Interesting read.
I thought it was pretty cool. I guess one of the MANY other things to “get right” while sprinting is the balance between max output into the track while maintaining your max stride rate and having it all feel natural!!!
Sprinting is pretty complex.
I dont get the whole relative step length argument. Our 100m times are never relative to anything, they’re absolute. To compare stride rates relative to height seems pretty odd to me.
What I do find interesting is the unique combinations of SR and SL that sprinters have. Usain has lots of both which makes him fast as hell.
Walter Dix is far from covering the 100m in 44 strides!
Hopefully, Pierre-Jean can post his work on this. Most elite sprinters (sub 10) have about the same stride length relative to height and leg length (falling in a small range), which makes sense to me.
There are many who deviate substantially from this ratio, however. Dix, Montgomery and Powel, for example, take much shorter steps than what would be predicted from their height, while Gatlin takes much longer ones.
Actually, between Gatlin (41 steps for 1.85m) and Montgomery (49 steps for 1.78m), there’s a big gap in the stride length/body height ratio.
I’d be interested in seeing if the ratio is more consistent if we looked at number of steps versus leg length (as opposed to height). A taller athlete often has longer legs, but not always…
uNfortunately in Italy we’ve spent 30 years trying to tell people how many step they should run…and the results are usually wasting the big young talents we almost always have.
Thats so right.
How many times have I read that Maurice Greene has short legs…he’s sure short but his legs are long compare to his height
Most of Elite sprinters tend to have relatively long legs, which seems to be a prerequisite at top level
49 strides??? That means his stride was a little over 2 meters? That seems awfully short for a top flight sprinter… If this is correct his turn over must have been a sight to see…
I really dont buy into the height to stride ratio thing. It has to be more about power into the ground and technique?
Agree, but there don’t seem to be any absolutes. Michael Johnson looks like he has one of the longest torsos of any sprinter I have seen!
I know my leg length for my height is way out of proportion. I train a guy who towers over my height of 5foot 11.5. Im pretty sure he is like 6foot 4 or 5.
You can tell just looking at him, he has mighty long legs.
However, we both have exact same leg length.
Also, His brother, same height, has shorter leg length than both of us, by nearly 2inches.
this topic is continually rehashed without any real significance. Of course we know that fewer strides and quicker turnover leads to faster running–
Who cares? Nothing needs to be scientifically broken down to show how usain bolt takes long strides. My 6 year old niece could tell you that.
A jackrabbit is faster than a horse and they both have the same stride length.
That’s his average stride length. In full flight it’s longer: 2.26m @ 5.32Hz for a 0.83 split during his 9.78.
What is 5.32Hz? Is that 5.32 strides per second?
I would say that Powell used to, but by the end of 07, and almost all of 08(best races)he was taking 43 strides. Which seems about right for his height. Maybe 42 would be best. Early on in his career(03-05) I would defenitely agree with you(45-46 steps). If he does get into the 42’s, it would almost certainly result in a 9.6 with little to no wind.
The link below shows all of the body measurements, including thigh size of elite sprinters who
run between 10.29 and 1.20 seconds for 100 meters. even shoulder width, ankles, chest, waist - etc…
It shows 60.90 cm as the average thigh circumferance. (24.5inches.)
average sprint time = 10.52 seconds
length of leg = 102.28cm
body weight = 80.98kg
body hieght = 180.78 cm
shank circumferqnce (calves?) = 40.73 cm.
shoulder diameter = 40.9 cm.
pelvic diameter = 28.14 cm
knee diameter = 9.58cm
ankle diameter = 7.68
http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/44647?ref=Guzels.TV
It sais the rectus femoris plays a key role in withstanding peak ground reaction forces,
as it ensures proper stiffness at the knee joint.
Yes, is it.