Sprint technique

1Why this matters

A sprint is a race run at top speed over a short distance: in athletics the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m, and the relays. Speed also wins games: the winger who reaches the ball first, the netball player who gets free, the basketball player on a fast break. Good sprint technique turns the same leg strength into more speed, and you can practise it on any flat 50 m of grass or road.

2The four phases of a sprint

1. The start: react to the signal and push hard out of the starting position.
2. Acceleration (the drive phase): the body leans forward and the legs push back powerfully; you rise gradually to upright over the first 20 to 30 m.
3. Maximum speed: upright, relaxed running at your fastest.
4. The finish: keep your speed all the way through the finish line. Do not slow down or jump at the line.

3Technique at top speed

• Posture: run tall with a very slight lean forward from the ankles, head still and eyes looking straight ahead.
• Arms: elbows bent at about 90°. Drive the arms forwards and backwards from the shoulders, hands moving from hip height to about chin height. Arms must not swing across the body, because that twists it.
• Legs: lift the knee high in front, then drive the foot down and back.
• Feet: land on the balls of the feet, underneath the hips, never on the heels.
• Relaxation: loose face, jaw and shoulders. Tension slows you down.

4The crouch start

Races up to 400 m start from a crouch, in competition from starting blocks. At school you can crouch without blocks.

1. "On your marks": front foot about two foot-lengths behind the line, back knee on the ground beside the front foot's instep, hands just behind the line, shoulder-width apart, arms straight. Keep still.
2. "Set": raise the hips slightly above the shoulders and lean your weight forward onto your hands. Freeze.
3. The signal: push hard with both legs and drive the opposite arm forward; stay low for the first strides.

5Rules you must know

• Lanes: each lane is 1.22 m wide and sprinters stay in their own lane for the whole race.
• False start: once in the final set position, you must not begin your starting movement before the signal.
• The finish: the winner is the first athlete whose torso (chest and trunk) reaches the vertical plane of the nearer edge of the finish line. The head, arms and legs do not count. That is why sprinters lean the chest forward ("dip") on the last stride.

6Drills with no equipment

• Arm drill: sit with your legs straight and pump your arms as fast as you can at 90°, cheek to hip.
• High knees and A-skips: skipping with a high knee and a quick, active step down under the hips.
• Heel flicks: jogging while the heels come up towards the buttocks.
• Accelerations: 30 m from a crouch start, walking back to recover.
• Flying 20s: build up over 20 m, sprint flat out for 20 m, then slow down gradually.

Worked example: where is the speed?

First 50 m: 50 ÷ 7.4 ≈ 6.8 metres per second. Second 50 m: it took 13.6 − 7.4 = 6.2 s, so 50 ÷ 6.2 ≈ 8.1 metres per second.

The second half is faster because the first half includes the start and acceleration from standing still. If his second 50 m had been slower than his first, that would show he tires or tenses up near the end, and he should work on relaxation and speed endurance.

Practice

Solution. Start, acceleration (drive phase), maximum speed, finish.

Solution. Arms swinging across the body twist the trunk, which wastes energy and pulls her off a straight line. She should drive her arms straight forwards and backwards from the shoulders, elbows at 90°.

Solution. Runner B. Only the torso counts; hands, arms, the head and legs do not.

Solution. 60 ÷ 9.0 ≈ 6.7 metres per second.

Solution. The hips are raised slightly above the shoulders, and the weight is leaning forward onto the hands, ready to drive out.