Here is a basic breakdown of hurdling technique:. Your lead leg typically corresponds to the dominant hand -- or, the hand that you write, shoot, or eat with, so pay attention! This means that right-handed athletes will use their right leg as the lead and vice versa for lefties. The lead leg is extended with your ankle dorsiflexed as it drives forward and over the hurdle. As your leg undergoes this motion, your opposite arm should mimic this movement. Just as when you are running normally, make sure that your arms are tucked in close to your body.
As your lead leg comes up to clear the barrier, your trail leg should come up towards your buttocks with your foot flexed and pointing out to the side. This leg should stay close to your body and the form should resemble the number 7 as much as possible. As you clear the hurdle, your lead leg should land first, followed by the trail leg. By continuing the driving motion with your arms, you will maintain balance as you land and transition back into running right away.
Think of the hurdle as part of your stride, so that you continue running at the same pace after clearing it. Again, we must stress -- do not be afraid of the water jump! Jumping into water can sound daunting, but in reality, it requires much of the same strategy as the other barriers. The biggest difference is that instead of clearing this barrier, jump-step onto to the barrier so that you land on your lead leg.
The heel of your foot should hit the back of the barrier, so your foot can roll over the top as your momentum carries you forward. Just as with the other barriers, you want to drive with as much forward momentum as possible--jumping up and out rather than just upwards, which is not as productive.
To avoid wasting this momentum, make a mental note to keep your body weight low as low as possible. Ideally, land with one foot in the water with the next step resuming the running on dry land.
Related: Read about strategy for long distance runners here. The steeplechase is an event for runners who can acutely develop their hurdling skills in a different way than usual. In addition, steeplechase athletes need to train with a focus on physical endurance as well as mental toughness.
Countless races have been determined by the last hurdle, when a runner hesitates or falls, giving up the win to the next in line, so stay centered on finishing a race until the very end. But, remember that even if you fall, a quick recovery will help you compensate for lost seconds, and a determination to succeed will take you far. It is important to keep in mind that less forward body lean is required for the steeplechaser than the sprint hurdler. While leaning forward allows a hurdler to jump lower, it ultimately requires too much energy for a steeplechaser to perform this move as pronounced as a sprint hurdler.
While learning how to navigate the barriers, keep reminding yourself to accelerate and stay low. Perhaps the most challenging and daunting part of the steeplechase event is the water jump.
With proper water jumps mechanics, however, the steeplechaser will save a significant amount of time and energy during each lap. Successful steeplechase athletes often gain ground, or put extra ground, on their competitors because they are so efficient over the water pit. While clearing the pit, it is very important to get out towards the end of the pit without sacrificing too much time in the air.
Ideally, the athlete should explode off the barrier and push off towards the end of the pit, as the water becomes shallower farther away from the barrier. If you watch any elite steeplechaser clear the water pit, he implements a great enough approach velocity to clear the water jump.
The athlete should explode with his foot on the side of the barrier and push towards the end of the water, not up in the air. In preparing his steeplechasers for the water jump, my high school coach used the long jump pit as a training tool.
The soft surface of the sand will allow the athlete to practice more jumps without all the wear and tear on the ankles that results from the surface of the water pit. Now that we understand the proper technique and body mechanics of the steeplechase, it is time to begin developing an effective training plan. The proper training plan for the 3,m steeplechase appears quite similar to a training regimen for the 3,m and 5,m events, albeit the additional challenge of the hurdle and water jump must be taken into account.
Most strong steeplechasers have pretty impressive hamstring and hip abductor flexibility, which naturally helps them hurdle more economically. It is therefore very important for the steeplechase athlete to do hip mobility drills at least once a week. Try to incorporate the following hip mobility drills after a distance run:.
In addition to developing flexibility and hurdling technique, the athlete should focus on developing a strong aerobic base in the initial phase of the training regimen. As in any long distance training program, the long run is essential to providing a steeplechase athlete with the durability to make it through a race. Ideally, the long run should be treated as one of the most important workouts of the week.
The long run should be run at a steady and conversational pace, yet the athlete should still feel significantly fatigued at the end. If possible, try running on hilly routes, finishing with the last few miles just below tempo pace in order to simulate the final kick at the end of a race. After building a strong base, the athlete should begin incorporating strength workouts into his training regimen.
Perhaps the best way to build strength and become more powerful and explosive is to run hill and tempo workouts. When I teach a young hurdler, I attempt to have no more than three people around. I want to have one experienced steeplechaser with me and no more than two new ones. If I have four or five new steeplechasers at one particular time then I will divide them into two or three different sessions. I want to have as much of a one-on-one situation as possible.
We vary this back and forth and by setting the hurdle in the middle of the line of lane one then the runner can go out and hurdle, which he very often has to go out as during a race. He can go over the hurdle, then the next lap, if he is not going over the hurdle, he can stay on the inside and run the complete distance. This gives the runner an opportunity to hurdle during an interval workout when he is tired, much the same as during the latter part of a race.
Keep in mind that we are working out at almost 5, feet altitude. I sometimes think that what we would do at 5, feet may be a little bit different than what you would do at sea level. We do our distance work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Depending on how tough the meet is going to be on Saturday will determine the distance work we do on Friday.
We'll do our long interval work on Tuesday and our short interval on Thursday. Usually on our short intervals they are run at a different pace. For a miler type steeplechaser we will usually run the Thursday interval at a pace. For those who are more strength type runners, for the Thursday short interval, we'll run a meter pace.
Then towards the end of the season if we want to sharpen up a little we move it down to a pace. With a steeplechaser it is very important to work with the legs a little more than by just normal running.
We run stairs at the stadium that take about 15 seconds to go up. They run every other or every third stair so they have to lift up. Of course, we run hills. Occasionally when I get someone that is a little injured, we go into the training room and we put up the weight on a bicycle and have them pump a bike.
We'll do different things to attempt to work on the legs-more than we would the normal distance runner. If he starts out at a 65 or 64 second pace and if he is going to end up running , sometime during that race he is going to be running a 72 or 73 second pace.
If I start him out a little slower than pace for that first meters before he gets to a hurdle, and when he gets to that hurdle, he knows he is going to pick up to 69 or 70 second pace. I think he can save a little energy over the hurdle and he's not slowing down on the top of every hurdle because he has enough momentum to carry himself over.
If he slows down over every hurdle, what will he have to do for the next four or five yards? He has to pick it up. I would rather have him run a little slower before he approaches the first hurdle than have to change the pattern 28 times as he goes over 28 hurdles.
The slower the athlete runs the steeplechase, the more important it is to start out slower than pace. If I am working with a beginning steeplechaser who is only going to run or , it is more important for him to start out a little slowly and then work into pace than it is to run the first lap as if he is a person.
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