Just a likelyhood but not a reason to switch if you feel comfortable the other way around.
Alot of coaches will have the athlete turn around and then push them on their backs to see which foot the athlete lands on. When my coach tried it to me I landed on a different foot each time. Im still trying to figure out how this would make a difference in which foot I pushed off with.
dr.sprint
I’m a righty and I used to start with my right foot in front, but suddenly one day I decided I didn’t feel comfortable anymore and switched around. I’ve stayed the other way around since. I feel like I have much better power on my first step with my right leg. I also have a minor strength imbalance so I felt like I was sometimes falling down or losing balance starting with the right foot in front.
I believe that the idea with this test is that the foot you step out with to catch yourself is your ‘quick’ foot and should therefore go in the back block. The one that stays back is ‘strong’ or more stable and goes in the front block. Not a perfect test, but if someone has no idea it’s a place to start. It also works better if the person doesn’t know what you are going to do.
BTW, I’m left handed but start like a righty (with my left foot forward…go figure!)
It’s the same with me. I believe that for some people one side is so dominant that they just have to let the arm of that dominant side initiate the movement, even though that arm is probably the stronger and slower one.
I’m joining this discussion late in the game but I was out of town, and moving (changing) houses so I didn’t get a chance to put in my 2 cents worth.
When It comes to starting, my starts need a lot of work, but the funny thing is that when I figured out which leg to start in front, it wasn’t my legs that determined the position, rather it was my arms, I started off with my left leg (strong leg) in front, but kept coming out of the blocks horribly, because my my right hand would override my left hand and come up first (meaning I’d end up with both right leg and right hand in front on the first step), finally changed when a friend of mine spotted this and told me to switch block settings and to try with my right leg in front.
now comes my question for charlie…
“What should be more important, the legs (as in which one is stronger and more explosive) and train the hands to “switch” or to start with the “stronger” arm and use the “weaker” leg in front??” Which is easier to rewire CNS-wise legs or arms??
train with the position that allows the most natural action and worry about the strength after.
thanks charle, it’s just that because i’ve only taken up sprinting in the last 4 months that I ask this, because I am right handed, and when younger trained a lot of basketball, I used to always take off and lay-up with my left leg, leading to me having a stronger more exporsive left leg, but with the right training, both sould come up to scratch soon.