Sprint Drills for Beginners (TOP 3 DRILLS)
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, Cesar from the Sprint Project shares three essential drills designed to enhance sprint technique, which are crucial for runners and especially beneficial for beginners. He starts by identifying common mistakes in arm movement, leg landing, and posture, then introduces seated arm swings to refine arm motion, straight leg bounces to strengthen foot push-off, and the A-step to improve posture and foot strike. Cesar emphasizes the importance of practicing with high-quality technique over quantity of repetitions for effective results.
Takeaways
- 🏃♂️ The video is aimed at improving sprint technique, which is crucial for any form of running, especially for beginners learning to sprint.
- 🤔 Common mistakes in sprinting include insufficient arm movement, excessive lateral arm movement, landing too far in front on the heels, and poor posture due to a rounded back.
- 📝 The importance of arm movement in sprinting is highlighted, as it affects leg movement and overall speed; full range of motion is necessary to avoid energy wastage.
- 👟 The straight leg bouncing drill is introduced to strengthen the feet, which are often the weakest link due to modern footwear, and to improve push-off power.
- 🔄 The seated arm swing drill is emphasized as an effective way to improve arm technique by isolating arm movement and focusing on correct posture and core engagement.
- 👀 The video suggests using visual cues like 'thumb to eye, elbow to the sky' from Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis to guide proper arm movement.
- 🤲 The difference between open and closed hands during arm swings is explained, with open hands providing a mind-muscle connection and closed hands mechanically shortening the arm for faster pumping.
- 🚶♂️ The A-step drill is presented to improve posture and teach the foot to strike back into the ground under the hips, aligning with gravity for more efficient movement.
- 💪 The video stresses the importance of practicing with high-quality technique over quantity of reps, as practice habits directly influence performance.
- 🤸♂️ Strengthening the feet through drills like straight leg bouncing can prevent common issues like sore feet, shin splints, and sore calves.
- 🔍 The script encourages viewers to record themselves practicing to identify and correct form issues, especially for drills like the A-step.
Q & A
What is the purpose of the 'Sprint Project'?
-The 'Sprint Project' was created by Cesar to provide a comprehensive resource for sprinting information, as he couldn't find a single place with everything he needed when looking for information on sprinting.
What are the three main components of sprinting mentioned in the script?
-The three main components of sprinting are arms, legs, and posture.
What are the common mistakes made with arm movement during sprinting?
-Common arm movement mistakes include not moving the arms enough and moving the arms too much side to side, which can affect leg movement and waste energy.
Why is landing far in front of the body on the heels considered a mistake in sprinting?
-Landing on the heels is a mistake because it requires the leg to pull the center of gravity over the foot and causes the joints to absorb the majority of the impact, instead of landing on the ball of the feet which helps absorb impact more effectively.
How does a rounded back posture affect sprinting?
-A rounded back posture prevents the lungs from expanding and taking in oxygen effectively and also prevents the arms from achieving a full range of motion.
What is the first drill introduced in the script and what does it aim to improve?
-The first drill is 'Seated Arm Swings', which aims to improve sprint technique by isolating and focusing on arm movement.
What is the cue 'thumb to eye, elbow to the sky' from?
-The cue 'thumb to eye, elbow to the sky' comes from Carl Lewis, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist.
What are the benefits of the 'Straight Leg Bouncing' drill?
-The 'Straight Leg Bouncing' drill helps to strengthen the feet, which are often the weakest link in the leg, allowing for a more powerful push off the ground.
What is the main purpose of the 'A-Step' drill?
-The main purpose of the 'A-Step' drill is to improve posture and teach the foot to strike back into the ground under the hips, going with gravity instead of against it.
What should one focus on when practicing the drills to ensure proper technique?
-When practicing the drills, one should focus on doing fewer repetitions with high-quality technique rather than many repetitions with poor technique, as practice habits will shape the final technique.
What is suggested for monitoring and improving technique during the drills?
-It is suggested to practice in front of a mirror or record oneself to monitor and improve technique, using a water bottle as a makeshift tripod for recording.
Outlines
🏃♂️ Sprint Technique Fundamentals and Common Mistakes
Cesar introduces the video from the Sprint Project, aiming to demonstrate three drills for enhancing sprint technique, beneficial for all runners but particularly for beginners. He discusses the importance of proper arm movement, leg positioning, and posture in sprinting, highlighting common errors such as insufficient arm range of motion, excessive lateral arm movement, heel striking, and a rounded back posture. These mistakes can hinder performance by limiting step length, wasting energy, and reducing oxygen intake. The video promises to correct these issues through targeted drills.
