New start block?

Check out this news from the Danish Athletics Website. The article is in Danish, but you can see the pictures.

Apparently a Danish inventor has come up with a modified start block, which has been presented to the IAAF Technical Comitee - apparently with success. It still has to be approved for competition though.

The article mostly covers historical aspects of block starts and the history of the inventor. It also states though, that his primary reason to invent the new block was to make it easier for the sprinters to get into the “proper running form” during acceleration - here presented as running on a straight line from the block

I thought that a lateral placement of the feet during the initial acceleration was beneficial due to the added involvement of the adductors? Am I wrong here?

Apart from the usual settings, the block can be adjusted by:

  • Changing the lateral distance between the blocks.

  • Changing the angle between the two blocks and the running direction.

Interesting, but I’m wondering if it is just more things for the athlete to forget! Will it actually help them in any way? We will have to see.

TC

This is interesting. On a related matter, I find Me’Lisa Barber’s closed block setup interesting as well.

She seems to be a long way over her hands, how does she hold that position so well?! Perhaps it is the angle? Charlie, do you think this is perhaps too far forward, does it create problems clearing the lead hand?

Cheers,

TC

And why the wide hand placement? Looks like she’s setting up for a snatch.

TNT

Some Russians again will sort her out! :stuck_out_tongue: