It’s very interesting- I have recently picked up an athlete that formerly played pro hockey at the AHL level. He has no concept of the correct use of arms in sprinting, and being a hockey player, tries to muscle everything!
It’s been neat working on his technique. I’m still trying to figure out how to coach the arms with a “minimum of verbal cues” as Charlie suggests. What does everyone feel the most effective drills for teaching arm technique are?
I’ve mostly been trying to get his arms working right in the A-Skip and B-Skip for the time being.
Below is a slow motion look at US 2012 Trials in the 100m. I found this interesting- I’ve been coached down south, and a LOT of US coaches advise the full straightening of the arm on the downswing to gain “maximal hip extension”- I’ve been taught this by a Pfaff acolyte, and I think Seagrave teaches this as well, and my understanding is that this is prevailing USATF orthodoxy.
As you can see, Gatlin seems to use this technique but I feel like it could create excessive backside swing with the arms. What are everyone else’s thoughts on technique differences between Mills / Francis groups and USATF coaching? I find the Jamaican technique perhaps a little conservative yet very sensible- in other words very similar to CF’s.