Hurdle Training

[TJ2K]

I believe that you should always focus on speed. The special endurance would undulate based on their race distance and previous training. Can you give us an example of an athlete? That way we can get more detailed.

The only example i have is myself. I was trained by my nimrod coaches at my high school last year, and all we focused on was short distances and that was it. It didnt click in until regionals where i had no gas in the tank after competing in the TJ finals.

For this year i would like to include some special endurance. along with the hurdle workouts. The first step is getting the book training for speed.

I have thrived off of this crappy program for 2 years but doubt im going to see more improvements.

thanks

[Pioneer]

Actually, not knowing what your coaches did with you, it would be better to err on the side of running too short than too long, provided you are afforded adequate recovery between both reps and workouts. With that said, though, it is important to do some SE work if you run out to longer sprints but you will find that a little bit of this type of work will go a long way. Most people, in my opinion, do too much SE work and not enough true speed work. If too much work is actually SE work and not the speed work that the coaches think the SE work will sub. for or actually is, then your speed development potential will be limited/hampered.

[THEONE]

I think I need clear something up before you guys bite my head off. The "lean" I am talking about is ontop the hurdle and off of it. They are delaying the straightening up of the trunk.
Pioneer, look at the 99 world champ final. Compare Green and Bruny, you will see what I am saying.

[Pioneer]

I've got video from that world's but it only shows a frontal view. Maybe if someone on this site has a side view they could put it up. As far as the hurdling I'm not sure what type of flat speed that Jenny Adams has but I do believe she has long jumped over 21 ft. so she must have pretty good speed not to mention her hurdle p.r. which I think is somewhere around 12.65-12.75. I'm unsure about exactly what she has done in either. If she is a big leaner, which I must admit I've never noticed, it probably has more to do with her height or more specifically her leg length than her speed. Again, I don't have any concrete numbers but I think she is around 5'5" to 5'6". Not to worry, there will be no heads bitten off around here, at least I hope not. Just bouncing ideas, opinions around.

[Pioneer]

I just checked the USATF site, if anybody cares, and Adams is 5'5" 120 with a 12.65 pr for the 100h and her lj p.r. is 21'11" indoors in 2001.

[Pioneer]

Okay, back to hurdling. What type of formulas, if any, do you guys/girls use to set your progression for hurdle training during the season/year? Does everybody here use reduced spacing over just 1 or 2 low hurdles early on and progressing out to more hurdles with near regulation (or actual) spacing and over progressively higher hurdles. I like to do it this way but we never hurdle over competition heights unless it's late in the season but usually not. Also, what drills do you feel to be relevant and useful for hurdle training and which are worthless in the opinions of board members?

[dlive11]

Pioneer,
I like that system of approaching hurdles. I typically plan it around the individual needs and experience. I start off the season with a plan as you listed, but some can rapidly move into more hurdles earlier on. Based on what I see during practice, I may bring an introductory drill into practice such as trail leg pull-throughs. Besides warming up with mobility at least 3 days a week, they do some sort of derivative work over 4-6 H at about 8m spacing.

[runfast71]

what methods do you all use to mesh sprint speed with hurdle rhythm?

[dlive11]

I try to keep the hurdles a part of the athletes daily schedule (if "feel" allows). When performing block work, we may hit the first hurdle and gradually build up to two. I may substitute a speed endurance day with intervals over 5-9 Hurdles.

[Pioneer]

I'll sometimes have athletes alternate flat sprints with hurdle sprints. Perhaps another form of contrast training. Also, I think the aforementioned method of hurdling over reduced distances and low hurdles(quite often much lower than competition heights) is another way of blending speed into hurdle rhythm. Someone else here may know exactly but I heard that Gail Devers did not go over anything higher than 18 inches in training. Anybody here know?