If you have a shorter Arm action would that = Quicker Leg Frequency???..
Reading litterature about sprint biomechanics, authors commonly state that arm action has no real incidence on speed, but a really bad arm action has, of course. the fact is also that sprint biomechanics analysis focus mainly on leg cycle, and not arms…
Frequency is linked with a high level in coordination (directed by brain…), good articular mobility and flexibility, and good muscular relaxation. Beeing tensed won’t increase your frequency, and the risk with shorter arm action is that it can lead to global tense in you body. A muscle contraction is possible after a muscle relaxation. The more muscle relaxed, the greater muscle contraction.
If you look at Marlies Göhr who reached 5.40 steps/sec at full speed, her arms were very relaxed, her hands completely free
I disagree with that first statement about arms not being linked with frequency.
I think a good ROM in your arm action plays a huge role in 100% intensity sprinting.
Especially in the first 40 meters. If you start properly and dont use your arms right you’ll end up on your face. I think proper arm action also affects triple extension as well as frequency (at least in my case it does)
I notice a BIG difference
Chris
I didn’t say arms is not linked with frequency, i said accelerating arms movement won’t increase frequency.
In the same way, simply moving legs as fast as possible while sprinting will maybe increase frequency, but will reduce your stride length dramatically, so i it’s useless.
To me, stride frequency and stride length (the product of them is the speed) cannot be separate issues.
From my own studies about top female sprinters, at maximum speed (between 10.0m/s and 10.7m/s) in their career debut and at their top level, i’ve noticed that frequency is not the determinant factor. The speed improvement was a result of reduced ground contact time and longer strides. That means: more force applied on the ground in a shorter time and in a better direction.
It seems paradoxical, but frequency or movement speed improvement can occur in a more relaxed body/muscles. It’s experienced everyday in athletics or in martial arts for examples.
Colin Jackson is the greatest starter of all time, concerning his reaction time (between 0.105 and 0.115, even after a false start). However, behind his blocks, he is the quietest. Relaxation and concentration are the keys.
pierrejean writes:
"From my own studies about top female sprinters, at maximum speed (between 10.0m/s and 10.7m/s) in their career debut and at their top level, i’ve noticed that frequency is not the determinant factor. The speed improvement was a result of reduced ground contact time and longer strides. That means: more force applied on the ground in a shorter time and in a better direction. "
My question is… today among the elite women sprinters who do you think have the longest stride length, the sub 11.10 women?
I saw Inger Miller who trains under John Smith this past weekend run a 11.16 over 100m and she look like her SL was a round 2.15m. I think he teaches his female sprinters to get that maximum length w/ each step.
What are you thoughts regarding teaching this concept and some ideal training to help increase the Length w/ someone (female) who has been training for 12 years?
Thanks for your time
I enjoy reading your post.
Take care
Kenny Mac~~~
I would direct everybody to the Vid-Clip of Ben’s 86 Zurich race. This is a clear and unequivical example of the role that accelerating the arms can play in imparting an increase in both stride frequency and length during a race.
Consider that:
1: Gohr is a terrific example of relaxation and rate- but not length, and anyone without full extension will be vulnerable when a fully developed athlete with full extension comes along- the ultimate example- Flo Jo.
2: Nerve impulses DO NOT travel at the speed of light, and they arrive discernibly sooner to the arms than the legs, making the arms the obvious choice for controlling the sprint action.
Maybe another side to Ricky’s question.
If you have a shorter Arm action would that = Quicker Leg Frequency???..
A shorter, closer in arm action doesn’t necessarily mean a quicker arm action.
A shorter closer arm action is good for energy conservation. However, if you want to build speed quickly you need to really use a full powerful arm action.
If the event is longer, you want to use the shorter arm action to maintain pace, (e.g. back straight of 400m) and then bring the arms in later in the race.
There is a shift in arm mechanics throughout the 100. Arms are much more active during acceleration.
The role of arms in Ben Johnson is clear on the Zürich’86 videoclip, but he had a very high level of mastership in sprinting.
However, this advice could be wrong for a not so developped athlete.
I only have the last 40m of that race on tape, but when i’ll get the full version, i will do a step by step analyse to search his stride frequency through that race.
Kenny Mac:
Among today women sprinters, the longest strider is Muriel Hurtis, who did 45.7 steps during her 10.96 last year, and 2m41 average for the last 50m.
In the past, Irena Szewinska, Kathy Cook, Jeanette Bolden and Pam Marshall did 45+ steps too.