💪 Targeted Drills for Sprint Improvement
The first drill, 'Seated Arm Swings,' focuses on arm technique by isolating arm movements for better visibility and correction. Cesar suggests sitting on the edge of a chair with a straight posture and engaging the core to execute the drill, emphasizing the importance of proper arm recovery and the choice between open and closed hands for different outcomes. The second drill, 'Straight Leg Bouncing,' addresses foot strength, a common weakness due to modern footwear, by bouncing on the balls of the feet to improve push-off power and prevent injuries. The final drill, 'A-Step,' aims to correct posture and teach foot striking under the hips for efficient movement with gravity. Cesar advises practicing these drills with precision and quality over quantity for optimal technique development.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sprint Technique
💡Arms
💡Legs
💡Posture
💡Seated Arm Swings
💡Straight Leg Bouncing
💡A-Step
💡Range of Motion
💡Core Engagement
💡Hip Flexors
💡Quality Reps
Highlights
Introduction to the Sprint Project and its purpose for creating a comprehensive resource on sprinting.
Common mistakes in sprinting technique categorized into arm movement, leg landing, and posture.
Importance of full arm range of motion for effective leg movement and sprint strength.
The negative impact of excessive side-to-side arm movement on sprint efficiency.
The problem with landing on heels and its effect on joint impact and leg strength.
Advantages of landing on the ball of the feet for better impact absorption and leg power.
Posture issues due to prolonged sitting and their impact on lung function and arm movement.
Overview of three drills designed to improve sprint technique.
Seated arm swings drill to enhance arm movement and sprint technique.
Technique for seated arm swings, including posture, breathing, and core engagement.
The role of thumb position and elbow angle in arm swing efficiency.
Difference between open and closed hands in arm swinging for sprinting.
Straight leg bouncing drill to strengthen feet and improve leg extension for sprinting.
Execution of straight leg bouncing with focus on toe pointing and minimal knee bending.
The A-Step drill for posture improvement and teaching correct foot strike under the hips.
Technique for the A-Step drill, emphasizing glute contraction and maintaining an upright position.
Importance of practicing with high-quality technique over quantity of repetitions.
Invitation for viewers to share their sprint technique drills and struggles in the comments.
Transcripts
hey what's going on it's cesar from the sprint project in this video i'm going
to show you three drills for improving sprint
technique technically this will be useful if you're doing any form of
running but it'll be especially useful if you're
learning how to do sprints if you're new here welcome
originally i created the sprint project because i was looking for information on
sprinting but i couldn't find a place that had
everything i needed so i decided to build it myself now
let's get into the video before we get into the drills let's
quickly go over some of the most common mistakes
sprinting can be broken down into three components arms
legs and posture for arms there are two common mistakes
one is not moving the arms enough two is moving the arms too much side to side
the problem with these mistakes is that what happens
at the arms affects the legs if your arms don't move through a full range of
motion then your legs won't either so each step
you take will be cut short and be much weaker on the other
hand if your arms move too much side to side energy is wasted that could instead
be used to move your body forward for legs the most common mistake is
landing far in front of your body on the heels the problem with this
mistake besides the fact that the leg has to pull the center of gravity over
the foot is that when you land on your heels your
joints have to absorb majority of the impact
on each step instead when you land on the ball of your feet
your foot muscles achilles and calf muscles
lengthen and help absorb the impact of each step
in terms of posture majority of us sit for a large part of our day
so one of the biggest problems is a rounded back this prevents your lungs
from expanding and taking in oxygen effectively not to mention also
prevents your arms from achieving a full range of motion now that we've
established some of the most common mistakes let's get into the drills the
first drill are seated arm swings in my experience
this is one of the fastest ways to improve sprint technique because it's
much easier to see what your arms are doing
compared to your legs and posture if you're at the track you can sit down at
the bleachers or if you're at home watching this video you can grab a chair
and sit on the edge to perform this drill
just make sure you sit far enough so your arms can move freely without
touching the back of the chair first sit up straight eyes straight
ahead then take a big breath and engage the core if you're not sure
what this is supposed to feel like imagine if someone was about to punch
you in the stomach so you filled your lungs with air
and contracted your core as a shield to begin thumb to eye
elbow to the sky i got this cue from carl lewis who is nine times olympic
gold medalist then you can begin swinging your arms
while keeping the core engaged you can start off slow
in order to build up the correct movement pattern then once you're
comfortable with the movement you can do it even faster
and work on power here's how it's supposed to look like front of the body
when the hand is at the highest point the angle at the elbow is slightly less
than 90 degrees as it comes down the arm opens up and it
becomes nearly straight at the leg then begins
to close as it comes up behind the body here the elbow is the same height as
your shoulder with the upper arm parallel to the ground if you can't do
