces during the starting portion of the race, where the rectus femoris, a quadriceps muscle, is an important contributor, not the hamstrings. Which, in my mind, makes it easier to envision what Remi meant by the "knee joint muscles" as being "possessed with tremendous eccentric strength". I maintain that what was said above about gravitational torque still applies to the start and initial acceleration, but we must consider the body's forward position as the hips and torso move up the track with complete actions.

From Coach to Athlete

In relating the effects of "falling and torque" to athletes I prefer to express it as "moving well", "moving efficiently", etc... as I said on the home page, you don't want your athletes slowing their movements down or moving deliberately in order to better feel the fall, although in fact they are falling. Very importantly, the sensation of falling changes as the athlete progresses through body positions and postures, the feet being in contact with the ground for progressively shorter periods of time, etc... All this happens very fast, and through training with good partners, athletes can develop the coordination and timing to maximize performance, and as I alluded to on the home page, learning to execute this skillfully using starting blocks, is a big deal and an obstacle.

The Role of the Arms

For arm action, Ralph Mann said, "They are critical in the maintenance of balance, as well as providing a slight Vertical lift during each stride. " He also said, "Perhaps the most important contribution that the arms make is their ability to lead the entire body in its effort to shift the body movements to the front of the body during the Sprint (Front Side Mechanics)." Remi gave a cue, "body position leads and legs follow" that I believe relates to this somewhat. In my mind, good arm action, as with everything else, if done effectively during the first three steps can hugely impact what follows.

In a previous section Remi spoke of arm action assisting with the loading and unloading of the supporting leg. In my mind this also is in the same vein as Mann's "providing a slight Vertical lift", with the operative word being "slight". So, although the arms must be moved vigorously to accomplish the various things previously described, care should be taken to not overemphasize arm action, just as it is a mistake to overemphasize knee lift. My feeling is that overemphasizing aspects, ie; knee lift and vigorous arms negatively effects running efficiency and makes it more difficult to efficiently flow from one phase of the race into the next phase. This is explained thoroughly in other blogs.

Honing Technique

As I've stressed, we don't want to over-complicate things. When athletes are competing during training runs, coaches can help athletes identify various technical aspects as they develop the timing and rhythm that helps them move through space most effectively for the given races. Filming the athletes and comparing them to various elite athletes can help in this process also. I believe it can be especially helpful in explaining an athlete's great races caught on film, as many athletes, at some point in their career will have one or more special performances where everything seemed to click. Again, assessing technique at maximum velocity is the priority, but understanding that which should lead up to maximum velocity is also very important to understand.

Drag the Foot?

Not that I'm at all in favor of intentionally dragging the foot going into the second stride, but I can see how dragging the foot can be done for various reasons. First, the angle of the starting block pedals can help create a low trajectory as the athlete attempts to effectively move up the track with enough elevation, hip height, power, and range of motion. As well as the fact that moving the body horizontally is a priority, as has been explained above. This includes a low path the foot travels as the athlete brings the legs, hips, and torso through to start the second stride. This is shown in this video. In addition, the reactive nature of the block clearance stride may encourage some athletes to try to slow things down to some extent to try for more power. Dragging the foot, I believe, can give the athlete a feeling of control and of being able to elevate a little better going into the next stride, and maybe a sensation of a more powerful second step. This may also be appealing to an athlete that fails to sufficiently generate and utilize power during block clearance and second step. Again, I'm not in favor of this, but unlike many other coaches, I'm not in the "this is ridiculous" and "I just don't get it" camps.

In the video from the previous sentence, both athletes drag their foot, but Bromell precedes the dragging of his second stride with a greater hip extension as he tries to elevate and move up the track adequately during block clearance. This is followed by a more extreme dragging of the foot than Coleman, I guess to gain the advantages that I described above.

Through this blog and my others, I hope to make it plain that dragging the foot is a "Plan B" remedy for less than great starting technique, and I hopefully can steer you toward more fundamentally sound methods to create and channel momentum efficiently up the track, toward the attainment of an effective top speed (max velocity). So once again, read on!

Utilizing Starting Block Pedals

Again, in my mind it is not too terribly difficult for athletes to learn to recruit key muscle groups, adequately react, respond and be quick and powerful while doing a start without blocks, given some good coaching. Developing good body positions, angles, and trajectories of forces while being explosive, while coming out of starting blocks, is a more difficult task.

