eg: run on toes, lift knees etc
Thanks so much in advance!
Do a forum search. There are sooooo many threads that touch on various parts of technique!
- Drive arms down
- Relax your face
- Legs should take care of themselves
Look under the Fundamentals and T&F sections. There should be plenty of info in there.
Beginners aren’t very advanced, eh?
wow, so many views and only 5 responses…
Thx very much to everyone who has responded so far.
To everyone who said I should look at the search function, you have to understand that I don’t know what I’m looking for, I don’t know what basic sprinting technique is.
BASIC SPRINTING TECHNIQUE yields only this thread.
The problem is that every discussion on this site assumes familiarity with basic technique and is an in-depth discussion /analysis of isolated sections of it.
What I need, (along with every other beginner), is a basic run through of things you should do , without explanations, so that I can work from there and build up a base on which to build.
I’m aware of how much unimformed crap there is on the internet and I was hoping that someone, (or some people!), who actually know what they’re talking about could give me some pointers that aren’t superfluous or actively harmful to my technique, (as so much instruction on the internet is).
This would be very useful, (and popular I imagine), with beginners, it would probably merit a sticky.
Thx in advance!
noone?
c’mon!!! 
you should be able to find some very useful advice-even as a beginner- from the thread linked.
amen. theone’s thread is a great place for you to start.
I can’t understand TheOne’s post because it is
1)Kinda random
2)Doesn’t present the information in any kind of order
3)Uses many technical terms that I as a beginner don’t understand yet.
4)Like I said before, focuses on individual facets of sprint technique in the assumption that you have a basic grasp of sprint technique,(which I don’t !! )
I’m not looking for a treatise people, just an overview of what a person who wants to quickly learn how to sprint as opposed to how to coach should know.
c’mon, just a moment of your time, please!
At the risk of getting crapped on by everyone on this board, here goes:
Run on the balls of your feet. If you are running flat-footed, you are not really sprinting.
If you are uncertain about this, get someone to go to the track with you. Run as fast as you can; if your partner can hear you clomping, your are not on the balls of your feet. In my coaching, if I ever have doubts about what I am seeing, I turn my back and just listen.
Run “tall.” When you feel you have reached full speed (that is, you are no longer accelerating), the feeling should be “up and down.” Do not lean and do not bend at the waist.
Relaxation is key to maximizing speed and minimizing fatigue. Tension starts in the neck and shoulders. A grimace may make your friends think you are trying really hard, but it will not make you go faster. Keeping your shoulders low will help.
Given whatever level of technique, fitness, strength you have at this moment, you cannot make yourself go fast, you can only let yourself go fast. As in all sports, the efforts that are the best always feel the easiest.
Hope this helps.
Other technical stuff is hard to state without actually seeing you run.
that’s exactly what I was looking for, thx!
How about the arms, shouldn’t you pump them?
sry, could you explain that little more?
In the first several steps of a race (or fast run in practice), you may need to think of pumping your arms. But once you are up to speed I think you want just swing your arms because pumping implies tension.
As for shoulders, just stand and shrug up your shoulders. You can feel the tension in your muscles that results. Raising the shoulders seems to be an instinctive thing when fatigued, but I think you try to train it out of yourself. One tip: when swinging your arms, if your hands on the upswing start coming nearer to your face (a few inches rather than a foot or so), then your shoulders will come up involuntarily. Try to train to keep from getting all closed up in the upper body.
thanks so much
If you or anyone else has any more advice I would massively appreciate it!
how about the crouch start?
You think…
anyone ?
c’mon people!!!