this that's alright over time as you practice this drill
your shoulder mobility will improve for recovery do what feels most natural
to you some sprinters recover with the arm below the waist
some recover with the arm above the waist in order to get a faster arm swing
my experience here's the difference between open and close hands open hands
allows you to feel the wind against your palm
which gives you a better mind's muscle connection closed hands mechanically
shorten your arm which allows you to pump them faster and increase the speed
of each step here is how it's not supposed to look
like you don't want to look down on your hands
or up too high because where you look affects your posture
you don't want a small range of motion from the front
the hands should not cross the midline of the body if there's one thing you
take away from this video it should be this
the second drill i call straight leg bouncing unless you frequently walk
around and exercise barefoot the feet are usually the
weakest link in the leg which may lead to sore feet sore calves
and shin splints simply put because of modern day shoes
our feet are weak and this drill is going to help us
strengthen them so that we can push off the ground
with more power first begin on the ball of your feet next
without bending your hips or knees too much push your toes into the ground and
start bouncing then continue bouncing but instead use only
one foot at a time finally move forward while balancing on
one foot at a time adding in the arms at this point you're
isolating your feet to do majority of the work
both to push you into the air and move your body forward
by training the feet in isolation the power of each leg will be much stronger
once you put everything together and are actually sprinting here is how it's
supposed to look like the big toe should be the last part of
the foot to leave the ground immediately after pushing to the ground the toes
should point up landing should happen on the ball of the
feet with only minimal bending at the knee or hips to absorb
impact here is how it's not supposed to look like because we're isolating the
feet the knees and hips should not be bending and extending
otherwise they'll be helping to generate a large amount of the power when moving
forward if your toes are scraping the ground
that's a clear indication that either you're not pointing the toes up at all
or you're not doing it fast enough when moving forward you should not be taking
large steps or landing in front of the hips
this will cause you to lose a straight leg position the third drill is called
the a-step the main purpose of this drill is to
improve your posture and teach your foot to strike back
into the ground under your hips so that you're going with gravity instead of
against it to perform this drill stand with your feet shoulder width apart eyes
straight ahead first take your foot off the ground with your
toes pointed up then tap your opposite knee with your ankle
and relax slightly finally bring the foot back down to the same place it was
before underneath the hips once you get
comfortable with the movement you can do it faster
you can do both legs add the arms in and move forward
the easiest way to perfect this drill is to practice in front of a mirror or by
recording yourself which you can do using a water bottle as a tripod just
make sure the water bottle is full here is how it's supposed to look like
your power and balance comes from the leg that's on the ground
so make sure to contract the glutes there should be a straight line
from the top of your head to the foot by having your toes pointing up you prepare
the foot muscles to strike the ground so that when it does contact the foam
muscles are engaged effectively when you contact the ground it should be with the
ball of your foot first underneath the hips here is how it's not
supposed to look like you should not be leaning forward
backward or to the side if this happens make sure you're contracting your glutes
and core they work together with the hamstrings and quads to maintain an
upright position if you're having trouble keeping the leg
on the ground from bending at the knee or you're bending at the waist
then it's likely you have tight hip flexors the hip flexors connect from the
lower back to the top of the thigh so if they are tight they may cause your
lower back to round and prevent your leg from extending
completely to summarize seated arm strings are going to improve your arm
technique by isolating the arm movement straight
leg bounces are going to teach you to get a full extension through the leg
and the a-steps are going to improve your posture and teach you to strike
correctly into the ground all of these drills keep
in mind that doing less reps with high quality technique
is always better than doing lots of reps with poor technique
how you practice is how your technique will look like so make sure that your
practice is as perfect as possible i think those are three of the most
valuable drills you can do when learning sprint technique now i'm
not saying these are the best drills in the entire world
if you have any other drills that you recommend feel free to drop in the
comments and i'm interested what are you guys
currently working on in terms of building your sprint
technique or what are you currently struggling with
i think it'll be interesting for all of us to see what everyone else is working
on so drop in the comments and thanks for
watching i'll see you in the next one
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
Jalan Cepat - Materi Pembelajaran Atletik | Materi dan Soal
How to hit driver straight EVERY TIME - CRAZY DETAIL
How To Build An Effective Freestyle Pull
5 Minutos de Ejercicios de Estiramiento que te salvarán del dolor de Cadera y Lumbar
How To Run Properly | Running Technique Explained
Porque NÃO começar pisando com o CALCANHAR na corrida
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)