Adding Starting Blocks

In this blog I'm being general about starting block use, check out my blog that specifically addresses starting blocks for a lot more details. When adding starting blocks to the learning progression, the platform to push off against to launch into the race is now angled forward, and the athlete is now to load the legs against that platform in order to explode into the race. This changes the positioning, supporting of body weight, balancing and pushing dynamics to some degree.

To simplify the use of starting blocks as much as possible, I like starting the athletes with the block pedal angles down to their lowest level. Occasionally you can find a set of starting blocks where the angle can go down to as low as 30 degrees. I like the athlete to have the option to have the front block down to the lowest setting and maybe the rear block a little higher, ie, 40 degrees if the front block is 30. In my mind, having the block pedals at the lesser angles allows the athlete to more easily learn to manage body weight and loading the legs toward and against both blocks, recruiting the glutes, and to more naturally launch up the track and into the race. Having the rear block at a greater angle than the front pedal allows the bottom of the rear foot to be further from the ground as is the case with other positions when blocks are not used. In my mind this helps the athlete more naturally position and balance the body and coordinate movements.

A common error is for the sprinter to fail to raise the hips adequately along with positioning the body to launch enough vertically. Although horizontal movement up the track should be an emphasis early in the race, as stated earlier, the angled block pedals tempt many sprinters to launch too much horizontally and not enough vertically. This can lead to a failure to accomplish the body positions, angles and directions of forces to maximize the top speed and effectiveness of the rest of the race. Another common error is after raising the hips into the "set" position, for the athlete to noticeably drop the hips during the starting action to initiate the push off into the race. This is where I believe failing to learn to overcome inertia (get movement started) while in a "hips higher than shoulders" position during starts without blocks, can come back to haunt the sprinter.

I am not a believer that block pedals have to be set at 45 degrees in order for the athlete to launch the body out at 45 degrees. In addition, simply using the angle an athlete departs the starting blocks as a reference point is not enough. An athlete can simply step out of the blocks or do a short "sort of" running step and display a 45-degree angle. Check out these 40 yard dashes. Looks to me that they launch at about 45 degrees and do a good job of getting up the track without starting blocks at all.

Watch Your Athletes

Assuming that you can get your athletes to react well and explosively start effectively without blocks, see if they are demonstrating the same abilities when using blocks. Often times, instead of the glutes being primary during the initial explosion, you'll note various versions of stepping out of the blocks with the first step and/or an over-involvement from the quads. I am not saying that having the block pedals at 45 degrees is wrong. In fact, I believe that a good goal may be to be able to use the front block pedal set at 40-45 degrees and the rear pedal to 50-55 degrees. My observation, however; is that far too many sprinters, including elite ones, don't sufficiently master starting block technique, and settle on less than great methods. Reacting well and explosively launching the hips and body into the race is one thing, doing so with sufficient elevation for the given launch angle and getting up the track adequately, then landing and efficiently continuing up the track is another deal. Again, read my "Three-Point and Four-Point Start" blog that includes how to consistently incorporate blocks, and how to do so legally, ie; without a lowering movement that visibly doesn't stop prior to the gun.

Weight Bearing

As I stated previously, having the block pedals at a low setting can also make it easier to assume a "set" position where the hips are at a sufficient height without too much weight being on the hands. When the block pedals are at 45 degrees and greater, as the hips rise into the "set" position, the feet will push into the pads sooner than if the pads were at the lowest setting. This can push the hips forward and lead to more weight on the hands and arms, as well as a more than desired feeling of the athlete tumbling forward. Once again, I'm not so much speaking against using pedal angles of 45 degrees and greater, but I believe the priority should be for the athlete to be able to execute good fundamentals without being distracted by having to overcompensate for pedal angles they are not ready for.

Important Biomechanical Explanations

For coaches that want to zoom in on precise foot placements and directions of forces as the athlete lands in executing the first three steps; diagrams and thorough explanations that adequately and accurately explain the relationship between the position of the foot that is on the ground, and the body's center of gravity (COG), in relation to the direction of total force, during the critical "start" and "initial acceleration phases" are included in the book, Running, as well as Mann's book that I alluded to above. These books give great insight into efficient paths that the strides should follow as they come through. I highly recommend these books to those who don't mind studying.

Summary

Being able to execute the first three steps at a high level can be a vital part of the foundation for success in the short sprints. Read my other blogs to help build upon that foundation for sprinters of all ages.