is it just me or is DC stepping over incredibly low relative to BJ? It seems to be very noticeable in above clips but have noted it before. Should this not have massive impact on his SL?
Yes. Dwain has difficulty stepping over- no doubt due to his massive thighs.
Notice with Marion that her arm action is limited (perhaps this could be seen better from the side). The point of balance is at the elbow- which moves very little as much of her arm motion has been from the hands, which close up a lot in front and open at the back of the swing. The limited arm action and the shoulder position, which is rolled forward and locked, limit the ability of the hips to rotate, limiting her top speed and forcing her to work unnecessarily hard, limiting her ability to hold the speed she has through to the finish. Now do you see why I’m so high on her ability when everything is in place? So, take 10.65 and subtract one meter of “free distance” from ideal hip mechanics and the time available from a better finish due to lowered workload from efficiency gains at full speed and at the start and you get ??? (Well it’s a World Record at least!)
The question is when is something an idiosyncracy and what is an error at that level. If you worked with my athlete I would give you free choice to do whatever you felt was needed, but for we mortals when and how do you change such an error. This looks to be a technique issue that ART, massage, strength work, or conditioning can fix. How would you begin to change something like that. While my left brain says it is an error, my guy says “clemson, leave the brain surgery to the big boys…you would cut the frontal lobe and the athlete would be blind and not have motor control!”
Thoughts Charlie?
Bump! How would you address this ‘flaw’ in Marions arm action Charlie…?
Do you want Charlie to give away all his secrets? A brotha’s gotta get paid, ya know…
Does anyone have any slow-mo videos of Maurice Greene, as I think that his technique can cough up a few comments…
There are no secrets. All the coach should try to do is to get the best out of each athlete. Remember the basics…the real secret is getting the athlete to tell you how to coach him…coach and athlete working togather.
If there are no secrets, then tell us how you would address Marions’ limited arm action?
Originally posted by X King
Does anyone have any slow-mo videos of Maurice Greene, as I think that his technique can cough up a few comments…
Check out his WR dash on the VIDEO forum! Good angles and thread commentary.
That is going to be my next thread. It is going to be on how the arms and legs should work together as a unit. I talked about the legs a great deal in different segments of the forum but put little emphasis on the arms. If some one wants to start it, that fine. I don’t have the time right now as I am going to JO Nationals in Miami FL. I have a 10 year old in the 100 and 200. He is going in with a 12.80 and 26.24. Talk to you when I get back.
Is it me or does ben’s left foot seems to pronate pretty bad in the video clip:confused:
It does turn out (to the right- left of the screen). Ever noticed that if you warm up on the exercise bikes at a gym that your knee(s) get sore? That’s because it’s pretty typical to have one foot that turns out and the straps on the bike force the foot to pedal straight.
sorry for the irrelevant of the question in this thread; i suppose these video clips are only available to members -as the guy to whom you suggested to see this video
how could someone become a member? is it by some kind of subscription, or according to the contribution etc to this site/forums/threads?
thanks!
The clips are available to all members. The clips in this thread still work, thanks to Dcw23. Make sure you have the right software needed to view these clips.
thanks for your reply!
yes, i can see the clips as they’ve been posted; are there any others that i can look for in this site? is it from the homepage? some of the links don’t work and i thought this has something to do with more “privileged” members…
thanks again!
I haven’t seen this thread in AGES… I have to thank you THEONE, you did a fantastic job.
Oh yeah, and I should thank that one guy who contributed some of the information… 
Here is a little extra.
Yes the hips should be as high as possible, which you CAN’T do if your trying to claw the ground. Check Speed Trap and you’ll find a number of references to the technique and feeling of top sprinting- it feels as if you’re stepping up and down, as the horizontal impetus is so quick that you can barely sense it.
At top speed, when you are ‘stepping down’, the leg is also swinging back (though you may not feel it), and the hip height determines how much of a ‘contact patch’ you have on the ground, both ahead of and behind the CG. The higher the hip, the smaller the patch, and the smaller the better. The slight bit ahead of CG creates the optimum conditions for the pre-stretch of the muscles in the full upright position.
During the start and throughout the accel period though, all the action is in the pushing mode. This is sucessfully initiated from the Gun by ensuring that the front foot in the blocks is BEHIND the point of the hip. If it’s in front, you’re in trouble from the outset.
The emphasis is on powerful but relaxed arm drive and the feet will land at the appropriate spacing without conscious thought, as long as the blocks are set up properly.
You start stepping over as soon as it’s efficient, which varies by athlete. All athletes must start with a low heel recovery for at least a few steps and then transition into stepping over & “Stepping over” is an action that increases as you move farther away from the blocks and stays constant to the finish. The foot springs off the ground on its own but you can “enhance” the recovery as it passes the support knee.
Sprinting speed is based on rythem and the ability to repeat a stride pattern efficiently- not based on how much force you can apply on one step. Regardless, the essence of effective sprinting s to execute with perfect form and relaxation and YOUR perfect race model will unfold. You MUST be relaxed to run at maximum speed. This reduces the resistance that would otherwise be provided by antagonist muscles.
I’ve always seen the best athletes on the male side were able to maintain their mid-race mechanics through to the finish. The first, and, most obvious, example was Carl Lewis. He maintained his mechanics while his contemporaries pushed for the extra stride length- and he walked away from them. Anyone who wanted to run as fast or faster afterwards had to do the same thing- and they did. On the women’s side, Flo-Jo did the same thing.
Common Faults: [that affect hip height]
1: The knee rises to a point higher than the hip, causing:
A: the hip to drop in reaction, lowering the CG.
B: the knee to pass the point of maximum distance ahead of the torso, and begin travelling through an arc back towards the torso, leading to the “buckling” and movement forward of the support knee, reducing backward thrust and lowering the CG still further.
2: Quad tightness prevents the free leg from folding up tightly underneath the torso on the way forward, causing it to swing through a large arc, which, in turn, causes additional stress on the hip flexors, a hyperlordotic back position, and an inability to achieve full extension of the support leg.
3: The attempt to maintain dorsiflexion throughout the entire stride cycle (yes, some people recommend this!), causing the loss of propulsion forward and upward that would result from the full extension of the foot. This action also prevents full extension at the suport knee.
Corrections:
1: The optimal effective knee height is exactly the point of maximum distance away from the torso. This height allows full extension of the support leg and allows the maximum height/time to accelerate the foot downwards for the next foot contact, to ensure the application of all available force.
2: Relaxation, with the shoulders down and aligned with the ears (seen side-on)allows for the natural flow of the stride through its complete range.
3: Proper arm action, with the elbows at approximately 90 degrees with the hands pulling DOWN from approximately face height to the hip or slightly behind.
4: Flexibility and good muscle tone for maximum performance
Hi!
not sure if it was you, but i’ve seen parts of Charlie’s books copied here; do you know how i can do this? for personal reference, asking Qs and things like that… i’ve tried in Acrobat via text selection and copy/paste etc, but doesn’t work… any ideas why? do i have to change any setting in Acrobat?
sorry for the irrelevance of the question…
thanks!
All the material was posted here on the forum by Charlie (nothing came from any of his books). I would guess the wording to many of his answers may resemble what he has written before.
yes, i guess so… anyway, it wouldn’t hurt going back to the books; the more time you spend with them, the better!
thanks!