The 3 longest stride ever are for Marie-José Pérec (42.8 for 10.96), Grace Jackson (43.0 for 11.13) and Christine Arron (44.2 for 10.73).
As Christine Arron is back (and training with Hurtis), she will be this summer the longest strider of today. At full speed during her 10.73 between 60m and 80m, she had a 2.51m stride, and for her 10.85 the same year, her last 2 strides were close to 3m, nearly bounding like Paddock!
Pérec, Arron and Hurtis were coached by Piasenta, and one of its method to increase stride length to use run-up + 30m runs with marks on the soil, with different spaces, where the runner do 1 step between each mark.
2x30m with space 1m
2x30m with space 1.50m
2x30m with space 1.80m
2x30m with space 2.00m
2x30m with space 2.20m
2x30m with space 2.30m
2x30m with space 2.40m
Times are taken for each race, and compare in order to determine the weaknesses. In 1991, Pérec improved her stride length from 2m30 to 2m50, with a only a slight loss in frequency.
Even the sprinters who used frequency as a base of their sprinting structure improved their speed thanks to an improvement of their stride length, even Marlies Göhr between 1976 and 1977-1983, and Silke Gladisch between 1983 and 1987.
Flo-Jo improved from 2m25 in 1984 to 2m40 in 1988 at max speed.
Thanks pierrejean!
I didn’t know there have been women who have produced stride lengths over 2.3 meters. That is some valuable information. These women are taking the same amount of strides as men today. Just their frequencies are lower.
So these guys frequencies are around 4.3 for the women who post 43-45 steps over 100 m huh?
So what’s Marion longest length?
AMAZING!
Kenny Mac~~
Be careful when using total steps to determine stride length as the final strides, as pointed out, may be more of a bound.
Yes, and total steps sometimes doesn’t tell much about stride length at full speed.
Take Heïke Drechsler and Flo-Jo, both 2m40-2m42 stride length at full speed, but Drechsler did 46.0-46.5 steps and Flo-Jo around 48.0.
that’s because Flo-Jo’s first part of the race focused on frequency, and opened her stride much more than any other women during the race.
About Marion Jones, i did an analysis about her 10.72 in Lausanne in 1998, one of her greatest race (no wind, stopped effort after 90m as she saw the wrong finish line…). She did 48.25 steps, at maximum speed (10.75m/s between 50m and 60m) she reached 2.25m length and 4.76HZ frequency.
Christine Arron, who reached the same max speed during her 10.73, had 2.51m and 4.28HZ.
Arron didn’t lift much and did no bounds at all because of injuries in 1998, she did those marks exersises, and also a similar exersise with short hurdles with 1 step between each with an heavy vest.
PJ what do you think Marion had of run if she hadn’t mistaken the finish line???
10.60-10.65s range…
I timed her at 90m in 9.71, so according to her speed curve, she was on the way to run 10.68-10.69.
She’ll never make the same mistake, but it happens sometimes when the 90m line is too eye-catching.
Originally posted by pierrejean
I timed her at 90m in 9.71, so according to her speed curve, she was on the way to run 10.68-10.69.
She’ll never make the same mistake, but it happens sometimes when the 90m line is too eye-catching.
Maybe she saw this French guy with his stopwatch out of the corner of her eye at the 90m mark and thought that was it 
Was it a Dr Dre kingsize ?
Originally posted by pierrejean
I timed her at 90m in 9.71, so according to her speed curve, she was on the way to run 10.68-10.69.
Thankyou very much for your reply PJ.
Originally posted by gloopzilla
Was it a Dr Dre kingsize ?
I was thinking more Flavor Flav.
That’s the one -
damn memories goin 
Thanks for this explanation and insight Charlie. On another note, Charlie, who do you view as the ultimate example regarding the fully developed athlete with full extension for the men?
Maybe, present day examples: A.Powell? T.Gay? D.Atkins?
Going back through the years: J.Gatlin? M.Greene? B.Johnson?
Pierre Jean, would you view Gatlins 9.77 race as similar to Flo-Jo’s races, in terms of how their stride opened up?
When I analyzed the Gatlin9.77 race the stride became longer and longer, marginally, as the race went on right till the end. I had the race analyzed as something like this:
0-20m: 12 strides
20m-40m : 8 strides
40m-60m : 8 strides
60m-80m : 7.5 strides
80m-100m : 6.5 strides