I normally drive for about 10m…I know I know It’s bad. I am now trying to drive for about 35-40 meters.
I heard that you can only hold top speed for about 4 seconds…when relaxed. is this true? And is 30-40m a good drive phase for the 100m? after that 30-40m is that when accelerating stops and you just start to maintain?
I just rcently ran a Highschool meet (60m) and I drove to about 20m then I just maintained across the finish…and had a unexpected time because it felt effortless…and in the prelim i ran much harder but only driving for 10m…and came up with a time that was a bit slower
you can’t really decide where you drive to…how/where you drive to is dependant upon what happened earlier, what kind of top speed you have, body dimensions, etc, etc… sometimes people try to drive too long and it’s just articficial (looks good on tv) but isn’t gaining them anything.
If you are in a good set position, much of the starting acceleration to the upright position will be automatic as long as you let the back position determine the head position, regardless of your performance level. The angle of departure and the distance til you reach the upright position will be determined by the force available. If you look up too soon, the raising of the head will cause the butt to drop, interfering with the progressive acceleration top top speed.
Francis states “If you are in a good set position, much of the starting acceleration to the upright position will be automatic as long as you let the back position determine the head position, regardless of your performance level”.
For some reason my drive distance varies from 15-30m, Some races I can drive for 30m, and some only 10m. It all depends on my first step from the blocks.
It’s possible that your start position isn’t consistant. Practice getting into and holding a consistant start position for numerous reps without departure before you start for real.
i have found that my left leg has does not come down as quick as my right leg after i have started a race. my left leg provided the 2nd step for me.any advice?
If you leave the blocks in a good position, the transition from start to upright will take place smoothly and automatically. I think that the “drive phase” is an invention by coaches, anxious to say something where nothing needs to be said.
Originally posted by Kenny Mac
For some reason my drive distance varies from 15-30m, Some races I can drive for 30m, and some only 10m. It all depends on my first step from the blocks.
Kenny, were you using the same type/make of blocks every time?
This is a superb example of start mechanics by Jon Drummond- who was denied the opportunity to show us this start at the World Championships by the pathetic new false start rule and the lack of discretion for the starter (the recall is done by machine with no input from the starter!!!)
Note the straight line from head to foot at full extension- the mark of the greats.
Although, it seems to me that he is not getting much out of his back leg. His back foot leaves the block quite early. Instead, he seems to have more of a focus on stepping out.
Ben’s start seemed to make much more use of his back foot in driving his center of mass forward. Compare the following two images: Note how they are both at full extension, but Ben’s back foot is still around the knee of his opposite leg while Drummond’s is nearly ready to start driving back down.
This is an example of the bunch start with the angle of the back leg slightly acute, hands straight down from the shoulders and the hips high in the set to keep the center of gravity as high as possible. A very effective start as she has very long legs.
This start would not be for everyone, as note from figure 3 from left that her foot is landing directly under her hip. An athlete with any less power (almost every other woman!) would strike farther ahead and have to roll over the support foot before applying power again.
This is normally seen as a problem due to the glutes not firing properly. She does have no ass and you can see this in her sprint technique.
Having said that it doesn’t seem to have harmed her times.
It just goes to show that there is no one size fits all technique, especially in women’s sprinting. I find it interesting to see some coaches suggest that an athlete with all the power in their glutes should “run like Marion” who also has “pancake ass” technique, though to a lesser extent than Privalova.
