Letter from the Editor

The June 2015 issue of The Hurdle Magazine has a heavy emphasis on the technical side of things, so hopefully the article in this issue will help you readers to address some of the nagging technical flaws that may be preventing you from running the types of times you are capable of.

Last weekend an athlete from out of town came down for a few training sessions, which afforded me the opportunity to help her with her technique. From those sessions I put together the article, “Learning to Cycle.” This article is one of my favorite types to write – a photo sequence detailing each phase of hurdle clearance. I’m a big believer in the bent lead leg for women, and in the importance of using the trail leg as the primary source of power and speed. So this article points out the benefits of hurdling in such a manner that allows the legs to continuously cycle over each barrier.

“Keeping the Elbows in” is another technically specific article, with this one focusing on arm carriage. Here, I take a look at some of the best male and female technicians in the sprint hurdles and analyze how their arm carriage serves them well, or, in some cases, needs to be modified. The basic premise of the article is that, if you keep the elbows in, better things will happen than if you don’t.

“The Three-Step Skip” is an article written by reader Thomas Le, a high school hurdler who loves to experiment with new ideas regarding ways to get over the hurdles faster. A smaller hurdler, Le discusses his idea of the three-step skip, which is basically a hybrid between three-stepping and two-stepping. The concept is, the lead leg does not land first off the hurdle, but misses the track (that’s the skip), and the trail leg lands first, similar to the first phase of the triple jump. Very interesting concept, and I’m always open to new possibilities in the hurdles.

“The Benefits of Breathing Exercises” is sort of an extension of the article in last month’s issues about breathing in the sprint hurdles. This month’s article, however, focuses more on calming the nerves in order to avoid the tension and holding of breath that occurs among some hurdlers who are wound up too tightly. I refer to a book entitled Working out, Working Within that I read a while ago and that provides some practical advice and a very useful breathing exercise that can be used at any time of day.

This month’s workout, “High Volume Sprint Workout,” is designed for hurdlers who have already entered their off-season and are looking to build a cardio base prior to entering into their fall training. This workout involves 200 repeats, focusing on mechanics and rhythm and speed maintenance.

The final article, “This is Why We Hurdle,” is both a reflective piece about some of the athletes I’ve coached in the past, and an observational piece about some of the athletes I’m coaching now. It was largely inspired by the recent success of two of my former athletes, Johnny Dutch and Kendra Harrison, and my appreciation for how the hurdles have defined my life to such an extreme degree. I think it’s important at times to take a step back from the grind and take a look at the big picture in order to keep a healthy perspective.

Thanks to Thomas Le for contributing a very well-written, very thought-provoking article to this month’s issue. It’s always a tremendous help to me when others write articles for the mag, as it frees me up to do more editorial work. I also think it helps readers to see perspectives on the hurdles other than mine.

Thanks also to all you loyal subscribers. You are the ones who keep me going.

Steve McGill