Were you simply training (camp) in Portugal or competing?
I was training Vito…Trained in Monte Gordo. Was out there with some fellow GB sprinters. Really nice place…great track and facilities…the weather was a let down some days but I still managed to top up my natural tan! Downside: Little to do at nights which meant that many a night lead to ‘John’s Bar’ to indulge in a ‘soft drink’ or six! 
jason any word on ian mackie.haven’t heard or talked to him in 12months or so.should actually give the chap a call
I’ve seen Mackie at a few meets but don’t know him on a personal level. He got balls tho…to step to 400’s from 100’s takes big gonads!
John’s Bar!!?? you gotta be kiddin me. I figure they would have like, Figo’s Bar.
with regards to tim’s “ok sign” hands in running. Coby Miller runs with “guns”
Just like Deji Aliu. Just see an interesting pic of Maurice from Friday’s meet in Paris… One hand open…the other closed…Best of both worlds!!!
I just tried to do that while standing still!!! Its bloody hard! Try it! Open at the front and close at the back! I love this sport!!!
I tried it and it gave me the sensation of “pulling back”, like you’re pulling on a rope or something.
You might have just made a very interesting observation there, I doubt any part of the biomechanics of a 9.79 runner are up to chance.
Happens something interesting for me;
since i started trains, i always hold the clock in my right hand while sprinting,
so, now, even without the clock,
theres a tendency to my right hand run almost closed
while my left runs free.
I guess i can call this as a vice 
I’m think we are all on the same page now :D…We are all thinking about the use of arm drive and the way that your hands can either enhance or hinder the movement from the shoulder. I again tried the open at the back and closed at the front technique in front of a mirror…i could only describe the swing as feeling stronger whilst coming down. Could this be a hammer effect? Answer this question: Is a closed fist HEAVIER than an open hand? Could this imaginary ‘weight’ cause the back swing phase of the arm drive to be stronger because you ‘fool’ the body into believing that its weighted thus pulling your hand down on the up swing faster and stronger?? Something like what would happen with stationary weighted arm drives (dumbbells in hand) Any views?
I tryed use weight bracelets for about 1 month ( 0.5kg / 1.1lb each one ),
so, what can i say about;
i felt stronger than normal while sprinting, i mean, at the end of the 100m,
i felt the biceps and chest, but i wasn´t so fast. Actually, the legs was always trying to run faster, but the arms was blocking the lower body movements. Them i tryed use the weights at shins too ( same weight 1.1lb ) but it doesn´t work well, because, within the weights i was not capable of relaxed runs.
So, i don´t recommend this kind of work.
I know alot of coaches (especially my coach) are against the ankle and wrist weights. I would never use them in practice anyway…just dumbbells for arm drills on weights days…The Grand Prix in London tonight will hold host to weird and wonderful hand shapes :D…Its gonna be FIRE!!
Weighing down your arms and legs in actual sprinting will cause unwanted recruitment patterns. You will start to recruit slow fibers which will dampen the effect of the elastic response from fast fibers. Not a good idea. You will also start to cause recruitment of parts of the prime movers which would be normally relaxed, hence the reason why you felt the “blocking” action and your biceps and chest worked.
I think you just found the solution of the puzzle. It’s precisely the same thing as what we were saying about the drills, it’s about lever length. You can move a shorter lever faster and with less effort, so perhaps he’s closing his hands at the back to be able to bring them back in front with more ease (which translates to more economically).
This topic is turning very interesting, I think we might be on to something.