I would presume that high heel recovery is a result of an over-emphasis on pushing on your strides (i.e. over-emphasis on back-side mechanics). Just as I would prescribe for over-emphasized heel recovery (to the back-side) during max velocity - I would emphasis the concept of “lifting through” or “stepping over” during the initial acceleration phase. I would not mention “dragging the toe” as it may actually happen and result in poor performance or, worse, tripping out of the blocks.
Usually, if athletes have the proper mechanics in their Running A drills, their mechanics in initial acceleration will be adequate. But I do believe that many people take the execution of proper running A’s for granted and they are flawed.
I can remember the many years when I took my athletes to run in a series of meets around the Mt. Sac Relays and watching a mish-mash of horribly executed drills being performed in warm-up by college athletes. Not that good drill execution always carries over to running mechanics, but it was so bad I had to avert my eyes.
Personally I have never dragged my toes when cueing drag the rear foot. It just kept me from doing what Lewis is doing in that video, pulling the heel to butt. Tellez cues push off the front block and if I really cue full extension ofF the front block I have had toe drag like Powell and Bolt.
It seems like cues are individualistic, I.e. Flicking the leAd hand doesn’t help me.
You guys have way more experience than I do though.
and now it seems like a lot of people think being super tall like Bolt is the new thing as if the sprints are going to be dominated by tall sprinters from now on.
When did Linford break the wr? Other than the indoor 200m.
On this general topic. Strengthening the right muscles can work wonders. I’ve noticed that a simple standing hip flexor catch can help with the problem outlined here. I’ve also noticed that weighted hipflexion exercises on the machines can exacerbate it.
I’d rather get the athlete strong in the right areas than load them up with cues - although the occasional cue over several weeks can help attain this too.
And I remember guys saying back in 99 00 that tall guys like Lewis and linford had had their day and a tall guy simply couldn’t match it with the “power sprinters” and their drive phase. Too funny.
What Asafa is doing is clearly superior to Carl Lewis. There are some purist who will favor Carl because he’s carl, but mechanically he’s inferior in that aspect. I’m positive that if you were to have Carl and Asafa push a car down the street, Carls mechanics would instantly correct themselves.
As far as the height stereotypes, I generally think that people are cowards mentally. And most people, fans and coaches alike will take the route of what seems to make sense instead of making sense. Someone like Bolt isn’t the anomoly that the world has made him out to be. He just happens to be one of the few taller athletes who’s been allowed another path other than the 400m, high jump, or hurdles. Randy Moss is technically his football equivalent, and you see what coaches look for in recievers now.
I’ve always believe that its far more important to understand whats going on even if you can’t duplicate it, than to just do it cuz it works for someone else. I’ve had female athletes who were a hair under 13sec in the 100m who executed the mechanics of what we see Asafa doing, better than some of the guys I have who are 10.6, 10.4, 10.2 etc.